Im just starting out upgrading my savage model 16"s optics, but i cant make up my mind between the nikon monarch 3 x 12 x 42 or the 4 x 16 x 50. I know that with the 50mm that the scope will be higher, but what are any other advantages or dis-advantages of either that this newbie might not know or thought of. The gun is a 300wsm that is used for deer & elk hunting mostly, but i also shoot alot of targets and woodchucks in the summer practicing. The gun is also going to the shop for some tunning and a new barrel this spring. Just figguerd i would see what you guys suggest before i shell out the 400 George Washingtons that i have been saving by packing my lunch the last 2 months. Please dont tell my wife, she gives me my lunch money every day !!! Thanks.....J.R.
50mm vs 42mm
- Thread starter JRY46
- Start date
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Dskiper
Well-Known Member
Well in my opinion you can't beat the 50mm.Much better relative brightness.This helps in early morning&late evening hunting.The light gathering factor can be seen if you go to a store and look at the same model scope and compare before u buy. Some will say the large objectives are bulky &heavier.Those few onces are worth the exta in sight picture. Dskiper
In our society bigger is better... right? Well not always... The difference in the image from a 42mm scope and a 50mm scope is only barely noticeable the last couple of minutes in the early morning or late evening. If you do a lot of shooting or hunting at night or the first or last minutes of the day I'd go for a 50mm objective. If not, you are paying for capabilities you won't use, plus the negatives of higher mounting, larger & heavier unit, and additional cost. Unless you hunt at night, I'd stick to the 42mm size objective. NJS
Varmint Hunter
Well-Known Member
Good response - I'd add this:
Ideally, during low light use you would want an exit pupil of about 6mm. In the 42mm objective that would be achieved with the power set on 7X. With a 50mm objective scope that would be achieved with the power set on 8.3X.
Sooo.. you could get the same amount of usable light from either scope except that the 50mm will allow you to get it at slightly higher magnification. Naturally, the comparison assumes that the two scopes are essentially the same except for the size of the objective lens.
rdsii64
Well-Known Member
When it comes to rifle optics you want two things. first. you want the highest resolution glass you can afford. Second, you want the center of the scope to be as close to the center of the bore as you can get it. If you get good enough glass the difference between the two objective mesurements you speak of will be not be worth talking about. The glass that is usually put in affordable optics require 50mm objectives to be of any use during the times that big game animals are most active. If the glass in your price range is good enough I would suggest an objective of no larger than 42. this will go a long way toward proper head placement on the stock.
Checked them out saturday nite and I opted for the monarch 4 x 16 x 50. The guy at the gunshop let me go outside and compair the 2 and the 50 was a bit brighter, so I bought it. Thanks for all the input ! Now I just have to wait for my gun to come back and poke some holes !!!! Thanks again guys..........J.R.
