Absolute best low light scope?

[phillips321]

No thermal, no night vision, what's the best low light scope available? A fixed 8x56 or 7x50? If so by whom? Swarovski? Schmidt? Zeiss?

I'm asking as I sat watching a few fallow well within legal time tonight through my thermal but couldn't pick them out using my Schmidt 4-16x50

 

[the scudd]

I had a zeiss diatal 7x50 with illuminated reticule that was fantastic at last light

 

[Ronin]

Schmidt 4-16 polar

Phenomenal low light performance (in my eyes )

 

[paulbshooting]

Zeiss HT 3-12x56 with illuminated as dull as possible to just enable shot placement

 

[hunta]

My Swarovski Z6i 2.5 - 15 x 56 is very good at last light when set at 8x. Out of interest were you viewing your thermal through your shooting eye? I find that if I'm using my thermal at low light and then look through my scope with the same eye I can see much less than I would normally. I now use my non shooting eye when scanning with my thermal in low light.

 

[Lateral]

Best Low Light Scope

 

[palmer_mike]

Scope mounted lamp?

 

[Stalker-of-the-deer]

Zeiss victory diavri ht 3-1x56. Means I can crank the mag down and pull all the light in. It's an incredibly bright scope. The schmidt polar is also a good scope

 

[stalker.308]

No thermal, no night vision, what's the best low light scope available? A fixed 8x56 or 7x50? If so by whom? Swarovski? Schmidt? Zeiss?

I'm asking as I sat watching a few fallow well within legal time tonight through my thermal but couldn't pick them out using my Schmidt 4-16x50

I have a blaser 4-20 x 58 which I have to say is phenomenal. That 58mm tube is superb couples with the 36mm tube. I have never been able to see deer so late in the day on dark days.

 

[dlz90]

As mentioned by the scudd the Zeiss distal 7x50i fantastic low light performer in a fixed mag, also the fixed mag Schmidt's are excellent.

Now no scope is going to compete with thermal at last light but the above scopes will get you the last few minutes.

In a variable the Swarovski z4i four times zoom are really hard to beat and what I currently have on my rifle.

D

 

[Tim.243]

No thermal, no night vision, what's the best low light scope available? A fixed 8x56 or 7x50? If so by whom? Swarovski? Schmidt? Zeiss?

I'm asking as I sat watching a few fallow well within legal time tonight through my thermal but couldn't pick them out using my Schmidt 4-16x50

Drone 10 no IR easy. Day scope.

 

[Utectok]

So I have found moving from a ziess victory to a Schmidt and bender ultrabright (4-16x56) I get, in summer, an extra 40 mins of shooting time, in winter, slightly less but I was absolutely shocked at the improvement. I often think ohh it’s too dark to shoot and look through the scope and it’s bright as day! That coupled with leica geovid 8x and it’s amazing how much you can see!!
I think the scope is 96% light transmission and 93.5% at dusk it’s specially designed for
Low light and awesome

 

[devon deer stalker]

8x56 Schmidt and Bender, I have seen variables in use, I am saying to my client 'there it is broadside' and then realise the reason they can't see it is they have the magnification turned right up, keep it simple.
Cheers
Richard

 

[Cris]

Another vote for the 8x56 S&B the illuminated. Simple and great low light transmission.

 

[Shootgun]

Schmidt and Bender Polar T96 4-16x56 … Only the Leica Magnus come close to it…

 

[Scapegoat]

The two scopes that have performed best for me at low light are a Meopta R1r 3-12*56, and a real surprise was a Zeiss duralyt.

According to Richard Uttings review on YouTube, the successor to the R1r is the newer Meopta R2r, and is genuinely as good at low light as anything else out there.

I had a used Duralyt on a foxing rifle that was as clear as daylight well past the time you couldn’t see with the naked eye. I was shocked at how bright it was

 

[norcan]

Zeiss 6-24x72

 

[marrajack]

Ziess victory HT 2-10-50 Illuminated is a great stalking scope along with Leica Magnus. Work better for my eyes than anything else

 

[Bavarianbrit]

I have a Kahles 7x56 fixed non illuminated 25mm tube that will pull more light in than a 8x56 (mathematically) but for the 400 euros I paid new it works great.

 

[BenBhoy]

. I now use my non shooting eye when scanning with my thermal in low light.

Same here mate, always thermal spotter left eye & nv scope right