Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Optics Low Light and Objective size?

My main hunting rifle, Winchester EW .300 WSM, wears a Leupold VX-3 3.5-10x40 CDS. Last year during deer season in Alabama, I had several bucks come into a field at not quite last light but at a time when the field was dark because the sun was behind the treeline, which put more shadow on the field.

I got to thinking I needed a better low light scope and started researching and everything points to high end German 56mm objective scopes as the best in low light. Now it is not worth that much to me for the extra minutes of low light capability.

But my question would be has anyone noticed if a more reasonably priced scope for example a VX-2 with a 50mm objective would be better than the VX-3 with a 40mm objective in low light? Or do the better coatings in a higher tier scope, of any brand really I just happen to like Leupold, trump the objective size?

I'm asking because I saw a Weaver K 8x56 for sale and with a reasonable price was wondering if a scope in that class and price range would do better with the larger objective than a VX-3 or Zeiss Conquest type scope with the 40mm objective in low light situations.

Bob.