Agreed, a cm either way or even 3 cm either way won’t make much odds at sensible ranges for stalking!
Optics advice.
- Thread starter The bearded oaf
- Start date
JohnSmith
Well-Known Member
If you’re talking solely about light transmission. Definitely not the best in terms of magnification range at only 4x vs the competition at 8x and at a similar price point.
I’d suggest a Swarovski Z8i 2.3-18x56. Great light transmission, 8x magnification range and fantastic build quality.
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Steff
Well-Known Member
For stalking one needs neither 18x max. magnification nor 56mm objectives. And high zoom ranges don't make a better scope. On the contrary, the exit pupils need to be cut down in order to reduce abberation. This starts already on 6-zoom scopes.
In your intro you say you are just starting out on stalking.
Two pages in, and members are happily spending your budget for you but still no consensus on what you should buy. This should tell you something!
Don’t over-complicate things, or at least not until you’ve truly decided deer stalking is for you.
You don’t need 8x magnification, 5mm clicks or the latest all-singing, all-dancing technology. You need a solid, reliable scope that will allow you to shoot enough deer to decide if this is where you really want to invest time, effort and money in the future.
Give someone like Macleod’s of Tain a call and ask what s/h or ex-demo scopes they have in stock. Their website currently shows an ex-demo Meopta, a s/h Zeiss Victory and a s/h Swarovski 8x56. All would fit the bill, and leave you somewhere between £2k and £2.5k to spend on stalking.
Two pages in, and members are happily spending your budget for you but still no consensus on what you should buy. This should tell you something!
Don’t over-complicate things, or at least not until you’ve truly decided deer stalking is for you.
You don’t need 8x magnification, 5mm clicks or the latest all-singing, all-dancing technology. You need a solid, reliable scope that will allow you to shoot enough deer to decide if this is where you really want to invest time, effort and money in the future.
Give someone like Macleod’s of Tain a call and ask what s/h or ex-demo scopes they have in stock. Their website currently shows an ex-demo Meopta, a s/h Zeiss Victory and a s/h Swarovski 8x56. All would fit the bill, and leave you somewhere between £2k and £2.5k to spend on stalking.
JohnSmith
Well-Known Member
I suppose I’m thinking of stalking out here. Where you stalk an animal from possibly a km away, and can take long shots across fields or in the mountains. Having 2.3 - 18 is very convenient in these situations.
Magnification doesn’t make a better scope just like light transmission alone doesn’t make a better scope. It’s all about totality of features that suit your needs.
Sold: - S&B Polar T96 2.5-10x50
S&B Polar 2.5-10x50 with ASV turret on both elevation and windage. SFP D7 illuminated reticle 1cm clicks 34mm tube weighs 650g with 96% light transmission. Brand new, never mounted, taken out of the box twice. £1250 inc postage
www.thestalkingdirectory.co.uk
I’ve got one of those and really rate it. Just used it in woodland/smallish fields so far but it’s brilliant. Compared it to a friend’s Z6i 1.4-10x42 (I think, might be a smaller mag to start with) and couldn’t tell any difference at dusk. The Schmidt feels a lot more robust though.
Only downside, in my opinion, is it’s a 34mm tube so depending on your rifle you might be more limited to scope mount choices!
Brighty3006
Well-Known Member
Swarovski 3-12 × 50 Z6i
hybridfiat
Well-Known Member
Keep it simple.
If you are new to the whole stalking game and shooting game scene go simple and high quality.
Don't get all caught up with FFP or SFP, bullet drop compensation and zoom rates.
Learn what maximum point blank range sighting is all about and the size of your game's vital area and WHERE it is and focus on getting your shot into that area first time.
You will be searching for game with binoculars and shooting with a scope so the need to zoom right in and see the flys on it's nose isn't needed.
I agree with mealiejimmy, a really good fixed power that allows shots from 50m to 250m and twilight shooting will serve you well.
If you are new to the whole stalking game and shooting game scene go simple and high quality.
Don't get all caught up with FFP or SFP, bullet drop compensation and zoom rates.
Learn what maximum point blank range sighting is all about and the size of your game's vital area and WHERE it is and focus on getting your shot into that area first time.
