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There may not be such a scope that is light in weight and have good low light optics. I hunt Roe deer in Romania and mostly use my Blaser K95 in 270 Win in the mountains for this. During some times, like early season in May, the bucks come out real late. This rifle now has a Ziess 3x9x40 Conquest and it is very nice to carry, I would rather not mount a very heavy (over 20 ounces) scope on it and destroy the fine handling qualities that this rifle was made for. In low light I tested a Leupold VX-2 and a Meopta Meopro 6x42 against the Conquest. Through these 70 year old eyes the Conquest barely beat out the VX-2 and the Meopta barely bettered the Conquest. By barely, I had to look through them 10 times to try to discern a difference. I have the #4 reticle in the Meopta and the fine center cross hairs of it disappear when you can still see the Duplex type cross hairs of the Leupold and Ziess.
What do you guys think about the Leupold VXR 3x9x50? The weight would be about the same as the Conquest, "should" be better in low light and it has an illuminated reticle. I would like to hear from those that have had experience with this scope and I would like other suggestions that might work for me. Thanks, RJ
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Swarovski Z3 4-12x50 #4a reticle . VXR dot is almost too bright in lowlight conditions for me
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My Leupold VX-5 3-15X56 beat my Swarovski z5 5-25X52 by six minutes on deer antlers 131 yards away in the woods. The Swarovski z8i 2.7-18X56 beat that by another fourteen minutes!
"Only Christ is the fullness of God's revelation."
Everyday Hunter
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Take a look at the Trijicon Accupoint line of scopes.
Mercy ceases to be a virtue when it enables further injustice. -Brent Weeks
~Molɔ̀ːn Labé Skýla~
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The 8x56mm is the classic European low light scope. I think Schmidt & Bender has one model with a one inch diameter but the weight is not listed. A fixed scope has less elements so usually is clearer and brighter than a comparable variable and lighter. The Trijicon scopes looked good to me but have not used them in the field. Some of the Kahles were excellent in low light but were heavier due to the steel tubes. This can be said of most of the European Scopes.
The Leupold certainly wouldn't be a bad choice. Test them personally if you can as vision varies. In my comparisons the Conquest was closer to the Leupold VX-3 (older version) not the VX-2 as an example. Actually better in normal light but had a very slight blue cast that may have affected very low light clarity.
"When you disarm the people, you commence to offend them and show that you distrust them either through cowardice or lack of confidence, and both of these opinions generate hatred." Niccolo Machiavelli
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Check out the Vortex razor hd lh I got one here and it is very nice glass is better than my swarovski av and the dot in the center of the g4 reticle might work perfect for your needs.
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If you can find a Swarovski 6x42 PF the are amazing. Great in low light and about 12 oz
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You need to look for the posts by BobbyTomek. He's put a lot of time and money into low light field trials of different scopes.
Circles
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I think I saw that Leopold had a VX II 2 to 8 power that only weighs11 ounces. I would take a look at that! Those small single shot rifles look at out of scale with a big oil can scope on them! I hope to get a Merkel k3 this year and I’m looking at scopes that are small and lightweight.
Mackey
Mackey
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Gentlemen, thanks for your opinions and info. With a fixed, I'd rather not go over 6 or 7 power, for possibilities of a close shot. I may look a bit for the Swaro 6x42 PF. If a variable, I certainly do not need over 10x as 300 yds. is long range to me. I have a couple of extra scope mounts for my K95 so I could put a oversize scope in one of them and just use it on the rifle for hunts that have a good possibility of action late in the evening. These mounts take you right back to zero when you swap them. RJ
Last edited by rj308; 05/25/18.
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Campfire Regular
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Gentlemen, thanks for your opinions and info. With a fixed, I'd rather not go over 6 or 7 power, for possibilities of a close shot. I may look a bit for the Swaro 6x42 PF. If a variable, I certainly do not need over 10x as 300 yds. is long range to me. I have a couple of extra scope mounts for my K95 so I could put a oversize scope in one of them and just use it on the rifle for hunts that have a good possibility of action late in the evening. These mounts take you right back to zero when you swap them. RJ So light weight really doesn't have to be considered?
"Blessed is the man whose wife is his best friend - especially if she likes to HUNT!"
"Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength, and love your neighbor as yourself. There is no commandment greater than these."
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Gentlemen, thanks for your opinions and info. With a fixed, I'd rather not go over 6 or 7 power, for possibilities of a close shot. I may look a bit for the Swaro 6x42 PF. If a variable, I certainly do not need over 10x as 300 yds. is long range to me. I have a couple of extra scope mounts for my K95 so I could put a oversize scope in one of them and just use it on the rifle for hunts that have a good possibility of action late in the evening. These mounts take you right back to zero when you swap them. RJ I would look for one of the 3-12X50 Leica ERi scopes. They are still a few around at close out prices.
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Bludog, Yes weight is a consideration. I will not put a scope on the K95 that weighs over 20 oz., 16 would be better.
I have a question to those that know. I think I understand the technical aspects of "Exit Pupil" pertaining to a rifle scope. I have "read" that for someone over 50 years old, the pupils of their eyes will not dilate enough to take advantage of the light of a scope with a 5mm exit pupil. I am almost 70 years old so I would probably not benefit from a scope offering more than a 5mm exit pupil. Correct? Now, here is the question.
If I have 2 3x9 scopes, exactly the same size, brand and glass quality, the only thing being different is one has a 40mm objective lens and one has a 50mm objective lens and the scopes are set on 8x, the image brightness would be no better (with my 69+ eyes) on the 50mm scope than on the 40mm scope. Is my thinking correct about this or flawed?
