Being in the market for a 3x9 hunting scope, one that would primarily be used for night hogs, I found myself pondering the delta between a 40mm and 50-56mm objective. In theory, bigger is better. However, I'm wondering what this will mean in the real world. While it can theoretically gather more light, a larger objective adds:
- Cost
- Weight
- Height (higher from the barrel is always worse)
I pretty much settled on the Leupold VX-R series, which meant that there were 40 & 50mm versions of the scope that I wanted. So, I emailed Leupold to get the straight scoop from the horse's mouth. I mentioned that my application was nighttime of very near nighttime hunting. What they said was:
1. There is very little difference (negligible) in the light-gathering performance of those two optics
2. If someone is over 40 (and I am just over 40), the user's pupils will not dilate enough to take advantage of any of this additional light that might be gathered.
Good to know... I hate having huge scopes on my rifles. But it's depressing to find yet another thing that I can't do, because of my age... LOL
Thoughts?
40mm vs 50+mm for low light scope
1"We do have tough gun laws in Massachusetts. I support them. I won't chip away at them."
– Mitt Romney in a 2002 gubernatorial debate
– Mitt Romney in a 2002 gubernatorial debate