TreednNC

Not all of my scopes have a large objective, but most were bought when I was young and dumb and didn't know any better then when I got older and wiser, the kids and family come first lol. So, what size objective do you put on your DEER hunting rifle scopes. Personally my go to has a 44mm objective. Ideally I would like to have one of those 56mm objective Leupold has, though I suspect it would make it awfull tempting to stay later than the law allows or start earlier for that matter. I can in some instances see where it would help in a cutover or wooded area where the shadows may be awful dark before legal light is up. I know I used to hunt a cutover in a hollow and the east facing slopes got mighty dark before legal light was up and Id come down when I could no longer see and stalk my way out to the fields I had to go back through to get to the truck and occasionally see deer and even a shot at deer in the field with 5min or so of legal light left.

Also brings to mind another point. I don't really like pointed a gun 'blindly' so to speak to find what I assume is a deer that I can't see with my naked eye, but again, before I knew better, I have hunted places where it was just too dark to see with the naked eye, but could hear them walk, and find them with the scope on low power and see them just fine through the scope.


So what do you guys prefer as an objective size and WHY?

44 is my go to just because of the gun it's on, but I have a 50mm objective scope that I like as well just because of the low light transmition.

Mojotex

A high quality scope .... 40 mm is big enough, and still lets you mount the scope fairly low to the barrel, making it easier fr me to get on point.

quickdraw62

Actually, 44mm isn't too bad. 50mm is pretty good and IMO, 56mm is overkill. As always, there's much to consider.

First, quality of glass is every bit is important as OD. If I were forced to cut, I'd cut the objective size before quality glass.

Next, think exit pupil. What magnification are you looking for and how old are you? The eye can only accept so much light and the older you are, the less light they can accept. Unless you're looking long-range high magnification, 56mm is simply unnecessary.

Finally, there's weight and bulk. The larger the OD, the more weight that you're packing in.

I hope that's at least some food for thought for you.

Sheridan

The Law of Diminishing Marginal Returns applies here.


For me, a 44MM is about the best compromise.

TreednNC

All good things to consider. Would DEFFINATELY NOT cut the quality of the glass by any means. Glass is and quality are the two of the most important features of a scope for me. I don't think Ive ever felt the need for bigger than 44....realisticly and lawfully speaking. Sure it would be great to stay a few minutes later, but the book says 30min before and 30min after...and that's that. What conjured the thoughts were that Im going to be in a club in SC this year and hour before and hour after is the law and I think it would deffinately be an advantage there....be here again, I'm old enough to know better than to start pointing a gun at something I hear but can't see with my naked eye. Guess that's where the good bino's come in handy.

thndrchiken

A quality 40mm objective will give better light transmission than a so so 50mm objective. Then you start getting into the height above the bore and having to change your cheek weld. If buying a quality piece of glass there is no reason to go above the 44mm.

bugsNbows

For me, a 40-42mm is plenty large enough. Low light usage will be best in scopes with great glass / lens coatings and exit pupils at or near maximum. IMO, a 56mm for regular deer hunting scenarios is absurd. They are too heavy, bulky and totally unnecessary.

timbercruiser

Glass quality and the coatings are the most important, and usually you get basically what you pay for. Several years ago I bought a Zeiss Diavari and it is about as good as you can get, but if I were buying a new scope today it would probably be a Conquest, 6500 Bushnell Elite or a Gold Monarch Nikon. No doubt with the Zeiss you can see deer and tell what it is that you can't see with a lower quality scope at dark thirty. Something I have seen mentioned several times that I don't agree with is the problem with a 56 mm. I have never had a problem with it, and my grandsons shoot it all the time and they don't have a problem with it.

Doe Dumper

40mm for me. I have a little of everything but the 40 is a good all around compromise of great light gathering and still low enough for good cheek weld.

bigcountry

Really depends on the purpose. ML's, get anywhere from 20mm to 33mm. I don't kill deer with ML over 150 yards. A 20mm leupold Vari-XIII can resolve anything at 150 yards.

For my groundhog rig, I got 44mm but would rather have 50mm. Its just a physics issue at this point. Resolution of an object is directly coorelated to objective size. Not magnification. I want to resolve a groundhog out to 500-600yards.