Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Optics Why no love for low power hunting scopes

My buddy inherited like new, pristine ruger carbine 44 mag.
Looking at scopes. There is very low number of scopes in 2-7, 2-8 range. The 1.5-6 or similar are almost all AR oriented.
Does everything have to be 4-16, 5-20 or bigger for the size queens

To many sniper/long range shooter wanna be types is my theory. And all the magazines that have to sell ads for new scopes.

I use all the ranges u mentioned above for my hunting, have a few 3.5-10s as well.

Longest shot I ever took or had to take, as I think the real skill in hunting is getting close, was Kansas buck at 325 yds on a walk. Had. 3.5-10 but used it on 6x as that is what I carry it on and forgot to change it. I was sitting with my back to a tree using my knees. Worked fine.

Check out the Classifieds on here. There are usually a few 1.5-5, 2-7, etc. available.

In my experience there has been an uptick in interest in low power scopes. Who cares if it is AR oriented, they still work on hunting rifles. I used to use 2-7X scopes quite often but came to the conclusion that 3-9X40's were more common and I could usually get better quality for the same money. The difference between 2X and 3X on the low end was insignificant and I almost never take it off 3X.

I do find the difference between 1X on the low end and 2X to be noticeable. I have 1-4X and 1-6X scopes on several rifles including AR's as well as 22's and one bolt action big game rifle.

I scored a nice monarch 1.5-4 on here for my carbine. Perfect fit.
Had a viper 2-7 on mine prior and that was almost too big.
And I’m always pushing for 2.5/3.5-10 scopes for hunting rigs.

I have a few fixed scopes I'd sell..
used, in very good++ condition, all plex reticles. Clear glass, no chips. Prices include shipping to lower 48.

1.5x Weaver, micro trac USA $115
2.5x, Weaver, micro trac USA $125
2.5x Redfield $125
3x Weaver micro trac USA $130
Leupold m8 3x (friction plate w/e adjustments, not click) $215

NIB
4x Leupold, click adjustment ( not friction plate) NIB, never mounted. $250 shipped

pm if interested.

I have an older 4X Nikon on my 308. Good clear scope and 4X is all I need for the ranges I'll use that gun at. I also have a 1.5x6 Bausch & Lomb on my 375 H&H and that is all the scope I need for that rifle.

Why no love?

For me it's mainly because of the small objective size and limited light gathering ability.

Companies are in business to make money, so they make what sells. If low-powered hunting scopes were selling in good numbers, they’d have continued making them. AR-oriented LPVOs apparently are selling well, so that’s what they make. Aside from the fact that many have big, sometimes open turrets, and short tubes, I’ve found they can work very well as hunting scopes. I have two at present.

This economics lesson also applies to silver scopes, glossy scopes, and fixed-powers.

What is an AR Looking scope?

Is this? https://www.natchezss.com/leupold-v...1-tube-pig-plex-reticle-matte-black.html

What about this? https://www.natchezss.com/us-optics...-1-6x24mm-30mm-sfp-simple-crosshair.html

This one? https://www.natchezss.com/trijicon-...gmented-circle-low-capped-adjusters.html

Another. https://www.eurooptic.com/Trijicon-...uplex-30mm-Satin-Black-Riflescope-2.aspx

Like PB&J, they just go together.

A bit of a vicious circle at work though: you aren't going to sell many if they aren't available.

I also suspect that makers and those who write articles about scopes are keen to talk up the new, the different and the fashionable. Plain vanilla 2.5x and 4x scopes in particular seem to have fallen victim to this, in favour of scopes with lots of magnification, ever bigger diameter tube and lenses, illumination and fancy reticles and turrets set up for dialling and whatever.


Personally I like a plain 4x, and I also like 1.5-6x or something like it, with a 1" tube. Good optics and reliablity, without excess weight (or features I won't use). Such scopes suit me nicely for most purposes. Others' mileage may vary.

I recently purchased a new Leupold VX-3HD 1.5-5 and it came with the CDS, no other option. Who buys a 1.5-5 to twist dials???

Well there's always the problem with costs associated with optics. We want quality with a reasonable price.
Vortex has a few to choose from, there's usually a way to get brand new cheaper than retail.
Trijicon has a few that fit the bill.

The only problem I tend to find is the reticles are "tuned" to a specific caliber. So while an optic could be used on any rifle, the cool reticle isn't going to "work" for the bullet drop points they already identified.

Make good decisions, good luck.

I think the decision to discontinue products is taken when sales falter, not to drive sales elsewhere. Why would anyone with a proven product already in hand, with no further development and little advertising costs required, just dump it, except because sales were falling off to the point that it was no longer economically feasible to keep it in their line? Sure there may still be some demand, but not sufficient to justify its continued inclusion. There are costs associated with supporting products, and no profit, so it makes sense to dump stuff that’s not pulling its weight, so to speak sale-wise, and try to convince customers that they need something else.

Just a guess, but options add costs. Perhaps that assembly is common to other models and rather than design and tool up for a simpler one, they just toss it at the 1.5-5.

That principle may also contribute to the demise of older models. Variables used to be mostly 3-1 zooms. Now 4-1 is the baseline, with 5-1, 6-1, 8-1, and even 10-1 available. The 3-1 scopes might well be “sacrificed” to make way for the higher zoom ratio models, again for economic reasons. 2-10x42 s are replacing 3-9s for instance, and I consider that an improvement, though I don’t own one just now.

Very few to no one. Yet it gets shoved down our throats like electric vehicles and green energy.

I've seen a trend of our northern forest hunters hunting closer to home in the more open farming areas with more deer and longer shooting distances. It is a rare hunter that shows up with a .44 Magnum carbine today because most guys are using a bolt action with a longer range cartridge, so they scope them with higher magnification optics. Those lower power scopes have a huge exit pupil that enables a shooter to get the full fov without a perfect cheek weld. They are perfect for a fast shot, but guys hunting from a box blind next to a field are not shooting fast. The stocks on the older rifles like my 99F have a lower comb and a 1.5-5x20 mounts low and is ideal on that rifle for me. Higher combs works fine with the larger objective lenses. Some things get better over time, but eyesight isn't one of them and you can't shoot what you can't see. Better, bigger optics let people see to shoot better.

The sales falter because all the new long range push. Either the rifles company pushing new cartridges and every dick and Harry at sporting goods stores push 6-24 vortex on the creed.
I’m glad I have few of vx 1 leupold 2-7s

Hmmmm.