I have a nice Remington Varmint Special in .222 that needs a scope. I have the opportunity to hunt coyotes at night, so that is a consideration. What power, reticle design, and objective size do you guys recommend? I'm thinking 3.5 -10X, 40mm with a heavy duplex.

I used a 700 BDL Varmiter in 223 for years with a 3x9 Leupold and Duplex crosshairs. Worked great. I really like the Duplex crosshairs, I find that I have no problem with them on long shots and actually use them much like a peep on fast close in shots by automatically finding the center of the scope when in a hurry. Definitely stay away from any TV type system.

If money is no object either Nightforce or Schmidt and Bender will do great.

I'm edging closer to buying a Schmidt and Bender 1.5-6x42 for my go to bobcat rifle.

...And if money is an issue, BSA makes a very nice 3-9x scope with illuminated reticules for around $100 and some change.

low power illuminated red dot - something like the microdot scopes

I use a Leupold 1.5 X 5.0 20MM with an illuminated dot with circle. Works real well 100 yards and closer.

If money was no issue I would recommend a "generation 3" nightscope. A friend of mine has one mounted behind his "holosight" on his AR-15 - it's really impressive how much you can see without any extra light.

More realistically, I can recommend a Leupold VXIII 6.5-20 40mm - that's what's mounted on my Rem 700 .223 VS. You don't cheat yourself for day shooting woodchucks, etc., and still have the 6.5 power for night shooting. It has the fine duplex and I've never had a problem seeing the crosshairs. I've never used the lighted crosshairs, but remember that you have to see your TARGET as well as your crosshairs.

You didn't state what kind of lighting you were going to use for night shooting, but you're going to need something unless you hunt the full moon on snow. I have a Lightforce 170 w/red lens mounted to my scope for shooting and a 2-million CP spotlight w/red lens for locating the eyeballs at a distance.

The best scope for night hunting from my experience is the 4.5-14X50 Leopold LPS.

If you have the 170 Light Force mounted on the scope you do not need the illuminated reticule.

I and a friend have shot jackal out to 360 meters with this setup at night.

Gerhard

Gerhard,

I think it depends on whether or not you are legaly allowed to use an additional light source in combination with the scope for night time hunting.

Here in the Fatherland the legal requirement is NO additional light source (with some SERIOUS legal sanctions for those who choose to ignore) so honest hunters are stuck with what either a light background, snow, light reflected off clouds or moonlight provide for night time shooting. For this reason the huge 50mm & 56mm scope objective bells are common here. If this is your case then I would suggest either a 8x56, or a variable 10-12 power with 50mm or 56mm objectives with a heavy Duplex, #4 or #8 type recticle.

Like erict just mentioned; if an additional light source can be used such as flashlights, or the mega CD spotlights then the good high power Lueoplds with 40mm objectives and a Duplex recticle are great.

I also agree 100% with erict's mention of a combination of quality optics & having enough light to actually select & aim at a target at night. I think there is way too much emphasis on all sorts of gizmo's to assist with recticle illumination, Red Dots, etc.; from my perspective these actualy distract me from the "target" and impede my night vision rather than assist - but everyone's night vision isn't equal either.

I've seen a ton of very specialized night time Fox rigs used here in the Fatherland. The overwhelming majority have been heavy barreled, bolt-actions, chambered in either .22 Hornet, .222 (most popular) or .223 Remington and have a Zeiss 8x56 scope mounted with some version of a Heavy Duplex, #4 or #8 recticle.

Hey Gerry,

I agree with your scope choice when you have legal restrictions with regards to no artificial light. The fixed 8 x 56 scope optics is a very good choice when you need the low light capability. What is the normal hunting distance for your kind of hunting?

When I go calling for jackal I am lucky enough to may use a spot light.

For me the 4.5-14 x50 or 56 is the way to go.

I have hunted in the Bushveld were you need the lowest magnification (4.5) because of the thick bush and a need for quick shooting have shot jackal as close as 20 feet from the pick up.

I have also called in jackal on the Highveld were you have to make 200m + shots because the jackal have been educated and do not want to come closer. In these situations I need a scope that has a high light gathering capability. I do not shoot at an animal if I can not see the body and make a killing shot to the boiler room.(Cant afford to shoot a farmer's sheep or price bull)

In this situations I need the scope to be variable for that long shots. For this reason I like the 4.5-14x 50 scopes.

For interest sake I use the 170 Light Force scope mounted light with a dimmer switch. No red filter. By being able to dim the light the animal is not disturbed by the white light. And very rarely need all the power of the light as I only use enough light to see the target clearly through the scope.

