Optics Help!

[brian]

I really don't think it matters to your age either ..It's the Glass and it's coating.

You are correct it is all about the glass, but your eyes don't dialate as much as you age so your night vision suffers. If your exit pupil is smaller then you won't be able to use the extra exit pupil a younger pair of eyes could. But young eyes or old will both suffer with poor glass.

the scope is only for killing the animal why the **** would you not be using binoculars????

don`t eat this its crap

The answer to this is really simple. If you see something but don't know what it is then use your binos. If you see a deer (or whatever you are hunting) and want to get a closer look and a potential shot, then use your scope. Then you are already lined up for the shot and deciding whether or not to take it. If I had enough money for highend optics but only enough for one then I would put it into my scope. It is really frustrating to find animals with your binos at last light but then be unable to locate it with your scope. That has happened to me before. And that scope gives your your last look at the animal before you commit to squeezing the trigger.

[boblly1]

i`m 66 years old i use a 3x9x40mm leupold on my 270 win. and have no trouble out at 400 plus yards. that being said i have a 7mm-08 scoped with a 3x9x40 redfield revolution with accu-range. And i have to say it is most impressive might even be clearer optics than the leupold may be an option for you to look at.

[quadrakid]

You just need to accept the situation along with skin tags, old growth ear and nose hair ,crazy eyebrows and back hair.

[boxhitch]

Can anyone recommend a riflescope in the $6-700 range that might do the trick?

Don't know where you are at, but maybe find a Nikon, Prostaff is as good as Monarch.

[Ohwildwon]

Just purchased Leopold pro guide hd Mojave 10 x 42 on blow out sale @ cabelas usa $500 cad...

That's a $500 savings over any price up here...

[J-F]

You just need to accept the situation along with skin tags, old growth ear and nose hair ,crazy eyebrows and back hair.

Yup! I'm 48 and getting there too. In the last 5 years, the glasses I would wear to work and read, they now come on every hunting outings.

As for quality of optics, get the best you can afford (easy to say) but on binoculars rather than on the riflescope (my kick in the controversy).

Counting points on a elk or deer rack is better made with two eyes, even if it's doable with a single eye in a riflescope (tried both methods...). Besides, glassing with good quality optics will reduced the effort you uncounsciously make to focus, which sometimes leads to eye strain and headaches. Using my binos with glasses still demanded some time to adapt... I'm better now.

For binoculars, I treated myself with a pair of Leica Geovid. I got them years ago during a trip to Calgary (saved a few tax $$$), and got to try different models before picking these ones. With all that cash you leave behind, you're allowed to take time and try. BTW, bigger magnification does not mean better, I got the 8x40, they had 5 pairs of 10x40. They just felt more comfortable. These are now crazy expensive, but there used to be a site where you could buy used demos that were more affordable. I got one pair, this pair, for life.

Two years ago, I had a similar experience to yours one September evening, when a really nice whitetail showed up in the middle of a field in the very last minutes of daylight. I could see him well with the binos, I was drooling. Got the 308 up, and all I could see was a shapeless gray blurb! The scope on that rifle was a Bushnell Elite 3200 2-7x32. With all the other does in the field, I'm sure of the fun this guy must have had in the following months!

That night, after coming home, I looked through all the riflescopes I had, aiming at poorly lit objects across the street (I kept the neighbourhood quiet, I did that inside the house). It turns out that all others were better in the low light, including an affordable Redfield Revolution, two old old Leupold M8 4x, a Burris Fullfield and a Leupold VXII 3-9x40. Some bigger and better scopes did also well. So... after ranting on the value of good binoculars, a good riflescope is still important! The saving grace is that lots of decent scopes are out for sale at a a reasonable price.

The scope you currently have may be adequate too. Sometimes, the deer wins.