Wich scope to choose?

[pokynojoe]

There is no way anyone can imagine just how good a high end scope can be without using one. Just from the aspect of durability as well as clarity, resolution and light management the better scope are quantum steps ahead of scopes like the Lumizone. The Leupolds are built to with stand the forces of rifles that detach retinas and while I understand that the crossbow submits recoil to scopes in different directions they are insignificant by comparison. I once had a Bushnell Scope Chief on a 50 cal muzzle loader that had a broken reticle after the gun fell from leaning against a wall. My 300 win mag has been knocked over a couple of times in my 13 years of ownership with not even a change of POI. None of this is meant to trash the Lumizone but to extol the virtues of buying scope that costs much more than the object that it is being put on. I think that the Lumizone is the best crossbow scope that has ever been offered, but you pay for what you get. Pokynoloe, I see no evidence to prevent me from using the Leupold or my B&L 4200 or my Nikon Monarch Gold on anything I shoot. I even have a B&L on my Diana air rifle that spits out pellets at 1100 ft/sec.
They are all guaranteed for life with no stipulation as to what it is to be used on.
I have shot rifles for so long that hold over is natural and the only time I hold over is when I am shooting past 30 yards.
Sorry for the long post.

Thanks Boo, I appreciate your insight. I too, have Leupolds and Nikons on my rifles, and they have never failed in many years use.

Regards
Joe

[Cossack]

If you're concerned about lightweight scopes, Burris just put out a heads up display red dot that is only 2-3 inches long and weights just ozs.
http://www.opticsforyou.com/product-8857-0-1-1.html

[Matthias72]

bstout,
in reality if yur scope has a parallax error zero@100m, the error on shorter distances is not noticeable because decreasing the distance the error increase, but on the same time also the distance decrease, so the error angle is lower.
On my opinion the avantages of a expansive optic, used with a crossbow, are enormeous here in Europe, because the animals here arrive normally beween the sunset and the night, so many many time you are waiting them since 3-4 hours before, and it is very bad after a so long wait that you can hear them nearby you but you can't see them!
I don't know if the animals have the same habit also in north America.
But here is very important can shoot on low luminosity conditions.
However, normally this kind of optic have only a central cross, so, to use them with success with a crossbow, you need a adjustable mount to angle in few second the optic following the different distances.

Regards

Matthias

[Matthias72]

Yes I agree.
However many optics with a variable number of magnifications, setting at the lower value 3x for example as mine, you can see perfectly the target and the crosshair. The problem is if you use a fixed magnification scope as a 6x for example.

Regards

Matthias

[Matthias72]

Yes also on mine it don't change, it is set at 100 meters. But if you aim for a target at 20 yards , for example, and your scope magnification is set, for example at 12X, you can't see in focus this target. But if you change the magnification from 12x to 3x, now you can see perfectly in focus both (crosshair and target). And 3x/4x are perfect on short distance.

Regarding parallax error, if now you see through my optic the target at 20 yards and you move the eye inside the optic, Yes! You can notice a little parallax error but it is may be 0.5 cm, so pratically zero. At 50 metres it could be 1 cm or less. So it is not noticeable, especially if you shoot on the correct eye position, in this case really it is zero.

Regards

Matthias

[Boo]

Not to argue, but rather explain my choice in optics. I have been disappointed with "lesser" scopes when sitting in a tree stand on an over cast day in a small opening in tall timber. At sun set, half an hour before the end of legal shooting times I've put my "lesser" scope on an animal to determine if it had antlers and couldn't make a decision as to the sex or age of a deer. Maybe my low light vision sucks but all I know is that I need better optics.

I might be wrong but I believe the adjustable objective lens was intended for precision shooting for small targets like ground squirrels or gofers or targets where a fraction of an inch makes the difference between success and failure. I doubt that the parallax will make any difference on a 6" boiler room shot.

[Boo]

Bstout, I think this is agreeing to disagree. What keeps a discussion interesting and informative is the lack of forcing ones opinion on the other. We can gain knowledge that way! Now I need a scope like yours! LOL! This forum has lost a few good men because of the lack of civility from self-proclaimed experts during "discussions" and have at the same time lost assets and treasures. Sad, unfortunate and preventable to say the least. I, for one, enjoy reading your difference in opinion.
Don

[awshucks]

Bob, I've fooled around w/ scopes all of my life. Here's what I think. The AO scopes will give a very clear TARGET picture when set at correct range. To get a clear view of the xhairs, one often has to adjust the focus on the ocular end, and most mfgs advise to quickly glance at like a cloud and keep quickly redoing it so your eye can't do the adjusting for ya. On scopes w/o the AO, you often times have to fiddle w/ that ocular adjustment to get both the xhair and the target in focus. There's a sport using air rifles called Field Target, much like archery 3-D, unknown ranges. Most of those guys use high end AO scopes up to 16X and like you mentioned use the AO setting as a range finder. Parallax adjustment, or lack there of can be compensated for if one can mount the stock the same every time. I shoot rh guns left handed, so I have AO scopes on all my rifles. I have two xbow scopes now, a L-zone and a Leupold VX II w/ xbow reticules I got from Danny Miller. I'm sure the L-zone is parallax adj for xbow ranges and have no idea on the Leupold, however both scopes provide excellant accuracy out to 50 yds the farthest I've tried shooting xbows. My only problem w/ either is I can focus them while bench resting and then need to refocus to get a clear picture when offhanding, takes some fiddling to find a happy medium.