DM:

It all depends on the dollar. I too carry swarovski binos. I have a Swarovski scope on a 7mag. It does a great job, but was more than $1,000. But, for the money, look at the Pentax lightseeker and the 30mm lightseeker. I did a test teh other day and was amazed. My 8x32 Swarofxkis were not actching the same amount of light as my 3*9*40 Pentax Lightseeker. They ar around 400-500 and can not be beat. THe 30MM are a little more, but great quality at a managable price.

Just a note, my Leupold Euro 3-9 x 50 mm scope with the 30 mm tube has the internal part for the 1” tube. I verified this with Leupold.... I’m sure this isn’t the case on high end scopes with a 30 mm tube...

The Schmidt&Bender scope are by far the premimum in low lights and non-powered night scopes. The prices range from 1500-1800.

http://www.schmidtbender.com/index.shtml

The 2.5-10x56 will run you around 1695.00 here in Texas.

But you know with a 56mm objective, thats not bad. The price goes up exponentially as the size of the lenses.

I am seriously considering it. When hog hunting at night or right at the edge..... Now I just have to get my CFO to approve it. She is very tough on expenditures accept when it comes to her weapons... hey wait a minute... I could get it for her rifle and then use her rifle... maybe it would work

10-4, good buddy!

A few years ago, I bought a scope for nightpredator hunting. We use a spotlight with a red filter, so I didn't need to shoot in total darkness - but sometimes in very poor light. Put a fair amount of research into it.I wound up getting aKahles 8 X 56 and am pretty happy with it.

It seems to me that in Europe, where in a number of countries you can hunt at night (such as shooting boar from the Hocksitz with snow on the ground and moonlight), scopes are rated for night use by what they call the "twilight factor". Not only does this factor depend on excellence of optical quality, but also on power and objective lens size.

One of the best in this regard is the 8X56mm size fixed-power scope which gives the maximum useable 7mm exit pupil, besides being of relatively high magnification.8X56mm scopes made by Schmidt & Bender, Zeiss, Leitz, Khales, Swarovski, Meopta, and perhaps several others as well, are pretty much all acceptable for this use. However, I do not know how available this size scope is in the U.S. today, as most US hunters are looking for a variable of some sort. IMO, a variable cannot be made to be as good in this respect as a high-magfixed power with a big objective.

A personal friend of mine worked at Redfield in Denver for years, before they closed down back in the 90's. Several times she commented on American shooter's obsession with variable power scopes. From an optical standpoint, the fixed power scope has less glass in it and therefore transmits more light -and has a lot less to go wrong with it as well. But the variables sell, so the scope companies provide us with what we think we want . . .

There's plenty of pro's around the net that don't agree with you.... Or, at least it doesn't matter in the real world. http://www.opticstalk.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=1696&PN=8

Drilling Man