One scope to rule them all? Is there one??

[Stix]

So...you prefer a smaller bell & a tighter fit in narrow rings... ...

[TassieTiger]

Are we still talking about optics?

[bigfellascott]

[GQshayne]

What hunting you do is very important, and you have not mentioned it. But I note that it was discussed with the group. I am sure they will have taken this into account. One of the things I look at for a scrub scope is field of view, and low power scopes are king here. But if your hunting does not include moving targets at close range then it is not an issue. Horses for courses.

And in my experience, your testing has not taken into account one of the advantages of the higher priced scopes - low light performance. Good quality medium priced scopes stack up very well against them during the day. But after the sun has dipped, in the twilight, then scopes such as Zeiss, Swaroski, Meopta etc will show an advantage. Reckon the Leo will be pretty good here too.

As you say, putting them side by side, is a great way of seeing what you pay your money for, and also helping you decide what it is you really need, especially in terms of magnification.

[TassieTiger]

What hunting you do is very important, and you have not mentioned it. But I note that it was discussed with the group. I am sure they will have taken this into account. One of the things I look at for a scrub scope is field of view, and low power scopes are king here. But if your hunting does not include moving targets at close range then it is not an issue. Horses for courses.

And in my experience, your testing has not taken into account one of the advantages of the higher priced scopes - low light performance. Good quality medium priced scopes stack up very well against them during the day. But after the sun has dipped, in the twilight, then scopes such as Zeiss, Swaroski, Meopta etc will show an advantage. Reckon the Leo will be pretty good here too.

As you say, putting them side by side, is a great way of seeing what you pay your money for, and also helping you decide what it is you really need, especially in terms of magnification.

We were under a house, late in the afternoon and it was pouring with rain - so although it wasn’t twilight, it was close. But I agree 100% - the exy scopes showed edge detail well in advance of the leupolds - but, with your eye back to the centre of the picture, the clarity evened out.

My hunting for this particular rifle will be based in heavy timber, pine forest, open plains, plantation forest and everything in between - foot stalking predominantly for wallaby, deer, rabbits, the usuals...I have a crop protection permit so I can spot light but I wouldn’t do it with this set up. This is a reason that weight was a big factor for me. I’m not on for or that desperate to risk a rifle shot on a moving quarry, so field of view on lower mags whilst still important , I rated less critical for this set up.

What impressed me the most was the target ability of the 14x - I’ve had / currently have a AR 4-18, vortex 3-12, redfield 3-9, a vx2 6-18, etc etc etc but the mark 4 on 14x was so much better than I anticipated - it is up there with my vx3 6.5-20...but I think part of this was down to the ultra thin reticle - but it was the deal sealer for me regardless.

Let’s face it almost any semi decent 3-9 would suffice for 90% hunting situations so, I was looking for a hunting scope that could sometimes target shoot...think I’ve found it and I dropped a deposit today.

[GQshayne]

Good stuff, sure it will be good for you.

As you say, as 3-9x40 would cover a lot of options as a good allrounder. For many years, this is what most used anyway, fixed 4 powers and 6 powers, and the good old 3-9 were your options for many years. I ran a 2-7x32 for about 30 years, and it was good. It has been replaced with a Z6 Swarovski in 1-6, which is far superior, but the old 2-7 accounted for a lot of pigs. It is still going (a World Class Tasco back when they were a quality item), and is now fitted on my cousins BLR.

[TassieTiger]

Well Stix, yourself, others have convinced me to go bigger - against my initial wants...so I’ve gone 30mm tube and 50mm bell...I mean objective lens. Mark 4 4-14 Leo. $1200 brand new. It’s heavier by 200 grams than the 40mm so I’ll have to have a wee before setting off to offset additional weight.
Can’t wait to mount the big bell end and show the missus