Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Optics Anyone make a high quality 4X anymore?

As above. Swarovsky, S&B, Zeiss, Kahles, etc. I might not enjoy the price I'm a tightwad. But I bought a used high quality 4X Euro scope made in Germany and it performs better than most scopes I have ever owned. Crepuscular performance is just what I wanted.
TIA. RZ.

If you want maximum light transmission in dark conditions, why limit to 4x? Your pupil maxes out at ~7mm, so a front objective of 28 mm is all you can "take advantage of" (pardon the dangling participle).

you are better off with a 6 x 42mm, 7x50mm, or of course 8x56mm.

Unless you really NEED a 4x, consider a 6 x 42MM of good quality. Don't forget Docter Optic/Noblex, or IOR. I have a Sightron Big Sky II 6x42, and it is very good in low light. Not made anymore (made in USA to boot), but they are out there. If it has to be 4x, the Weaver Classic (Japan) 4x38mm is a bright scope, without breaking the bank, but eye relief is only ~3.3".

You can go variable with various 2-7x or 3-9/10x scope with 40-42mm objectives and set them for 4x-6x.

Higher magnification with matching max exit pupil of 7mm combined with the "Inverse-Square law" explains why higher magnification yields higher brightness (brightness is proportional to the Inverse of square of the distance... a very powerful relationship).

Bob Bell wrote an excellent piece on this topic years ago in Guns Digest. 6x42 and 8x56 scopes were the pragmatic best for low-light conditions (8x56 much better than 6x... because of the inverse square of the distance. It brought the image closer 8x/6x ... as similar why 6x is brighter than 4x.. 6x/4x. Then compare 8x/4x... HUGE increase in brightness).

This 4x36 does what I want. 6x seems a bit much and I don't want the weight of a variable. I really like my old Redfields in 2 to three power. A 6x42 might work if I were shooting my NULA in 308. I'm using a 300 BO bolt gun quietly. Thanks for the science. Always helps to get the details right. RZ.

Karl Kaps.

Swift makes a solid 4x40. made in korea.

Might be a quality scope, but you’re not likely to get one:

https://www.24hourcampfire.com/ubbt...7884327/a-kaps-order-update#Post17884327

They're 30mm not 1" , in case you wanted 1"

If you’re considering a 6x the Kahles is the cats ass but really hard to find. The S&B is great too but heavy. The Meopta is really good and much easier to find. The Kaps is a great scope too but heavy.

Look for a meopro. It shouldn’t break the bank and is the best bang for the buck in the higher end 6x scopes.

Meopta comes from which distributors? ... Dismiss brand new. It is discontinued. Maybe I can switch to 6x42 and find an NOS. RZ.

The difference between the Artemis, which I think they still make, is a steel tube vs aluminum in the meopro. Same glass.

A few comments:

I have a Karl Kaps 6x42--which as noted is a 30mm scope. It weighs 18 ounces, so I doubt a 4x would be much lighter.

The Weaver 4x38 is discontinued, though they can be found used now and then.

What are your thoughts on the kaps compared to s&b and leupold 6x42?

I've always wanted a good 8x fixed. It sounds like 56 mil is the right objective size but I also like my scopes mounted low. Would an 8x44 work out OK or would a bigger objective add a lot? In 2004 at shotshow I asked LOW for a prototype of a fixed 8x44 with mil reticle and mil adjustments. I was running a lot of 6x42 leupolds back then but wanted a bit more power with repeatable turrets.

As a broke MBA student I didn't have the cash for the prototype and 500 piece minimum order per sku. However their rep did like my idea of matching the reticle to the adjustments. At that time most mil dot reticle ones had moa adjustments. It amazed me how long it took most optics companies to figure out why that sucked.

I then looked at chinese options having just returned from a summer over there but of course Steven the rep for vector/sun optics in China promptly took notes of all my ideas and then gave my first prototype to a guy named Garth in Utah and burned my deal down. He owns the much loathed davidson defense in provo now.

Now vector/sun builds some of the fires favorite chinese scopes. I told them repeatability was key in 2004 and suggested chryrogenically treatment stainless precision machined for all adjustment internals. I also aaked them to soutce schotts new glass factory in China. They told me they produced better glass thee than in Europe because of the European crack down on lead. I had some good ideas back then but didn't have the cash to get them rolling. I was big on mil/mil and ffp and those are still tough for some so maybe the time wasn't right.

Bb

Are the later multi-coated Leuoplds not high quality enough? They seem very nice to me.
Rex

EDIT: Not the question you're asking I guess, since they aren't making them now. But they are available if they'll meet your needs.

I still like fixed power rifle scopes and love the simplicity and durability of them. Of course, that view is a thing of past because now everything newly made today is a variable. Thank god you can find plenty of the fixed power rifle scopes used. Even when I use a variable scope , it is often left on 4x or 6x and is hardly ever dialed up to max power.

It's excellent, with very bright, sharp optics and very repeatable and precise adjustments.

Actually yes...I am.

Good for you! All my research indicated they're a great scope. The 4x classic was not as light as a leupold, but not horribly heavy either. They lost my interest however when I had to wait so long without delivery and they get my CC fraud people involved just to get my promised refund.

Edit to add: What reticle did you go with? The invarient looked great for the woods hunting I do.

I cheated, I have had it for a while and haven't had the need for it yet.

German number 4.

I have used a Fixed for 45 years.....Leupold, Swarovski and S&B. As proof in the field, I see no difference between them......Darrel Wick