Anyone miss out on killing because of glass clarity?

[dirtytough]

I used to really worry about clarity/picture. The older I get the more I realize holding zero is way more important. I have never not been able to not kill something because of the optics clarity or reticle. I have missed out on two big blacktails from loss of zero. And a ton of coyotes this winter because of loss of zero.

Anyone miss out on killing something because the glass wasn't clear enough in their scope?

 

[missjordan]

Almost did once in 2015 or 2016, hiked in on some elk and set up for the shot to see that moisture had formed on the inside of the scope. The scope did hold zero just fine and ended up harvesting one. Was a long shot can’t remember how long but was inbetween 600-900 yards. Scope was a first generation vortex PST on a 300 Lapua. Had lots of times where a scope wouldn’t hold zero but the clarity was good on that specific gun. Put a night force on it and haven’t had a problem since


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[Sled]

I used to really worry about clarity/picture. The older I get the more I realize holding zero is way more important. I have never not been able to not kill something because of the optics clarity or reticle. I have missed out on two big blacktails from loss of zero. And a ton of coyotes this winter because of loss of zero.

Anyone miss out on killing something because the glass wasn't clear enough in their scope?

I've been lucky so far and caught any errors pre hunt. Most scopes these days are clear enough at lower zoom and the less expensive ones only show their deficiency at dusk/dawn. Mind if I ask what scope you lost zero on?

 

[willfrye027]

Almost. I shot a buck at 500 yards with the swfa ultralight in the first few minutes of shooting light. Dark body on a dark background but focused hard and made the shot. It’s a good scope but at 10x you lose quite a bit of resolution in low light.

I did miss a whitetail with the swfa 3-9 at 40 yards in the first 5 minutes of shoot time. Dark timber and had a lot of trouble finding the crosshairs. Ended up killing him on a follow up shot but from there I’ve moved to thicker reticles. Love my LRHS g2H reticles for that.

 

[h2so4]

Yes. Had an old Burris scope on a pump 30-06. 10-15 min after sunset, saw movement in the field, ~100 yards away. Found the elk in my leupold Binos. Shouldered rifle, couldn’t see squat. Just packed up and walked out quietly.

 

[Wrench]

Several years ago I watched this buck work a doe at failing light through my leica 8x42s. I was shooting a leupold mk4 m3 and absolutely could not find the deer. He was on a ridge 525 yards away and I could see him for at least 20 minutes longer on the binos.

I watched him until very dark. I returned the next day and found him not 50 yards from where I saw him in the binos the night before. He mounted a doe and as soon as his feet hit the ground, I dumped him.

Stinky bastard.

 

[Jbehredt]

Several years ago I watched this buck work a doe at failing light through my leica 8x42s. I was shooting a leupold mk4 m3 and absolutely could not find the deer. He was on a ridge 525 yards away and I could see him for at least 20 minutes longer on the binos.

I watched him until very dark. I returned the next day and found him not 50 yards from where I saw him in the binos the night before. He mounted a doe and as soon as his feet hit the ground, I dumped him.

Stinky bastard.View attachment 377310

Nice of you to let him enjoy his last moments.

 

[Jbehredt]

Not clarity but brightness as others have mentioned. Elk, plain as day in the Binos. Empty, dark timber in a old Nikon prostaff.

 

[dirtytough]

I've been lucky so far and caught any errors pre hunt. Most scopes these days are clear enough at lower zoom and the less expensive ones only show their deficiency at dusk/dawn. Mind if I ask what scope you lost zero on?

The blacktails were with a Vari X 2 3-9 and Weaver (not sure) 3-9.

The coyotes are with a Super YoterR.

 

[HuntHarder]

Yes. Glass clarity has cost me a buck. Nothing like looking thru your optics and seeing a perfect window to slip a bullet in, only to look thru a scope and the window looks non existent. Gotta have both imo, reliability and clarity/ light gathering.

Seems most guys gotta have carbon barrels on their rifles and then put a 500$ scope on. I suggest the opposite if money is tight. 99% of mid range, off the rack, rifles will shoot 1"-1 1/2" @ 100 yards. So if you are tight on money, spend 700$ on a rifle and 1500$ on a scope, never the opposite.

 

[Novahunter]

Nice of you to let him enjoy his last moments.

And, also strategic. Let him pass on his genes one last time....

 

[Novahunter]

Yes. Glass clarity has cost me a buck. Nothing like looking thru your optics and seeing a perfect window to slip a bullet in, only to look thru a scope and the window looks non existent. Gotta have both imo, reliability and clarity/ light gathering.

