Learned something today about my scopes.

[Minesweeper3433]

I honestly was predicting the opposite when I tried this today. Weather wasn't all that great but I decided to try and do some ladder test shooting. I normally have my Vortex Razor 5-20 on this rifle as it's use is longer range unknown target shooting such as pumpkins, melons, and things of that nature. Despite having a 34mm tube and great glass I could not see my bullets holes at 500 today. However my Sightron 10-50 could see them through the mirage and humidity. Expected the smaller diameter main tube to count against the scope but it didn't seem to. Does the larger objective lens win out over tube size?

 

[mysticplayer]

Good optics allows you to see with clarity and resolution at LR. Big obj, big tubes, etc... don't do much if the lenses and set up is not up to the task.

The Sightron SIII has some of the best glass in a target scope on the market today. Certainly better then anything in its price range.

I am playing with the new SVSS and this offers even better clarity and resolution at LR.... Sightron is playing at the deep end of the optics pool now.

For disclosure, I am a Sightron dealer in Canada and a FTR competitor. I do not sell nor use Vortex scopes.

I compete with Sightron scopes!

Jerry

 

[XTR]

The tube size thing has been hashed and rehashed.

The perception that large tubes transmit more light is wrong, they allow more erector travel thus more elevation on the turret. When the objectives collect and focus the light it's a beam traveling through the scope. I forget the number now but it would probably fit thought a ½ inch tube, and what comes out of the ocular lens is measured in millimeters, I think it is something like something in the 3mm or 4mm range if I remember correctly.

The larger objective, more magnification, and likely better glass in the SIII is why you can see better with it.

 

[Turbulent Turtle]

The above post is not entirely correct. As I have explained in the past, a larger diameter tube does not by itself allow more light to be transmitted to the eye. The amount of light entering a scope is predicated on the size of the objective lens. The larger tube allows the use of larger internal lenses, IF and I repeat, IF the scope manufacturer chooses to take advantage of the larger tube to install larger internal lenses. The larger the lens, the more light it passes through; this applies to internal as well as the objective lenses.

In many 30mm scopes, the manufacturer uses the same internal lenses as in a 1-inch scope but allows for more travel if the inner tube thus providing a wider range of adjustment. Optically the 30mm tubed scope is the same as a 1-inch scope with the same size objective lens. That said, there are 30mm tubed scope that have larger internal lenses and while the provide for about the same range of adjustment as a 1-inch scope, they appear clearer, because of the larger internal lenses.

A 34mm scope would usually have the same range of adjustment as a 30mm scope but would sport larger internal lenses, thus giving you a clearer picture and a larger adjustment range. Some 34mm scopes have internal lenses bigger than the 30mm scope with a narrow range of adjustment, but they also suffer from the narrow adjustment range. For instance, my March-X has 60moa total adjustment in a 34mm tube; the internal lenses are much bigger than the 1-inch scope and bigger than the narrow range 30mm scope and the image is much brighter. This allows me to crank up the magnification and have a clear picture at higher magnification compared to a scope with small internal lenses.

However, all that being said, the quality of the glass cannot be compensated for with higher magnification and larger lenses. Better glass will provide better resolution than lesser quality glass.

Also, the lens coating is critical to the light transmission, especially in variable scopes with their large amount of lenses. I know nothing of Vortex and Sightron but if the glass is of equal quality, the higher magnification of the Sightron will doo a better job of resolving bullet holes at a longer distance.