Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Optics Fixed Leupold vs Variable S&B

;I have never had the slightest bit of problem killing any mule deer I wanted to in Wyoming, Colorado or any other western state I've hunted with a 4X Leupold,but I won't be climbing into any whitetail stands in Alberta with one.....

Some do not live in areas where hunting pressure is very light to non-existent,and there is a world of difference between trying to hang a tag on a buck of choice in open alpine country with no pressure,and a mature whitetail buck that,by his nature and age,has gone completely nocturnal.

Blasphemy. Now why on earth makes you think you can't hit a BIGGER Alberta deer with a 4x scope LOL.

I'll preface my statements by disclosing that I've used Leupolds for the overwhelming majority of my hunts,mostly fixed powers but with a fair number of their variables tossed in....they have never cost me an animal,including a few shot under pretty dim light conditions....

Do I have friends that have not been so lucky? Sure....a couple have been unable to see to shoot late in the day on pretty costly whitetail hunts in Central Canada.

Do I think a Leupold has optics equal to a S&B? No......this stuff is not complex. Buy or borrow both and look through them,go someplace with lots of deer and peek through both under all kinds of light conditions,mostly close to dark,and the difference becomes pretty apparent.

Where you live,and what you hunt in what kind of terrain can make you believe that a scope can't make a difference in a hunt, but seems to me that the guys who are drawn to the higher end optics are likely whitetail deer hunters who specialize at the game,are from states or regions where bucks are highly nocturnal,and their best (only) chance during a season of hard hunting may come only when light conditions are pretty bad to "terrible".They may not have the luxury of glassing up a buck, passingon it,and getting another later the same day.....much whitetail hunting is not like that....

Some do not live in areas where hunting pressure is very light to non-existent,and there is a world of difference between trying to hang a tag on a buck of choice in open alpine country with no pressure,and a mature whitetail buck that,by his nature and age,has gone completely nocturnal.

It has not happened to me (yet)but I do have one friend who moans and wails about a certain early season whitetail he could see with his binoculars but could not see to shoot with a Leupold 2.5-8.....this on a pretty expensive hunt way up in Northern Alberta.Whitetails being whitetails, he never saw that particular buck again on a 10 day hunt.....nor is he likely in lifes lottery to be afforded the opportunity at one that size again.And I well remember the time on stand when I thought the biggest mule deer bucks in the area were already in the field....until the last,and VERY biggest of them walked out at very last light.He was large enough that he dwarfed everything else there....

If you travel around to various parts of the continent and hunt in a variety of conditions,for different deer species,you might bump into a situation here and there where the right scope can make a difference;I have never had the slightest bit of problem killing any mule deer I wanted to in Wyoming, Colorado or any other western state I've hunted with a 4X Leupold,but I won't be climbing into any whitetail stands in Alberta with one.....

Mathman that was about 6 years ago IIRC....

Those old 4X28 Leups I've used are really good at lots of things....light weight, rugged, stay zeroed through anything,mount easily.....but for low light field watching they are not really ideal.....

You probably just have a night vision problem, Bob.

Probable so, but a S&B can help tremendously

Well I have one of those,too.....

RD: My vision is not really bad...

.......but I am a sentimental slob and, even though I know there are better scopes out there for helping me see in low light,I can't completely reject the old scopes that I used on so many hunts.....Kinda like a tattered, old Eddie Bauer Skyliner that I used on many hunts,and is so worn out I can't wear it(too small,also! .................I just can't make myself throw it out

Funny how a S&B can restore one's vision.