Seems most guys gotta have carbon barrels on their rifles and then put a 500$ scope on. I suggest the opposite if money is tight. 99% of mid range, off the rack, rifles will shoot 1"-1 1/2" @ 100 yards. So if you are tight on money, spend 700$ on a rifle and 1500$ on a scope, never the opposite.

Totally agree. I've been giving similar advice to people as well, and it's very counterintuitive to how most think.

Quality mid-tier and high end optics can make a bigger impact on ability to make a clean shot, vs. a rifle that shoots 1.5in group and one that shoots 3/4in groups.

 

[Wrench]

Nice of you to let him enjoy his last moments.

He was a top level buck in this area. I hope he bred 100 does through the night.

Those are genes that needed to be passed on.....and he was absolutely relaxed and not leaving her....perfect time.

 

[roosiebull]

I used to really worry about clarity/picture. The older I get the more I realize holding zero is way more important. I have never not been able to not kill something because of the optics clarity or reticle. I have missed out on two big blacktails from loss of zero. And a ton of coyotes this winter because of loss of zero.

Anyone miss out on killing something because the glass wasn't clear enough in their scope?

i for sure haven't, and always just kept my opinion to myself that glass clarity isn't that important once you get to "decent"

binos, to me, it's extremely important for picking apart country (especially around here when you are glassing through brush looking for any little detail) once the animal is found, and in range, glass quality on my scope isn't a very big deal. conditions are a bigger factor, like looking into the sun, and there is a bedded buck 300yds away in the brush in a little pocket of shade, half behind a little fir tree -recalling a past experience glassing this buck up at 311 yds, all i could see was a hind quarter, and through my 10X swaros, it took several minutes to verify it was a deer, and longer to figure out it was a buck.... that was the hard part, he was bedded in a grown up cut, it was about 11am (high sun) and he was in a little shade patch... between the cover, the shade he was in, and the sun glare, it was a tough buck to pick up... one ray of sun briefly went across him and lit up his front half behind the little fir tree, and i could see his wide frame... his body size already told me he was a mature buck, but i couldn't verify for about a half hour.

i couldn't shoot him where he was, even through my bino, i couldn't figure out exactly what i was looking at anatomy wise... the sun finally washed out his little shade patch, he stood, and the rest was easy.... besides getting his heavy ass almost 4 miles back to my pickup. i think i had a vx2 at the time, and it was plenty good enough, even with the tough conditions.... no glass is good enough to clean up that scenario.

maybe it matters at extreme long range, but the ranges i hunt, scope glass isn't a huge deal.... people make it out to be, but i have never seen it matter. i did miss a bear at sub 200yds with that scope.... glass wasn't the issue, and that was a head scratcher at the time shooting my rifle and hitting 8-9" high at 100yds later that day.

last year i watched my buddy miss a bull more than once opening day, he showed me a nice little group from the morning before... rifle was shooting way high and right, and he hit the bull finally, it was a leupold rodeo.... no big fall, only thing i saw was he tipped his rifle over on the bipod on dry clay.

i agree with you, loss of zero matters a lot more than "glass" good glass is important to me finding game, but for shooting game, low on my list. maybe last light having good glass and a big objective may help, but i'm not setting up my rifle for that possibility, it's such a small chance of missing an opportunity

 

[ljalberta]

No.

 

[5MilesBack]

I have to have clarity, I'm too anal and OCD to not have great glass.

 

[Whisky]

I've become the same way. I could care less about bells and whistles/latest greatest alpha glass scopes. I want reliability, and can settle for "good enough" glass in a rifle scope. I personally have no desire for $3k, 2+lb scopes.

That said, I take a different approach with my binos/spotter.

 

[JLW66]

Moose hunting with some guys a few years ago. Opening morning, bull walks past a guy and he pulls up the rifle and cant find the moose because its fogged up. Moose keeps walking. Thousands of $$$ for a hunt and never saw another moose. Tough lesson.

 

[762 ULTRAMAGA]

I used to really worry about clarity/picture. The older I get the more I realize holding zero is way more important. I have never not been able to not kill something because of the optics clarity or reticle. I have missed out on two big blacktails from loss of zero. And a ton of coyotes this winter because of loss of zero.

Anyone miss out on killing something because the glass wasn't clear enough in their scope?

I've passed on a LR shot on a nice bull because the clarity went to @#$% so badly in low but legal light (v4 4-16×44).
I was able to see him very clearly with Leopold 10x binos but the scope looked ridiculously dark and grainy.
I'm with you about function/durability being more important than top tier glass, but good image quality (especially in low light) is definitely just as critical

 

[Whisky]

Hate to say it but I doubt there are many rifle scopes that can see as good as quality binos in low light. Just the way it is. To expect otherwise may be asking too much?