Hunting with LPVO?

[DoubleDown]

If possible get EU scopes fix or low variable with big objective. It’s a reason why it been popular for almost a century hunting in EU.

 

[Wolfshead]

I don’t have a lot of disposable income, and get, and use what I can within my personal income, and budget.
I have a Skinner 1-6 x 24 lpvo that has a red firesight on my Tikka T3x compact 308.
I really like it very much, especially for the type of hunting I do.
In the very thick, close woods on 1 it is very quick, and easy to get on target with.
I took a nice Buck (for me) this season at 270 yards (ranged before and after the shot) with six minutes of legal shooting light left (One half hour after sunset) on 6 power. I had no problem seeing what I was aiming at, at that time and distance.

 

[Terrapin]

I tried a 28mm front objective scope for a couple of years… the biggest downside for me was that it was nearly impossible to get snow and twigs out of the front lens. In N Idaho, that’s a constant concern.

I’m willing to accept the slight increase in weight, height and parallax and go with a 32 or 40mm objective.

The only upside to a true 1x LPVO is for two eyes open, move and shoot situations (like clearing rooms)… I rarely do this with my bolt action hunting guns


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[Macintosh]

I have an accupoint 1-6 that Ive used for 2 seasons now. Its on a 7600 carbine that I use for tracking and still-hunting—in other words the closest thing to “clearing rooms” you can get while deer hunting, most shots are exactly “move and shoot” situations—close and fast. For me, a shot much past 100 yards in these conditions is about as likely as bagging a unicorn, the 6x is for threading a shot between beech whips, not for distance. If Im sitting at first and last light I simply adjust the magnification to 3-4x or so and its bright enough to see me to legal shooting hours (avg conditions in the woods, 30min after sunset). My eyes are nothing to brag about either. For my use I think this scope makes perfect sense, and I havent run across a better option yet.
For shooting at 500 yards right at legal light as the OP specified…well, I’m out regardless of scope, but this aint what Id reach for. For any kind of hunting from a stand or blind, the benefits provided by a lpvo just arent issues needing to be dealt with, even if I do think they make great hunting scopes in the right situation.

 

[bnsafe]

I had one on my deer rifle and one on my turkey shotgun. for about 2 hunts. sitting inside a blind deer hunting I completely lost vision due to darkness. thought it was time to go an got out of the blind and it wasnt close to being over. for turkeys there are much smaller lighter options out there.

 

[Wolfshead]

In my area we have two hunting zones for the most part, the northern zone, and the southern zone.
I am fortunate to live almost on the border of the two.
I hunt the northern zone and mostly still hunt/track there. (Although we rarely get tracking snow during the season especially lately, on this edge of the zone.

In the southern zone we hunt ag fields and sit in stands or blinds.
Some of the places I hunt in the northern zone can be quite dark especially down around the swamps and evergreens.
Most of us know how it is in a pop-up blind….

My experiences have been that I’ve not really had any problems not being able to see in these conditions, and at legal shooting times with my lpvo.
My eye sight is average at best and at my age of 65, I’m able to use and see out of this scope, without much problem.

My self imposed limit is 300 yards so I can’t comment on what it would be like to see and shoot something at 500 at last light, but I was able to tell that I had an eight point at 270 with six minutes left, on six power with a $260 lpvo.

I say if it’s what you want to give it a try.
To say it’s not a scope you should hunt with, my experience is that, that’s not necessarily true.

 

[mtnbound]

I’m looking for people’s experience with hunting with lpvo’s. More specifically in low light/poor lighting conditions. I know with more magnification the darker the image but would something like a 1-10x28 make early morning/end of day shot with an animal say at a tree line 500 yards away tough enough to see to where you can’t take a clean ethical shot. I’m considering a mid tier lpvo for a lightweight compact hunting rifle build this spring but I’m concerned with the small objective lense.

Going off your description of “early morning/end of day at 500” I would say you more likely to have a bad experience. Yes, it can be done and everyone’s eyes are different but you’re asking an optic that’s not designed for that specific set of conditions to perform in. Use an optic that best fits your needed use parameters.