You will be searching for game with binoculars and shooting with a scope so the need to zoom right in and see the flys on it's nose isn't needed.
I agree with mealiejimmy, a really good fixed power that allows shots from 50m to 250m and twilight shooting will serve you well.
S/H SWAROVSKI HABICHT 8X50
rmacleod.co.uk
"I will be shooting in woodland and from high seats, at predominantly fallow and muntjac"
Then I would suggest having owned most scopes in no particular order
Zeiss v6 2.5-15x56
Zeiss V8 2.8-20x56 or
Swarovski z8i 2.3-18x56
All have a red dot which will be a big advantage at first last light on fallow and good magnification for close quarters in woodland and reaching a bit farther out from a high seat
If you want to go secondhand a good Swarovski fixed mag or z6i will serve you well
Then I would suggest having owned most scopes in no particular order
Zeiss v6 2.5-15x56
Zeiss V8 2.8-20x56 or
Swarovski z8i 2.3-18x56
All have a red dot which will be a big advantage at first last light on fallow and good magnification for close quarters in woodland and reaching a bit farther out from a high seat
If you want to go secondhand a good Swarovski fixed mag or z6i will serve you well
£450.00S/H SWAROVSKI HABICHT 8X50
Shaun Goss
Well-Known Member
I have now settled on this scope and can safely say I will never replace it.
I have bought and sold more scopes than I care to admit all with promises of various things even though made in Japan etc. put very simply the Schmidt named above and the Swarovski z6i 2.5-15x56 that I should have never sold are purchases you would never regret. If it’s for stalking only and especially woodland you don’t need high mag so bare that in mind.
I got the Schmidt at a bargain deal price from McLeod of tain which is quite honestly incredible. and the Swarovski can often be seen on here well within your budget secondhand or go new if preferred.
Atb
J@son
Well-Known Member
+1
I think this particular scope is a phenomical bit of kit. My best buy, by far.
When I was putting together my stalking set-up, I was advised to spend more on the scope than I did on the rifle. I followed this advice although I didn't really appreciate how sensible it was at the time.
I've got BT version - which I can see isn't entirely necessary but does make confidently adjusting for distance very quick and easy in the field. I like having the option of the illuminated recticule - although I find I rarely use it.
Dunwaters
Well-Known Member
Lots of scope advice there, if your rig is just for stalking as you say then any decent scope with magnification in the 2-10x range will be enough, you dont need a big 56mm objective either, something with a 40-42mm lens is more than enough. Bigger scopes weigh more and you don’t need all that magnification but if most of your stalking involves high seats weight won’t matter too much.
Same thing with bino’s, you can pick up a second hand pair of Swaro EL’s for not much money now that everyone wants built in range finders, mine are 8x32 and I have another set, 10x42, Leupold just in case.
You can get an inexpensive range finder, it’ll work fine, live in a pocket and won’t cause huge anxiety if it breaks or gets lost.
Best of luck with your stalking career.
Same thing with bino’s, you can pick up a second hand pair of Swaro EL’s for not much money now that everyone wants built in range finders, mine are 8x32 and I have another set, 10x42, Leupold just in case.
You can get an inexpensive range finder, it’ll work fine, live in a pocket and won’t cause huge anxiety if it breaks or gets lost.
Best of luck with your stalking career.
I have no idea what will suit your eyes but from someone who has experienced the illness that is glass addiction, I can tell you that you should avoid the erros that loads of us have made.
It often takes time to fully appreciate how important weight, dimensions and proportion are. What rifle you are mounting to, what method of mounting you will use and how that results in rifle fit. These are very very very important. With the sort of money you are quoting, you will not buy bad glass but you absolutely do not want to make a mistake spending that much money. It would be easy to spend £3k on a PMII with huge zoom, large dimensions and great weight and while it is an awesome scope, it will not make shooting deer any easier. It will make it harder when you consider walking with kit and settling down behind a rifle where you really want your eye to natually fall on the ocular, rather than feeling you are craning your neck upwards to accommodate the huge objective lens you chose because everyone is saying how much better that will be.
50mm is plenty. If you were not shooting in woodland, I would even say 42mm would be good but 50mm would probably be a good sweet spot.
