optics

Two Super Spotting Scopes From Zeiss

Dave_Maccar — Thu, 04 Aug 2011 10:49:50 -0400

by David E. Petzal

Over the past several months, through the forbearance of Carl Zeiss, Inc., I’ve been able to form a meaningful relationship with two spotting scopes that deserve special attention. Neither is brand-new, and I believe I’ve written about at least one before. But so what? Would you play Screamin’ Jay Hawkins recording of "I’ll Put a Spell on You" only once? Huh?

The first of these is the Victory DiaScope T* FL, which comes in 65mm and 85mm versions. (I had the 85.) It’s rubber-armored, runs from 20X to 75X, weighs 52 ounces, comes in straight or angled versions, and costs a lot of money. You can look up the price yourself as it varies considerably by source.

The important thing about this instrument is, its brightness, sharpness, and high magnification render it nearly intergalactic in its capabilities. If you’re a serious shooter, it’s worth the money, period. It will do things that other spotting scopes can’t.

The other scope is the Dialyt Spotter, an 18X-45X modification of the traditional Alpine guide’s drawtube scope, except that this Zeiss is solid, and therefore waterproof. It’s heavily rubber armored and designed to be used without a tripod which, trust me, is a major convenience. You can balance it on your pack, or your friend Ed if he happens to be lying down (be careful about this sort of thing) or the saddle of your horse Thunderdent, or damn near anything. To this grizzled old jaeger, the Dialyt Spotter is the only legitimate competition for the Leupold Golden Ring as a hunting scope.

As for price, see my remarks under DiaScope. And it may bring a smile to your faces to know that I sent them both back with profoundest feelings of schwermut, Verzweiflung, und todeangst.*

*Gloom, despair, and agony.

The Old Days: Fogged Scopes and Wet Feet

Dave_Maccar — Wed, 29 Jun 2011 10:09:25 -0400

by David E. Petzal

Through the kindness of a friend, I came into a copy of a handbook called “Deer Hunting,” published in 1966 and written by Warren Page. There’s a lot of good advice in it--Lefty knew his business--and there are also some jarring reminders of how much things have changed.

Page spends a couple of paragraphs on rifle scopes, fragility of, how to avoid fogging, and I was shocked to realize I couldn’t remember the last time I saw a scope built in the last 20 years that had fogged. I’ve seen a number of them that were broken by recoil or poor treatment, but no fogging. That problem seems to be licked.

The same with wet feet. The last time I got wet feet from a pair of “waterproof” boots was in the late 1980s or early 1990s in Virginia, when I hiked through the hills and hollers in a pair of Gore-Tex-lined boots that leaked like sieves. The problem was not with the Gore-Tex itself, but with the fact that boot makers didn’t know how to use it. Since then, I can’t remember a Gore-Tex boot leaking.

When I was starting out with a gun in my (left) hand, you wore rubber boots or you had better have a couple of changes of socks along. Also, I seem to recall that you froze a lot no matter how much you wore.

There are a great many things about the old days that I miss, but not that.

Field Tester Wanted: Rock the New Revo Water Lenses

Joe_Cermele — Mon, 18 Apr 2011 10:01:10 -0400

By Kirk Deeter

One of you is going to get a keeper pair of the newest Revo polarized sunglasses--the "Guide" model, with the new "Water lenses" that have the fly fishing world buzzing (a retail value of $179). And all I want in return is your honest opinion. Well, it's not quite that easy. You're going to have to work a little to earn this spot on the FlyTalk field test roster.

Tell me, in 50 words or less, why the sunglasses a fly angler wears are as important (if not more important) than the rifle scope, or binoculars, or spotting scope, or rangefinder a big game hunter relies upon (it's all about quality optics, right?). Explain it best, win me over, and you get the shades

The name Revo has been associated with high performance optics for more than 25 years. Now, the company is wading into the fishing world with renewed focus, and a lot of that centers around these "Water lenses" that are designed to block glare, and also adjust/compensate for the natural blue hues an angler encounters on water. As a result, the angler is supposed to see more naturally and clearly on (and through) water surfaces and currents. I have been playing around with a test pair myself for a month now, both in Florida and on certain trout rivers in Colorado. I have my own opinions about the glasses, but I'm curious to see if my findings match those of our winning field tester's, so I'll hold my comments.

