Scope

Good Morning Fellas. I currently hunt with a Vortex Viper PST 4-16X50 EBR1 on my Remington 308 20 inch barrel. I love the scope for long range shooting, and hunting during the day. However The light transfer at dusk and dawn is something to be desired. I want to upgrade my scope to one that has better light transfer during low light situations. I looked at Shmidt and bender and Kahles scopes as a replacement but don't want to pull the trigger until I do my research. What scopes has anyone used that has great abilities at low light situations? 2 grand is my budget BTW.

Shmidt and Bender have a good reputation. I considered them, but went with Swarvoski instead. I have the 30 mil tube, which I figured would give more light then the one inch tube. At night, I can see more though the scope then I can with my bare eyes. I've even used it to find my truck when my flashlight died and wasn't sure where it was. I just looked around through the scope and was able to see it easily!!!

I have Schmidt & Bender 3 x 12 x 42 with 30mm tube. It has great glass and low light abilities.

Try the Trijicon 3-9x40, very bright and much lighter weight than the S&B.
Adios,
Gary

See if you can find a NF ATACR used somewhere. I found a 4-16x42 F1 the other night for $2100. It has a 34mm tube on it. Unfortunately, I can't remember where I saw it.

I use a NF NXS 5.5-22x56 and have used it on a few occasions to shoot pigs by moonlight without any other illumination, and it certainly is quite capable of visualizing deer during legal shooting hours under most all conditions. Definitely can recommend it and it should be available within your budget, especially a lightly used one. The ATACR's are even better, but physics is the law, go with a bigger objective, 50 or 56mm. S&B PMII's, especially the 3-12, are the other obvious choice, which might be available in that price range.

Lots of folks on here like Meopta and I am one of them. I have a Meostar 3-12x56 with 30mm tube and first focal plane. Hard to beat the glass in low light conditions. They have a model with an illuminated red dot if you want to pop some porkers in very low light conditions. Plus it is well within your budget. Example:

https://www.eurooptic.com/meopta-meostar-r1-3-12x56-rd-reticle-4c-matte-black-rifle-scope.aspx

In my personal experience, Schmidt & Bender, Swarovski and Kahles have the best glass and low light transmission. Lots of guys on here swear by the higher end Nikon, Vortex and Meopta. But none of them compare to the first three. I recently put a top of the line Vortex on my AR. After shooting the first three I mentioned for years, I'm not at all impressed with the Vortex.

Best binoculars? Swarovski ELs by a mile.