Help me join the 21st century regarding scopes

[Roland Robinson]

My relationship to optics is shall we say dated. I haven’t gotten out of the 1970s.

All my deer hunting has been with a 4X Leupold, a 2x7 Redfield Widefield, or a mid-60s 3x9 Prominar.

The Buffalo/Sable/Eland hunt is coming up next year and I need an optic for the .375 H&H. The PH is suggesting something in the range of 2x8 or 2x10 (not a 1x6) and an illuminated reticle.

I’m all ears and I’m clueless amongst the options.

> Light transmission from anything new will likely surprise me.

> I want it durable. I’ll put the .375 through its paces this summer as I’m not used to the caliber.

> should I worry about Tritium?

> 1” tube I hope

> Traditional looking not tactical. No turrets. I have no familiarity with the Leupold CDS, is it a gimmick? I’d love one of the new gloss Leicas but that’s too rich for my blood.

Thank you for any input!

 

[Red Leg]

First of all, a 1x6 will handle any situation that you are likely to find anywhere in Africa. However, an illuminated reticle can be a tremendous aid, particularly on a buffalo standing deep in shadow with a couple of his pals. Virtually all the current quality optics are 30 mm. Those rings are far easier to find than 1".

You said nothing about how much you are willing to spend. Probably the quintessential and best quality dangerous game scope on the market today is the Swarovski Z8i 1x8. With a bit of luck, you can currently find one for around $2500.

Swarovski Z8i Riflescopes

EuroOptic offers Swarovski Z8i Rifle scopes for sale at discounted price. Designed by SWAROVSKI OPTIK for driven hunts, FLEXCHANGE 4A-IF reticle allows change from Dot to Circle Dot. Get free shipping on order of Swarovski OPTIK scope.

www.eurooptic.com

A similar quality and priced scope would be a Leica Fortis 1x6 Note it does not have the magnification range of the Swarovski, but is still an exceptional bit of glass.

Search - EuroOptic.com

Optics, scopes, & more for the precision marksman and serious hunter - Nightforce, Swarovski Optik, Vortex, Sako, Leica, Sig Sauer, Tikka, Trijicon, & many more.

www.eurooptic.com

There are a number of serviceable and less expensive options that will still be light years beyond what you have. I think a real bargain is the Trijicon line. I used a 3x9 on my first buffalo and a truck load of plains game. They catalogue a host of options. The optics are not like a top of the line Swaro, Leica, or Schmidt & Bender, but they are solidly built, the passive illumination technology works as advertised, and they will certainly out perform Redfield.

Search - EuroOptic.com

Optics, scopes, & more for the precision marksman and serious hunter - Nightforce, Swarovski Optik, Vortex, Sako, Leica, Sig Sauer, Tikka, Trijicon, & many more.

www.eurooptic.com

 

[Roland Robinson]

Thank you for the suggestions. I’m happy to have the opinion that 1x6 is ample. I’ve never dialed a scope all the way up in the Northeast where shots are 180 yards MAX and my eyes are still sharp.

 

[thriller]

My relationship to optics is shall we say dated. I haven’t gotten out of the 1970s.

All my deer hunting has been with a 4X Leupold, a 2x7 Redfield Widefield, or a mid-60s 3x9 Prominar.

The Buffalo/Sable/Eland hunt is coming up next year and I need an optic for the .375 H&H. The PH is suggesting something in the range of 2x8 or 2x10 (not a 1x6) and an illuminated reticle.

I’m all ears and I’m clueless amongst the options.

> Light transmission from anything new will likely surprise me.

> I want it durable. I’ll put the .375 through its paces this summer as I’m not used to the caliber.

> should I worry about Tritium?

> 1” tube I hope

> Traditional looking not tactical. No turrets. I have no familiarity with the Leupold CDS, is it a gimmick? I’d love one of the new gloss Leicas but that’s too rich for my blood.

Thank you for any input!

The 21st century is highly overrated in many ways if you have a way of avoiding it I would do so…

 

[WAB]

First of all, a 1x6 will handle any situation that you are likely to find anywhere in Africa. However, an illuminated reticle can be a tremendous aid, particularly on a buffalo standing deep in shadow with a couple of his pals. Virtually all the current quality optics are 30 mm. Those rings are far easier to find than 1".

You said nothing about how much you are willing to spend. Probably the quintessential and best quality dangerous game scope on the market today is the Swarovski Z8i 1x8. With a bit of luck, you can currently find one for around $2500.

Swarovski Z8i Riflescopes

EuroOptic offers Swarovski Z8i Rifle scopes for sale at discounted price. Designed by SWAROVSKI OPTIK for driven hunts, FLEXCHANGE 4A-IF reticle allows change from Dot to Circle Dot. Get free shipping on order of Swarovski OPTIK scope.

www.eurooptic.com

A similar quality and priced scope would be a Leica Fortis 1x6 Note it does not have the magnification range of the Swarovski, but is still an exceptional bit of glass.

