Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Optics Affordable Riflescope recommendation for an old man with old eyes?

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I shoot a Zeiss HD5 3-15x50 with a Z800 reticle that is very nice for my old eyes. The V4 demo below is a bit more than you wanted to spend but with an illuminated center dot should be easy if yo are only shooting 300 sight in at 200 & point & shoot anyway.


https://redhawkrifles.com/demo-zeiss-conquest-v4-3-12x56-rifle-scope/

How is this magic trick performed?

I'm very sympathetic to all the issues of getting older(I'm 78), but might there not be a safety issue here given the severity of your father's eyesight loss ?

I really like the Meopta 4.5-14 with CDS but I also got a Meopta 6x and if there is a difference the 6x is clearer. It has the German #4 which is great for quick acquisition. I wish that I could have gotten the German 4A for the 4.5-14 for the best of both worlds. The 14x is about the maximum power I can use for field shooting 15x or higher I am too shaky to use as it amplifies any movement. I think medium power and a heavy reticle are the ticket for me, the reticle maybe more so than the higher magnification. I usually leave my variables on 6x and only change them for a really long shot or for target shooting.

An illuminated reticle could help too.

I'd take a hard look at the Tract Toric scopes

Meopta's Optika6 2.5-15x44 will serve all his needs. He can choose any of the BDC options and dial it in with Strelok Pro to get accurate drops for each hash. There are also some very good deals to be had on MeoPro scopes right now. A 1-inch tube compared to the 30mm of the Optika6. Very nice glass and a great value. Either choice won't leave him wanting more come deer season.

This ^^^^^^^^^^^^.

I was having the same problem a couple of years ago, just could not see a target at 100 yards quite clearly enough - in just a few months. The progression of cataracts can be very rapid. An eye exam by an ophthalmologist should be a prelude to spending $600 for new scope that may not work any better than the old one.

No rifle scope, regardless of power, is going to make up for poor eyesight. The higher the power, the more critical everything else becomes. I don't like having to wear glasses when shooting, and many great scopes don't have enough + diopter correction for me (I'm 74) to achieve proper focus and the higher the magnification, the worse it gets. Back in the day, I worked a gun shop and we sold a lot of scopes. Many old timers that thought they needed more power to "see better" actually just needed to adjust the diopter correction properly. Many had not adjusted the scope since the day it was mounted and the look on their face as I turned the ocular was priceless. If your dad can't see well with his 4.5-14x going to 15X won't help a bit.

Thinking out of the box here - have you also considered reevaluation of hunting strategies?

If 200 yards is a stretch for your dads eyes and his current 14x scope, (200yards/14x= 14.29 yards) than perhaps a quality optic - several have been suggested above - coupled with some leg work, both in-field and online, to identify points of attraction of the deer to be hunted, might up the chances for your dad to encounter those deer close range - with all associated benefits.

I would really love for some one to explain how an expensive scope (non corrective) allows a near blind guy to see perfectly and a pair of corrective lenses does not. I am so nearsighted if I didnt know there is a big E at the top of the eye chart I would not be able to see it. I put on my glasses and I have 20/20

Try looking through a drinking straw then a paper towel tube , or an old 3/4'' scope then a 30mm scope .

You don't have an accurate grasp of how it goes.

I'm familiar with macular degeneration, he has a real problem, seems to me as a spectator mirage is going to be a real problem at that high power of 15x, my eyes aren't what they used to be but I've settled on 3 x 9 or straight 6x, 3x 9 usually set at 3x but every year I have to re-focus. Best wishes that he hunts long and well.