Scope suggestions please?

[Ds J]

Evening Folks, would the knowledgeable please make a few suggestions? A friend is looking for a scope for his varminter in 223AI. It is to be used for night calls on jackal.

He wants a 40-50mm objective, 30mm tube and illuminated reticle. Budget is roughly R7000-R8000.

Ruggedness is a deciding factor.

Any suggestions?

[Minerva10210]

No idea on all the points you require DS. Especially the ruggedness, but in that type of price range, I wonder if the Vixen scopes from Camdix is not worth a look.

I have the 5-20x50 with the 30mm tube, and I am greatly impressed with it. Sure, my experience in scopes may not be all that, but I have used my BILs rifles with a Zeiss and Nikon atop, and can honestly not discern any real drawback to the Vixen.

I reckon after sales might be the only real unknown.

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[pblaauw]

Look at the Vixen's from Camdix like Minerva says...lifetime guarantee.. I have one of their basic 4-16's on my 3006 and it serves me well..

[driepootx]

Hawke, Vortex, Optisan, Bushnell, Lynx and others have scopes in that price range. For shooting at night 10x magnification is normally sufficient for shots out to 200-250 metres - wider field of view and you can shoot accurately. A 4-16 magnification range should suffice.

[ady]

Im very happy with the Lynx LX3 SA Hunt reticle. Support local

[TStone]

Evening Folks, would the knowledgeable please make a few suggestions? A friend is looking for a scope for his varminter in 223AI. It is to be used for night calls on jackal.

He wants a 40-50mm objective, 30mm tube and illuminated reticle. Budget is roughly R7000-R8000.

Ruggedness is a deciding factor.

Any suggestions?

This is a specialized application. I suggest your friend get in touch with a few REPUTABLE professional jackal hunters and ask their advice. There are a few of them on this forum and some on Jaracal forum.

[Messor]

Forget about the 30mm tube, that does nothing for this application, the main thing to focus on here is frontal objective, the only thing missing at night is light, and the smaller the diameter the less light intake.
You can zoom as much as you like, if you don't have the light to work with that magnification means nothing, hence all the cullers I krew had 8x56 scopes. You divided the 56 with 8 and got 7 exit pupil.

Now that I aint 20 anymore, I would definitely go at least 56 frontal objective for a night only weapon, but that is me.

[Craig Gerstner]

Forget about the 30mm tube, that does nothing for this application, the main thing to focus on here is frontal objective, the only thing missing at night is light, and the smaller the diameter the less light intake.
You can zoom as much as you like, if you don't have the light to work with that magnification means nothing, hence all the cullers I krew had 8x56 scopes. You divided the 56 with 8 and got 7 exit pupil.

Now that I aint 20 anymore, I would definitely go at least 56 frontal objective for a night only weapon, but that is me.

Spot on, that's the advise I got from my local jackal hunters

[driepootx]

I agree that an 56mm objective gathers more light, but these 8x56 scopes were not made for spotlighting. They were made to shoot at distances of 100m or less in thick woods in Europe in poor ligting conditions. No spotlights allowed.

A spotlight does exactly that - it puts light on the object you want to see. I have been spotlighting since young and any good scope will enhance the image you are seeing. When shooting vermin you have to make sure what you are aiming at - it could be the neighbours dog and not a jackal. Extra magnification is then benefficial to ID the eyes that you have picked up. You dont always shoot with the high magnification but turn it down to better follow the animal coming in to the calls.

[ruaanfs]

Hawke scopes is real value for money and its right in that price range. I am very happy with my Sidewinder 4-16 x 50.