 

[Stinky Coyote]

got nx8 1-8 dmx also and still getting to know it past couple seasons and had a lot of time hunting to last legal light this season and really looking over some scenes well past legal as I was camped in spots that let me see well before and past legal, agree at lowest light 500 not likely going to work, not sure how I'd feel about other scopes in same conditions though, clear sky and snow down the pipeline yes I could see the tree no problem, overcast, some fog, and snow...prolly not although could make out most things well enough to 500, it's not a judging instrument that's for sure, aiming instrument you bet, one thing I thought would aid low light potential for beyond mpbr type shots at that lowest light issues would be just add illumination dots on each whole mil going down the center of the tree...not sure what scopes would make me feel more comfy for worst light AND longer range shooting though? I would not want the full tree illuminated...

I'm happy with scope for me and it will take something very similar in mpvo to get me to open wallet again, or fixed 6x-8x and maybe add some objective 32-40mm and otherwise good to go, and if nitpicking the nx8 1-8 is super short with super short eye box so another 1/2" of tube length either side of turret block would add some flexibility for rifle mounting and meet lop/action length/eye relief etc. Love how that reticle looks at 6x so just make a fixed on that with x36 bell and make it a bit longer, add some illum. dots on the whole mils and might be perfection for me, keep under 20 oz, maybe add .2" eye relief, oh and 0.1mil/click lol

mostly I just run it around 4x as almost everything I'll do will mpbr no think anyway, but I think my fav solutions view is just over 6x on that reticle and in that scope

 

[Q_Sertorius]

I haven’t hunted with it yet, but I really like my SWFA 1-6x so far. The reticle is great at all magnification levels. I find it very easy to get it on target.

 

[eltorro]

A 1-6 of good quality should be ok for anything under 300m. Target ID is usually relegated to the binos, they say.
As far as useable light…. Youngsters may be able to use 6-7mm of exit pupil. Older folks 5mm or even 4.
Not saying that it would be the same as a 6x56, but for daylight hunting, an LPVO may not be bad

 

[Chad_H]

I use a Leupold 1.5-4.5 and a Vortex Viper 1-6 for work, amd have hunted with the work guns. My environment can be very thick and the low end 1x magnification is very beneficial to someone that for years used open sights but needed to go to optics for vision issues. Low light dawn/dusk is going to have visibility issues using magnification, period. 3-4x is the max my eyes could work with in that low light, and then its going to depend on how far or what level of detail I'm requiring. If I don't need the detail, then I could get away with higher mag. I also have farm fields, and I've sat overlooking a 400+ yard area. From experience, I cannot get the level of detail needed to determine buck vs doe at that distance with 6x and an LVPO. I also have a Vortex 2-10 on another work gun and have also hunted with it, same field, same low light. Dial down to about 6x and I have the level of detail needed. Having that objective lens of 42mm or more, a larger 30mm or 34mm tube, and at least mid-grade glass or better makes all the difference in low light, and is one of the things you see why the expensive glass does cost more.

I also am using a Primary Arms 1-6 on a 6.8SPC brush gun this year. Not bad visibility in low light. But max 200-300 yards.

When it comes to an illuminated reticle, there will be some that are "daylight bright" at the max setting. These are usually bright enough dots to see in sunlight. For hunting purposes, I have yet to illuminate any of my reticles higher than the lowest setting in low light. To me, the quality and function of the mechanism ends up being more important.

If you go FFP, you're going to need an illuminated reticle vs just a center dot, as the reticle itself will possibly be too small if you in any way need the stadia. SFP I can do just the dot, since my distances of being able to take a shot are close enough I likely don't need the reticle features.

LVPO optics 100% have a place. But there are way better choices if you're shooting at distance plus low light. Just like you pick the right rifle and caliber for the task, the right optic is also part of that equation.

 

[Terrapin]

Honestly some of the crossbow scopes are ahead of the LPVO. There are some very compact 2-8 FFP variables that have surprisingly good optics with 40mm objectives. The reticles are a little screwy, but they generally build the scopes pretty stout.


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