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| One of Us |
Set out a bunch of scopes the other day and looked through each every 10 minutes until well after dark. First scopes to loose a good sight image were a Burris FF II in 2x7x35 and two Sightron II's in 3x9 adn 2x7. The next to bow out was a Pentax Light Seeker in 2x8 that held infairly well, Next was a disappointing Leupold Vari X III in 3.5x10x40 AO that lost light too soon in my opinion. Next was a Mikon Monarch (made in Phillapines) in a 2.5x10x40. The next to go was an older Nikon UCC in 3.3x10x40 AO that held in until dark. Next was a Leuold Vari X-3 in 2.5x8x40 that did well. And finally the best was a Nikon Gold in 2.5x1050 SF that you can shoot in near darkness. Just my observatins. Optik1 | ||
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Were they all set to the same magnification setting? | |||
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Yes, they were all set at 4 power and compared at 50 yards in a darker corner of my back yard, and accross the field at about 300 yards. Paralax was also consistant. Optik1 | |||
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Cool test. The Nikon Gold was a 30mm tube, right? | |||
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Yes. Very nice scope. I am looking to by one in 1.5x6 if anyone has one too sell. Optik1 | |||
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Forgot to inclde a Buris Euro Diamond in 1.5x6x42 with a 30mm tube that did very well. I placed it between the Nikon UCC and the Leupold Vx-3. Optik1 | |||
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One aspect that might need to be considered is our changing focus as light fails. The Europeans have long favoured the fast, eyepiece focus, apparently because of their night shooting from high boxes. Was the falling off of vision this or just an inability to see things? | |||
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Good point. Interestingly all 3 of my top scopes do have the fast of focus eyr piece which I prefer. Never have understood why we use the fast focus eyepiece to focus the reticle ad opposed to the sight picture. Optik,1 | |||
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Because the eyepiece focus is used to focus the reticle....that's what it's for. The trick, especially with Leupold VX3's, is to get the reticle in foous, then try to sharpen the image while keeping the reticle very sharp. You will get all the performance you can out of the scope by doing that. | |||
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I noticed this change of focus when waiting for deer in a mountain meadow after sundown. The binoculars' individual eye focus seemed to change, too. I was using an old German scope with a blunt-picket #1 reticle. Even the point of that blunt picket started to get lost, being out of focus, but I knew the point was at the vertical middle of the sidebars. Forgetting the possibility I might need to change it, I had taped over the eyepiece focus in case it rained. Ideally, you might want to sharpen the image of the target, too, but this would require tiresome twiddling with a side knob, which could falsify the parallax setting. | |||
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Interesting video on You Tube by Leupold on paralax using a VX-3 which is use. Gentalmen stated with a 40 mm objective and a paralax set at 150 yards, the most you could be off is 44mm at 300 yards because of paralax. That is 2 inches. I adjust my fast focus eye piece for paralax but do not hesitateto adjust it for sight clarity when needed. i.e.low light, close or far shots. Optik1 | |||
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Actually, that is less than 1.75". And that is only if you take one shot with your eye at one extreme of the sight picture and another shot with your eye at the opposite extreme of the sight picture. If your eye placement is consistent then there is no parallax error, anyway. Regardless, parallax is a non-issue for a scope on a hunting rifle. That's why I never use an adjustable objective on a hunting rifle. In the first place, it's not needed, and otherwise it just adds expense, bulk, weight, one more place for moisture to infiltrate, and an additional system to break or go wrong. And it will invariably be set to the wrong distance when game actually appears. Shooting at very small varmints at long distances and striving for benchrest precision is another thing. Adjustable parallax makes sense in such applications. Just don't take it on your elk hunt. | |||
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I cannot agree more. That said, prefer the quick eye focus over the traditional locking eye focus, this is the only knock I have with my Leupold VX-3, no quick focus. Optik1 | |||
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Agree with everything Stonecreek said. Good post. optik1, IMHO, if you will take your VX3, point it at the sky and use the focus to get the reticle in sharp focus, that is the first step. Then, take the scope (mounted preferably, very steady nonetheless), and set it up on a 200 yard target. While keeping the reticle SHARP......turn the focus to bring image as sharp as possible, while still keeping reticle tack sharp. I've been using this for years and have had zero issues out to 750 yards, as a few of my VX3's have the CDS dials. It is really very simple and effective. In 44 yrs of big game hunting, once I've acquired the animal through the scope (no AO or SF variety) and am getting ready to squeeze, I have never once thought about trying to refocus the image. | |||
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Using a scope near sunset becomes risky, and so most hunting farms will not allow the hunt to continue due to the risk of a long follow up on a wounded animal. So low light visibility is not a major issue for antelope hunting, as most hunts take place in daylight. It may be different for leopard hunting at night time, or in dark forest areas like in Europe. German scopes offer typically better visibility in low light conditions. So the area of hunting and the light conditions obviously play a decisive role in choosing a scope. Pieter | |||
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I'm inclined to agree with Stonecreek's thoughts about parallax. I have the adjustment on my Nikon Monarch 4-16, but forgot all about it when tahr hunting. Since I removed it from the rifle, I've used the scope to spot bullet holes at the range, and find the parallax/focus knob handy there. Were we to limit our big-game variables to 6x max, I doubt any parallax adjustment would be needed when hunting, esp. if we get used to the same head position each time. The poor-light focus aspect is one that shouldn't bother hunters outside Europe too much, except maybe if baiting predators after dark without a light. | |||
