What About Low Light Performance

[35WhelenAI]

Thanks for the clarification. What binoculars are you using?

As an aside, this year at very waning light, Vortex Vipers picked out a deer 220 yards across on a hillside. I would not have picked it up with the naked eye in any way, shape or form. Once the target was identified, I followed it in the scope until it was clear of the taller brush and made the shot. You are correct, binoculars worked well for their intended purpose.

 

[Rich M]

I had a Leica ER and it would about do what you want. I could see the roughness on a spike’s horn about 40 minutes after sunset but on a powerline.

With a moon, could always see the crosshairs and critters. Latest i did that was 9:30 pm - hogs.

 

[35WhelenAI]

I think they can work well, for what they are intended for. But at some point you have to transition to the scope to make a shot and at that point you need to be able to see the small branches to make the shot.

prm, if you don't mind, what binoculars are you using? I should've quoted when I asked that question above. I am interested in what other guys are using and what works well.

 

[prm]

Swarovski 8x30 CL. Love them. Also 10x SLCs, but they are big. I wouldn’t mind some 8x56 for whitetail hunting.

 

[Waterboy]

That pretty much describes hunting in my woods. I've had deer 20 yards away in a light rain that I couldn't see with the naked eye 10 minutes after sunset.

The DNR here divides the state into zones, A, B, C,... Zone A goes by the DNRs published times, 30 minutes after sunset. Zone B adds 6 minutes, Zone C adds 12, and so on. I'm at the eastern edge of Zone B, so legal time for me is realistically 36 minutes after sunset. It gets DARK in my woods. A few years ago, about 15 minutes before last light, I missed a deer and hit a tree instead using a Nikon Pro-Staff.

I'm using a Leica Amplus6 3-18 now. It may not hold up to the drop test, and the reticle is a lot busier than I need, but at last light under my pines, I can see what I'm aiming at. For reference, I wasn't happy with either a VX-5 or VX-6. Tried a Swaro Z6, low light performance was great, but the parallax didn't work for me.

I did the same thing with my Nikon prostaff. Buck was walking the woods about 40 yards from me. I eye balled a decent shooting lane and waited for him to get there. Squeezed off a lung shot on a cedar tree about 5” diameter. I couldn’t make out a bobcat on a powerline at 50 yards 15 min after sunset with the same scope.

 

[Grizzle]

In BC we can hunt big game one hour before sunrise to one hour after sunset. In most conditions its dark before that but it's really common to get your opertunities when you can only make out details with binos and scopes I use need to be useable at as dark as legally allowed or can see un aided. That's reticle and resolving ability. Coastal blacktail in timber is dark at the best of times never mind being able to hunt as long as you can see .

Is there a FFP reticle in any scope that has passed you would recommend for very low light useability or would a guy in my situation be better off with something like an nxs 2.5x10 with the sfp mill reticle?