Brightest Scope at Dawn and at Dusk / Moon Light?#15483382

andrews1958

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Who make the brightest illuminated scope for hunting at right before sun rise and just after dusk? Moonlight hunting??I have all Swarovski (Z3,Z5 and Z6), Zeiss, Schmidt & Bender and March scopes on my rifles. Do they make any brighter ones? I was looking for and possibly buying a Steiner Night hunter Xtreme Rifle Scope - 2-10x50mm. Does anyone know if this would be any brighter? Any others?
 
the S&B T96 is probably the brightest scope with the possible exception of the Zeiss victory v8. To me the S&B image looks too light, without the resolution of the zeiss.

this is compared to kahles, nightforce, leupold, leica, meopta, trijicon, and swaro.
 
S&B or meopta with fixed 7x or 8x. Since there is no adjustable zoom then there is less lences in the tube stealing light.
I agree about the fixed being brighter. Funny enough, I've listened to people adamantly disagree about the adjustable zoom diffusion. But I've found that a much cheaper fixed scope will hold it's own against a top dollar variable from the same company, when it comes to light gathering.

As far as the quality of brands, I have a ton of meoptas, R1, R2, fixed, meopros. I've run twilight tests vs the fixed and variable (T96) S&Bs. While I love meopta and think they are an incredible scope for 99% of all hunting, they are not nearly as bright in low light as the top zeiss and S&Bs. And not just to "my eyes", I've had a number of people repeat the test with me.

Funny thing about Meopta.....I've had meopros which have a brighter twilight image than the R2's. So for someone looking for an excellent budget scope, they are hard to beat.
 
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I agree about the fixed being brighter. Funny enough, I've listened to people adamantly disagree about the adjustable zoom diffusion. But I've found that a much cheaper fixed scope will hold it's own against a top dollar variable from the same company, when it comes to light gathering.

As far as the quality of brands, I have a ton of meoptas, R1, R2, fixed, meopros. I've run twilight tests vs the fixed and variable (T96) S&Bs. While I love meopta and think they are an incredible scope for 99% of all hunting, they are not nearly as bright in low light as the top zeiss and S&Bs. And not just to "my eyes", I've had a number of people repeat the test with me.

Funny thing about Meopta.....I've had meopros which have a brighter twilight image than the R2's. So for someone looking for an excellent budget scope, they are hard to beat.
Got myself a meostar R1 7x fixed.
For low light conditions there is few things I would rather have.
Seams lots of the big ones stopped making fixed scopes and the only other one I know of is S&B.
If I ever brake my meostar there is a big chance I will go get a new one unless I get to look trough a tube that convince me to change my mind.
 
I run a Meopta meostar 3-12x56 with RD #4
I got that one too on my varmint rig. Good tube for the price. Also used it for low light hunting, but still not as clear as one with fixed zoom.
Think the next step should be termal scope, but they are forbidden here for anything, but varmint so I strugle to defend the cost :(
 
So was the consensus here a Zeiss or S&B polar? I am also searching for the answers and this is what keeps coming up. I want/need to be able to identify specific deer at 800-1000 yards in those last 15 minutes of shooting time.
 
Zeiss Victory HT or S&B Polar are the 2 best low light scopes made according to reviewers from European countries where night hunting is prevalent.
 
I went through a similar question. I bought the T96 and love it. It is great for field hunting in the last minutes of light. In addition to brightness, I wanted FFP and a mil reticle.
 
I have owned most of the Big maker scopes in my life, love some of them, hated some if them too. Clarity, early lite, and twilight were always my pet pieves, along with cross hair thickness.
I bought a new Bergara Ridge last year, and opted to try a Meopta Optika6, 3.5 _18. That scope now resides on my 25.06ai, and the Bergara, now has a 2.5-15, Meopta Optika6. High definition comes about earlier then legal lite, and stays way beyond ending lite, I can tell ya. One morning, before daylite, during full moon, way before shooting legal time, i watched a small herd of deer, and a large buck, feed for quite awhile, then stroll off the field, before legal lite, as if on a time clock. The lite gathering is impressive, and the image is the sharpest ive ever experienced. These optics to me, are exceptional, and well worth the money, which i thought were very reasonable to begin with. They are my first venture with Euro optics, but I'll buy another when the time comes.
 
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