Aussie Hunter Steve
Well-Known Member
If the scope is going on a carry-around hunting rifle, 50mm is a practical max size, and 42mm more ideal.
44mm vs 56mm objective, need advice
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John Klingenberg
Well-Known Member
Over 44 gets awkward and it looks funky to me. I have an IOR with a 56mm and it sits in my safe because it doesnt "go" with anything I own. The light transmission gets negated in the big objective because it takes more lenses behind it to reduce aberration at the edges especially. Your pupil can only dilate to 6mm or so, you probably cant detect a difference in legal hours anyway. And theres that high mounting thing too.
nmbarta
Well-Known Member
size matters!
With equal quality glass, bigger objective allows more light. Everyone knows that, but it depends on the max magnification of your scope and when you plan on using that. If the exit pupil drops below 2mm your going to have a very dark image, even with the best glass known to man. I've been blessed with very good eye sight (color blind, but I'll take what I can get) Even in normal light, below 2mm will start to darken and at 1.5mm it becomes very dark.
So you want to take the max magnification that you plan on using at dusk or dawn and do the math. A 24x scope with a 42mm objective has an exit pupil of 1.75 at max magnification, and I can tell you that even in a 3000 dollar scope, it doesn't work unless it's bright out. At 18x it has an exit pupil of 2.33 and works great.
The size of the tube doesn't matter at all, it allows for more adjustment not more light.
There are a lot of broad statements about looking through said scope with said lens, but this isn't about opinion, it's about science and fact. At lower magnifications where the exit pupil is above 6 or 7mm it won't make as much difference.
I wouldn't buy anything that goes below 2mm, it's a waste of money.
With equal quality glass, bigger objective allows more light. Everyone knows that, but it depends on the max magnification of your scope and when you plan on using that. If the exit pupil drops below 2mm your going to have a very dark image, even with the best glass known to man. I've been blessed with very good eye sight (color blind, but I'll take what I can get) Even in normal light, below 2mm will start to darken and at 1.5mm it becomes very dark.
So you want to take the max magnification that you plan on using at dusk or dawn and do the math. A 24x scope with a 42mm objective has an exit pupil of 1.75 at max magnification, and I can tell you that even in a 3000 dollar scope, it doesn't work unless it's bright out. At 18x it has an exit pupil of 2.33 and works great.
The size of the tube doesn't matter at all, it allows for more adjustment not more light.
There are a lot of broad statements about looking through said scope with said lens, but this isn't about opinion, it's about science and fact. At lower magnifications where the exit pupil is above 6 or 7mm it won't make as much difference.
I wouldn't buy anything that goes below 2mm, it's a waste of money.
I own two Leupold VX5 3x15x44mm scopes that sit on top of my deer/elk rifles that I use each fall when hunting the western states. At 61, they work as well or better as anything I have tried including 50mm Z5 Swarovski's, Zeiss Conquest, Bushnell 6500 Elite's, etc. with 40 to 56mm objectives. The 44mm VX5 is a very clear & bright scope that is still reasonably light and does not requires super high rings. For me and where I hunt it is the best scope I have found for big game. I have 56 mm target scopes - mainly because that is what is offered in the high magnification models I use for target work, not because I am looking for more light gathering on a fixed range. For hunting I prefer less weight to carry & better rifle balance offered by a mid range scope on a light rifle and never feel handicapped by a 44mm objective. Just my two cents.
Varmint Hunter
Well-Known Member
A 44mm objective scope set on 7x will provide a light column of 6.25mm, virtually the maximum usable column of light for most shooters.
If the ambient light is so low that the light column is an issue; why would you need more than 7x?
I have several quality scopes with a 50mm objective lens because I "believed" at the time that there was a tangible benefit, under all conditions, to the larger objectives. I no longer hold that opinion.
If the ambient light is so low that the light column is an issue; why would you need more than 7x?
I have several quality scopes with a 50mm objective lens because I "believed" at the time that there was a tangible benefit, under all conditions, to the larger objectives. I no longer hold that opinion.
This has been a great thread on optics and the eye, thanks for all who pointed out how the eye works regarding optics. Looks like any advances in the area will involve electro optics.
When I was researching scopes for some new rifles I scoured the net for info on which to buy. A guy on one of my regular sites had contacted Leupold to ask the very same question you are asking. The response was that with their new lense coatings on the VX5HD that there was no reason to go to the bigger objective over the 44... that the bigger objective was made to appease people that just insisted on the bigger objective. After owning a couple VX5s for a while now, I see no reason to go with the bigger objective for hunting as I can see well past legal shooting time. I believe he was addressing 44 vs. 50 mm objective in his post tbough.
James L Holzhauer
Well-Known Member
After hunting mule deer in Utah I will say that learning to see what you need to see is more important than objective size. My guide could see more deer with his binoculars than I could with my spotting scope. It was very frustrating for me. Only time in the field can fix this.
Just like aviation. Seeing and identifying aircraft at a great distance is a skill that takes some learning: time...
archeratlrg
Well-Known Member
I doubt that many hunters would notice enough difference in the ability to "gather or transmit" light to warrant the larger objective. It will sit much higher above the bore line and weighs more. Noth worth it in my opinion. As a guide for nearly 40 years I've seen a lot of opportunities missed because the hunter couldn't find the animal through his scope or get aligned quick enough. Most times smaller is better.
VLD Pilot
Well-Known Member
I read an article by a reputable optics company years ago when some of the 50s were coming out and selling. The article was a test that they did on light gathering on scopes. The test concluded that the 42mm objective was where the light gathering increase slowed down tremendously on the one inch tube. On the 30mm tube, they concluded that somewhere around 46mm was max light gathering. These tests were done prior to any larger objectives being introduced. BS or Truth, can't say. It was written and published. Personally I think get the best glass you can afford because a 40mm objective in quality glass still beats cheaper 50mm glass for brightness and clartity in all conditions. 30mm tubes are on all my scopes these days. I believe they probably help as well.
