Optics for aging eyes

[halfmile]

Guys, Looking for advice from you old guys. As we age our eyes change. I've noticed my eyes require better and more expensive scopes with better resolution to see well as I am getting older. I am having a new beanfield rifle built and need to choose a scope. We hunt big fields and the ranges can be pretty far. 900 is not unusual at all. Deer here are hunted hard and nearly nocturnal. Shots always come in poor light, usually just before dark. Have a little cateracts, and don't see as well in poor light as I used to. All that being said, looking for a scope with excellent tracking, 1min wind marks, and really great glass that stands out in class in low light. Needs to top out around 25X. Cost really isn't an issue as much as trying to get the most out of my old eyes, but would like to stay around $3k or so. The options are mind boggling. I do know a Vortex Razor won't cut it anymore so don't go there.

Get the cataracts out. you will have 20 20 uncorrected vision. As a trap shooter the best thing that happened in years.

 

[halfmile]

I shoot pdogs with a zeiss conquest and use it for finding dogs too. all day no fatigue.

HM

 

[Bro Dave]

Boy! It's nice to know there are so many old farts here (oh, I mean mature experienced shooters). I used to feel self-conscious posting thinking I was only talking to high speed, low drag young people.

 

[foul bore]

I am in the ageing eye group. I have found Leupold LRP to be very clear, A large tube diameter is the gatherer of light, large objective is field of view. I also have a VX6 that has good charateristics. that along with corrective eye wear keep me hunting. these are both available in choice of reticle

 

[HunterShooter]

Still haven't heard from anyone that owns both a x5i and a atacr... kales??

I have a Swaro X5 in 50mm and it is amazing for my old eyes!

 

[alcesgigas]

Same with me, 20/15 but, with glasses. The glasses suck, especially in poor light! They catch rain/snow always, sweat in the summer and fog up at the worst possible moment, especially in the winter but, are my best option. I can't wear contacts for much more than an hour... Apparently my eyes require more oxygen than most. Even highly permeable contacts are no good. Funny, I can and have dug weld stag and grinder flakes out of my own eye using the end of a paper book match and at times even a needle point but, I can't keep my eyes open after two hour of wearing contacts!

At 58 and with mild cataracts, better glass is becoming a must! I've recently given away several mid-level scopes that I can no longer see through well enough for my needs.

Getting old has its issues for sure but, it beats the heck out of the alternative!

In '13 I had both eyes cataract-corrected. I've had 20/15 since. Pretty lucky for a guy told in the 50s' he'd always have to wear glasses after scarlet fever. Funny though--and pleasantly so--beginning in the early '80s I had to wear reading glasses to address the common presbyopia, but after the cataract thing I didn't need glasses to read down to #10 font! Supposedly there's no correlation, but who cares...
In 2010 I noticed--rather I didn't notice--that once light diminished I could see a moose across the river (about 240 yards) and my sight was worsening every year. Learned I had cataracts then, but the optometrist wanted to wait to get both eyes. Everybody's different, but I suspect this cataract business is common enough, at least for males, to warrant monitoring. Anyway, best to all...

 

[JustMe2]

Orange Dust...as stated in earlier reply......every one has one...
Just buy one scope of every suggested model....surely you'll find the right one. Every one can't be wrong.

Maybe, but mine's better than yours. LOL Get the Revic PMR 428 and never look back. It's got everything to make long range hunting easier and more enjoyable. Latest and greatest new technology to make shooting more accurate and improve confidence in shooting long distance.

 

[dgarrett]

Everyone's eyes are different... My 1st generation vortez razor fits my screwed up eye better then all the others I tried till the Leupold VX5....Even the Sightron IIII seemed to be ok for me for a while.... Best bet is to try as many as you can and find the best match for your eyes..Some of my limiting factors have also been price...

 

[Aussie Hunter Steve]

I'm also finding my eyes aren't what they used to be, and in the past few years have bought 6 Schmidt & Benders in favour of the Zeiss, Kahles, and Swarovski scopes I've always used. And I've used Nightforce. In good light they don't seem to offer any advantage, but when it's almost dark the quality of the S&B's shines through.

 

[Bro Dave]

Have a great Independence Day!

 

[gator378]

I am 78 And have the same issues in some cases.(No cataracts) I find that most of my hunting is in poor light and therefore need many the same features.

I have several basic needs that work for me that I find that realy helps.
1 = Minimum of 50 mm objective lens.
2 = 30 mm tube.(The 30 mm turrets have a better range of MOA adjustments both vertical and windage.
3 = the 30 mm tubes allow bigger lens and are shorter in overall length.
Sharpness and clarity has a lot to do with your eyes, so that has to be determined by you. My eyes like the Leupold lens coating the best. so that is my preference. I have compared the Leupold to every other scope I could get my hands on and the Leupold LPS was the best (But it is no longer manufactured) with the Mark 4 a close second.

I compared scopes that cost more than $3500.00 and could not see the difference, so I stayed with the mark 4's

I prefer hunting with 3 to 14 power on most of my hunting rifles but have a few 6 to 20's and 8 to 25's for the longest shooting rifles and terrain. On my deer lease I often have to make running shots and to much power will make this very difficult.

Hope this helps you

J E CUSTOM

This helped a lot. I have a good rifle lousy eyes.

 

[gator378]

This discussion is troubling for me. I shoot competition at 600 yds at age 70. Off a concrete bench with a 60x variable power scope I'm expecting to hold all rounds under 1moa. Now we have the question of what scope for cataract eyes to hit an 8inch kill zone at 900 yards (less than 1moa) while sitting (presumably) on a stool in a box blind propping his rifle stock on a window ledge.... What's wrong with this picture? At 900 there's a lot more to worry about than what reticle to look through. 1moa wind marks? You gotta be kidding!

Wait till you see the whites of their eyes. Works for me.

 

[dragonfly]

Guys, Looking for advice from you old guys. As we age our eyes change. I've noticed my eyes require better and more expensive scopes with better resolution to see well as I am getting older. I am having a new beanfield rifle built and need to choose a scope. We hunt big fields and the ranges can be pretty far. 900 is not unusual at all. Deer here are hunted hard and nearly nocturnal. Shots always come in poor light, usually just before dark. Have a little cateracts, and don't see as well in poor light as I used to. All that being said, looking for a scope with excellent tracking, 1min wind marks, and really great glass that stands out in class in low light. Needs to top out around 25X. Cost really isn't an issue as much as trying to get the most out of my old eyes, but would like to stay around $3k or so. The options are mind boggling. I do know a Vortex Razor won't cut it anymore so don't go there.

In this statement, you didn't say if you wear corrective lenses or not. If you do or not check with an eye doctor, preferably one that shoots, they can do wonders. Just take you favorite optics with you an tell the Doc. what you want. You'll be suprised.

 

[Litehiker]

I don't see any good scopes that are "better" for ageing eyes. Just don't buy crap optics. Will a 50 mm objective help you see better than a 42 mm objective? NOPE!
The "A big objective gathers more light." B.S. is something optics experts laugh at.

Even my relatively inexpensive SWFA SS 3 - 15 x 42 scope (with FFP) for $700. regular price is a very good scope. That's mainly because SWFA took the money they saved from having no middlemen and NO advertising and put it into making a good and very rugged scope. Shoot it on a high reverse recoil air rifle and it won't fall apart (as some other "good" scopes will).

I'm 76 and just bought a Bushnell Elite 4.5 - 18 x 44 illuminated reticle scope and think it is great for putting on my 6.5 PRC Browning X-Bolt Pro. OK, I have floaters in my vision but when shooting I never notice them.

Eric B.