School me on how to evaluate the quality of rifle scope glass

[jd126]

I have seven scopes lined up and have been looking through them all morning trying to learn and see the difference in high'ish quality glass vs low quality glass and guess I have to admit I'm not sure what all to really look for. I read comments on forums about how this glass is better than that glass and then another person comes along and says the complete opposite. I understand everyones eyes are different so that brings me to this point to where I would like to see for myself.

This line up is not apples to apples. Its a mix of what I have. The lineup consists of a cheap Bushnell 3-9x40, Leupold VX-3 2-10x40, Athlon Midas TAC 6-24x50 FFP, Bushnell LRHSi 4.5-18x44 FFP, Vortex Viper PST Gen 2 5-25x50 FFP, Vortex Razor LHT 3-15x42 SFP and last is a Vortex Razor AMG 6-24x50 FFP.

If a person was to google the Viper PST vs the Razor AMG the results would most likely be that the AMG is night and day difference and the PST glass is useless etc, but I honestly cant see it. I suppose it's because I don't know what to look for or I'm not looking at the correct type of stuff and the proper distances. What I can see looking at a license plate at about 100yds is the cheap Bushnell is somewhat blurry. I cant make out the cars model name and the the picture is dull looking, but thats also a $40 scope. The Midas TAC has a bad fish eye effect when zoomed to 24x. Between the others, LHRSi, LHT, PST AMG, I don't see much difference when I feel like I should be able to. Some "eye opening" tips, advice, comments would help. Thanks

 

[YZ-80]

I think you really won't know until it's on your rifle and you're in the field. Along with all the other important characteristics, I think clarity and light gathering are key. I have several VX-3s, a Sig Tango 4, and Vortex HSTs. I know, big Whoop but they do what I need them to out to 400 yards and that's all I need. I do someday want to spring for a Nightforce or Khalles or something like that but for now I spend the extra money on other components. I'd find someone who has the scope you're interested and try to look through it in a real world scenario. That might help you decide.

 

[FEENIX]

For the most part, most of the recommendations you will get boils down to budget, personal preference, and intended purpose. If you also factor the country where they are made/manufactured (if it matters to you), you can cut your selection by over half. "IF" you can, it is best to "actually" see through it yourself as @YZ-80 noted. Good luck!

 

[ShtrRdy]

Revic Optics has some articles that describe some of the optical qualities they measure.

Hunting Optics | Revic

Precision optics for long range hunting. Revic provides scopes, rangefinders, binoculars, and optic accessories for the ethical long range hunter.

www.revicoptics.com

From my limited experience, where I notice better optics is in a hunting situation where you're aiming into some dark timber. Another benefit of better glass is seeing where your last shot impacted on target.

 

[jd126]

I'm not looking to buy a scope. I want to know how to evaluate the glass I already have. When someone evaluates glass, what categories are there? What do they look for? How do they look for it?
As mentioned above we have clarity, light gathering, and?

 

[jd126]

Revic Optics has some articles that describe some of the optical qualities they measure.

Hunting Optics | Revic

Precision optics for long range hunting. Revic provides scopes, rangefinders, binoculars, and optic accessories for the ethical long range hunter.

www.revicoptics.com

From my limited experience, where I notice better optics is in a hunting situation where you're aiming into some dark timber. Another benefit of better glass is seeing where your last shot impacted on target.

Thank you. An article like that is what I was looking for.

 

[dmj]

I really don't have an answer to your question. But do have some comments. Seems like what one person calls a good scope the next person doesn't agree. And I think that each person believes what they are saying. Not sure if if this is because different eyes see things differently or knowledge of how to adjust a scope is lacking or? I believe that some of what you are paying for in higher priced scopes is dependability. For instance, in my opinion nightforce nxs has good glass but probably not the best that you can get in that price range, but again in my opinion you are going to be hard pressed to find a more dependable scope. Recently I have been looking to upgrade my binoculars. Mine are getting a little age on them and with all the new technology thought maybe it's time for an upgrade. I have been trying to read everything thing I can about the higher end binoculars. And I'm not saying I'm right but to me this means Zeiss, Swarovski and Leica. If you goggle best 10 power binoculars you will find all kinds of articles. Top 5 binoculars. Best quality binoculars. Top 10 binoculars. ECT, etc. And bottom line is more than likely there won't even be a Zeiss, Swarovski or Leica mentioned. I'm not knocking other brands, but it does make me wonder. Again I know it's not any kind of answer. Good luck with your search.

 

[Will16]

CA, resolution, color, stuff like that? You can buy a usaf optical chart to compare them on for optical quality.

 

[jd126]

CA, resolution, color, stuff like that? You can buy a usaf optical chart to compare them on for optical quality.

Yes, stuff like that. Problem is I have read about CA but don't completely understand how to look for it. The article above helped to understand resolution. Color I assume is just that?
What is the optimal distance to compare scopes using a chart?

 

[Rich Coyle]

I have a laminated military chart 127 yards from my porch. I use it for determining which scope has better resolution. There 13" wide deer antlers in the woods 131 yards from the porch. I use it for low light comparisons. Before this I thought my Bushnell 6500 4 1/23-30X50 was as good as my Nightforce 12-42X56. In those days I used twigs and leaves on the trees about 125 yards away. What a wakeup. I discovered one does not get what one pays for but what one shops for if they want quality. This is based on my side by side with gobs of brands including Swarovski, Vortex, Schmidt & Bender. S&B have great glass.

If someone wants a copy of this chart I could try to email it. I'm not very computer savvy.

 

[Will16]

Go over to Snipershide and go to the optics section post this same question but be a little bit more specific. Tag wjm308 and koshkin they have lots information with pictures to help explain it. Also look for threads they posted using the search tool in their reviews they go over this stuff when comparing optics.

 

[Will16]

The fringe around things is ca.

 

[Will16]

In my optics I need to Id animals at and just after legal shooting hours as long as they do this I'am good for low light transmission. I look for resolution more because of the shooting I do and need to spot shots in paper as well as pic out animals from tree lines so resolution matters more to me. While most people like the glass on the vx5 better than the shv I found the vx5 had more pop and color but the shv had way more resolution and sharpness than the vx5. I will take an shv over a vx5 any day. I could pic out things at 3 and 4 x lower on the shv than the vx5. Low light transmission and clarity are the most things people see but there is a lot of other stuff that they look over when actually using it comes into play.

 

[Will16]