Ill Say it Agian Please Stop Pushing the "best" scopes in this thread, We all know that stuff thats $800+ is great, Maybe Im just broke but I dont See $800 as a Low Cost High Quality Option, If you Find that $800 scope for $500 please tell us,
But I, and I think Most other people dont think Even $500 is a great low cost option. Especially since there Are cheaper options that are just as good. I can shoot 2.5 MOA with A factory 55gr AE FMJ BT out of a 16" bushmaster with a 1-9 twist, (using a Scope that normally costs $100 and I paid $75 for) If I can Hit A 18x18 plate repeatedly At 634yds with snow on the ground and 10-15mph wind After My rifle was bouncing Around In the back of a truck on the crappy dirt road for 45min, And the Only Corrections needed to re zero were because of Altitude and for the air density due to the temperature.
I think In those Conditions, that Range, With that Rifle, and that Load Putting 5 successive shots On that plate Is pretty **** good
PLEASE tell me what benefit I will get Out Of Replacing my Scope with One That Costs Twice As much As the Rifle It sits On? Will I shoot Better? Will I shoot Further? I think Id be better off Buying A National Match Trigger kit
Sami
There Really arent many places in the US where its legal to Night hunt and thats mainly just hogs. Anyway, unless You Spotlight which makes your target light up like at noon, Or you use Nightvision, dark is dark and a $2,700 Ziess Victory Diavari Full moon or not wont make you see in the dark, So specialized equipment Is Needed to hunt succesfully at night, and I added that Caveat "successfully" Because Without Equipment for night, Only under the most ideal conditions will you be able to operate, And with no artificial light that is 3ish days in a month (that's an optimistic number) provided there is no cloud cover and you are out in the open, And facing the moon. Im not saying its not possible, But you can catch a fish with a bare hook, though you'd be better off with a worm.
Scopes can only pick up on light that is there, so you are SOL without the stars aligning at the moment of your shot. Regardless Of the Price.
But You Are right the Ziess victory should have great light transmission but thats due to the big 56mm obj lens, but that doesnt make it see in the dark.
Scope light transmission is limited by the tube Dia and the OBJ lens its a choke point, So i dont care how "good" the glass is unless there is light going into the obj lens night is night.
So If you do spotlight, A scope that works during the day will be just as effective, And if You have a NV setup well your set.
I'm Sorry But Unless you have specialized night hunting Gear "NV" or a Spotlight
You are blind at night $3,000 dollar scope or not
I work a late shift so After I get Off or on my nights Off I go into the woods And Watch the animals, And unless the Conditions Are perfect and here in Washington I'm lucky to get one "perfect" night a month, Even then I have to use My NV monocular or the one on my Camera 95% of the time. And I have 20-15 vision, thats better than 20-20, So I know exactly what its like night "Hunting" I do it with a Camera And If A 67mm lens on an SLR has trouble seeing without IR, A rifle Scope sure as hell cant.
Sorry this got waaaaaaaaaay off topic.
But I got a good product for you guys My Father in Law Got A barska colorado spotting scope I think it is a 20-60x60 and it was $70ish And over new years we were using it for some target spotting, And scanning the mountains around his house for deer and sheep and it works pretty well. At max power you really need to adjust the focus alot when you scan, I could have been the extreme range but, It worked quite well. and it came with a hard case and a tripod, check it out.