Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Optics Night hunters -hogs and predators ?

What scope would you use for night hunting over a feeder -ranges up to 100yds max -usually 50-60yds ?

My Gen 3 PINNACLE D740 from Tactical Night Vision Company

I'll take it $740 money order is in the mail !laf.




I was thinking of something a little more traditional -if i were going to spend that much i'd get a new boat !
Very cool piece for sure.

Short of the above, this guy could be (one of) your best help.


http://www.cameralandny.com/optics/zeiss.pl?page=zeissvmv521741If your budget is less than that, go with any reputable manufacturer's 50 or 56 mm objective scope-#4 reticle of course. In this category I like Weaver's Classis Extreme 2.5-10x50.

Unless it's an usually dark night, any of the better 6X42's should work if they have a heavier reticle installed. Any of the better variables with at least a 40mm objective and such a reticle as well. Heavier retilces meaning the German 4a, at one end, the Leupold Heavy duplex sort of in the middle or the German #1 at the other, best performing end of the spectrum.
If you choose to go with an illuminated reticle, make sure you adjust it to the lowest setting you can. The brighter the reticle, the harder it is to see the target. Would suggest a scope that doesn't use batteries.
What it really depends on is just how dark it is. All a rifle scope does is get you closer to the target if you have sufficent exit puil size. E

If you can't or don't want to use NV devices the best buy are german or austrian scopes.
The new serie of Zeiss Victory HT possess first class glass treatment and very high ratio of light transmission. Their lighted reticule is first class, the new technology they use allows a very tiny red dot, easily visible without blurring or glare.

Schmidt and Bender if you can put your hand on has a very good 8x56 lighted.

A new pretentender, but not yet available in the US of A at time of writing, is the Steiner Night Hunter Xtreme. If in daylight the Zeiss are a bit better, their lenses (NightHunter) are treated for nighthunting.

These Steiner offer a very good performance at night and their lighted reticule is optimised for the job.

I had the chance to test the 2-10x50 in Sweden, night hunting wild boar. When i shot the first boar it was not totally dark but the second was in pitch black, had enough light through the scope to choose the good one and the dot was really fantastic, a red " head of pin" very precise and round. These two quality allowed me to make neck shot at around 60m.

Swaro and Kahles are great contenders two for night hunting.

One problem, and not the least, they cost a lot...

Dom

Test data clearly indicates the euros lost the light transmition edge they had years ago. US and Japanese made scopes are every bit as good as the euro brands these days. E

At night! If you think so it's your opinion, i respect it.

May be with Conquest ( in Europe they are considered low cost)but surely not with the Victory HT, new Helia, Steiner etc.
Don't speak of Z6s because the higher number of lenses inside the optical system do augment light loss (Swaro acknoledge the fact).
I own Leupold (all generation from 30 year back to today), some Zeiss, Swaro, Schmidt & Bender, Kahles, last generation Burris and 6500 Elite Bushnell and one NSX Night Force, plus i've the chance to get any model i need to test from factory if i ask for (believe me or not).

At night, dusk and dawn the new german and austrian scope always possess an edge if you compare apple to apple.

But and it's a big but the new Leupold for exemple offer a very very good (best?) quality price ratio...and their low light transmission ratio did really improve for sure.

Dom

Thanks for the info guys i'll look these scopes you mention up and see what i think will fit my situation.
I use a night hunting light so it's far from "dark" but still the better i can see the better.

Learning how to shoot at night is more important than what you shoot.

a 400,000 CP Q-Beam and a Leupy 3x9 VXII has sent a barge full of piggies to the hereafter.

Of the ones I own the Swaorvski z5 5-25X52. Of the ones I owned I would go with the Nightforce 12-42X56.

I am ignorant of what else the optics world offers and how they compare with these two.

I don't know anything about ol mike's hunting grounds. If he hunts the same pig population, flash light will work only at the beginning. Pigs are smart, wise up rather fast and scatter in a split second you turn the light on them. My method is to use a night vision monocular to identify the one I want and use a large objective quality scope for targeting. Night vision scope is not legal where I hunt.

you will be hard pressed to beat the Meopta Meopro 3-9x42 or 4-12x50. Leupold cant compete glass wise regardless of the BS E tries to pass along as fact. Their #4 reticle should serve you well.

True, They wise up quick and the shots will get longer and longer, as they will put greater distance between you and them once the show begins.

The bigger trick is to only hunt an area once every 2 weeks. Most folks make them unhuntable by continually going back and doing the same exact thing over and over, just because it worked once...

The small pinpoint of light with a Firedot Duplex would serve well too... Zero doubt where the crosshair center is.

I used a new 3-9x50 Leupold VXR on my last hog hunt in Texas. Worked very well. I'd consider that a good one to start with. Good bang for the buck.

If hunting the night shift for feral hogs and predators is something you intend to do often, a NV scope is a good investment.

By far (IMHO and IME) the best bang for the $$ for NV is a M845 Mk.4 2.5X Gen2 SHP Red Dot Sight

http://tnvc.com/shop/m845-mk-4-2-5x-gen2-shp-red-dot-sight

I have one mounted on my Volquartsen .22WMR and my LWRC M6A2. Works exceptionally well.

If it was me I would use a farking big spotlight. Wait until they are at the feeder then hit them with the light. They should be sufficiently blinded by the miniature sun you just turned on to give you a few moments to take the shot.

I haven't spotlighted many pigs but deer and rabbits often get confused and run towards you when they are blinded by the light.

Pigs eyes don't shine in the same was as deers do though so they are harder to spot.

I recommend a lighted dot. And carry a spare battery.

Black hogs make the crosshairs hard to see.
Of course, my budget doesn't include a Swaro.

http://www.cameralandny.com/optics/vortex.pl?page=vortexcrossfire4-12x40

We will see how it holds up on a .270.

stumpy

I use a Kill Light with a green lense mounted on top of a Leupold VX-II 2 x 7 scope. Anything under 125 yards is easy to see in the duplex crosshairs.