So What scope do you use and why?

[User00035]

7x50 meopta on the 6,5 and 8x56 s/b on the 223,both good clear glass no faffing! perfect ,,,,,two hawkes on the rimmies cheap and cheerful,

I've got a Meopta R1 on my HMR and a 50 mm Duralyt on my stalking rifle. Even allowing for the larger object I've always felt the Meopta was marginally the brighter even though the Duralyt is one of the best in that price range. I really rate Meopta, though they not as cheap as they were.
I really like the fine reticle on the Zeiss while the Meopta is a tad thick, I suppose as a result of being FFP. I keep meaning to swap them over..

 

[Loki]

Hi

I have tended to use the scopes that came my way at the time and due to price - these include 6-42Habicht, 3-10x40Shepherd (x2), 4.5x14x44 Zeiss Conquest (x2), 3-9x40 Zeiss Conquest & 3-9x42 & 3-12x52 Tasco Titan.
Others on the shelf include another Z-Conquest, unused vintage Tasco 6x40 (for topping out a pre64 M70 in .270W!) and a 'spare' 3-9x44 N-Sterling.
Just use them but have noticed that the variables have led to 'fiddling' when I should be concentrating on the target.....

L

 

[.30-06]

My eyes prefer Meopta to several other big(ger) names.

My .270 has a Meopta Artemis 2000 6x42 on top and I love it - small, light, simple, and I find it very good at last light.

I have a Meopta 7x50 on the .223 which is pretty stunning.

I bought a Leupold VX2 3-9x50 when I wanted to dabble in targets with the .270

That taught me several things:

1. Leupold have rested on their laurels and let the competition catch up, and surpass them
2. Sometimes the "what everyone says" advice doesn't suit a particular individual, for various reasons
3. Expectations are often higher than a product's ability to match them
4. Life is too short to get overly excited about it when things don't turn out as expected...

I found Bushnell Elites and Nikon Monarchs way better than Vortex Vipers.

If I was to buy another scope for stalking I would stick with Meopta or perhaps go back to a S&B fixed. If I wanted to faff around competing I would buy a rig for that purpose and keep the stalking kit as a dedicated setup.

I hope you find something suitable, but you will spend an awful lot for diminishing returns before you better what you have.

 

[ndt man]

8x50 swarovoski on 222 and 243 and 308 the best scopes there are for my stalking no fiddling with bits . but I must admit im thinking about an illuminated scope but im unsure about the daytime benefits of this type of scope .

 

[Norrie1956]

Apart from the wee CZ 22 rimmy, which has a ( dont laugh) Walther 3-9 x 56 Il scope, which is great for the gun...I have three CF's....

My 222 has a 7x50 Meopta Artemis 2000, and I love that scope...

my 243 has a Meopta Artemis 3-9 x 42, which is superb under the lamp..

then, my new ( to me) 270, has a Leupold VX3 6.5-20 x 50, absolutely outstanding scope, i'd only ever had an M8 6x42 Leupold, and didnt really rate it compared to my 6x42 Meopta....but this new Leupold is one i'm getting to really like.

I use various things like Hawke Sports 3-9x50's etc on my airguns, they do the job well..

 

[Southern]

...I must admit im thinking about an illuminated scope but im unsure about the daytime benefits of this type of scope .

Have a look at the Leupold VX-R, in duplex or 4A reticle with a dot at the center you can turn on and rheostat up to about 9 different brightness settings. Also, the Leupold AR MOD 3-9x40 with mil dot or duplex and external finger turrets can be had with the same illuminated red dot. They are very reasonable for the quality here, at $299.00 to $429.00 USD retail price.

 

[User00035]

The key to illuminated reticles is not how many settings its got but how lowthe base setting goes. Most are too bright. Some reticle types benefit more from illumination than others.
I've got a Nightforce NSX with a central dot reticle. It wouldn't have been my first choice if money was no object but I needed an adjustable parallax scope for a vermin rifle and this was a good S/H buy. Without illumination it would be hopeless. With no thick stadia lines to guide the eye the dot is lost against a drab background. But NF seem to send their scopes out with the illumination turned up to the max. They need to be turned down to minimum. If the colour of the illumination is visible under indoor lighting when on the lowest setting it'll probably be too bright to be of use.