Good luck.

Old Gear vs. New Gear: Snowshoes and Scopes

Dave_Maccar — Thu, 17 Feb 2011 11:07:24 -0500

by David E. Petzal

One of the areas in which I resisted change the longest was snowshoes. I had a pair of Vermont Tubbs traditional webs made out of ash and varnished rawhide in the “Michigan” pattern, and swore I would never get the new style Tubbs, which are made in China out of aluminum and neoprene. For years we got no snow, so I gave the old webs away, but this winter we got so much snow that I needed snowshoes just to pick up the branches on my lawn, and since I couldn’t find the old style anywhere, I got the new ones (the Venture model). I’m saddened to say the aluminum and neoprene monstrosities work much, much better than the old type. It isn’t even close. Next thing you know I’ll be replacing all my wood-stocked guns with plastic.

During the 1960s and into the ‘70s, virtually everyone who got a dangerous-game rifle in .375 H&H or bigger put a Leupold M8 3X scope on it. I think there was a law requiring it, or something. It had a field of view of 43 feet at 100 yards (as opposed to about 34 for a fixed-power 4X M8) and was a very tough scope, having very few guts to shake loose. But then variables took over and it was eventually dropped from the line.

Now, the M8 3X is available again from the Leupold Custom Shop. You won’t see anything on the website, but I’m assured it exists. They will build you one for $349, which is very reasonable, and it is a much better scope, mechanically and optically, than the old M8 3Xs. The two key differences are that the new one has an actual magnification of 3.4X (as opposed to 2.7X), and a field of view of 30 feet at 100 yards. And it still has very few guts to shake loose, making it just as fine a choice for a hard-kicking rifle as it was 40-odd years ago.

Leupold’s CDS Explained: Part I

Dave_Maccar — Wed, 29 Dec 2010 07:39:57 -0500

by David E. Petzal

As I revealed in my post of December 22, Leupold has a new range-compensating system called CDS which offers some major advantages to those of you who yearn to hit things Way Out There. Here’s how it works:

1. Buy a Leupold VX-3 scope equipped for the CDS system. (There are five models from which you can choose.) The scope comes with a “sighter” elevation dial that you use for getting the scope on target.

2. Figure out which loads you want to shoot at long range and then call the Leupold Custom Shop (1-800-LEUPOLD) so they can make you a custom dial. Provide them with the diameter, ballistic coefficient, bullet type (spitzer, round nose, etc.), muzzle velocity (it helps if you have a chronograph so you can give them what you’re actually getting), the average elevation and temperature at which you shoot, and whether you intend to zero the gun at 100 or 200 yards. The price is $50 per dial.

3. Leupold will then calculate how many clicks you need so that you can hit dead on at ranges from 100 to 600 yards, and will laser-engrave the yardages and index lines on an elevation dial. They will also engrave the info you give them on top of the dial so you can’t get it confused with another one.

4. Once you have your custom dial(s) you sight your rifle in to hit dead-on at 100 or 200 yards. Then, loosen the three tiny set screws that hold your sighter dial and replace it with the custom dial of your choice. Line up the “100” marking on the new dial with the index line on the turret, tighten the three tiny set screws, and you’re done.

5. To use the CDS system in the field, lase whatever you want to put a bullet in and set the CDS dial to that distance. Then figure out what the wind is doing and pull the trigger. If you’re concerned that you’ll wear out the elevation machinery, be advised that Leupold has given the system as much as 2,000 full revolutions, continuously, and had no failures.

In Part II: my own excellent adventure with the CDS.

A Big Deal from Leupold Optics!

Dave_Maccar — Wed, 22 Dec 2010 08:57:37 -0500

By David E. Petzal

On December 20 and 21, when normal people were watching their kids wet themselves in mall Santas’ laps, I was out in 20-degree weather (with winds gusting to 30 mph) testing a new range-compensating system from Leupold.

It’s called the CDS, and is just the ticket if you wish to join the ravening hordes who want to shoot at long range. CDS works with the Leupold VX-3 series scopes, and gives you these advantages:

- You get to use a normal-sized scope.
- Look ma, no batteries!
- It adjusts in 10-yard increments, unlike most systems, which adjust in 50-yard increments.
-The range compensation works at any power setting, not just one.
- It’s extremely simple.
- It works.

