Best glass

freebird63

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Location
Boise, Idaho
I am sure this is going to be like the ford vs chevy argument. Just curious on which rifle scopes have the best glass, can I get people's opinion on the top 5 scopes out there, its for hunting and target shooting, target shooting out to say 1000 yards and game out to say 600 yards. I am shooting a 280AI and still have not decided on either 140gr accubonds or 154gr hornady SST's.
I took a look through a swarovski Z6 5-30 and just in the store I can honestly say its the clearest scope I have ever looked through. Thanx a bunch guys.
Oh and hunting mostly mule deer here in Idaho, would like get a speed goat tag or elk tag.
 
I am sure this is going to be like the ford vs chevy argument. Just curious on which rifle scopes have the best glass, can I get people's opinion on the top 5 scopes out there, its for hunting and target shooting, target shooting out to say 1000 yards and game out to say 600 yards. I am shooting a 280AI and still have not decided on either 140gr accubonds or 154gr hornady SST's.
I took a look through a swarovski Z6 5-30 and just in the store I can honestly say its the clearest scope I have ever looked through. Thanx a bunch guys.
Oh and hunting mostly mule deer here in Idaho, would like get a speed goat tag or elk tag.

Just my .02 cents, I use the Swarovski 4-16 with TDS4 reticle on a Cooper 280 Rem. The scope has great clarity and with the Swarovski calculator on line, I can feed handloads to it for solutions. Great scope
 
S&B, Premier, and for the price Leupold and Nightforce.

Premier are outstanding scopes.




Mike @ CST
 
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I am sure this is going to be like the ford vs chevy argument. Just curious on which rifle scopes have the best glass, can I get people's opinion on the top 5 scopes out there, its for hunting and target shooting, target shooting out to say 1000 yards and game out to say 600 yards. I am shooting a 280AI and still have not decided on either 140gr accubonds or 154gr hornady SST's.
I took a look through a swarovski Z6 5-30 and just in the store I can honestly say its the clearest scope I have ever looked through. Thanx a bunch guys.
Oh and hunting mostly mule deer here in Idaho, would like get a speed goat tag or elk tag.


If I could afford it...Id have the Swaro Z5..5-25X instead of my Zeiss 6.5-20. Us poor people just always have to settle for "2nd class" is all......:D
 
Zeiss Hensoldt 6-24x56
</SPAN></SPAN>Zeiss Hensoldt 4-16x56
</SPAN></SPAN>Zeiss Diavari T* FL LT ASV 4-16x50 II
Police & Marksman II 5-25x56
Swarovski Z6 2.5-15x56

In that order. Normally the Swaro would be rated higher due to the excellent optics but the turrets let it down.
 
Zeiss Hensoldt 6-24x56
Zeiss Hensoldt 4-16x56 Front Focal
Zeiss Diavari T* FL LT ASV 4-16x50 II
Police & Marksman II 5-25x56
Swarovski Z6 2.5-15x56


In that order. Swaro gets knocked down for the turrets.
 
Given that the question is simply "best glass" then I would put March in the top group
Interesting reading here

High End Tactical Scopes: Part II

I wouldn't. March scopes are great optically for what they are designed for - range usage. They will not match some of the others, including the top european 4 for all of the varied conditions in which you'll hunt and shoot in.

I own a March scope myself, so i'm not blindly championing one more than another.
 
I also own a March ,and have for a couple of years (2.5x25x42 hunting model).I have a swarovski and spent weeks on and off with the march alongside a nightforce and a S&B PMII.
Will the 42 mm objective of the march carry the same light as a 56 mm ? of course not but exit pupil is all it gives up, the glass is as good as it gets.
Im just on the light side of 50 and my eyes cant use much more than about 5.5mm (ish)of exit pupil.So with the 56mm S&B i would dial the power back to about 10 .reducing the magnification any more is of little bennifit to me in terms of getting a brighter picture.To get the same with the march I dial back to7.5.(aprox Figgers ) Thats the difference I found
I may have not uderstood the OP'rs question but when talking simply best glass then march is in the top 3 or 4.If the question had been beand the best low light scope then maybe not but low light performance has as much to do with scope design as glass quality,and large objectives often add a fair bit of weight.

March 2.5-25x42 alongside a PMII

IMG_0847.jpg
 
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Yawn,

Not much to disagree on concerning the quality of March optics. But consider the original criteria, - range usage out to 1000yds and hunting to 600yds.


Whilst 1000yds range shooting is hardly taxing for any and all the scopes you and i have mentioned, the March scope will not compete so favourably in low light, dawn and dusk conditions when hunting.

In truth we really are talking about an extra 5-15mins, before or after the sun has set in which we can see to shoot. However that may be the few extra minutes in which that Stag / Buck of a lifetime emerges from the treeline.



Will the 42 mm objective of the march carry the same light as a 56 mm ? of course not but exit pupil is all it gives up, the glass is as good as it gets.


You have noted your eyesight limitations which is to be commended - so many folks out there are oblivious and purchase the biggest magnification scope and binoculars available to them. However, if considering purely upon specification and the original selection criteria then i consider the current March scopes the inferior.

That doesn't mean i'm in any hurry to remove mine from my 300RUM!
 
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