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Very true. Pieter | |||
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The Leupold VX-3 Rifle Scope 4.5-14x 40mm has no parallax adjustment and it is a fine hunting scope at longer ranges. Would like to hear opinions of others what they have to say about this scope - any negatives or things not to your liking, if any. Pieter | |||
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Yes, a great scope. I have one on a 6mm PPC. It is conducive to shooting very respectable groups and is great in the prairie dog fields where 14X is a very useful magnification -- not too much for the ever-present mirage, still a wide enough field of view to spot your target, and ample magnification to see it at the longest practical ranges. The lack of parallax adjustment doesn't really seem to handicap its usefulness in any meaningful way, and I don't choose a similar rifle in my collection which is equipped with the same scope with parallax adjustment over this one because of the presumed adjustment advantage. But as far as using such a high power for a game hunting scope, I've found its upper end magnification unnecessary, and sometimes limiting. Nine or 10X is about all I want or need in a game scope, which also allows the lower end magnification to give you a more generous FOV for close/quick shots. Even at the longest practical ranges, what kind of a game animal can't you see well enough to shoot when magnified only 9 times as opposed to magnified 14 times? On the other hand, a 4.5-14X might be a fine choice for a dual purpose rifle -- one that is used for long range varminting which doubles sometimes as a game rifle. | |||
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I like the 4.5-14 x 40 VX3, but not as much as the 3.5-10x40 version, as I find a finicky eyebox at higher mags very prevalent on the 4.5-14. I sold the couple I had after using the 2-12x42 Vx6....most user friendly eyeobx of any scope I've ever tried. Glass is fantastic as well. | |||
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When you are hunting springbuck at 300 yards one needs to place the crosshair fairly accurately and and if you cannot see your target properly you have a great disadvantage. This is where a 12x or a 14x scope comes in handy. On larger game you can easily get away with the more common 3-9x scopes as the vital area is so much bigger. Pieter | |||
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If you really like the 4.5-14, you will love the 2-12 VX6. | |||
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Thanks bud, I will go check it out when I am in town again. Pieter | |||
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When I hunted with my son in southern Namibia, my host (who it turns out had been quite an accomplished marksman) was curious about our long range shooting abilities. He parked the hunting car near the edge of an overlook where he spotted a group of springbok below at about 400 yards. He asked me if I thought I could hit the biggest ram, and I could see that he genuinely wanted me to try. Although the .338 I was carrying was not the ideal 400-yard springbok rifle, I was game for the effort. Long story short, I took one shot which went squarely through the lungs. The scope was a Leupold VX-I 3-9X. While it was amply challenging to hold steadily on a target as small as a springbok at that yardage (and compensate for bullet drop at the same time), seeing the springbok clearly was not a problem. If the animal looked 3 feet tall at 9X then it would have looked 4 feet tall at 12X, and 4'7" at 14X. Is that really going to make a difference? I hunt the same open country as JGRaider much of the time for pronghorns and whitetails, neither of which are particularly larger than your springbok. Take JG's an my advice and keep your hunting scopes down around 10X. Your shooting will be just as good and your pocketbook will be happier. | |||
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I think others have mentioned that you can hunt far past legal hunting with a Leupold 1 or 2. way better than your naked eyes. As far as identifying game properly? Close to 40 years ago I had a leupold Fixed 7.5X with a 1/2 Leupold dot atop a Browning 78 22-250. Pet load was a 52 gr sierra HPBT at about 3800 FPS. My buddy and I would practice shooting egrets off cows backs at 300 yards in high grass over the hood of a pickup truck with a folded up gun case as a rest. Makes you a better shot with a little SKIN IN THE GAME…. Practice with a little liability. Will make you better in the field. Less BUCK FEVER. That scope provided ample light past dark. I still have that gun & scope today. An egret at 300 yds is a pretty small target especially when they are 80% feathers. I thought the 7.5X was finer than frog hair! | |||
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It wasn't exactly your skin in the game. I hope you asked the cows if they minded, first. | |||
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. . . or perhaps the owner of the cows. | |||
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Not hardly a fair comparison with different objective sizes. If you divided the objective of each scope by say 6 and turned each scope to the corresponding power it might be different. Just my thoughts. God Bless, Louis | |||
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Louis-You hit the proverbial nail on the head, my friend! Hope you are doing well!!! Bobby Μολὼν λαβέ The most important thing in life is not what we do but how and why we do it. - Nana Mouskouri | |||
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As to the post of shooting egrets off the backs of cows at 300 yards, not only is that irresponsible but gives the antis plenty of ammo to paint "hunters" in a poor light. To boot, even with a perfect hit, a frangible varmint bullet can still impact the cow or send high-velocity bits of bone, etc. downward to do damage. And people wonder why landowners are often reluctant to grant permission to "hunters" to access their properties...  Bobby Μολὼν λαβέ The most important thing in life is not what we do but how and why we do it. - Nana Mouskouri | |||
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They were our cattle. A egret is probably 18" tall. Guns sighted in at about 300 yds. 9" of vertical insurance. BTW> When you are 18-19 you can be pretty irresponsible. I was also a pretty fine shot!!! Egrets were plentiful at the time and not protected. Let me add the reason land owners may not want hunters on their property (being a land owner) and having neighbors is, They just do not want people on their property, Hunters can be sloppy and litter there property with corn bags , beverage cans, cigarette butts and general trash, they leave gates open, and they really hate people rutting up their roads and pastures with their 4X4's when they are wet.