Talking of Meopta, the only drawback is that they don't offer a lifetime guarantee. You get a ten year transferable. You pay a lot more for Swarovski, NF and Zeiss but you're buying a scope for life.
This is good value: Meopta MeoPro 6-18x50 (MEP6) | Livens Ltd
they're calling it a tactical scope but with a 25 mm tube it wouldn't have the adjustment range for serious long range use with heavy bullets but it would be ideal at real life distances on a flat-shooting vermin rifle. Quality glass at an affordable price.

 

[Toots]

I have Swaro 8x56 on my .243. An amazing scope in all ways but I do have a Leupold vx3 4.5-14x50 illuminated number that I was planning to try but can't fashion to at the moment.

Have a 10x40 3200 elite on .223 that replaced a higher mag Leupold 8.5-25x50 and no complaints about the lack of adjustability at ranges it gets used at on vermin (<300yds)

 

[I. Farticus]

Swaro Z6i 3-18x50 with BR-I ret. Does everything that I need: dialed down for woodland, up a bit for margins out to 250yds and the up a lot for >600yds on the range. Add in the illumination, and I can't think of anything that would beat it...

 

[SaOsborne]

My eyes prefer Meopta to several other big(ger) names.

My .270 has a Meopta Artemis 2000 6x42 on top and I love it - small, light, simple, and I find it very good at last light.

I have a Meopta 7x50 on the .223 which is pretty stunning.

I bought a Leupold VX2 3-9x50 when I wanted to dabble in targets with the .270

That taught me several things:

1. Leupold have rested on their laurels and let the competition catch up, and surpass them
2. Sometimes the "what everyone says" advice doesn't suit a particular individual, for various reasons
3. Expectations are often higher than a product's ability to match them
4. Life is too short to get overly excited about it when things don't turn out as expected...

I found Bushnell Elites and Nikon Monarchs way better than Vortex Vipers.

If I was to buy another scope for stalking I would stick with Meopta or perhaps go back to a S&B fixed. If I wanted to faff around competing I would buy a rig for that purpose and keep the stalking kit as a dedicated setup.

I hope you find something suitable, but you will spend an awful lot for diminishing returns before you better what you have.

Now that is a fact I have no doubt of.......

 

[SaOsborne]

8x50 swarovoski on 222 and 243 and 308 the best scopes there are for my stalking no fiddling with bits . but I must admit im thinking about an illuminated scope but im unsure about the daytime benefits of this type of scope .

The Zeiss has illumination and reticule 60, I never use the illumination, I cant see the animal before I cant see the reticule - always. Even thought the illumination does go really low, it still tends to distract from the object being vie=wed in the scope when its all getting critical. That's my take anyhow.

 

[Southern]

The Zeiss has illumination and reticule 60, I never use the illumination, I cant see the animal before I cant see the reticule - always. Even thought the illumination does go really low, it still tends to distract from the object being vie=wed in the scope when its all getting critical. That's my take anyhow.

Good observation.

I think that is true in bad light; the eye tends to focus on the dot, and if you cannot see the target clearly, what good is the dot?

I do find illuminated reticles or red dot sights useful in daytime, in the woods, against a dark animal, like a boar or bear, where the normal crosshair can get lost. I think a 4A reticle with a variable dot would be very good for cape buffalo.

 

[straightbetweentheeyes]

Changed from a S&B 8x56 when I swapped the .243 for a 25-06 to zeiss diavari 3-12x56i. It never moves off x8 and only used the illumination once, and missed! Thinking of selling the zeiss and buying two S&B's! Also got aimpoint micro h-1 on the 9.3x62 barrel...

 

[flipflop]

I've got a Swaro 2-12x50, but it never leaves 8x. Bought an 8x50 from a chap on here for my other barrel and now it's my 'go to' scope, despite the relative expense of the former.

