Small variable with wide FOV?

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hq

hq

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Yet another rifle project is proceeding nicely and it's about time to choose optics. As this is a multipurpose rifle for both driven and stand hunts, the combination of magnification range, FOV and light transmission capability is slightly unusual. Obviously you can't have everything but I want a reasonable degree of each. This means that the smallest acceptable objective diameter is 35mm. 40mm+ is preferred. Magnification has to go down to 1.5x, maybe even lower than that, with wide FOV for driven hunts. Upper limit doesn't matter that much, 4x will suffice nicely and anything beyond 7x won't be needed.

So far the best match has been Nikon Monarch Gold 1.5-6x42, with impressive 64.7' FOV at 100yd, and even more so the "M-300 BLK" version of the same scope that stretches the FOV all the way to 79.2'. The 3.7-3.8" eye relief suffices nicely too, even though the caliber(s) in question are in a completely different league.

So, to make a long story short, can anyone suggest a quality scope with even wider FOV, 40mm or larger objective and reasonably good dawn/dusk performance, or shall I call the Nikon the best compromise for these requirements and place the order?
 
I believe the Nikon 1.5-6x42 has been discontinued for some time. I was eyeballing the at the time. Leupold makes a nice VX3i 1.75-6x32 that is good, as well as a couple of VX2 2-7 choices. You won't get the FOV you do with that Nikon, but it is good. You will still get great light transmission and 5 or better exit pupil.
 
You're right, the Monarch Gold is discontinued, but the BLK-model is still available. It appears to be nearly identical in specifications, with the exception of slightly shorter eye relief and/hence wider FOV. A number of retailers have it in stock and pricing doesn't differ much from the old Monarch either, $600-700, illuminated version being $200 or so more expensive. The only drawback I see are the unprotected mall ninja adjustment turrets that stick out an inch, which is not ideal for a hunting rifle.

Leupold is a great scope but its small(ish) objective, actual minimum magnification of 1.9x and 51.4' FOV are unfortunately dealbreakers in this case.
 
How close are the animals in a driven hunt? Ive done alot of post and push hunting growing up but shots were all 50-200yds, some times much farther depending on the location, so standard 2-7s and 3-9s worked pretty well.

I seem to remember there being quite a few 1.5-6x42s and 2-10x50/56s being available in the "euro" lines from the top end manufacturers. I know Leica offers some very low power scopes with large objectives, Ive seen one a number of years ago and it was really, REALLY, nice. If i remember correctly it cost about double the rifle it was mounted on tho.
 
Walkalong said:
50 feet at 100 yards is a lot of FOV. Do you really need 50% more?
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The most I can possibly get, because...
LoonWulf said:
How close are the animals in a driven hunt?.
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...they're mainly between 15 and 40 yards, usually running through semi-dense forest and clearings at full speed, which for keiler-sized hogs, fallow deer and red deer is F-A-S-T. Sometimes even 40mph. You either lead appropriately and take the shot in a matter of two-three seconds or they're gone. Otherwise I'd just install an Eotech and call it a day, but approximately half of the drives have passes on open fields and long shots at more or less stationary game at up to 300 yards are equally common. Even an occasional jackal at 400yd or more. I've had a Zeiss HD5 2-10x42 for hunts like these but 52' FOV is borderline acceptable and if possible, I want more.

IIRC Monarch Gold retailed for $599, somewhat less than the BLK, but it seems to be sold out everywhere and I haven't even seen a refurbished one in a while. Leicas, Schmidt & Benders and a few other quality scopes are very nice and some models fit the bill exactly, but $2k or more is unfortunately out of my budget.
 
There are a few of those 1.5-6x42 nikon from sellers with good feed back on ebay right now for about 650
 
Bones741 said:
There are a few of those 1.5-6x42 nikon from sellers with good feed back on ebay right now for about 650
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Thanks for the tip. Which model do you mean and do you happen to have direct links? I could only find one BLK on eBay, for $654.59.
Walkalong said:
When I could still see the sights well that would be iron sight range.
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For slower moving game these distances and open sights would still be a walk in the park, but my eyesight is not what it used to be and target acquisition doesn't happen quite as instantly as it did in the old days. Scoping guns out of sheer necessity can be a bit frustrating when the real issue lies somewhere between the riflestock and hunting boots.

Veering back into the question at hand, can anyone come up with alternative scope suggestions? As nice scopes as they are, VX3, Vortex and even Leica Magnus series don't have quite the FOV I'm after.
 
i have two 2.5x8-38mm verix111,s that i realy like and have used them to shoot two speed goats in wyoming at 280 and 310 yards on 8x and several whitetails at 35-60yrds running on 2.5x on my LH rem 7mm08. eastbank.
 
For really close shots (inside 50yds max) a true 1x scope can be used more or less like a red dot, apart from requiring proper eye position...which happens easily if your rifle has a natural cheekweld and your scope's mounted properly. And, since you can run it both-eyes-open like a red dot, your binocular vision means, functionally, unlimited field of view. Such has been MY experience, anyway.
 
You're making this way more complicated than necessary. Buy a good quality 1-4X20 scope and go kill stuff. I'd highly recommend anything made by Leupold for this purpose over Nikon. Nikon makes very good glass, possibly better than Leupold, but Leupold scopes have a much more forgiving eyebox making it easier to find targets quickly in the scope. That is the biggest negative to anything Nikon makes. A 1-4X Leupold will have near 5" of eye relief on 1X and about 4" on 4X. When shooting with both eyes open FOV through the scope isn't a factor.

On 1X you can easily use it with both eyes open negating any need for a wide field of view. This is the best option for up close fast shooting. On 4X you have enough magnification for the longer shots. A 20mm objective will let as much light through a 4X scope as the human eye can process. On lower magnifications there is simply more light coming through than needed. An objective larger than 40mm would only be helpful with magnifications over 10X
 
jmr40 said:
You're making this way more complicated than necessary. Buy a good quality 1-4X20 scope and go kill stuff.
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Otherwise I most likely would but light transmission in dawn/dusk is a must with the same scope. Many of the best trophy shots are taken well after sundown; even 35mm objective compromises that severely and 20mm is out of the question. So, a combo of low magnification features for driven hunt + sufficient magnification for 300yd+ field shots + 40mm or larger objective and quality glass/coating for maximum light transmission at 7mm exit pupil (likely to happen at/near max magnification) is what I'm after. With a wide FOV. Nikon does all this quite well.

I'm just trying to avoid buyer's remorse here. I've been doing hunting weekends like these for quite some time, I know exactly what I want and after shelling out a few hundred $ for a Nikon the last thing I want to hear is that there's a better scope available in comparable price bracket. Hence I have to ask.
 
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