Zoom range will allow you to zero the rifle easily and make slightly longer shots more comfortably but anything above x16 (and even x 10) is mostly redundant for almost all deer hunting.
Try and look through some scopes to appreciate what view suits you best, as different makers do produce different pictures despite them all making top end glass. I personally dislike Zeiss but they are very very bright. Others dislike the calmer and more placid dimmed view of a Leica but I really like it. There is no right or wrong answer.
Once you have decided what glass you like, then pay attention to the above in terms of weight, size etc and how it will marry up nicely to your gun and anthroprometically to yourself. We are all built different. When you have kit that falls in to your shoulder and eye nicely, the body feels far less tension and you will make better shots from a variety of positions, more of the time. Which is a good thing.
It often takes time to fully appreciate how important weight, dimensions and proportion are. What rifle you are mounting to, what method of mounting you will use and how that results in rifle fit. These are very very very important. With the sort of money you are quoting, you will not buy bad glass but you absolutely do not want to make a mistake spending that much money. It would be easy to spend £3k on a PMII with huge zoom, large dimensions and great weight and while it is an awesome scope, it will not make shooting deer any easier. It will make it harder when you consider walking with kit and settling down behind a rifle where you really want your eye to natually fall on the ocular, rather than feeling you are craning your neck upwards to accommodate the huge objective lens you chose because everyone is saying how much better that will be.
50mm is plenty. If you were not shooting in woodland, I would even say 42mm would be good but 50mm would probably be a good sweet spot.
Zoom range will allow you to zero the rifle easily and make slightly longer shots more comfortably but anything above x16 (and even x 10) is mostly redundant for almost all deer hunting.
Try and look through some scopes to appreciate what view suits you best, as different makers do produce different pictures despite them all making top end glass. I personally dislike Zeiss but they are very very bright. Others dislike the calmer and more placid dimmed view of a Leica but I really like it. There is no right or wrong answer.
Once you have decided what glass you like, then pay attention to the above in terms of weight, size etc and how it will marry up nicely to your gun and anthroprometically to yourself. We are all built different. When you have kit that falls in to your shoulder and eye nicely, the body feels far less tension and you will make better shots from a variety of positions, more of the time. Which is a good thing.
Go to a good shop with a good selection of scopes from different brands (first focal plane and second focal plane) and somewhere outside that you can get a true reflection of what the scope picture looks like. Don't look at price and forget your perceived ideas of what will be best. Go with the one that bests suits you, your eye and the type of shooting you will be doing. Consider weight and mounting options. Don't buy on that day. Go home and mull on it. Have a browse online to see what prices are and be sure it's the reticle you want. Go back, ask for a price match to online or ask them to order the exact specification you want. Support local businesses. Buy very good mounts to suit the scope- never have a doubt that the mount could be causing any issue. Be excited by what you are buying. It's a lifetime purchase if you get it right. Once it's on the rifle and doing the job well, forget the bullcrap adverts of scopes that can do stuff yours can't. If you're successfully grassing deer, it's doing everything you need. Everyone will have a personal preference and you will only receive opinion on here. My advice is to go out there and form your own opinion of what is best for you. Cheers.
When shopping for scopes you need to look through them in low light. They all look amazing in bright sunshine.
Different makes can have a different colour cast too which is more noticeable to some people than others. To my eyes Zeiss have a grey blue tone whereas Swarovski are more yellow and S&B and Leica are neutral.
And on the subject of testing, why oh why when you go to a gamefair do the optics stallholders pack up at 5 o' clock and go to the beer tent wasting the perfect opportunity for punters to try out optics in low light...
Different makes can have a different colour cast too which is more noticeable to some people than others. To my eyes Zeiss have a grey blue tone whereas Swarovski are more yellow and S&B and Leica are neutral.
And on the subject of testing, why oh why when you go to a gamefair do the optics stallholders pack up at 5 o' clock and go to the beer tent wasting the perfect opportunity for punters to try out optics in low light...
paulbshooting
Well-Known Member
As above go premium with swaro, zeiss or leica top end models. I use zeiss scopes HT and V8 but swaro and leica binos. I would consider the S&B polar scope as used one at their factory and it was superb.
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