Does size count?

[jprine]

I am currently looking for a new scope and have a question. Am I correct in assuming the larger the tube, the better the site (30 mm v. 1 inch)? I have been using Leupold for a long time and have recently bought a new rifle which of course deserves a new scope. Also, anyone have any experience with lighted reticles?

[DancesWithKnives]

Welcome to Hunt America!

Look for a good scope from a quality manufacturer first, worry about tube diameter second. Once you've selected a good manufacturer, having a 30mm tube may be beneficial. Often those scopes have a greater range of adjustment for long-range shooting.

I have a 3.5-10 x 50mm Leupold with a 1 inch tube that works quite well. If it had been available with a 30mm tube for not much more money at the time I bought it, I probably would have bought the 30mm. However, the 1 inch tube still performs very well.

When I bought a Swarovski, I wanted a top-of-the-line scope and went for the 30mm. In purchasing a Nightforce 5.5-22 x 56mm for long-range shooting, the only tube available was a 30mm because of the need for a large range of adjustment.

I like the illuminated reticles and have them on both the Swaro and the NF. However, some people find them unnecessary or distracting. You really need to play around with one a bit to determine whether it suits you.

DancesWithKnives

[pepaw]

I could use a scope with lighted reticles for hunting hogs at night. Otherwise, a standard plex scope has always worked for my deer hunting.

What gun did you buy, where do you hunt and how much do you want to spend?

pepaw

[Bushman]

I got on the 30mm bandwagon pretty early when I thought that 30mm lenses would let more light through than 1" lenses. My reasoning went that if the European hunters hunted later into the evening than what we can, their 30mm scopes must be better at low light transmission. I must say that I have never been disappointed with any of my Swarovski or Zeiss 30mm scopes in that regard. Since buying those scopes I now believe that it is the quality of the glass and the coatings that give a good scope it's light transmitting ability. 30mm tubes are stronger than 1" tubes if the wall thickness is the same. 30mm tubes have a larger range of adjustment, but since I sight them in and don't adjust them any more that feature is wasted on me. My scopes are all variables and I have come to prefer the first plane reticle where the size of the cross hair covers the same amount on the target as the variable power is increased or decreased. I should say that I like the first plane reticle in my 1.5-6x42 scopes, but that cross hair looks rather large at high power in my 2.5-10x42 scope even though I know it covers the same at 2.5 as it does at 10x. I would have liked finer adjustment increments than 1 centimeter at 100 meters, but for a hunting rifle I can live with that. For my varmint rifle I do like the .25" increments in my 4.5-14-42 Leupold.

The 30mm scopes that I have are not that much heavier than what a comparable 1" scope would weigh. When some of the USA manufactures came out with 30mm scopes, they put 1" internals into them so you were not gaining anything other than a stronger tube. I have little doubt that a lot of the additional cost of a Euro 30mm scope was for import duty or higher Euro wages. Given what I have experienced I would still buy the scopes that I did because I still believe that they are a cut above the USA and foreign 1" scopes. A cut above, but not twice as good as the price would reflect.

The only lighted reticle that I ever had was in a Bushnell scope and condensation bringing it from a cold condition into a warm one inside corroded the electrics in the thing within a year. Unless I was going to hunt varmints at night which was my original intent, I have not seen the need for a lighted reticle during our legal daylight hunting hours.

Esthetically I do like the proportions of a 1" Leupold or a Nikon scope more than I like the looks of the Euro 30mm scopes with that bulbous ocular lens. When you are sold on the high end glass is at last light on a dark afternoon in an evergreen swamp. You won't see that difference looking through scopes under fluorescent lights in the sports shop. My buddy and I were walking out to our stands at first light on an overcast dark foggy morning. I asked to see his rifle which had a 1.5-5x20 Vari-X III scope on it. A great scope for woods hunting, but that scope would not let him see to shoot for another 15 minutes. My Zeiss VM/V was good to go right then. If 15 minutes at sunup or sundown is worth something to you, get the good glass. If you are a sunshine hunter, it won't matter.

[jprine]

Thanks for the info. I have been using a Steyr 270 with a Luepold VIII for several years; just got the itch for a new gun. I bought a Browning 7mm longtrack. Haven't shot an auto in a long time. I hunt at one place about a 30 minute drive and one about 5 minutes from where I work. I can drive, change clothes and be in a stand in 15-20 minutes-its great. I am looking at the new Leupold VX-3L scope; I like the 56mm lense; but studying alot before I buy (I tend to do a lot of research before I spend that kind of money). Any thoughts appreciated.

[bugsNbows]

For most typical hunting, I hate those huge, oversize objectives. My largest (currently) is 42 mm. It's a Swaro. Good glass is my first requirement followed by reticle type, weight, adjustibility/ repeatibility / durability, looks and price. I'd much rather have fewer but nicer ones. The absolute best I ever used (not owned though) was a top end Zeiss. The Swaro Z6 was very close behind. The S&B's are also VERY nice. For mid-priced solid choices, Leupy's are still o.k. The new VX3 is a step up from the previous VXIII. The Sightron Big Sky scopes are winners in my book too. Just tooooooooooooooooooo many choices. Good luck.

[Hi Ball]

Jprine......I my opinion, I really don't see a heck of a lot of use in a lighted recticule but can tell you that it is just another item to go BAD on your scope. I like to keep things simple and coatings are what give the more or less light transfer nowdays.

I have in the last 6 months purchased Bushnell Elite 3200 series and 4200 series rifle scopes over my usual Leupold choice for a rifle scope because of the savings in dollars and could not find any difference in quality between the various scopes I was interested in. Now at Cabela's I saved on average close to $75 dollars per scope I purchased. To me that lets me purchase more reloading components.