Quality Midwest Whitetail Riflescope

[Formidilosus]

Hello, all! I've been contemplating a new Seekins Element or Element Hunter rifle for deer. Seekins told me that they have the .25 Creedmoor in R&D, so I've been anxiously waiting since last summer, and I'm hoping that we'll get some news next week from SHOT.

My planned use will be anywhere from pointblank to probably 500 yards max. Being a bowhunter for 30+ years, I definitely strive for a close-range experience with whatever weapon I'm fielding. I've shot sub-MOA groups at 500 yards with my .260 Rem, but as of this past season, I've only shot two deer out of over one hundred beyond 200 yards. I hunt strictly from treestands, mostly in forests, but sometimes over large fields.

I've been contemplating a 3-12 S&B Polar with the D7 reticle in SFP and a BDC elevation turret. I'd rather dial than hold over, so I feel that this reticle would serve me best. Am I being overkill? The most expensive optics I've ever owned were a pair of Nightforce NXS years ago. I currently use a couple of Vortex scopes (PST and Viper HS) on my deer rifles, but had to rezero both before this past season -- they weren't off very far at 100 yards, but still. Researching better optics brought me to Rokslide.

Any thoughts?

The 3-12x Polar is a very good low light scope.

You questions about glass, etc. Have you read this thread?

Thread 'Low light comparison of 17 scopes'

Dec 10, 2024

There are always constant threads of discussions about “glass”, low light use, etc of scopes here. The last couple of week I have gotten many more questions about it (due I believe to SWFA being back in stock), so while working with a couple of scopes on other things, I brought out 10 different ones (6x day, 10x low light) to see what difference there is.

Eval #1 was daylight:

1). Trijicon Tenmile 3-18x44mm- 2 years old, more than 5,000 rounds of use.

2). Maven RS1.2 2.5-15x44mm- 1.5 years old, more then 3,000 rounds of use

3). SWFA SS 6x- two years old, 2,000+ rounds through it...

• Formidilosus
• Replies: 129
• Forum: Optics

• 

 

[Kimber7man]

It is my understanding that there is no longer an S&B service center in the U.S. and they must go back to Germany.

Oh yeah. Send it to VA, they send it to Germany, comes back to VA, comes back to you…. Not so quick of a turnaround anymore…

 

[Kyguy]

The 3-12x Polar is a very good low light scope.

You questions about glass, etc. Have you read this thread?

Thread 'Low light comparison of 17 scopes'

Dec 10, 2024

There are always constant threads of discussions about “glass”, low light use, etc of scopes here. The last couple of week I have gotten many more questions about it (due I believe to SWFA being back in stock), so while working with a couple of scopes on other things, I brought out 10 different ones (6x day, 10x low light) to see what difference there is.

Eval #1 was daylight:

1). Trijicon Tenmile 3-18x44mm- 2 years old, more than 5,000 rounds of use.

2). Maven RS1.2 2.5-15x44mm- 1.5 years old, more then 3,000 rounds of use

3). SWFA SS 6x- two years old, 2,000+ rounds through it...

• Formidilosus
• Replies: 129
• Forum: Optics

• 

The fact of the matter is.... whether folks want to admit it or not.... most everything except the absolute shittiest of the shit has glass more than good enough for most areas that have legal hunting of 30 minutes before dawn and 30 minutes after sunset.

 

[Speaks]

My midwest white tail scope is swfa 3-9

 

[fwafwow]

Nightforce SHV 3-10 forceplex is your huckleberry

And there’s one for sale in the Classifieds

 

[M4Madness]

The 3-12x Polar is a very good low light scope.

You questions about glass, etc. Have you read this thread?

Yes, especially this part:

"The S&B 8x56mm was specifically designed and made for shooting animals at night without artificial light in Europe… and it shows. This scope consistently beats out nearly everything in the lowest light, and as a eastern low light scope it may be the best currently available that isn’t $3,000. If I were a dedicated SE whitetail hunter again, I would chose this and get their BDC turret added."

That's what lead me down the Schmidt & Bender rabbit hole. What reticle did/does the 8X56 come with? Will the 3-12"s illuminated D7 SFP be a good fit?

I also saw where you praised the ZP5 with the THLR highly, and if it weren't for its weight, I'd be very tempted. The S&B I'm looking at weighs 23 ounces, has a BDC elevation turret, and is the same price as the next run of ZP5's coming in to EuroOptic.

 

[Formidilosus]

Yes, especially this part:

"The S&B 8x56mm was specifically designed and made for shooting animals at night without artificial light in Europe… and it shows. This scope consistently beats out nearly everything in the lowest light, and as a eastern low light scope it may be the best currently available that isn’t $3,000. If I were a dedicated SE whitetail hunter again, I would chose this and get their BDC turret added."

That's what lead me down the Schmidt & Bender rabbit hole. What reticle did/does the 8X56 come with? Will the 3-12"s illuminated D7 SFP be a good fit?

The 8x56mm that I have has the A7- the non illuminated version of the D7. The D7 is a good reticle for eastern WT.

I also saw where you praised the ZP5 with the THLR highly, and if it weren't for its weight, I'd be very tempted. The S&B I'm looking at weighs 23 ounces, has a BDC elevation turret, and is the same price as the next run of ZP5's coming in to EuroOptic.

The ZP5 has no equal still in ability to aim in last light. The S&B is close however.