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Low light? I'm probably not up yet, or already in bed.... These 18-20 hour daylight days are tough on a guy!

Just kidding - I carry flashlights to help find camp.

The first moose I ever shot was with Marlin .30-30. It was so dark that I had to sight against the sky first, then drop it down to the moose some 50-70 yards away. Three times I did this, until I was sure of my aim point/bullet placement.

It had open sights.... I doubt a scope would have worked. smile

Last edited by las; 07/17/17.

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scope would have worked better than irons for sure on that shot.


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Under 200 yards it's awfully hard to beat a Weaver Classic K4....unless of course you feel the need to spend more, then a Leupold FX-II 4x33(Personally I think the K4 is equally good and has a good plex reticle).


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Originally Posted by rost495
scope would have worked better than irons for sure on that shot.


Maybe. Probably, now I think of it. It was pretty danged dark out there!

I once spotted a dark lump under the bow of the boat during a driving rain storm, from my bedroom window, in not as dark conditions as the moose. Could not make it out, but with the binocs, I could barely tell it was a young brown bear taking a nap out of the rain. So yeah.


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Originally Posted by las
Low light? . It was so dark that I had to sight against the sky first, then drop it down to the moose some 50-70 yards away. Three times I did this, until I was sure of my aim point/bullet placement. smile


What has worked for me in this situation is to keep both eyes open and stare intently at the aiming point with the off eye sort of like shooting a stick bow you will the bullet to fly it's course. Zen night hunting grass hopper.


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Swarovski 6x42 has been the best low light scope for me, there was one for sale on the forum not long ago. I have two and they have replaced scopes of much higher magnification and larger objectives. For my eyes there is nothing better

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It depends on what kind of rifle you’re going to mount your scope on. If it’s a lightweight woods rifle or carbine, you may not want a Hubble telescope for low light situations.

Leupold Vari-X III 1.75-6X (AKA: Leupold “Shorty”)

This is a fairly rare and hard to find Leupold, but well within your price range. Perfect for short-action rifles where a smaller scope is preferred. This model Leupold was discontinued long ago however carries a strong following of aficionados partial to its compact size and superior optics. Magnification ranges from 1.75X to 6X.

[Linked Image]

The picture above is for size comparison. The bottom scope is the Leupold "Shorty".

Listed from top to bottom:
Leupold 2.5X20mm
Leupold 1-4X20mm Matte
Leupold 1-4X20mm Gloss
Leupold 3X20mm
Leupold 1.75-6X32mm

Known as the Leupold "Shorty", (9.8" long), they're difficult to find as they were discontinued sometime in the 90's. They allow more light transmission than the 20 & 24mm tubes such as the 2.5X, 1-4X, & 1.5-5X, but are just about as lightweight & small.

Additional features:
Multicoat 4 lenses
Field of View = 47� @ 100yds on 1.75X / 18� @ 100 yds on 6X
Eye relief 4.8� low power / 3.7� on high power
Weight 11 0z
Outside Diameter of the eye piece 1.6�
Leupold Lifetime Warranty

As per Trent Smith of Leupold, the Leupold "Shorty" model numbers are:
Regular duplex / Matte finish is: 47193.
With a Heavy Duplex reticle it would be model number 47194.
Gloss with a regular duplex is a Model number 46404.
Gloss with a Heavy duplex would be a Model number 47192.

(But good luck Googling any of these model numbers.) Watch out for the Model number 66385 as this is the longer "E-Model "1.75-6X32mm� that's still in production today, (11.2� long, and heavier). Everything the "E-Model " does the Leupold 2.5-8X36mm does better.

PHOTO: 44 Mag, Super 16, Carbine w/Leupold "Shorty":

[Linked Image]

PHOTO: Rem 600 Carbine w/Leupold "Shorty":

[Linked Image]



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Sightron SII Big Sky
Bushnell Elite 4200
Weaver Grand Slam
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Originally Posted by DrDeath
Any suggestions for a great low light scope for 200 yards and under?

Budget $500


If you want a GREAT low light scope, It ain't going to be easy at a $500 cap budget. I have a number of them, Some I bought for $500 and less, but those were used.

For "normal" variable scopes the 1.5-6x42 European alphas are hard to beat. You may be able to find a Meopta Artemis in 1.5-6x42 for $300-$400 but it may take a lot of time. I bought a couple Zeiss Victory 1.5-6x42s for right on $500. I got a Swaro for $400 and a S&B for $600. Those are GREAT low light scopes.

All of the above have reticles purpose designed for very low light work. You cannot overstate the importan[b][/b]ce of a good reticle when it comes to low light work.

I have a VX3 1-4x20 heavy duplex that's worthless in low light. All 20mm objective scopes will be that way, but that isn't what a scope like that is for! Do not expect one to get you to the end of legal shooting hours in heavy shadow or under heavy canopy. The can't do it.

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Originally Posted by rost495
scope would have worked better than irons for sure on that shot.


Absolutely!


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Originally Posted by Tejano
Originally Posted by las
Low light? . It was so dark that I had to sight against the sky first, then drop it down to the moose some 50-70 yards away. Three times I did this, until I was sure of my aim point/bullet placement. smile


What has worked for me in this situation is to keep both eyes open and stare intently at the aiming point with the off eye sort of like shooting a stick bow you will the bullet to fly it's course. Zen night hunting grass hopper.


