Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Optics What Real Difference Does Good Glass Make

Shadows, tree lines, rain, cloudy weather. Good glass will be much better in these spots.

Tangent theta LR hunter?

the difference it will make depends on if you are a hunter or a shooter.. if you are a hunter you don't need a scope..if you are a shooter then no scope will make you a hunter.... Got it???

Someone here (might have been Allen Day) once said that they'd rather hunt with a $200 rifle and $1,000 binoculars that with a $1,000 rifle and $200 binoculars. Having gone both routes, I'd have to agree.

Same goes for glass on the gun, but most of my hunting takes place in thick brush and low light. I might feel differently if I hunted open country.


Okie John

If you even ask the question then you will not understand the advantage of great glass until it costs you a shot

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i do have to agree ! i do not like or have any heavy crosshair scopes anymore,small cross hairs or small dot work better for me at 200- 300-400-500-600 even out too 1,000 yards if you have a rifle that shoots well.

There is definitely a bit to be gained by high end glass, but your hunting conditions will determine if it is worth the money. To me, what is at least as important as decent glass, is a good reticle that I can see no matter the conditions. In crappy conditions, where there is little contrast and the light is bad, it is sometimes difficult to judge and animal or see your crosshairs in the scope especially when the light is very early or fading into dusk... being in the timber makes it even worse. The wrong reticle when working in the timber is worse than no reticle at all sometimes....

For the purposes a scope is designed for, I've always believed the mid range glass is fine for 99% of hunters' uses as long as it has a useful reticle for your style of hunting. I can't afford the high end Alpha glass and probably wouldn't buy it anyway as my midrange glass has served me well for a very long time.. however, I lust over some very good binos and will soon purchase some Swarovski EL's to replace my aging Leupold Porro Prisms, which are no slouch themselves. The older I get, the more time I spend behind glass searching for animals and the more I want Alpha glass.

Bob

I do not like nor use heavy reticles in quality scores they are unnecessary even in the lowest of light

Boat Anchor, put that scope in the classifieds, someone can probably use it for varmints, paper, or steel. Most reticles have a good application that will match it.

I don't recall the brands. I only shoot with Alpha equipment so it doesn't really matter.

For scopes, Leupold VX3-esque Glass is perfectly good for all my needs.

For binoculars, only the best will do.

I was watching a Yellow Rumped Warbler on it’s fall migration in my backyard this evening with my Leica Ultravids. I’ve had all manner of binoculars, and there are only a couple that give the visual satisfaction my Ultravids give. As the old preacher said, “it’s better felt than telt.”

The hallmark of top tier binoculars is the ability to resolve detail. I’ve not found lesser tier bins deliver the resolution of the European Alphas. I’d gladly have only one Walmart rifle and the very best binocular money can buy than the reverse. Good binoculars are the gift that keep giving. A rifle is a “one and done” sort of thing...

That’s seems like a truism but actually, all things being equal, it’s how still you hold the rifle. 😉

Could you take a stab at it? You obviously have experienced it. I'd like to know how it played out for you when it cost you a shot.

Lots of folks say that a scope is simply an aiming device (aside from ability to hold zero, track properly, etc.) and that bino quality is significantly more important as you'll use them much more often. I don't disagree with that logic, but I should point out that you could see a critter in low light clear as day with GOOD binos, but making it out in your cheap riflescope isn't as easy, then it gets dark and your opportunity is gone. BTDT.

I believe that's what jwp475 is getting at.

Exactly

There is also the advantage that bins have because binocular vision vs. monocular as in a rifle scope. In fact, one needs a very good scope to match that advantage.

In the field not much,IMHO. I guess my eye is just not good enough to tell the difference. Most of the guys that i know that buy $2500.00 bino's do so for the "look at me" factor. "I'm a Real hunter and can afford the best." and I'm cool. Just bought a pair of Pentex 9 X 32's and they work just fine. Of course I'm not using at midnight under a half moon or counting ring on a Big Horn at 1000 yards. I haven't noticed any loss on the "edge".If I loose, run over, or have then stolen I'm out less than $300.00. Some guys just like owning the best, so good for them. I'll spend my money on gas and tags!

This is a great thread and very informative.

I have several hunting scopes including the GPO Passion, Meopro 4.5-14 x44, 2 Conquests, Kahles KX 3,5-10x50 which is a great scope, but I don’t think it is still in production. A Kahles Multizero 3-10x50 that has held zero at 5 different sitting for years sitting on a Tikka 7-08.

My Steiner Nighthunter Xtreme 2-10x50 illuminated and my Swarovski z6i 2-12x50 are top notch for me and can really get you in trouble if you don’t pay attention to the time at last light. Both can take me well past legal shooting light here in N.C (30 minutes past sundown). The glass in both is exceptional and both have held zero.

I have a pair of MeoStar 7x42 binos (discontinued). The glass is superb and enough eye relief to get a full view without removing my glasses.

Many of these items were purchased at Cameraland. Great folks up there that will steer you right and will not try to oversell you.

Visit Ilya’s site opticsthoughts.com for some great info on scopes and binos in all price ranges. I think he may be the most knowledgeable person on the web when it comes to optics.

Happy hunting and stay safe.

I had a scope cost me a buck. I could see him in the Leica 10x40 Trinovids, but not in the scope. Which is the buck and which are the does? Being increasingly desperate, I could tell the buck was the 5th one left of the tree. Grabbed the rifle and shot the 5th deer, which was now a doe, since they had switched places.

I generally don't show alpha binoculars to a regular customer who wants a decent pair of binoculars seeking to fill the freezer. I can say that if you buy a pair of ELs, HTs, SFs, or Noctavids that you will know the benefits very quickly if you use them and set them up right. I think that most people think that 10 or 12 or 15 X are the shiznit and they would be better suited with a very good pair of 8X binoculars that afford a wide field of view.

In 1980 when my brother and I were both spending our money from the first dividend from AK PFD, my brother and I both got vanguards in 300 Win Mag. I decided to buy a 3-9X40 Tasco and he went for a 4X zeiss. His choice continues to work extremely well and was replaced by Zeiss when his rifle was ran over by a weasel track rig. The Tasco never really held for tracking and was less than even mediocre. At the time, I was addicted to SF books and thought that the difference wouldn't matter much. I was wrong. Buy the best optic that you can shoot and don't look back.

I could hunt with a pair of Vipers or a BX-4 Pro Guide for the rest of my life and I would do well. However, with my ELs and hopefully soon my new 12X42 NLs I do better. It is one of the least expensive ways to get to be a better hunter. It does make a difference.

I think that one thing that hasn't been mentioned is that people with very sharp eyesight( corrected or otherwise) like SLCs and see little benefit with the 20 mm of eye relief from the ELs but if you have astigmatism, you reach for them ELs like a fat kid grabbing candy at a parade.