Search - EuroOptic.com

Optics, scopes, & more for the precision marksman and serious hunter - Nightforce, Swarovski Optik, Vortex, Sako, Leica, Sig Sauer, Tikka, Trijicon, & many more.

www.eurooptic.com

There are a number of serviceable and less expensive options that will still be light years beyond what you have. I think a real bargain is the Trijicon line. I used a 3x9 on my first buffalo and a truck load of plains game. They catalogue a host of options. The optics are not like a top of the line Swaro, Leica, or Schmidt & Bender, but they are solidly built, the passive illumination technology works as advertised, and they will certainly out perform Redfield.

Search - EuroOptic.com

Optics, scopes, & more for the precision marksman and serious hunter - Nightforce, Swarovski Optik, Vortex, Sako, Leica, Sig Sauer, Tikka, Trijicon, & many more.

www.eurooptic.com

You can’t go wrong with these recommendations. I would add a couple more:

Swarovski Z6i 1-6x24
Leupold VX6i 1-6x24

I have both of these scopes in addition to the Z8i 1-8x24 @Red Leg listed. All will get the job done. Note, the Leupold VX6 is a fine scope, but it is a step down from the German glass.

 

[cajunchefray]

The 21st century is highly overrated in many ways if you have a way of avoiding it I would do so…

Especially if you want to buy a hunting (non-tactical) fixed 4x scope!

 

[uplander01]

1" tube Swarovski Z3 3-9x36,....its a real shame they just discontinued it. Should be able to find one for $750-800. It doesn't sound like you are a 2k-3k scope guy, so don't start now. I just put one of these z3 on one of my 375's and I love it.

 

[Tally-Ho HUNTING SAFARIS]

I agree with your ph
2-8x36 leupold vx3 is a great do all scope
Leupold 2-10x40 or 50 vx 5hd also a great scope and can get an illuminated reticle

 

[TMac]

Another to consider is Trijicon. They make a nice and rugged scope. The only 1” tube I am aware of is a 3x9 Huron. Not illuminated, but can be had with a thick German style Crosshair.

Trijicon Huron 3-9x40 German #4 Crosshair, 1 in., Satin Black Riflescope 2700004

FREE SHIPPING on Trijicon Huron 3-9x40 German #4 Crosshair, 1 in., Satin Black Riflescope 2700004

www.eurooptic.com

 

[JG26Irish_2]

If you plan to hunt buffalo with the same rifle, then a true 1 power on the low end with a illuminated dot or ghost ring reticle can allow you to shoot with both eyes open like a true dot sight while still allowing 6 or 8x zoom on the upper end for longer shots. You did not say where you plan to hunt but I would be really surprised if your PH cannot get you closer than 200y for your shots on PG.

My strong opinion is that the Swarovski Z6i 1-6x with illuminated dot or the Kahles K16i 1-6x with illuminated ring reticle is tough to beat. I have both and used the Swaro on Wildebeest last year and am taking the Kahles for Buffalo/Kudu/Zebra this year. I like the Kahles best. The turrets are better and have more range of adjustment. I like the reticle better as well. The Swaro does have some nice features like the red dot turns off automatically when you sling the rifle up or down and comes on when you shoulder the weapon. It also has daylight bright and lowlight adjustments that work separately. Both retail in the $2500 range. Pricey? Yes. If you want to save a few $ you can often find them sold at auction online for about 1600-1800. Even the used ones rarely get used all that much.

Now, here is another option to consider. Arken Optics LP-8 1-8x LPVO. It has a lighted Ghost ring with a lighted small center aperture ring and a tiny precision center red dot. It is a great combo of fast at low power and accurate on the upper end.

The 34mm tube is larger but the scope remains relatively light and compact. This is also a FFP scope that used a KL box reticle so you can do accurate hold overs at any power setting. Most 2FP scopes can only do that at max power magnification which is often not the best for hunting, (My opinion). This really only matters if you plan to shoot game out past 200-250y. I put one of these on my 7mm/08 rifle and liked it so much that I bought a 2nd one. The Arken is as clear as both the Swarovski and the Kahles and features ED Japanese glass. It is a premium quality scope at a budget price. $314 retail.

Three pics below: 1.) My 7mm/08 with LP-8 on top, 2.) Arken reticle at 1x, 3.) Arken reticle zoomed to higher power. I will be taking this rig for use on PG this year.

 

[uplander01]

If you're going to spend 2-3k on a scope, buy a Swaro or Schmidt and Bender, I've owned and used many S& B scopes over the last 25 years and IMO they the pinnacle of rifle optics, I've added 2 or 3 Swaro's into the mx in the last 5 or so years and have had great experience with them as well.

 

[Papa72]

I just purchased and mounted a Leupold Vari-X 3iii 2.5-8 that was mfg in 1975 on my Mark X .416 Ruger build. It’s a gloss 1” tube and the glass is very nice. Just sold a VX-6HD 1-6 Firedot because a 30mm tube just don’t suit me like I thought it would. I can’t tell any difference in the optics clarity between the two, personally.