Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Optics Good low light scope?

Will be used for hunting deer, bear and varmints.

Seriously… what’s your budget and what’s this going on?

I recently bought a Steiner H4xi 3-12x56 with illum and that thing has really impressed me.

He may not have been looking for a low end scope.

Ha!

This one would probably be great though, and a much more tolerable price.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/3849661662...r=&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY

https://www.ebay.com/itm/1753476642...r=&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY


Since we’re on eBay, this is one of the best ever made imo.

This is about one of the best if not the best low light scope that isn't $4000. have it on my Tikka 308 for my hardwoods I hunt.

Schmidt Bender Polar T96

I agree but I'll say that the S&B Klassik is pretty dang close at ~1/2 the cost. I think the Klassik line is a very good value, with prices close to Leupold VX-6HD and better quality.

For the money Best Buy I think is used Zeiss victory diavari 50mm, you get them at just over $1k or pay a little more and find. HT.

Also the Steiner night hunter extremes Doug blew out a while ago are bright but hard to find.

Also very good for the money are the Meopta meostars.

IMHO the SB T96 is the king but as mentioned you pay a kings ransom.

Bobby Tomek as more hands on experience with all the brands than about anyone I know. Ask him.

Spence

This right here, you need to tell us more.
In truth almost all modern scopes from any decent brand will be 'good enough'. Contributing features like fully multicoated lenses are the norm now and not an upgrade as they were in the past.
Does low light mean after sundown?
Are you considering an illuminated reticle?
Do you have a preferred reticle?
Will this include long shots ( assuming they would be made in ethical light). Varmints can mean everything from coyote , to raccoon to prairie dog.
Is the rifle lightweight? Is there an objective lens size you are wanting?

Nightforce and i have been using a 1-6 x24 - 30 tube Burris for nite critters and seems to work well too and the price was great too.

Dare to be different they say.

Kahles Kxi 3.5-10x50 evaluated by Koshkin. Illuminated reticle, 50mm bell and 1" tube.

I have a Leupold VX-R 3-9x50 that I've used for hunting hogs at night. I’ve been very happy with it, especially for the money.

A good reticle goes a long way at night. I'd say the reticle is more valuable than the quality of the glass today. I believe this is the closest current production scope to the VX-R you're describing:

https://www.leupold.com/vx-freedom-3-9x50-illum-firedot-twilight-hunter-riflescope

An S&B 8x56 is hard to beat for both value and price in a low-light scope if you can learn to live with a fixed power and a limited FOV like the Europeans do. I have two seasons with it so far and love it.

Yes it is, I had a 2.5 - 10x56 but sold it out of stupidity. After talking to Bobby on the site, I decided to anti up and haven't looked back. The low light gathering everyone knows about, its the illuminated dot that I love. its damn near a pin prick. But best of all, the illumination can be turned down so low that even in almost complete darkness, the dot doesn't over power the reticle or you pupil. Don't know if they do or not, but my Klassik never got that low. Maybe it was just mine.

Glass can't be discounted but I agree that reticle design makes a huge difference.


In no particular order....glass quality + magnification + exit pupil + reticle design + number of lenses + eye relief.....are factors in low light shooting. The S&B 8x56 puts a lot of those factors together well.

I have a Polar 2.5-10x50 D4 and a Klassik 8x56 L3. The biggest difference to me is that the dot on the Klassik is larger. It's not too large--about 1 MOA, but the D4 on the Polar is smaller--a pin prick as you say. Both dim way down. I have not tried one but Bobby likes the Klassik 3-12x50 with the L3 I believe. For an all-around scope that can be had for only about $1500 (similar to VX-6HD), I can't imagine choosing something else. The Polar is beefier, with even more impressive build quality and the glass may be better--but it's slight.