Hope this helps.

Gerhard

I hunt fox at night, i wont put an expensive scope on a night gun as they tend to get beat around a little more, I have a bsa catseye 1.5x4.5x32 on an hmr, a Tasco world class 3x9x40 on a 788 .222 and a Barska 3x12x50 on another hmr, The cheapest one was the Barska,and its my favorite just the center of the crosshairs light up which makes it easyer to get on target, on my state forums alot of guys are using the mueller scopes they have just a red dot that lights up it the center of the cross hairs, i think that would be ideal and they are prices resonable.

Thanks, gents.

I think I've got some good ideas now. We can use a separate light for night coyote hunting, so the full-blown night vision is not a necessity, and I still want to use the rifle in daylight for woodchucks and marauding tin cans. Sounds like a large objective variable would be the best compromise, possibly with an illuminated reticle. The scope on the rifle now is a Simmons 2-7 X 42 with AO. I'm not too impressed, so that's why I'm looking for a new scope.

The guy I'm going with is relatively new to the game. He has a handheld red light and has a Leupold 6.5-20LR on a .223. That scope was chosen for woodchucks, not night hunting, so I wanted a few more opinions.

Most times there will be snow and most shots should be under 150 yards, based on the cover and terrain. I think the presentation would have to be ideal to attempt a longer shot, anyway. We're going out tonight, so if I don't freeze, I'll report back tomorrow. Weather report is for -5F to +5F, and the snow is deep.

Good hunting.

Gerhard

Good luck! I went out yesterday for a snowshoe hike and found the snow to still be too deep here to consider a reasonable chance of calling in any yotes tonight. The warm weather expected over the next few days should really settle the snow, however (Albany County).

I did want to mention that even those that can afford night scopes (like a friend of mine) do not have a clear advantage over regular scopes. While you do not need additional light with nightscopes, you also can't see the reflection of eyeballs 10' into the woodline like you can with a good light source.

Gerhard,

Our night time Foxing can cover just about all types of terrain and ranges. We shoot from High Seats & use Woolen clothing exclusively. When we have snow (none to speak of this year) and Moon the setup is typically a can of sardines strategically set out in the Fox Pipes (@18" of 4" diameter PVC pipe sunk into the ground at an angle) in the afternoon and then out at night in the High Seats located at the edge of forest overlooking large fields. Shots can be as close as under the Seat or in the adjacent forest or as far as one elects to shoot over the fields; normally +/- 250 mtrs. is about maximum; which is still a pretty fair poke at a Fox under those conditions. We've got a couple Seats where you can see for about 600-700 meters out over the fields.

The Sardines & Pipe Trick tend to get the Foxes to include the stinky area into their night time travels and to make them stop & work at it for a coupla seconds while Nimrod attempts to get themself collected and make a telling shot. The woolen clothing silences any rustling of movement while doing the Fire Drill since a Fox can hear any noise at unbelievable ranges under such conditions. We top off the Pipes with Road Kill during the year in an attempt to entice the Foxes to make the "Pipes" a routine part of their travels.

Like benwillweit mentioned though I've got a 6-24x50 BSA Contender on a .223 Remington that can get some real target definition at extreme ranges under good snow & moon conditions. Then this issue becomes; not optical but rather range estimation.

erict & John - I've been watching the news and understand you guys have gotten some serious snow lately?

I have a Leupold FXIII 6x42mm that I use for night hunting. It gathers light real well and offers all the magnification that I need.

I use both a 3x9 Leupold and a 4.5x14 Leupold on my night rifles. Cheap optics will cost you shots in the long run. I have spent enough money on cheaper scopes to have learned I could have had an extra Leupold in the safe. If you break it they fix it. Nikon has some great glass at really good prices. Next calling gun will have their new 4x16 Monarch. Price is about $380 from Optics Zone. They are not supposed to be released until this month. If you can use a light, cry once and get a Light force. Another lesson learned, three lights later I could have bought the Light Force in the first place.

With a 2% waxing crescent moon it was really pitch black in the evening, so we went out at dawn on Monday. Twenty-five inches of snow, minus 3F, calm wind. Even with snowshoes it was slow going. Had a nice set up, called off and on for an hour, no coyotes. Didn't freeze, got to see my little brother fall on his ass in deep snow and struggle like a tortoise to get up, had a good breakfast on the way home and took a nap when we got there. Success.

John,

Good one.....