Also, I understand, that in a low light situation, when you increase the power magnification setting, the image does not actually get brighter but appears to because the increased magnification allows you to see detail somewhat better. Is this also true? Thanks, RJ
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Bludog, Yes weight is a consideration. I will not put a scope on the K95 that weighs over 20 oz., 16 would be better.
I have a question to those that know. I think I understand the technical aspects of "Exit Pupil" pertaining to a rifle scope. I have "read" that for someone over 50 years old, the pupils of their eyes will not dilate enough to take advantage of the light of a scope with a 5mm exit pupil. I am almost 70 years old so I would probably not benefit from a scope offering more than a 5mm exit pupil. Correct? Now, here is the question.
Correct.
If I have 2 3x9 scopes, exactly the same size, brand and glass quality, the only thing being different is one has a 40mm objective lens and one has a 50mm objective lens and the scopes are set on 8x, the image brightness would be no better (with my 69+ eyes) on the 50mm scope than on the 40mm scope. Is my thinking correct about this or flawed?
Maybe, maybe not.
Also, I understand, that in a low light situation, when you increase the power magnification setting, the image does not actually get brighter but appears to because the increased magnification allows you to see detail somewhat better. Is this also true? Thanks, RJ Correct. You understand the basic issue well. But it is not cut and dried. My 63+ year old eyes are an example. When I compared several Leupold 6x scopes, 6x36 and 6x42, side by side at dusk, I can see a small difference in brightness, enough that in very low light situations I can use the larger objective to good effect. For me, it’s just that the difference is not dramatic. I suspect most folks 55+ years old would see little difference in a side by side comparison of the scopes you mention.
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When I was getting cataracts, before the operation, a 50mm scope aided me tremendously. miles
Look out for number 1, don't step in number 2.
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You could be seeing a difference due to a slight upgrade in glass in the 6x42 vs the 36.
And to rj's question, if a Meopta 6x and a Zeiss Conquest 3-9 aren't giving you adequate low light performance, I'd expect you're going to have to spend a significant amount more to really see an improvement. My wife and I had an impromptu scope test while we were sitting on our front deck a couple of nights ago and saw a big doe about 300 yards away. She was not visible to the naked eye by the time we finished comparing scopes. We tested a 2-12 VX-6, a 3-9 Conquest and a 3-9 Trijicon Accupoint. The Accupoint came in last, the Zeiss and the VX-6 were about even with the final nod going to the Leupie due to the lit reticle. So, having no experience with any higher end glass than this, I'd suggest an illuminated reticle scope, maybe a VX-5 or 6. Good luck in your efforts.
"Blessed is the man whose wife is his best friend - especially if she likes to HUNT!"
"Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength, and love your neighbor as yourself. There is no commandment greater than these."
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Campfire Ranger
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The 8x56mm is the classic European low light scope. I think Schmidt & Bender has one model with a one inch diameter but the weight is not listed. A fixed scope has less elements so usually is clearer and brighter than a comparable variable and lighter. The Trijicon scopes looked good to me but have not used them in the field. Some of the Kahles were excellent in low light but were heavier due to the steel tubes. This can be said of most of the European Scopes.
The Leupold certainly wouldn't be a bad choice. Test them personally if you can as vision varies. In my comparisons the Conquest was closer to the Leupold VX-3 (older version) not the VX-2 as an example. Actually better in normal light but had a very slight blue cast that may have affected very low light clarity. My Hawke 30mm 8x56 weighs 22 ounces, quite a beast. Mounted on a Ruger 1V that's already an anvil, it's staying at the bench. The extra-high rings add a bit too. I also have a VX3i 3.5-10x40 setup in rings for when I want to go light(!). OP, If you can see the deer, just not the reticle, an illuminated one may help a good bit, if it can be adjusted so as to be visible, but not blinding. The Leupold Mark AR Mod1 I had was easy to set just right for whatever conditions I was dealing with. I kept it lit even in the daylight because it drew my eye to the center of the somewhat busy reticle. Not sure, but the VX-R looks to have the same setup, but with a red light instead of green.
What fresh Hell is this?
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Also, I understand, that in a low light situation, when you increase the power magnification setting, the image does not actually get brighter but appears to because the increased magnification allows you to see detail somewhat better. Is this also true? Thanks, RJ Positively. Repeatable.
"Only Christ is the fullness of God's revelation."
Everyday Hunter
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the image brightness would be no better (with my 69+ eyes) on the 50mm scope than on the 40mm scope. Is my thinking correct about this or flawed?
You are correct on both points. However the 50mm will have a larger "sweet spot" and may prove to be more forgiving as to gun/eye position and could be faster for target acquisition. All of these are very subjective. As someone else pointed out you might have to spend a considerable amount more to gain a small increase in performance. Another option might be to go to a red dot or holographic scope. These look too Star Wars to me on a classic rifle but they are good in low light and excellent for driven boar. They are very light weight and If I were hunting boar at night I would consider them. The Swarovsky 6x42 would be the front runner for me. Light weight and low light performance are often contradictory but the 6x would be a great compromise choice. Then look into a honking big scope or lighted type for low light back up. The usual enabler response get two or three different scopes.
"When you disarm the people, you commence to offend them and show that you distrust them either through cowardice or lack of confidence, and both of these opinions generate hatred." Niccolo Machiavelli
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Thanks for your responses. I will not be hunting driven boar with the K95, as I have dedicated rifles for that. I use the K95 for Roe deer and an occasional fox. I believe I will go with an illuminated reticle and a larger than 40mm objective and try to keep the weight under 20 oz. RJ
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