I just returned from a hunt in Zimbabwe where I did a lot of night hunting for hyena & small predators/varmints...I used the PH's .375 w/ Leoupold 1-5x ; The scope just didn't work well for me...What scopes would be best for such situations? I'm leaning toward an illuminated red reticle variable (2-8x?) on a lighter rifle...

We do a lot of fox shooting in this country with a lamp.
I suspect that the objective of the scope you used was too small for night shooting.
A 40mm objective would be the minimum and a 50 or 56mm objective would be better.

SIKA98k,, I'm with you 100%; that little tube drove me nuts!

I used a Trijicon 3x9x40 while helping to remove a bush pig last month and was very pleased with it. In addition to the cross hairs you could also see the fiber dot for the point of aim. Used it a 4X as I remember.

A fixed 8x50 or 8x56 is ideal for "lamping" as we call it.

Even if using a 50mm variable, I would not set it any higher than 8 or 9x.

You were suffering from a lack of exit pupil.

I would say it is not the question of which scope You might use for shooting in the dark with a flashlight, but more, which light source you will use for doing so...

I would suggest this laser flashlight here:
http://titanium-gunworks.de/fl...-la-658-100-pro.html


With this one, you have the effect, that there is no "milky way" or "clouds of fog" in your optics - the look is clear and more like a night vision - realy superb!

Klaus

I've posted my experience with illuminated recticules before, but basically my opinion is that if it is dark enough where you need an illuminated recticule for it to make an actual difference, the illumination will wash out the image a great deal. Bushnell used to make a Banner "Lite Site" that just had a tiny dot when you switched it on and it was a good setup for quick shooting when it was actually dark.

I see that Leupold is now making a similar system called "Firedot". If I were looking for a scope for night shooting as well as daytime that is what I'd be looking at first.

Here you are:

http://www.basspro.com/Leupold...oduct/10213134/60336

No affiliation with Bass Pro, it was just the first page to come up and had all the models on the same page. I'd be leaning towards the 2-7X magnification.

Thanks, Mark. I have a Zeiss Duralyte 2-8x w/42 mm bell, illum. red dot that I'll take along on my .375 Ruger lever gun next summer.

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if it is dark enough where you need an illuminated recticule for it to make an actual difference, the illumination will wash out the image

Bingo! You can't introduce more light to your eye pupil and expect it to remain in its most open position. The additional light will cause your pupil to contract so that you tend to lose sight of the target. It does you no good to see the reticle if you can't see the target! Illuminated reticles attempt to work on a principle that is self-defeating. It's just the same as placing the subject of a photograph directly in front of the sun -- the camera's aperture will have to close to the point that only the sun is visible and not the subject of the photograph.

Shooting with artificial illumination (spotlight, lamp, whatever you want to call it) is very different from shooting in dark conditions with only natural light for illumination.

When using only natural light you need a scope which will produce an exit pupil equal to or larger than that of your eye (about 5mm to 7mm, depending on your age, eye health, and whether you've ever been a smoker). That's why the 8x56mm is popular in Europe where much hunting is done by moonlight -- the 8x56 produces an exit pupil of exactly 7mm, which is all you can possibly use, and at ample magnification.

When using artificial light, the exit pupil of the scope is not particularly important since the light illuminates the target adequately even if your scope's exit pupil is only 3 or 4mm. Having the appropriate magnification is much more important than exit pupil in this instance. The FOV must be adequate for the distances (usually fairly short), and the reticle must be substantial enough to be seen against the background of the target.

Ironically, a low-powered variable with a thick crosshair like the Leupold 1.5-5X should be IDEAL for illuminated night hunting. It's impossible to say what difficulties Joester might have encountered with his guide's gun (mounting position fore-aft, height above bore, comb too low, LOP too long or short, or whatever), but I would suggest that it was not the scope itself but rather the scope/gun combination which did not suit Joester well.

When I was a kid we used to do a LOT of night spotlighting for rabbits and coyotes. Even a cheap 4x Asian-made scope would do just fine for this. It doesn't take a $1,600 Swarovski with an objective bell the size of sewer pipe, just a good spotlight held steadily.

I don't have a 1-5x/24 mm scope to recreate my African experience, but my Zeiss, on 6x w/illuminated red reticle dot "on" works great practicing at targets at night w/ bright spotlight. As long as I tell my not-too-close neighborsvwhat I'm up to !

A friend of mine has an ACOG on his AR 10 with a led light for illumination and I was really impressed how well it worked at night with what I'd consider not enough of a light source. I'm talking about the older ACOG model with the plastic light gathering rod, not the newer ones with a battery lit reticule.

A good quality European 8x56 or 2.5-10x56 with nr 4 reticle or an illuminated reticle is hard to beat !

Using a VX-R 2x7x33 with fire dot # 4 with lights at night for hogs. This has a 1" illum dot with adjustable brightness. I use it on #2 or 3 for night work and love it. I have used several different illuminated reticles and the adjustable dots are the best. The brighter full lit reticles overpower the target. The illum'd dots on low power are a cure for the black reticle on a black target (hog). I also enjoy varmit calling from the high rack and the dot is the quickest and easiest to lock on target.

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The brighter full lit reticles overpower the target.

Exactly the point I was attempting to make. Sounds like the faintly illuminated dot may give you the best of both worlds.

What power on your 2-7x33 do you find gives you the best low-light image? I'm guessing around 5-6, but I suppose it depends on the distance to the target and other factors.

Don't have an answer on the low-light ? I have the mag on 7 most all the time. I use a 250 red kill light on medium, focused on the feeder 75 yds out. I have made shots out to 175 from the high rack using white LED spots. I have two Muellers, a 3x9 and a 2x7 with micro dots. They do the job very well, but, The Leupy is the best though.

i do a lot of night time varmint hunting, with lights. Ive found the leupole vx3 illuminated reticles do a good job. the illumination is quite small. Also, the z3 swarovskis work just as well if not better.