So, my bushnell 2-6 has about had it with recoil, the screw on the magnification adjustment is near the breaking point.
The scope had a different issue as well: the eye relief was less than 24 inches (which is where I'm at with my long arms extended) above 3x, so the tunneling was terrible.
Fine that most shooting is done at 3x or less, but why have a scope that has the capability and weight if not to use it occasionally?
So I want to buy a new pistol scope with lots of zoom (I'll use an ultradot again for 100y and under shooting), but I'd really like to know that it has 24" of eye relief at max zoom. Any of you guys know a model that fits the bill? The Nikon model claims 30", but I'm betting that's 30 inches at minimum zoom, and much less at max zoom. I'd love to hear that the Leupold scope has the eye relief at 8x, but also not so sure. (customizable from the custom shop? I'm guessing no?) Any help?
----whiterabbit
*****
The tradeoff between MAGNIFICATION and EYE RELIEF registers as
diminished FIELD of VIEW. To increase magnification, we shorten eye relief or shrink filed of view. Just as Leupold forced the scope industry to improve weather-proofing, Leupold also held the line on eye relief. For rifle scopes, Leupold holds 4-inches, and forces other specifications to comply. For handgun scopes, Leupold could not escape the optical fact that magnification is even less of a free lunch.
As a rule, Leupold occupies the high ground in handgun scopes. The excellent Leupold 2.5-8x32mm LER must be set rearward as far as practicable to maintain FIELD of VIEW @ 8x. “Lots of zoom” in a handgun scope means shooting from a very steady rest. Perhaps a speed or running shot will never come into play, eliminating need for the great 2x.
PRONE provides the
shortest eye relief of any position. CREEDMOOR provides the
longest eye relief. To achieve the longest eye relief at high magnification, you may have to settle for a narrowed field of view. Competitors on IHMSA Field Pistol and NRA Hunter Pistol created the “taco hold,” in which the offhand grasps the scope tube. Cartridges with pipsqueak recoil topple the half-pint silhouettes, which in turn promotes use of rifle scopes, and for which 4-inches eye relief may be too much.
I have Burris LER scopes from a generation past. To counter PARALLAX, which magnification aggravates, Burris incorporated AO----Adjustable Objective----on many scopes. My Burris 10x AO sports nice glass; on the Ruger MK II 6-7/8” bull barrel target pistol, the Burris factored nicely in 1/4” and 3/8” groups, sandbagged @ 25 yards. Beyond such forays, high magnification doesn’t factor into my brand of shooting. The Leupold 2.5-8x32mm with Leupold target turrets and dot reticle has allowed me to record groups of 3 to 4-inches @ 300 yards, bagged with my Jim Stroh, Shilen barrel Freedom Arms M-83 .44 Mag. Only through this shooting, and plenty silhouette, does the handgunner learn how desperately vulnerable a revolver bullet is to wind. And learn the exceptional stability of a top revolver bullet at long range.
You will also want REPEATABLE ADJUSTMENTS for precise accuracy at long range. The Leupold target turrents are, exceptional , and trustworthy as any I’ve shot. Where the Leupold click moves POI 1/4” @ 100 yards on a rifle, the target click is closer to 1/2” in the Leupold LER handgun scope.
Buddies from the crowded firing lines of silhouette gone by include brothers Philip and Charlie Braud. The Brauds may be able to update you on handgun glass. These
sharpshooters made the transition to scoped steel shooting that I left behind. Their experience is anything but superficial. In steel shooting, we constantly adjust sights, for wind as well as trajectory. Dick Thompson hung up his IHMSA spurs decades ago, reapplying the hunting experience he carried into silhouette in the first place, again to the field, this time with optics to match his marksmanship skills. Dick might not have the thickest knowledge on high magnification, but his scopes must match his ability.
David Bradshaw