But here’s the catch: Leupold has a special offer in connection with the CDS that saves you $100, but it’s good only until December 31. So put down the eggnog, which you don’t like anyway, and click on VX-3 CDS Promotion.

Trust me, this one is worth it. Full details to follow. Merry Christmas. And as Tiny Tim said, “God help us. God help us every one.”

Deeter: Use Binoculars to Help Select Your Fly

Joe_Cermele — Wed, 15 Sep 2010 11:24:48 -0400

I've been spending a lot of time lately sitting high on the banks looking through binoculars at the river surface and watching trout eat. Many years ago, legendary guide Rusty Vorous taught me this trick while we were fishing the spring creeks in Montana's Paradise Valley. His theory was simple: If you take the time to watch the river through field glasses, you get a better idea of what bugs are hatching, and what trout are really sipping, long before you're standing knee-deep in an area where every cast matters, and every wasted motion spooks fish. That's especially important at this time of year, when waters are low and clear, and the trout have been through months of "education."

The late Charlie Meyers, with whom I wrote "The Little Red Book of Fly Fishing" was also a fan of this approach. In fact, he made it tip #163 on page 145 of the book.

Think about it. If you spend a little time outside of the area where shadows and noises matter, so as to dial right in on what the fish are eating... a subtle sip will tell you mayflies... a ripple and fin (but no head) might suggest emergers... an up-shot splash might indicate a caddis chase... a "follow and gulp" says terrestrial... you'll at least have more than a hunch what to tie on before you ever get your boots wet, or unfurl that first false cast.

I believe that the odds of hooking up diminish significantly with every cast, and every fly change. Far better to be "dialed" and make a first cast count than to play guessing games, especially in clear water. Like any angler, I get excited when I see rising fish, and want to jump right into the action. But I have learned that the bull-charge approach is seldom as productive as taking some time to get a clearer picture, and making that first cast a haymaker.

Binoculars will help you do just that. Trust me. Try it, and you'll see what I mean.

Deeter

Petzal: The Bushnell 6X-24X Elite 4200 Tactical

Joe_Cermele — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 11:07:14 -0400

When talking about the 4200 Elite, I find it necessary to repeat the following: When the scope came out in the early 1990s, I was drawn to it for a variety of reasons, and ended up with maybe half a dozen. When the company developed Rain Guard coating for the line, I sold all the first crop and replaced them with the newer scopes. All told, I’ve had something like 14 Elite 4200s in service for close to 20 years, used them everywhere, mounted them on some fearsome rifles, and never had one fail in any way, shape, or form.

Which brings us to the latest Elite 4200. It is a tactical scope, which means that it is designed to shoot people (If it’s OK for you to do so; otherwise don’t) or for use on a beanfield gun, or on a predator rifle. It has a 30mm tube, cranks from 6X to 24X, has a 50mm objective, dial-mounted parallax adjustment, and an illuminated mil-dot reticle in the first focal plane so you can range at any power. It’s neither long nor bulky, but at 22 ounces, it’s not light, which is actually an advantage on a tactical scope.

The illuminated reticle is powered by a battery mounted on the ocular-lens bell, and you can adjust it for brightness. When you turn on the juice, it glows an attractive lime color, or maybe it’s chartreuse. In any event, you will not need illumination until it is very, very dark, this scope being as bright and sharp as it is.

About price: The list for this Elite is just over $1,000, but in the real world, you can get it for around $750--or under $650 if you don’t want the illuminated reticle. This puts it in reach of even shooters who are not rich. Writing about affordable equipment makes me feel very badly, and I guarantee you that this will not be the case with the next tactical scope that I review here.

Gear Review: Nikon Coyote Special riflescope

JayCassell — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 14:19:30 -0500

Equipped with an open circle and bullet-drop compensating reticle, this scope has an antireflective honeycombed screen that eliminates game-spooking glare. It’s available in 3–9x40mm and 4.5–14x40mm.

Gear Review: Leupold VX-7 Varmnt Hunter riflescope

JayCassell — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 14:15:41 -0500

Excellent light transmission, fully multicoated scratch-resistant lenses, bombproof waterproofing, and a rangefinding reticle make this scope suitable for any conditions. It’s available in 3.5–14x50mm, 3.5–14x56mm, and 4.5–18x56mm.