Scopes? Time to move on from the dark ages?
- Thread starter wildfowler.250
- Start date
I guess I'm a bit old school. My take on it would be unless you have an absolute need to get tech for specific situations, personally I'd stick to old school tech, and learn your drops and hold-overs. Whilst there's obviously a place for new tech, a high quality (low tech) scope has less to go wrong and will most likely be dependable in pretty much any condition you choose to be out in....
.Optical scopes will be around for many years, and I doubt they'll totally disappear in favour of digital, certainly not for may years.
I also think the question should be, what, and how far are you shooting ? And dare I say, -25C in Finland is a far cry from shooting in the UK, and who goes away shooting for a few days, and doesn't take spare batteries, or a power pack to charge, if you don't have the option of mains power ??? Or don't the hunters using optical scopes, use range finders, thermal spotters etc' ?
Whilst both the DS, & the Alpex 4k LRF have very similar mag at 25x the DS, & 28x the Alpex, they are WORLDS apart, and if I particularly needed a circa 18-25x scope, it wouldn't be digital, at least not the Alpex, a good as it is.
hybridfiat
Well-Known Member
I've sold all my variables and gone back to fixed power scopes.
This is a personal decision and not advice.
I just can't be bothered with all the factors and faffing about that comes with a new super duper handy dandy dialamatic 1st focal planier scope.
Raise the rifle, estimate distance and shoot.
This is a personal decision and not advice.
I just can't be bothered with all the factors and faffing about that comes with a new super duper handy dandy dialamatic 1st focal planier scope.
Raise the rifle, estimate distance and shoot.
kenbro
Well-Known Member
Oh to
KB.
Oh to be able to reliably estimate the range to your target in all conditions!
KB.
I recently had a conversation with a chap who bought one of those all-singing-and-dancing electronic binos.
He loves it for the twlight hunts, especially foxing...but the day time optics are way below his old glass binos and so it is not first choice for bright daylight use.
nun_hunter
Well-Known Member
My set up, be it digital or variable zoom with tactical turrets is set for the most likely scenario where a deer would appear closer and for a shorter period of time so I can take a shot quickly if needed.
Learning your kit, whatever it is, is important. The majority of people who say a variable scope is too much faff are those who never practice with it, leave it on x18 when they're woodland stalking and get frustrated they couldn't see a deer that appeared at 30m. The same people who buy a smartphone and leave it on all the factory settings or buy a car and never alter the driving settings.
If you know you're the sort of person who isn't interested in gadgets and customisation then stick with a fixed 8x56 but if you like adjusting and practicing, then digital and tactical can be very rewarding.
No i dont use spotters, range finders etc. i just set any scope to 8x for my shot and the holdover is automatic.
Again, not to say digital is unreliable or bad. But its a trust thing. and trust is very important. I have had a rifle that generally grouped 2cm but threw the odd flier. I ended up never taking it out because i just didnt trust it. A rifle that always shoots around 3-5cm like my kalashnikov at 100m i trust more because it always does the same.
trust is all this discussion is really about in the end.
some dont trust hybrid cars, mine is going strong fpr 5 years now. But i dont trust it the way i did my v70 diesel for 25 years.
You don't need to be able to estimate it particularly reliably. You just need to know the "point blank" parameters of your rifle, which means that provided that you're reasonably confident at estimating the minimum and the maximum, you're good to simply point and press on anything in between.
(For example, using my .270 for conventional chest type shots I can shoot deer from 30 yards to 250 yards without worrying about making any allowance for bullet drop. Bearing in mind the potential degree of error in gauging distance by eye, I limit myself to an estimated 230 yards, which is more than far enough for most stalking scenarios, and only rarely do I push it that far).
hybridfiat
Well-Known Member
Triumph_Dave
Well-Known Member
I purchased an Alpex 4K to put on my .270 which I mainly use in high seats. I find the Alpex is very good for that last 10 mins of legal shooting time, more so if you are an oldie like me where your eyes are not as sharp as the light fades. I much prefer to use my standard Leica scopes during the majority of the daylight, I dont like the clarity of the Alpex during daylight compared with good glass. I also dont care much for the increased weight of the Alpex 4K when lugging it all around.. When shooting from a high seat I first use a laser range finder on various objects so I know distances.. easy then to work out drop when a deer emerges.
