Optics Help!

[Fisher-Dude]

Get some binoculars. Good ones.

The only job a scope has is to steer the bullet, and it sounds like the one you have is adequate for the job. Use good binoculars to identify your target, then shoot.

^^^ This.

If you're using your scope as your way to identify legality of an animal, you're doing it wrong, and dangerously.

"Never point a firearm at something you don't intend to shoot."

Get a good set of binos and then only use the scope to aim your bullet after you've determined a safe, legal target.

[wideopenthrottle]

^^^ This.

If you're using your scope as your way to identify legality of an animal, you're doing it wrong, and dangerously.

"Never point a firearm at something you don't intend to shoot."

Get a good set of binos and then only use the scope to aim your bullet after you've determined a safe, legal target.

I don't buy into the "never point your firearm at something unless you intend to shoot" because acquiring a target is an important skill to practice. I rather would go with "always keep your rifle pointed in a safe direction" and occasionally aim at a safe stump to practice.... carefully identifying your living target with bino's is a no brainer but blindly assuming your scope is not covered in mud/fog until you are about to shoot is also bad practice...how many times did you pull up on an animal and take a deep exhale right onto your scope before you learned not to do that! I like to practice acquiring a target when I am a bit out breath for experiencing that situation....

[Drillbit]

^^^ This.

If you're using your scope as your way to identify legality of an animal, you're doing it wrong, and dangerously.

"Never point a firearm at something you don't intend to shoot."

Get a good set of binos and then only use the scope to aim your bullet after you've determined a safe, legal target.

I do it all the time.
Usually there's no time to bino first.
See a legal buck. Load gun and point it at the deer. Then decide if it's big enough to shoot.

I do it lots with bears too. Except there's usually lots of time for binos with bears.
First look for cubs, if there's no cubs then I load up and do an appraisal. I find they all look big with binos and I can tell their size best when they know somethings up and start to go.


To the OP
There's a huge difference between and VX1 and a VX3 at dusk. Get a better scope.

[Fisher-Dude]

The extension is, with the lack of binos, using your scope to assess something moving across a cutblock, which could be a tree planter in a brown coat, is a bad practice.

Buy the binos. Furthermore, with the antler restrictions and 1" tine rules, you'd best be using something other than a rifle scope to make very important decisions.

[boxhitch]

Check out the high end Euro scopes and find the reasons they are produced in the packages they offer. Some Euro hunts can be done at night with the use of natural lighting only, so optics set-ups are the best possible for low light factor.
Some NA scopes use some of the features but not often in the same combinations, as the average market doesn't push the twilight limits.
having a 50 mm objective is pointless in of itself, if not all components are up to the same capabilities.

And pointing a rifle and scope at a deer is totally acceptable even if the decision is not to pull the trigger. A good 15 to 20 power scope may be the decision maker where a 7 power bino can't see the detail.
Targeting a deer is different than searching for a target.

"Never point a firearm at something you don't intend to shoot."

Don't eat that, its crap

[boxhitch]

ROM, also check out a respectable optometrist that knows shooters needs, likely you can get a custom shooting lense set-up.

[Darksith]

I would bet that although the glass in a quality scope 17 years old is great, the coatings are not there...probably never were, which can help a lot with low level light transmission. A new scope could do the job, but it could very easily be partly that your eyes are going as well. I would take my scope off my gun, bring it into a shop at dusk and take it outside and do a comparison on new vs old...or have a buddy with high end glass and do the same out in the field. That will tell you if its your eyes or glass...but my guess is its the coatings that are lowering the preformance of the scope vs a newer same model 1

[ROM]

This is all great advice - thanks. As for the bino question - the point is well taken and yes I have them and yes I used them on that morning. But I don't want to get into detail of that scenario since the point of this is to determine if I should get a new riflescope and if so what kind. From what I am hearing from folks is that its a good starting point and that my 17 year old scope may have to go to another rifle. ok - so I'm convinced. Can anyone recommend a riflescope in the $6-700 range that might do the trick? Like I said the rifle is a 300 WM and the range is up to 300 yards. Low light shooting is the primary criteria. Thanks,

[Darksith]

Vortex Viper
Leupold VX3

are the 2 choices in your price range I would be looking at and reading reviews and info on. Might find a deal on a swaro or nightforce too if you are willing to spend a bit more $. If it was me I personally would say your best bang for you buck in that price range is going to be the vortex.

[emerson]

Scope and bino quality has made a huge difference for me. I'm in the process of selling off several rifles to go from a $500 scope to a $1300 one. The hunters who run a $3K optic get 40 min more shooting light/day than a $300 one. My eyes are just normal mid 40s, but nothing like they were 25 years ago.