 

[SaOsborne]

Just an update really, I decided to try out the same Zeiss Victory Diavari in the 6-24 X 72mm version, found one on here at the right price. It certainly is a big piece of glass, but with a modified 34mm optilock cut to lower the scope, it actually hasn't made much difference on handling.
I have had it on for about a week now and tonight I was lucky to get onto 2 Munti's, I found it stretched the light right out when it got critical allowing a very easy clear shot at 17:20 in the rain @ 100 Yds in tall tree cover over the ride. I found it was still going even when it was getting difficult using the Zeiss 10 X 56's which have always amazed me at how much light they pull in. I had plenty of vision with the scope set on 12 X untill I could no longer discern with the naked eye what was down the track. So it appears even though the maths makes it of not much gain, in reality that extra light certainly gave me a clear 10-15 minutes on even my 6-24 X 56 variant, which I am somewhat surprised at. I will evaluate more fully as time passes, tonight was a difficult night, but the animal was against a monotone-ish grassy background, I will pass final judgement when its against the forest floor!

 

[Cyres]

You have the best bit of glass already and I doubt there will be any gains at all to be had from swapping.

I think my Diavari is absolutely stunning and the tiny illuminated cetral dot is the icing on the cake.

Relly if you want to chang they you need to get to use/look through some top end scoped in last light conditions to see what suits your eyes.

My second best scope is my v old 3-12x56 Hakko which also has a tiny illuminated central dot, Made in Japan by former JOL who used to make all the Nightforce scopes, this is a fantastic bit of glass but sadely as rare as hens teath.

If you want to consider a new scope then look at the latests 56 mm Meopta that also has exceedingly good glass.

D

 

[sharkey]

I just use Leupold VX11 & VX111 (old & new models) on all my rifles. Better eye relief & more rugged than the more expecsive European offerings. Like the add says "Sorry Germany, but you still make the best beer."

 

[NigelM]

I am a bit of a NightForce fan. Excellent glass, built like a brick outhouse, never lost their zero's, illuminated, a bit heavy but I can put up with that.

5.5-22*56 on a 280AI that I use on the hill - if the shot is out there a bit it can reach with ease but have it set to 8* for walking about. If last light is needed on Sika I can turn it down to 5.5* and the clarity is excellent - out performs the Swaro bins.

3.5-15*50 on a 6.5*47 Lapua - my southern rifle. Works in the woods, but will also stretch to a good distance if the Roe are in the middle of a 100 acre Barley field - great all rounder, and again, down to 3.5 times as the sun goes down the light gathering is fantastic.

1-6.5*24 Bushnell - sit's on a 16" barrel .308 used for woodland stalking in the summer when shots are almost always short ones and for any driven work I do. Great little scope but it's limited to about 120 yds on Muntjac and 160 yds on Fallow as the targets get a bit little and the ridicule is quite thick. Not very good at all at last light above 3 times zoom unsurprisingly.

Not sure there is a one scope solution if you want to do everything from driven shooting to 500 meter target work. If it's just deer stalking at reasonable distances the 3.5*15*50 wins and is the one I wouldn't be without.

 

[Ronny]

Perhaps it is time to give up those long or marginal shots right at last light. Follow up is difficult but high risk that safety is hugely compromised as you cannot see what is occurring in the area to the rear of the target. You have a fabulous scope so if targets are hard to see at last light then you are probably pushing the envelope too far.

 

[SaOsborne]

Perhaps it is time to give up those long or marginal shots right at last light. Follow up is difficult but high risk that safety is hugely compromised as you cannot see what is occurring in the area to the rear of the target. You have a fabulous scope so if targets are hard to see at last light then you are probably pushing the envelope too far.

The 72mm I am using now was stunning on Sunday night, certainly snipped ahead of the 56mm which is also stunning, but not so sharp when critical.
As you say I think I am at the edge of any safe and sensible envelope, but always take great care to ensure good backstops etc, its a fundamental. I am just trying to extend as far as is possible legally and without compromise to safety. Follow up is less of an issue as I use Thermal for that (different topic!), which has completely changed last light ability to shoot and be confident of finding your animal once down. The only reason I shoot this far into the envelope, is the significant public pressure has driven the animals to be semi-crepuscular, so if you are to meet the cull target you need that extra window never mind how small.
I have never felt a compromise to safety, if I cant see a backstop I don't shoot, simple.