Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Optics Question about low power variables

I'm looking for a scope with a low enough variable power so that you can track game with both eyes open while looking through the scope (like you can with a 1x red dot if this makes sense).

My question is does this still work at 1.5 or even a 1.75x versus a 1x. Or does the ability to see at 1.5 or 1.75 depend on the persons eyes and therefore not everyone will have the same experience.

This is for an AR that I want to use for yotes where shots can be really close up to as far as I can shoot. Hopefully what I'm asking is being conveyed by my words used in the above post. I don't have anyone with a scope like this that I can look through in person.

Specifically I'm considering a 1-4x or a 1.5x - ?x, 1.75 -?x, or maybe even a 2-7x leupold.

Yep. It works on 1.5

Sure bets are Leupold in 1-4X and their 1.5-5


Have had excellent luck with both.

Are those the AARP special scopes???

;-)

My experience is I shoot with both eyes open regardless of scope power.
Killed deer running at 25 yards and less with 6x and 4 x.
I dont think you will have any issue with anything 6x and less tracking game .
Just start practicing shooting with both eyes open all the time
Regardles of whether it is close or far.
You will see(pun intended)that you dont have an eye to shoot .

Craig

While 1.+x- something variables are workable, no they are not the same as 1x scopes. About 50 yards or so is where we generally see the cross over between 1x and 1.5x scopes, but inside that a 1x scope with a daylight bright dot or well designed reticle will be faster on a timer. Having used and generally shot to destruction most suitable low powered variables made and staying out of the $1,500+ optics I would looked at the-

SWFA SS 1-6x
Vortex Razer 1-6x (though it pains me to say)
Leupold VX6 1-6x with Firedot German #4 reticle


If I didn't need daylight bright illumination (such as for hunting) I would start and stop at the SWFA SS 1-6x.

For shots up close and as far as you you can shoot on yotes the 2-7 Leupold will work great for you.
Regular duplex reticle.
buy it new or buy a used one for $200.00 or less.
Forget the exotic reticles,expensive scopes as you dont need them.
Put the Leupold on 2x and then if you see one way out there you should have plenty of time to turn it up to 7x.


Craig

Ditto on the 2-7X. Works great on 2X in thick stuff.

Awesome. I really like this place for the quality of answers on questions. I'm going to go with one of the vari-x 2x7's on here when I can find one before somebody else buys it.

Thanks Fire!

Have a 2x7 with the Dot reticle and it is surprisingly clear and sharp. Only problem is the power ring is extremely hard to twist. I've been told it is not all that uncommon with that model. Leupold told me to send it in and they will loosen it up. Never got around to it.

However the Leupold 1.5-5 is my favorite low power variable.

This, it will work, "sort of" for some but not for others. A person with a STRONGLY dominant eye behind the ocular can do okay but like Formid said, the true/near 1x scopes will spank a 1.5 or 2x. Suck it up and spend the money for one of the scopes he suggested. I bought a 1-6x and a 1-4x SWFA.

Don't have a 1-6x SWFA, but based on their other models have no doubt it would work fine. Do have a 1-6x VX-6 and it's great.

Ah, now wait a minute here. FormD said under 50 yds., the 1-1.25X variables show they are faster on a timer.
I've seen the difference myself. While it's nice to have, one does not have to spend big bucks on a fancy scope. 1-4X variables are availiable at very reasonable prices. E

I just got a Minox 1.2-6x24 ZA-5 HD from Doug...going on a Model 99 a brush rifle...looks really good.

There's really more to it than just magnification power when you're talking about a variable optic. For close, fast shooting-especially at multiple targets or moving targets a generous eye box and wide field of view are absolutely as important as magnification level.

I'll take a 1.5-1.75 with a wide field of view and generous eye box over a cheaper 1x that is harder to get behind.

I don't find much difference between 1x (all are 1.1+) variable scopes, up to about 2x. FOV and eye box make a bigger difference that usually improves with the further you get under 3x. A fixed 0x aka true 1x dot sight is faster for me, period....inside of 25-50 yards. Unless I'm clearing rooms, any 1-4/1.5-5 will be about as fast as I can expect to be, with FOV and eye box being good. You might can learn to shoot more mag (3-6x) darn fast, (I've done it) but it's never as easy as 1x, to me. Caveat that all this is just my experience with various low power stuff on multiple ARs and other rifles, mil issue and hunting. My take is not the next guy's. It's subjective. You may find 4x is as fast as anything else, for what you do. Not saying I 'know', just saying.

I have a 1.5-5 on one of my AR's and find I can't use it with both eyes open. It could just be me, but I use red dots with both eyes open without problems.

Me too. I have no problem with any scope and both eyes open. You will also have less problems with a flinch IMO, with the off eye closed, all you see is a scope flying back towards your eye.

I'd think having an apparently seamless wide-open field of view with both eyes open, while clearly picking up the reticle center with maximum resolution, would depend upon the particlar rifleman's vision and/or strength of eye dominance.

Myself, I do have relativley good vision, along with a strongly dominant master eye. In most shooting disciplines, to include fixed sights, I generally have little difficulty obtaining a good sight picture while keeping both eyes open. This carries over to rifle scopes, and I have noted over the years, I tend to keep my scopes somewhere in the 2.5x to 3x power range when hunting afield. YMMV, but in my case, this range does not hinder my ability to easily track game up close, is a good balance for resolution in low light, and is enough power for accuracy on most long shots. Outside of this, I do have one particular Schmidt and Bender 1.1-4x Zenith, that comes alive when set wide-open at the lowest setting. If a wounded bear ran up into my cabin, I do think I could effectively clear rooms and quickly obtain a killing shot on a running bear at spitting distances with this scope set on low. Don't know if it is the magnification, or just a combination of a lot of things, but in all lighting conditions, if I needed to maximize my ability to be quick on a point blank moving target, this low setting does stand out above and beyond most scopes and settings I've used previously.

But, with all that said, just like not going into the woods with the scope set at 40x, I continue to keep the scope set somewhere in the 2.5x to 3x range, to include this S&B. If I needed to go somewhere tight, and I was expecting the game to break at my feet, I'd go to the lowest setting. Not much different than if I had the time to prepare for a country mile shot, I'd then go to the highest setting. So for my eyes, that 2.5x to 3x range is my middle ground for shooting with both eyes open.

Hope this is of some help.
Best