Optics can make a real difference in your hunt, and they are potentially one of the most expensive pieces of gear you’ll buy. So you want to avoid the duds and get the best binocular or rifle scope for your money.
Outdoor Life’s optics editor, Andrew McKean, has tested nearly every binocular and rifle scope over the last 20 years. In this episode of The Outdoor Life Podcast, he demystifies binoculars and scopes. McKean explains how they work, why they break, why good glass matters, what separates cheap and expensive products, he shares insight into the factories that make them, what to look for when you’re buying them, and he gives his top picks across different price ranges. It’s a must-listen episode for anyone who is buying a new binocular or rifle scope this season.
Here are some of McKean’s top tips from the episode.
Tips for Buying Binoculars and Rifle Scopes
Flashlight Test
At the optics test, McKean and the test panel shine a flashlight into the objective end of every binocular, rifle scope, and spotting scope. That allows them to inspect the interior and get a sense of each optic’s build quality. They’ve seen incomplete blacking, machining gouges, and some cringe-worthy surprises (listen to the podcast for the full story). You can also perform the same test when you unbox a binocular ordered online or before purchasing it in a store.
Country of Origin
You can’t judge a book by its cover, but you can make accurate assumptions about binoculars by their country of origin. Germany and Austria are renowned for producing the finest lenses for binoculars and other optics. Japan makes most of the mid-grade optics, but you can often get great value for the money with Japanese-made binoculars. McKean says China is a crap shoot, but can produce some excellent budget binoculars. The main differentiator in the quality of a Japanese or Chinese binocular is the company’s specifications, quality control, and use of proprietary coatings. In the podcast, McKean also explains how a handful of factories in Japan and China make most of the optics sold.
Cheap vs Expensive Binoculars
Top-tier binoculars provide a crisp, focused image due to their precision construction. McKean says if a binocular’s tubes aren’t perfectly aligned (called collimation), they won’t focus the same, which causes a slightly blurry image. A lot of cheap binoculars lack perfect collimation and use plastic housing, which can easily get knocked out of collimation. High-end binoculars use magnesium or aluminum housing for precision and durability.
McKean explained that lenses are ground from various formulations of optical glass. The key difference between cheap and expensive binoculars is how they’re ground. The lenses are curved, and precisely grinding them takes proprietary technology and time. McKean says grinding the center of a lens is relatively easy, but the edges are where you’ll see the most difference. Cheap lenses will have most of their flaws around the outer edges, and premium glass will have very few, if any.
If you spend all day glassing behind binoculars that are out of alignment, have chromatic aberrations, or have blurred edges. You’ll get a headache and eye fatigue. Another benefit of high-quality glass is the level of detail you can see, especially in shadows. So that mule deer bedded in the shade will stand out better with expensive binoculars.
Take Optics Outside
If you’re buying a bino or scope in a store, ask if you can take it outside to get a sense of the glass quality. McKean says you can’t tell much under fluorescent lights, but outside, you’ll be able to see glinting, aberrations, and the overall image quality. He says to pay particular attention to the edges of the image when comparing binos. When looking through a scope, make sure you can clearly see the reticle and check the illumination brightness outside.
Pay Attention to a Scope’s Eye Box
If you throw a rifle to your shoulder and half the image you see is covered by scope shadow, your rifle scope might have an unforgiving eye box. McKean says to look for a scope that allows your head position to be slightly off without causing scope shadow. That will build in forgiveness when you need to make a fast shot or take one from an awkward position.
McKean’s Favorite Binoculars
McKean’s favorite budget binocular is the Vortex Triumph 10×42, which only costs $100 and comes with a bino harness. If you want a good binocular, he says, “The Maven’s B1.2 or B.2 (9×45 or 11×45) are solid, and built around bright Japanese glass.” The Mavens cost $950 to $1,200. The next step up in price is this year’s editor’s choice winter, the Zeiss SFL 10×50 ($1,800). If you want a top-tier binocular, McKean says, “I’m a big fan of Swarovski’s NL Pure line (costs around $3,000).”
McKeans Favorite Hunting Scopes
All-Around Whitetail Scopes
McKean’s favorite budget whitetail scope is the Leupold VX-Freedom 3-9×50. The illuminated version costs $599 and the non-illuminated costs $350.
“It’s a classic mid-magnification scope with a good field of view and a big objective lens — reason being I want as much low-light brightness as possible for making a shot at a last-light buck. So a duplex reticle with an illuminated center dot aiming point,” he says.
He also likes the Sig Sauer Tango-MSR 1-6×24 ($290) as a straight-wall or lever gun scope.
Do-All Western Scopes
McKean’s favorite western big-game scope is the new Leupold VX-5HD Gen2 in 3-15×44 with WindPlex reticle. Read his first look here.
“For a Western scope, I am a big fan of second-plane options with holdover references. The reason is twofold. I don’t want a first-plane reticle to get so big at high magnifications that it obscures my aiming point, and I’m simply faster with second-plane scopes,” he says.
If you prefer a first-focal plane reticle. McKean recommends the Vortex PST Gen2 Viper in 3-15×44 and Tract’s Toric 2.5-15×44. He says they have bright glass and useful reticles.
Read the full article here