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No skin off my butt, but you must be REALLY old since egrets have been federally protected since 1918.  xxxxxxxxxx When considering US based operations of guides/outfitters, check and see if they are NRA members. If not, why support someone who doesn't support us? Consider spending your money elsewhere. NEVER, EVER book a hunt with BLAIR WORLDWIDE HUNTING or JEFF BLAIR. I have come to understand that in hunting, the goal is not the goal but the process. | |||
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I am sure you knew that right off the top of your head. Typical internet junkie….Guess you have filed away your encyclopedias..BTW, that is painting with a pretty broad brush, what species of egret was protected in 1918? Go back and do a little more research and tell us what you find.
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We are really off topic. However I might point out land owners lease land to make money. Do not think those cattle do not become 3X as valuable when a hunter shoots one. Probably their favorite cow that is the most valuable in the county. They may chew your butt out while they are bursting out laughing inside. Probably light up a nice cigar in their pickup truck and race home to tell their wife or buddies how they just skinned that city slicker. You just gave them a nice bonus. They are not about to cut off hunting for shooting a head of livestock. +$$$$$ | |||
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Let me help you out a bit since your research seems to have not turned over many stones. Cattle Egrets are not federally protected and never have been  . They are a envasive non indeginious species. They exist on 3 continents plus Australia. One of the most widely distributed bird species.
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Just to put your simple mind at rest, a snippet from Texas Parks and Wildlife publication:
xxxxxxxxxx When considering US based operations of guides/outfitters, check and see if they are NRA members. If not, why support someone who doesn't support us? Consider spending your money elsewhere. NEVER, EVER book a hunt with BLAIR WORLDWIDE HUNTING or JEFF BLAIR. I have come to understand that in hunting, the goal is not the goal but the process. | |||
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Here's the info straight from the feds. And yes, the cattle egret is on -- and has been on -- the protected list dating back to 1918, just as Gato stated. http://www.fws.gov/migratorybi...es/mbta/MBTANDX.HTML Bobby Μολὼν λαβέ The most important thing in life is not what we do but how and why we do it. - Nana Mouskouri | |||
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We called them "cow birds" when I was young and yes they were are protected. Also they eat the insects that attack livestock. _____________________________________________________ A 9mm may expand to a larger diameter, but a 45 ain't going to shrink Men occasionally stumble over the truth, but most of them pick themselves up and hurry off as if nothing had happened. - Winston Churchill | |||
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I've thought about this and I don't have any animus towards eezridr so I am going back and deleting all the damaging quotes that are in my posts and all my posts that were less than polite. If he has any sense he will delete some of his as well, but I can only control what I do. Best to all. CAT xxxxxxxxxx When considering US based operations of guides/outfitters, check and see if they are NRA members. If not, why support someone who doesn't support us? Consider spending your money elsewhere. NEVER, EVER book a hunt with BLAIR WORLDWIDE HUNTING or JEFF BLAIR. I have come to understand that in hunting, the goal is not the goal but the process. | |||
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I have a very sophisticated test for all the scopes that pass my way..Its a barb wire fence at about 100 yards, another at 250 yards and one at maybe 350 or 400... I have found the 3X Leupold to have the most light gathering quality and its very clear, just doesn't magnify of course...I like the Leupolds vari x in 1,2,and 3 for all hunting situations and I'm actually not particular which one, all three seem to work for me on big game and varmints...I put a lot of emphasis on size and weight of a scope, disliking big bells an knobs. Those that may better a Leupold are vastly larger, bulkier and IMO not very lean and mean and that means they are not to my liking..Just my opine on scopes and of course that is everyones option, and if one likes big bulky heavy scopes, then that is also fine. My all time favorite scope was the now discontinued Leupold Alaskan of the 1980s with its centered reticle, guess that was because I began life with a Lyman Alaskan and a Weaver K2.5. Both accounted for big game and varmints of all sorts. Its bound to be a curmudgeon thing! and in time each of you will see the light my brothers!   Ray Atkinson Atkinson Hunting Adventures 10 Ward Lane, Filer, Idaho, 83328 208-731-4120 rayatkinsonhunting@gmail.com | |||
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