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Very interesting!

Probably a big cowboy hat would help considerably....


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Do cowboy hats go up trees?


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Only after climbing cows.


“Montana seems to me to be what a small boy would think Texas is like from hearing Texans.”
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Well I wasn't sure, but have never seen a guy in a tree with one on.

Another good reason for me to stick it out on the ground...:)


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For a long time I have had a fairly simple test for my scopes. Two part test. When it's past legal shooting time the first question is how far can I see something I might shoot under the best the scope provides. A scope that gives me 200 yards is always better than one that gives me 100. The second question is how long does it take me to decide I can shoot.

The first test "measures" brightness, reticle,resolution and color fidelity one way, The second measures both by comparing how well my brain can make sense of what I see and what is actually being presented.

A scope give you a two dimensional picture with a limited depth of field. When you look at an animal with just your eyes, sometimes your eyes are better than the scope and sometimes not and usually low light conditions will aggravate poor perception. Contrast and color fidelity provide very important clues to your brain.

An example: Hunting under heavy canopy, like in a tamarack swamp here, late on a cloudy day. You see two deer, one facing left, the other right, standing one behind the other. Your brain can have a very hard time making sense of the picture even though you absolutely know you are not looking at a Pushmepullyou escaped from a Dr Doolittle movie. A scope might just make that problem worse if it provides a low contrast shallow depth of field view. Distance judgment when your brain cannot resolve the picture goes right straight into the toilet.

Critical distinctions like body angle probably cause a lot of bad hits and lost deer that people swear up and down were dead solid good hits, and those distinctions are even easier to lose than the example above. The scope must provide not only a bright picture, but one with sufficient color fidelity, contrast and depth of field to help your brain make sense of the picture. And, it must be sufficiently helpful that you can decide to shot, not shoot and where to place the shot in the time the animal is giving you.

Targets are vastly simpler to handle. The are almost invariably high contrast. They are just about always decently lit. They are one dimensional and you never need to worry about their angle. You never have to worry about is it a big target or a small target and you know the range.

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Enjoyed the article. Thanks again for what you contribute here.

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John, I don't know if this is true, but I've heard that larger lenses are easier to make than smaller ones regarding the grind and curvature. I don't know how much that would help the manufacturer in making internal scope lenses (between 1" lenses vs 30mm lenses) but perhaps that could be one of the reasons that the larger lenses produce a better image, potentially. With some of the mid-priced bino's I've owned over the years I usually liked the image of 42mm bino's compared to 32mm models in the same make and model

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That’s part of it, but the biggie is “edge effect.” Most stray light comes from around the edges of lenses, because that’s where it’s hardest to bend, and also where runs into lens mounts. Smaller lenses have more edge per amount of surface, so tend to have more edge effect.


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John -- I have a buddy looking for a new scope to use primarily at last light of day to shoot at deer coming into a field. Longest shots would be about 200 yards. He's looking for a "bright" scope.

What scopes would you recommend we look at in the $800-$1000 range?

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Sorry not to answer sooner, but was hunting, then having computer problems.

The very brightest scopes all run over $1000. At those ranges really high magnification isn't going to help all that much, and the reticle may make more difference than the scope. I'd suggest a 6x42 Leupold with a heavier reticle as one possbility, but any 3-9x or 3-10x variable in that price range would also probably work fine. It's also may be more important for a particular scope's coatings to match up with his eyes than any tiny differences in actual light transmission.

Sorry to be so unspecific, but just about any new scope in that price range is about as bright as another thesedays.


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MD,

"But I was hunting" is all the excuse anyone ever needs to give.

Thanks for the info -- I'll pass it along.

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Rick Bin:

I could not agree More.

Two prise's John and Eileen.

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John, Great article it really provides a lot of excellent information related to the manufacture of scopes. Thank you for the great article.


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I just got around to reading this article. Great work, John. You provided lots of good information in a manner that was easy to comprehend. Your contributions to the Campfire are greatly appreciated.


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Thanks very much!


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Good article but I want to mention this thread is titled "RIFESCOPE BRIGHTNESS."

What is a RIFESCOPE?

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It's a slightly shorter riflescope....


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I very much like the article!

I am wondering how wide the light path is between the lenses (the body of the scope). Specifically, there are old 3/4" scopes that were used for big game. Any more the immediate reaction to a 3/4" scope is: "That is a 22 rim-fire scope."

Noted: You've mentioned edge and total area issues and adjustment issues. Does the 3/4' tube restrict light due to light path boundaries?

I have a couple of old Weaver scopes "J" series that I was told were once considered center-fire scopes. I have one on a model '92 Winchester that works quite well, but I use that rifle mainly for squirrels and rabbits as it is chambered for 256 Win Mag.


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john: I just purchased a 300 win. mag. Browning BLR and will start loading and hopefully this gun will shoot decent,i do see an advantage to this gun. I also have read in your book first 5 years of looney news towards the end of the book you prefer straight 6X scopes and yes I agree why a straight power , I am thinking about a new leupold 6X ? is there maybe a better choice ? also your 5 year loonie book was very fine reading that your wife eileen and you have put together in this book,i went with the 3 book deal so I am also looking forward to next two books I purchased. and thanks for the loonie hat too ! pete53

Last edited by pete53; 01/18/16.

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Bugger,

Back when 3/4" big game scopes were common, glass was pretty mediocre and uncoated. As a result, the lenses couldn't "bend" light nearly as well as present glass and coatings, so 3/4" tubes didn't constrict the light-path much. Which is why older scopes were longer for the diameter.

You can tell if the tube is constricting the transmitted light by measuring the exit pupil. If it's smaller than the objective lens diameter divided by the magnification, then the tube is having an effect.


“Montana seems to me to be what a small boy would think Texas is like from hearing Texans.”
John Steinbeck
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