Light gathering scopes

Always wondered about this subject also. Ive always had good luck with the Leupold but then again thats about the highest end scope you can find around these parts that are on the shelf. Ive looked through a few Trijicon that were really clear and crisp but do not own any and can't really say how they would do in low light.
 
JTH said:
Yes. The 56mm objective plays a huge role in this. The only caveat is I haven't had the TT 5-25x56 out in a low light hunting situation yet. It might be close. I'd also say the simplicity of the lit reticle, its location and controls on the Swarovski are better in a low light situation.
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I'd like to know your thoughts on the 527 ZCO. Being its 56mm objective. Compared to the Swaro Z6/8. I spent extensive time with Jeff Huber on this subject. He gave me the run down on light gathering. Very interesting to say the least.

Against our conversation, I purchased an S&B Ultra Bright 4-16x56. It was absolutely horrible dawn/dusk when looking anywhere near the direction of sunset, even well after the sun was set or up. The washout made the scope unusable. The time that a hunter would rely on a scopes low light ability, that S&B Ultra Bright wasn't usable.
Thought it was strange, but found out why.
 
khmplus said:
Image brightness is proportional to the square of the scope objective diameter. With the same quality of optics and coatings, a 56mm objective will transmit 25% more light than a 50mm objective and almost twice that of a 40mm objective. For quality optics, I'm happy with the ones I own from Leica, Zeiss, and Steiner. I'm sure that Swarovski, S&B, Nightforce, Hensoldt and a few others are great too.
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Yes! Objective diameter is a major factor in light gathering, but the quality and grade of glass and design also plays a key role in image resolution….Where the rubber meets the road in low light situations. I have a few popular 56mm scopes that cannot equal the low light performance(resolution) of a couple of my 50mm with higher grade glass….and perhaps better design.
 
Gathering objective information about rifle scopes is difficult. Is there a point where real world observable performance improvement just diminishes to zero? The human eye may be the real limiting factor. I've read several reviews/evaluations and opinions on low light capabilities of rifle scopes. Some evaluations are helpful in comparing light gathering capabilities across a fairly wide range of scopes, but unless you can participate in the evaluation it becomes an evaluation of the reviewer's individual eye capabilities. Glass quality and coatings absolutely improve light gathering capabilities. These features add significant cost to the optic. The real question is where does the improvement stop being observable to your eyes.
 
wasskeet said:
A Tangent 315M I had did this also. IMHO, that was its only con.
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I've been chasing new eyeglasse prescriptions about every 12-18months for the last 5 years.
NF was just amazing for me 10 years ago but i look through it now and wonder "why did i buy this"
I'm running a rifle with a Tangent now. I feel like i'm 15 again with perfect and clear eyesight.
I leave the honeycomb shade on my TT. If I need to take it off it's quick.
I had washout issues with all my prior scopes, Ziess, NF.

I spent some time behind a ZCO mid day and my uncle has a Swaro z8i- both are clear and bright.
I have not sat behind a March yet but hoping to soon.

The swaro for my eyes is very good. It sits on a 300Wby. I hate the recoil, love the view through the scope.
I like the simplicity of the red dot on the swaro
 
mike33 said:
I currently own 3 nfc 50 mm few Zeiss, few Leupold's. Was wondering the best light gathering scope to get me a few more minutes of shooting time. I was watching some deer this evening with my 10x42 swaro hd but my zeiss 4-14 44mm couldn't make out. I'm 63 and my eyes have changed was wondering the best out there.
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I have a few high end. Best I've ever seen at low light is Leica.
 
shooters said:
I'd like to know your thoughts on the 527 ZCO. Being its 56mm objective. Compared to the Swaro Z6/8. I spent extensive time with Jeff Huber on this subject. He gave me the run down on light gathering. Very interesting to say the least.

Against our conversation, I purchased an S&B Ultra Bright 4-16x56. It was absolutely horrible dawn/dusk when looking anywhere near the direction of sunset, even well after the sun was set or up. The washout made the scope unusable. The time that a hunter would rely on a scopes low light ability, that S&B Ultra Bright wasn't usable.
Thought it was strange, but found out why.
Click to expand...
I've got the 5-25 TT and it is a phenomenal scope. I don't have any experience with the 5-27 ZCO. My 4-20 ZCO had serious washout issues when shooting to the West at dusk. Screwing on the sunshade extension to the objective tube virtually eliminated the problem. I haven't noticed this as much on any of my TT's or Swarovski's.

I was on a hunt in Texas last year, setup one afternoon on a high vantage point to shoot hogs off of several feeders. One of the feeders about 300 yards away went off an hour late, maybe 10 minutes of useable light left. I had one of my TT 3-15x50's and as great as these scopes are I was surprised how hard it was to make out a hog as it came in at this time of day (it was a black hog and the feeder was in a small clearing surrounded by trees and brush, plenty of shadows, pretty tough conditions for any optic and was still able to get the job done with a head shot), I'm splitting hairs here but I know the Swaro Z8i 2.3-18x56 would have been brighter under those conditions. To be clear, these are all great scopes, they each have their strengths, and the weaknesses are minor.
 
JTH said:
I've got the 5-25 TT and it is a phenomenal scope. I don't have any experience with the 5-27 ZCO. My 4-20 ZCO had serious washout issues when shooting to the West at dusk. Screwing on the sunshade extension to the objective tube virtually eliminated the problem. I haven't noticed this as much on any of my TT's or Swarovski's.

I was on a hunt in Texas last year, setup one afternoon on a high vantage point to shoot hogs off of several feeders. One of the feeders about 300 yards away went off an hour late, maybe 10 minutes of useable light left. I had one of my TT 3-15x50's and as great as these scopes are I was surprised how hard it was to make out a hog as it came in at this time of day (it was a black hog and the feeder was in a small clearing surrounded by trees and brush, plenty of shadows, pretty tough conditions for any optic and was still able to get the job done with a head shot), I'm splitting hairs here but I know the Swaro Z8i 2.3-18x56 would have been brighter under those conditions. To be clear, these are all great scopes, they each have their strengths, and the weaknesses are minor.
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I have been out of the loop for few years. Wondering what the TT and the ZCO you guys are talking about it.
 
I just turned 63 and I feel your pain. My low-light vision is suffering. That said, when the jackrabbit population is up I'll sit on an elevated platform at dusk and snipe jacks as they begin to feed. I shoot until completely dark which is longer than legal shooting light. (Jacks are non-game species and this is private land.) I spot with my Leica 10X40 binoculars. My results are totally subjective.

My experience on the scopes I've tried...Leupold 6.5-20X 40mm was fifth, Leupold 6.5-20X 50mm was 4th, Nightforce NXS 50mm 3rd, NF 56mm 2nd (both 5.5-22X) and the NF ATACR 5-25X 56mm was the best by a noticeable margin. I haven't had an opportunity to test my March 2.5-20X 50mm yet. The ATACR is the only scope I've used that I can continue to shoot as long as I can spot them with my Leicas. The light transmission is part of the equation, but the second part is the two-colored, lighted reticle. Switching the ATACR reticle to green and lowering the reticle intensity keeps the sight picture from "washing out". Then lowering the magnification to increase the exit pupil keeps me shooting until it's virtually dark. The latest shots are relatively close (less than 100 yards) but doable. YMMV

I'd love to test some of the other high-end "new" brands if anyone wants to send me some for review! 😎🤣
 

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