Heym SR20
Well-Known Member
Once upon a time we all used 4x32, 6x42 and 8x56 scopes. They work really well. They are simple and allow us to shoot deer and other animals out to good ranges. They also work well at close range.
And they work so so well, that you buy them once, fit them to your rifle and go hunting.
The 6x and 8x allow you to place your shots with precision and at the same time have a really good field of view.
But what they don’t do is allow you to spend lots of money on the latest generation of very expensive optics.
These are deliberately designed to give you lots of features that you are taught to think you might need. These create a “want” and hence the need to put up a post to justify your “want”.
And a lot is driven by “ Sniper” films, long range target shooting etc In a film you don’t get much drama with our hero dropping down, estimating the range with his reticle or that of his spotter, and adjusting his hold accordingly and dropping the enemy with one shot. You get much suspense with him ranging, dialling etc All at the same time showing lots of images of the optics’s industries latest products.
And very few gunshops will tell you that most who buy variable scopes keep them set at 6x for 90% of the time.
Its like comparing a Mk1 or 2 Golf GTI versus the latest edition. The Mk2 had a brilliant engine, 5 speed box and a tape player. Electric windows and power steering where optional extras. You just got in drove, put a big grin on your face and drove across Europe without a 2nd thought.
Modern version - is it really any better. Its a lot heavier, has a lot of tech - lane assist, flappy boxes, car play etc etc.
I'm fairly ambivalent about the use of technology in stalking, but I do think there's a very real risk that a bit of kit that someone buys in order to overcome a particular (perceived) hurdle actually becomes a hurdle in its own right.
I was talking recently (at the Stalking Show) with a guide who was saying that it is particularly frustrating when a client turns up with a multifunctional scope with lots of adjustable bits, because having gone to all the effort of getting the client within range of a suitable shootable animal they just want them to get on and take the shot before the deer buggers off and they have to start the stalk all over again. But instead, the client is wasting valuable seconds fiddling with their kit, worrying about range and making totally unnecessary adjustments.
I was talking recently (at the Stalking Show) with a guide who was saying that it is particularly frustrating when a client turns up with a multifunctional scope with lots of adjustable bits, because having gone to all the effort of getting the client within range of a suitable shootable animal they just want them to get on and take the shot before the deer buggers off and they have to start the stalk all over again. But instead, the client is wasting valuable seconds fiddling with their kit, worrying about range and making totally unnecessary adjustments.
Heym SR20
Well-Known Member
30 odd years ago in Zambia a good friend was training to be a PH. Every body still used open sights in those days. They were simple and worked. They were also very expensive to procure in Africa. Ammo - well you used what you could get hold of. As young trainee PH his 375 H&H was whatever clients left behind. His father was a proper old school bushman. Had been in the Grey Scouts. He was in his 50’s at the time I knew him. They could all hit a tin can sized target at silly distances with their FNs or open sights on a Brno 22 or Brno 375. So could his son. In fact so could all hunters.
Their biggest complaint was the American hunters all with scopes who just messed about and got really concerned about ballistics etc etc.
These are pretty much irrelevant when shooting a buffalo at 20 yards, or even taking a steady aimed shot at an Impala across an open vlei.
kenbro
Well-Known Member
And we know what happened to Dinosaurs…..Glass doesn't need batteries.
And how many digital scopes are likely to last a lifetime of use? None, I'd wager.
I'll stick to being a dinosaur
KB.
Heym SR20
Well-Known Member
Dinosaurs were on this wee planet of ours for several million years. How long do you give mankind given the way we are going?
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