Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Optics Leupold VX3 50MM vs 40MM

They seem out-sized to me. Is there an advantage to the 50MM over the 40?

Only if the glass and coatings are the same. My 4200 4-16X40 kicks the tar out of my 6500 4 1/2-30X50 in low light.

More range of adjustment for windage and elevation on Leupold's 30mm tube scopes.

Stick with the 40mm. You won't regret it.

I like my VX-III's and VX-3's with 50mm objectives and 30 mm tubes for our hunting on food plots in some pretty deep woods.

For my old eyes they give just a bit more definition/resolution for judging a buck when he pops out right at the end of legal shooting time on a cloudy day.

Unless it is a one inch tube..they make it in both.

More windage/elevation is a moot point on a HUNTING rifle as most do not make large adjustments while game hunting - ya ain't shooting a 1000 yards.

The 40mm tube "WITH THE PROPER HEIGHT" scope mounts decreases one's height over bore which is an advantage IMHO.

Honesty though if you don't have enough adjustment in the 1' scope you need to look at your mounts or rifle, unless you're shooting extreme ranges.

Lockhart, I am going on the assumption of more of a hunting rather than target need. For that the 50mm only really comes in to play if you want to use higher magnification in lower light. All things equal you should see about as well (brightness) at 8x with a 50mm as you might at around 6x with a 40mm- give or take a bit.

Where I might go 50mm is if stepping up to higher magnifications. Say 16x and over.

To my thinking recent hunting scopes, VX 3 in particular, have gotten so much much brighter there is less of a return going larger. What I 'gain' by going to a 40mm over a 50mm is a better balanced rifle, improved aesthetics (subjective), a touch lighter weight and use of the lower mounts I prefer. That to me is more of a return than a bit extra magnification under certain conditions.

Out of dozens of VX3s almost all of mine are 40mm. I like the compact size and usually lower mounting.

Having said that, the 50mm objectives are brighter, and if you happen to be in a location where night hunting is legal for some species or in a country where its normal there is a huge difference. Day and night.