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Hey guys, I am looking to buy a second scope to have in my gear for my 416 on a buffalo hunt in July. The current scope is a 1.5 X 5 Leu VX3. I will buy one of the new VX6's and likely use it as my primary and the VX3 as a backup. My question is? Is 2X low enough on the bottom end for real close work? I can get the 1X6 or the 2X12. Sort of torn between the two although I would think 6X is enough for most applications with animals as large as those I will pursue. EZ | ||
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If the 1x6 is a straight tube, buy the 2x12. Light gathering can be an issue at times chasing buffalo. I would get the boldest reticle offered or even have it replaced with something like a #4. | |||
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I recently bought the 2-12 x 42 VX6 for an upcoming buffalo hunt and so far am very happy with it. I got the illuminated German # 4 reticle. | |||
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I recently completed a purchase of a used but in great condition VX-6 2-12x42 over on another forum. So far I have only taken it out of the box and admired its quality. I will get it mounted soon on my M70 .375 Safari Express and do some load development. I'll report back within the next few months how it turns out. I have to say, I'm very impressed with the clarity of this scope and man- it certainly feels well-made and substantial! It has the standard duplex reticle and is not illuminated, so I'll probably end up selling it off and replacing it with an illuminated model once I get a buffalo hunt set up for a few years' out. Best of luck to you on your upcoming hunt- color me jealous! John | |||
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This is the route I am leaning.
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In a word: Trijicon!! Battery-less illuminated reticles and Hell for Stout standing up to heavy recoil. | |||
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I also shoot a 416, and I have a 1 x 4 Trijicon and use the irons as back ups. My limited experiance, If you are in the real thick of things you would want the 1x low power setting. At 5 - 10 yards the 2 power is not going to give you a full view of what your trying to hit. Even 1 power has vision limitations up close. For example take a paper tube, hold it about three inches from your eye and you can see for yourself what you are not seeing. Most shots (shouldn't) are not going to be over 75 yards and 1 x 4 power at that range is very sufficient. You are not shooting for minute of angle, in your case you will be shooting minute of buffalo. In addition, black crosshairs seem to dissapear up against black hide. There are several companies that make crosshairs that either self illuminate, such as Trijicon, which I found very useful, or have a crosshair illumitor powered from batteries, which I have also used and work well. Leupold does make one of these. The knock on Trijicon is they dont illuminate at night. Well, your not hunting cape buffalo at night and that amber or green dot shows up really well aginst that black hide. Also the Nikon Monarch Gold, 30 mil tube has more of an amber color crosshair which shows up better than black.. My opinion if you do use 2X or any other scope with black crosshairs try to get very heavy crosshairs. Any scope will be the brightest in low light situations at the lowest setting | |||
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I really like the Leupold VX-6, 1x6 with illuminated #4. Have just replaced four scopes on DG rifles with that. I routinely shoot stuff in Africa up to 220 yds with scopes with magnification limited to 6 power or less. BUTCH C'est Tout Bon (It is all good) | |||
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I would concider going to reflect dot, such as a Doctor or Eotech. I have had to shoot a charging buff at 10 feet and a scope of any kind would have been a problem. The dot shows up well against the black buff and you can shoot a suprisingly tight group at 100 yards with one. They are the real answer on a double rifle for us with old eyes. Magnification is needed at long ranges, but not at under 200 yards. Your not after prairie dogs. You don't need to shoot 1MOA, 8MOA will take any buff. Don't practice on paper once you are sighted in, Milk jugs filled with water are more fun and build your confidence. Tomatoes, pumpkins, watermelons and other fruits and vegtables are also great targets and are bio-degradable. Practice free-hand, no benches in the field. You need to be comfortable with the shot when the time comes to stop an unrulely beast......Tom SCI lifer NRA Patron DRSS DSC | |||
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Along the same thread as Tapper2, the Trijicon RMR worked well for me on a tuskless ele up close. The battery lasts over a year, the dot is always "on", there is no loss of peripheral vision, and like all Trijicons they are buff-tuff. Tim | |||
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"The knock on Trijicons is that they don't illuminate at night"?????  Mine does, the triangle in the dark is lit up by tritium so my Trijicon is "ALWAYS" lit up from noontime sun to pitch dark and with no batteries to fail. Maybe you need to send yours back to Trij to be checked out or replaced? Just a suggestion. Also a lot of folks shoot the Trijicon with both eyes open, I do, so this lessens any chance of blocking out a close target because of scope power.A spare scope in QD mounts that has been pre sighted in always accompanies me on ALL hunts. Larry Sellers SCI life Member
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I have use Leupold scopes for Buff and Ele, 1.5-5x with the illuminated circle/dot reticle, and found them to be very effective, even at last light. However, I have recently been using the Burris FastFireIII/Docter Optic red-dot on both animals and find them to be excellent. I have used them on .458Lott, .458B&M and am putting them on two Merkel 500NE DRs within the next week. These, and the Trijicon RMR, are very small, lightweight and easy to mount and use. These red-dots are extending the ability to shoot well with aging eyes. I strongly suggest you consider these. Mike ______________ DSC DRSS (again) SCI Life NRA Life Sables Life Mzuri IPHA "To be a Marine is enough." | |||
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A lot of companies are making these small reflex sights. Leupold and Zeiss also are making them. I have had one on a AR for quite a few years. The only issue I see with them is basically they are a LED reflection on a coated glass or plastic screen. If that screen gets wet it likely will blur the LED. Might not be too good in the rain but elsewhere they are great.
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Our Marines and soldiers have been using reflex sights under combat conditions for 15+ years without any issues. The good ones are water proof/resistant with glass screens and I don't see any difference in a wet scope objective lens. I first used an Aimpoint on a tactical AR15 around 1981 and currently have EOTech, Burris and Bushnell reflex sights. No issues. BTW, they will work when the screen is cracked, broken or covered with mud, just as long as you can see the red dot in a corner of the screen (doesn't need to be in the center of the lens like a crosshair) it will hit what you put it on. Try that with a scope. Mike ______________ DSC DRSS (again) SCI Life NRA Life Sables Life Mzuri IPHA "To be a Marine is enough." | |||
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I will splash a little water on the screen of mine when I get home and check it out. There is a small projector not unlike a laser pen LED you use when making a presentation and it shines off the lens (glass/plastic). My point is if a drop of water rests on the projector or if there are water beads on the screen it will defract the light muddling the dot, reticle or whatever you are projecting. It should be an interesting exercise. Will keep all posted.. | |||
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I took out my AR with the reflex on it, splashed some water on the screen and it did create some issues but was still usable however when there was a water droplet in the trough where the LED emitter/projector is housed, it did not work at all, basically blocked the projection. Once it was sopped out it worked fine. Might try this little experiment out with your unit. I would not trust them in inclement weather, at least not mine. EZ | |||
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Sorry to dissapoint your flame but thats not my "knock" Mine works perfectly. I will readily suggest Trijicons, I think they are great scopes. I do wish they had a larger selection. I was pointing out that it does not matter as you are not going to be shooting a buffalo in the dark, so dont worry about the supposed but not factional illumination problems at night With my 375 I use a battery illuminated 2-10 30mm Black Diamond and I carry a spare 1.5-7 Nikon Monarch 30mm and I use the QD mounts. Its my "minute of Leopard" gun | |||
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