If you really want to see just how much difference different quality scopes make during low light conditions, I'd refer you to Barsness's testing.
What impressed me about it is how little a difference there is. And the fact that this tiny difference is only in the finest resolution detail at a set range. What really makes the difference is how much magnification you can use under those light conditions. A simple comparison between a 4x and a 6X will make this very clear assuming they both use the same exit pupil size. With a 6X, you can see about 50% further.
BTW, if you've lost part of your night vison, a "better" scope won't recover any of it. If it gets too dark, you'll simply see nothing through your scope. E

E, the 6x42 will indeed gather and direct to your eye much more light energy than the 4x28, since it has a larger objective and the right magnification for low light scope exit pupil/eye entrance pupil match. The more energy in low light the better for the eye�s receptors to be activated in a useful way. That is no doubt. What if there is enough energy for the eye to see something in low light but due to aberrations the objects edge is not sharp enough to be distinguishable from the background? It�s easier to detect a shape in low light conditions when the edge has a sharper shade transition with respect to the background rather than the case were the shade transition is smoothed out by aberrations. It�s easier to detect a shade difference transition when its abrupt compared to the case of a little brighter object with a brighter background and a less abrupt transition. It�s human nature. To make an analogy, if you need to attract someone�s visual attention with a faint light from a distance, you rather strobe it than illuminate in a constant fashion�That�s why resolution is very important in low light, and to that respect in any light, vision
When you claim than your 6x42 is better in low light than a VXIII with similar transmission, it�s not due to the 1% transmission difference but rather due to the probable higher resolution of the fixed scope lenses used�.even if they are not fully multicoated and index matched etc�
Take two similar scopes and make a resolution test at day time. The one with more resolution will most likely outperform the other in low light even if that �other� has a 2-5% percentage point more transmission, a little larger objective etc�Try it with 2 of your scopes and see for yourself and let us know of your findings...
Aic

If you really want to see just how much difference different quality scopes make during low light conditions, I'd refer you to Barsness's testing.

I can get sentimental about a Ford 427 AC Cobra too even though the brakes suck. So I guess I can understand the love of the Leupold 4x28.

I'll preface my statements by disclosing that I've used Leupolds for the overwhelming majority of my hunts,mostly fixed powers but with a fair number of their variables tossed in....they have never cost me an animal,including a few shot under pretty dim light conditions....

Do I have friends that have not been so lucky? Sure....a couple have been unable to see to shoot late in the day on pretty costly whitetail hunts in Central Canada.

Do I think a Leupold has optics equal to a S&B? No......this stuff is not complex. Buy or borrow both and look through them,go someplace with lots of deer and peek through both under all kinds of light conditions,mostly close to dark,and the difference becomes pretty apparent.

Where you live,and what you hunt in what kind of terrain can make you believe that a scope can't make a difference in a hunt, but seems to me that the guys who are drawn to the higher end optics are likely whitetail deer hunters who specialize at the game,are from states or regions where bucks are highly nocturnal,and their best (only) chance during a season of hard hunting may come only when light conditions are pretty bad to "terrible".They may not have the luxury of glassing up a buck, passingon it,and getting another later the same day.....much whitetail hunting is not like that....

Some do not live in areas where hunting pressure is very light to non-existent,and there is a world of difference between trying to hang a tag on a buck of choice in open alpine country with no pressure,and a mature whitetail buck that,by his nature and age,has gone completely nocturnal.

It has not happened to me (yet)but I do have one friend who moans and wails about a certain early season whitetail he could see with his binoculars but could not see to shoot with a Leupold 2.5-8.....this on a pretty expensive hunt way up in Northern Alberta.Whitetails being whitetails, he never saw that particular buck again on a 10 day hunt.....nor is he likely in lifes lottery to be afforded the opportunity at one that size again.And I well remember the time on stand when I thought the biggest mule deer bucks in the area were already in the field....until the last,and VERY biggest of them walked out at very last light.He was large enough that he dwarfed everything else there....

If you travel around to various parts of the continent and hunt in a variety of conditions,for different deer species,you might bump into a situation here and there where the right scope can make a difference;I have never had the slightest bit of problem killing any mule deer I wanted to in Wyoming, Colorado or any other western state I've hunted with a 4X Leupold,but I won't be climbing into any whitetail stands in Alberta with one.....

BTW, if you've lost part of your night vison, a "better" scope won't recover any of it. If it gets too dark, you'll simply see nothing through your scope. E