Browning Posted February 13, 2006 Report Share Posted February 13, 2006 I'm looking for a new 'scope for my, soon to arrive, 6.5 x 55. This rifle will be used purely for stalking Fallow and Red, on the hill and on open farmland. I'll probably go for Swarovski again, as I personally don't think you can beat the optics quality of the one I have on my .243. I'd like the opinions of experienced stalkers.... what do you think are the ideal 'scope magnification (fixed/zoom) and object lens size? And why? All advice very much appreciated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
henry d Posted February 13, 2006 Report Share Posted February 13, 2006 6x42 or 8x56 for just stalking,but I do a bit of lamping/sitting out so I have a variable 3-12x52. Out on the hill and open land you will get a lot out of a fixed,however when you need to get up close and personal only a variable will do IMO. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dunganick Posted February 13, 2006 Report Share Posted February 13, 2006 although i have done very little stalking i have used the 6.5 and other guns for a long time for foxing. personally (and i know alot of people who disagree) i preffer 7 or above (8x is ideal) my dad infact put a 6x42 swaro on his 6.5 to start with, and he got rid of it within a week and upgraded to hte 8x56 (which we allready had on the other 2 centerfires) it cost him him about £200 in lost money in the trade in and extra money he paid for the new scope. if the difference was not so noticeable he would have kept it (he isnt one to throw his money around). the only situation i have found a 6x is better is when stalking very close range in woodland etc (albeit stalking rabbits and foxes in my case) but if it was me i would go for 8x, it makes longer range shots on foxes much easier, and zeroing isnt such guesswork. thats just my opinion, i know one very experianced chap (my mentor if you like) who wont go above 7x for foxing or stalking. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
younggun86 Posted February 13, 2006 Report Share Posted February 13, 2006 i have a swarovski 8x56 on a .243! they are the dogs ******** and i have many friends which also think so! the bigger lens give you those extra mins at last light or when your in the woods! younggun Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
miffy Posted February 13, 2006 Report Share Posted February 13, 2006 I have got the 8x56 swarovski on my stalking rifle and an 8x50 swaro on my foxing rifle. As for fixed or variable.... i prefer fixed so that i aint wondering if i have turned the magnification up or down just as i'm about to take the shot. 8x56 is the ideal lens size to go for, summat to do with the eyes pupil size being 7mm in a dark environment and 8 dived by 56 = 7 which is the size in mm of the image in the scope. I could be talkin ******** of course and i'm sure someone will correct me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dunganick Posted February 13, 2006 Report Share Posted February 13, 2006 8x56 is the ideal lens size to go for, summat to do with the eyes pupil size being 7mm in a dark environment and 8 dived by 56 = 7 which is the size in mm of the image in the scope. I could be talkin ******** of course and i'm sure someone will correct me. its also the case for 6x42 and 7x50 :thumbs: hense why these magification/objective lense sizes are so popular Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
henry d Posted February 13, 2006 Report Share Posted February 13, 2006 Nick - Thats it mate,spot on(7x7=49 :thumbs: ) Only joking what Miffy and nick have said are correct,if you are stalking with a vari and it is screwed up to high mag you will have less twilight shooting time as it will get less light back through the scope,ie.12 mag through a 56 obj lens will give a figure of 4.66. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dead-Eyed Duck Posted February 13, 2006 Report Share Posted February 13, 2006 I use a 2.5 - 10 x 56 Swaro on my 0.223. Brilliant for foxing at night, although I must admit that I rarely change from the 10 magnification, as most shooting is in the 80 - 200 metres range. I have never compared the light pick-up compared to the fixed Swaro 8x56, but I would have thought that for practical purposes there is not much difference. If I was stalking in woodland the possibility to step the mag down would be an advantage if the range gets less than 80 metres. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dunkield Posted February 13, 2006 Report Share Posted February 13, 2006 (edited) I have a 6.5x55 for stalking and a 6x42 S&B on it. If you like Swaro's stick with them, they are fantastic scopes after all, some say the best... It is fine for woodland and hill stalking (don't forget most old timer and not such old timers recommend open sights or 4X max for woodland) This high mag thing seems to be a more recent trend. The only thing I will say it that low mag and thick (hunting) reticles are pretty useless for target shooting - that's my excuse anyway :thumbs: Variables need to be very expensive to retain excellent light gathering and the ability to hold zero when zooming in and out. Browning, I forgot to add, as you know Reds and Fallow are both pretty big beasts so mag shouldn't be so much of an issue as say a foxing scope. Edited February 13, 2006 by stuartp Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deako Posted February 13, 2006 Report Share Posted February 13, 2006 I rather rate this one: http://www.zeiss.de/c12567a80033f8e4/Conte...125710000294a68 :thumbs: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hawkeye Posted February 13, 2006 Report Share Posted February 13, 2006 I rather rate this one: http://www.zeiss.de/c12567a80033f8e4/Conte...125710000294a68 like to know the price ?:yp: :thumbs: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deako Posted February 13, 2006 Report Share Posted February 13, 2006 Somewhere over the £2k mark... :thumbs: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sargeant Bang Posted February 14, 2006 Report Share Posted February 14, 2006 I have got the 8x56 swarovski on my stalking rifle and an 8x50 swaro on my foxing rifle. As for fixed or variable.... i prefer fixed so that i aint wondering if i have turned the magnification up or down just as i'm about to take the shot. 8x56 is the ideal lens size to go for, summat to do with the eyes pupil size being 7mm in a dark environment and 8 dived by 56 = 7 which is the size in mm of the image in the scope. I could be talkin ******** of course and i'm sure someone will correct me. It's called the Exit Pupil I believe. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dead-Eyed Duck Posted February 14, 2006 Report Share Posted February 14, 2006 Good comment Stuart - when you say that thick crosshairs can be a problem. The reverse can be true at night however. I had a Leopold 6-24 target scope that I tried to use for foxing at night - useless. The crosshairs were that fine that I couldn't see them when lamping. Drove me nuts until I replaced it with a decent Swaro. Don Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
henry d Posted February 14, 2006 Report Share Posted February 14, 2006 D-E-D - I don`t agree,you can see in the middle of your scope there is a target and without any reticle in 9/10 shots I think you could hit it no probs. I`ll try to explain - I use the bus if I go down the town for a pint and the ticket is a rectangle,Without thinking about it I can fold it over lengthways,twice,into a square and I think that most people could as we are so used to working with geometric shapes. It`s just my theory as I still have 6/6 vision. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonno 357 Posted February 14, 2006 Report Share Posted February 14, 2006 (edited) I rather rate this one: http://www.zeiss.de/c12567a80033f8e4/Conte...125710000294a68 :o Looks similar to this one taken from the Guntrader website Oh And its £1750 secondhand Jonno Edited February 14, 2006 by jonno 357 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dunkield Posted February 15, 2006 Report Share Posted February 15, 2006 I wonder how much it would be without the poncey carry case Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hubertus Posted February 15, 2006 Report Share Posted February 15, 2006 I use for shooting deer mainly a Zeiss 3-12x56.For driven days a 1,2-5x32. The first one is really heavy but brilliant for shooting with low light (dusk and dawn). My girflfriend have a Zeiss Varipoint 1,5-6x42. That is in my opinion the best. Its much more lighter compared to mine but still fine for dusk and dawn. I prefer ALWAYS not fixed scopes. Biggest advantage is: if they come very close you can turn down the scope and see much more. I would never buy a 8x56! My father had one years ago but sold it. Its totally **** if you try to shoot a something 20 meters away. The deer is then bigger then your scope. Hubertus Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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