That's what I did. Once the sights dropped below the horizon, they were no longer visible. Raising them above the horizon once more made them visible, and I did it 3 times to make sure they were staying aligned.

And a moose is a big target! Perfectly double-lunged him.


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Well done. Have had the same problem with Black Hogs and Bear. If it doesn't feel right I hold fire. And I sure don't like following up either if I don't know where I hit them especially in the dark.


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Several years ago I had a deer present a shot about 5 min before the end of legal shooting. The weather was pretty overcast so it was really getting pretty dark. Never the less I could make out the deer fairly well thru the scope. Having read about all of the nimrods shooting deer in the dark I thought why not. I squeezed off the shot and the effect was somewhat like staring intently at a camera flash about a foot away. The muzzle flash from my 243 was quite intense and I was immediately rendered night blind and I had to sit there for close to 30-40 minutes before climbing out of my tree stand. Obviously I was blinded to the deers reaction to the shot. I heard it move off to my left but there was no hope of seeing it . On getting down I went to where the deer had been standing . I looked around for the deer and a blood trail but really I couldn't see anything but white spots so I finally packed it in and decided to go back the next morning. It rained in the night so the next day there was no sign. The end I don't know if I even hit the deer and if so it made it over the ridge to the next farm. The whole experience was quite negative , I didn't get the deer, I saw spots for2-3 days following and I vowed to never shoot at another deer in low light again. So frankly my 30 year old vari x-ii was more than enough to see the deer in the light low enough to cause the issues I experienced I.e. it was too dark to shoot. So I don't see the need for a scope that would allow you to seen even lower light. Ymmv but for me never again. I would suggest if you are interested to take your existing scopes to the range late one evening and touch off a few.

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It's hard to beat a leupold VX-R for your budget. I am slowly replacing my old scopes with VX-R's. I will say I am not a fan of the 2-7 with Ballistic Firedot. The reticle was to big in my opinion and covered a lot of the target. I have bought 3 on eBay and have from $300-360 all new and in the box.

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Originally Posted by bangeye
Several years ago I had a deer present a shot about 5 min before the end of legal shooting. The weather was pretty overcast so it was really getting pretty dark. Never the less I could make out the deer fairly well thru the scope. Having read about all of the nimrods shooting deer in the dark I thought why not. I squeezed off the shot and the effect was somewhat like staring intently at a camera flash about a foot away. The muzzle flash from my 243 was quite intense and I was immediately rendered night blind and I had to sit there for close to 30-40 minutes before climbing out of my tree stand. Obviously I was blinded to the deers reaction to the shot. I heard it move off to my left but there was no hope of seeing it . On getting down I went to where the deer had been standing . I looked around for the deer and a blood trail but really I couldn't see anything but white spots so I finally packed it in and decided to go back the next morning. It rained in the night so the next day there was no sign. The end I don't know if I even hit the deer and if so it made it over the ridge to the next farm. The whole experience was quite negative , I didn't get the deer, I saw spots for2-3 days following and I vowed to never shoot at another deer in low light again. So frankly my 30 year old vari x-ii was more than enough to see the deer in the light low enough to cause the issues I experienced I.e. it was too dark to shoot. So I don't see the need for a scope that would allow you to seen even lower light. Ymmv but for me never again. I would suggest if you are interested to take your existing scopes to the range late one evening and touch off a few.


Is that why you are known as Bangeye? I've shot several in low light and bunches of varmints at night with my deer rifle without any ill effects. Go figure?

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Naw that came from a collision between a scope and my eyebrow in the presence of my friends. You know it's sort of interesting that I seem to be the only one that ever experienced this as I never see it mentioned in all the discussions about low light shooting. My rifle was nothing unusual as in a short barrel or anything just a 243 vanguard actually with a 24" barrel. It was bad enough though that after 2-3 days of seeing spots I was really beginning to think I might have damaged my vision. I decided I just don't need a deer that bad.

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Originally Posted by Winchestermodel70
Mule Deer has written extensively on the subject of scopes, a topic that he has researched extensively. Before you spend your money, spend a couple of hours reading what he has said about the topic.

Personally, I have had excellent experiences with Swarovski optics in low light situations (primarily hunting leopard).

You might be able to find a good, used Swaro AV or Z3 ~ $500. I would also give the Meopta line a close look (no pun intended).


I've got several Swarovski's that I love but they are pricey. I bought a GPO (German Precision Optic) 4x12x40 several months ago for a 22-250 I bought here on the forum. The rifle still has not arrived yet so I put it on an old .270 just to get some range time out to 200yards in low light conditions. Glass was very clear late in the evening. Impressive and I'll certainly buy another as the price is very reasonable (about 350 ). OBTW I purchased the scope from cameraland!

Last edited by Elkhunter49; 07/19/17.

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Originally Posted by Sherwood
Bushnell Dusk & Dawn model featuring 1.5 - 4.5X settings. I mounted this scope on my Ruger 44 MAG carbine and love it. Optics are crisp and bright! Cost is less than $100. which is a genuine bargain for this quality product.

Sherwood


Ive heard this more than once from serious hunters on a budget.. You don't always need bug money to get a good product.

Last edited by mogwai; 07/20/17.
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