Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire 44mm or 50mm Objective for VX6hd

Hey guys so I'm either thinking of getting the leupold vx6hd in 3-18x44 or 3-18x50 with the fire dot duplex and CDS. The 44 mm weighs 16.8 oz and the 50mm weighs 20.4 oz. it will be going on a Browning X Bolt Hells canyon speed in 300 win mag which weighs 6.13 pounds. It will be used for western hunting. Does the 50mm have any advantages/disadvantages to the 44. What are the pros and cons of the 44 and 50mm objective size. Does one gather more light? Any help would be much appreciated. thanks

Scopes don't gather light - they merely transmit light based on how good the coatings are. The difference will be the exit pupil (aka how bright the image appears) based on what magnification you use. Divide each objective by the various magnifications you expect to use and that will give the size of the exit pupil. Most middle aged and older people can't use much more than 5 mm since their pupils don't open that wide any more. A larger exit pupil than your pupil can expand is basically useless.

For example, the 44mm scope divided by 10x = 4.4mm exit pupil. the 50mm scope at 10x would be 5 mm - a bit bright when viewing, not sure how many of use could distinguish an extra .6mm. You most likely will need higher rings with the 50mm to clear the front of the barrel as well. And 18x is a whole lot of magnification to use without a rock solid rest. Good luck.

Two scopes with equal quality lenses in a 44mm and a 50mm will definitely show a difference for low light performance. The 50mm wins every time. The 50mm needs about 1/8" higher rings if you want them both to clear the barrel the same amount. Low light performance is a big deal at times.

Only if it's useable.

Heavier, needs higher rings, and shows benefits only in dim light. You decide.