Gobbler Nation

Im wanting y'alls opinions on what would be the best low light rifle scope. I'm not wanting to spend a fortune but would like a good clear scope that's good in low light for real early in the morning or late in the evening when those big bucks are more likely to step out. Thanks for any suggestions.

Anything Leupold.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^what he said

Bushnell elite series has always served me very well.......

How late? 1/2 hour after sunset you can do with VX3 class glass and a heavy or lit reticle. 1 hour after you need to spend some money. What is the budget? Do you care about field of view or objective size? How far do you shoot?

Leupold

Honestly any optics I buy anymore, with a budget, Vortex.

Last shooting light at 250 yards in pretty heavy wooded area. I could be killed a good buck the other evening but was watching some does before dark and thought plot was same deer and couldn't see horns but my trail camera told the rest of the story. I have a Nikon pristaff 4x12x40 on my tikka 308 right now but was wondering if I could do better. Thanks again for advice

Swarovsk z6i or Zeiss victory

I don't really have a big budget maybe $350

I second Tom...........VORTEX

Are the 50mm objectives much better than a 40mm? I've never owned a vortex. Mostly Nikon and all 40mm objectives

LEUPOLD !!~ Stay away from the VX1 models. The VX2 & VX3 models have Multi Coat Lens. Where the Leupold Scopes really shine is Crunch Time. First & Last hr of daylight. It will be the last scope you will ever need. 4X12 With AO would be my choice !

CamoMan4025 wrote: ↑November 6th, 2017, 8:25 pm I second Tom...........VORTEX

U get more than you pay for. I even bought two crossfire 2 last year, don't need anything else. Warranty is amazing

Divide the objective diameter by 6 and that is about the highest power that allows the use of all available light to your pupil. A 50mm will be brighter at 8 power than a 40. But a 40 will be the same brightness at almost 7 power. A 30 mm is not brighter than a 1" but allows for more adjustment. The more money you spend the brighter your scope will be. The biggest difference is in the quality of the glass and scope lens coatings. I personally like Burris for the money.

God Bless, Louis

Leupold or vortex is what I run on my rifles and shotguns.

High power is not your friend. The higher you crank the power, the darker the image will become.

All else being equal, a 50 mm objective will be brighter than a 40mm. Tube size (1" vs 30 mm) makes no difference with regards to light transmission.

More important than any of the above is the quality of glass and coatings. You get what you pay for.

So which Nikon or leapold will fit my bill around $300 with a 50mm objective

Now see I disagree with magnification making the image darker. Increasing magnification within the limits of the scope makes the image appear bright. In a good quality 3-9x40, 6x is brighter in low light than 3x. 9x might be darker.

Anyhow, Natchez SS has a 10% off sale and ebates cash back going on. They have some good deals in that range on Weaver Grand Slam and Super Slam. The glass is about Leupold VXR quality. Their reticles are a hair thicker than most so they show up in low light real well. The Grand Slam 2-8x is about a perfect white tail scope.

And you don't need a large objective for low light if you have good glass. 32mm is plenty in a low power scope.

howl wrote: ↑November 7th, 2017, 10:22 am Now see I disagree with magnification making the image darker. Increasing magnification within the limits of the scope makes the image appear bright. In a good quality 3-9x40, 6x is brighter in low light than 3x. 9x might be darker.

Anyhow, Natchez SS has a 10% off sale and ebates cash back going on. They have some good deals in that range on Weaver Grand Slam and Super Slam. The glass is about Leupold VXR quality. Their reticles are a hair thicker than most so they show up in low light real well. The Grand Slam 2-8x is about a perfect white tail scope.

And you don't need a large objective for low light if you have good glass. 32mm is plenty in a low power scope.

I agree with this statement. You do not need a 50mm objective to effectively kill whitetails in the last half hour of shooting light. Good glass is the key, and a good 32mm to 40mm objective will serve you well.......

I have never owned a 50mm objective. I'm sorry, but I see no need. I have used Bushnell Elite 4200 and Bushnell Elite series scopes exclusively for whitetails for about 15 years. I can tell you they are brighter than a Leupold VX-ii and as bright as a VX-iii, for much less dough.

They would be a solid choice, but follow Tom's advice and look at Vortex as well. Best warranty in the business, and a solid product that doesn't break the bank. Don't own their scopes, but I do own the Venom red dots, and they are much better than the Fastfire. Many more features and good price point as well.

My suggestion would be......find a good deal on a Bushnell Elite scope, or take a look at Vortex in your price range. That is about the price range I look for in a whitetail scope as well. Either of these will serve you well, I have no doubts......

I own 4 Vortex scopes and have been very pleased with them. I do have a friend that had a problem with a Crossfire II but Vortex customer service was outstanding. If you want a 50mm and given your budget I would suggest the Vortex Diamondback 3.5-10X50. You can get it to your door from Optics Planet for $224.10 using the code JINGLE for 10% off. You may need the remaining cash to buy taller rings to get the clearance needed to mount the 50mm.

https://www.opticsplanet.com/vortex-rif ... DBK-03-BDC

While I totally agree with the "get what you pay for" comments. They're a ton of 2-3 hundred dollar scopes that are very good. I cannot say ever had a time I couldn't make a shot at shooting light or end of.

Leupold and Nikon jacked up their lines so much, I don't know what's what anymore.

Go to a good store at dusk pick out 3-4 scopes in your price range. Ask to have them take you outside and make a pick. How I pick binoculars

ICDEDTURKES wrote: ↑November 7th, 2017, 11:28 am While I totally agree with the "get what you pay for" comments. They're a ton of 2-3 hundred dollar scopes that are very good. I cannot say ever had a time I couldn't make a shot at shooting light or end of.

Leupold and Nikon jacked up their lines so much, I don't know what's what anymore.

Go to a good store at dusk pick out 3-4 scopes in your price range. Ask to have them take you outside and make a pick. How I pick binoculars

I whole heartedly agree with this......plenty of good options in the 200 to 300 dollar range, no need to spend a mint on a scope. They will serve you well and be plenty bright. I think my next scope will be a Vortex........

Thanks everyone

It all depends on your expectations from your scope. I have recently bought a couple VX-3i scopes and the glass is good. I have tested Leupold warranty and it is very reliable. I baby the guns these scopes are on.

If you are rough on equipment and need a scope that will track reliably and always come back to zero and pass the drop test from waist high and still be zeroed none of these listed scopes will do that my Leupolds included. In this price range only one will.

SWFA SS bullet proof. Good glass. Tough as nails. Best value in optics. The fixed power scopes from them are second to none.

https://swfa.com/optics/riflescopes.htm ... =SWFA%20SS