Thread: Scope or binos?

What would you say is more important (if you had to choose) between a quality scope, or quality pair of binos? I have a basic vortex diamondback setup, scope and binos. I may have an opportunity to buy a custom rifle package that includes a Zeiss victory HT scope, but the cost will stretch me a bit and I won't be able to justify(wife) the purchase of nicer binos for a few years. Appreciate your thoughts

Scope is what you shoot with, in saying that you may not even find them with shit binos. Tough call.

What type of hunting do you do?

If I could start again I wouldve bought the best binos I could afford. Nothing wrong with having a mean scope either

Depends what country you’re hunting too, if you’re the tops, open terrain or hunting rabbits on farm land etc, binos will be more important as you can sneak closer with a shit scope but you can’t shoot what you haven’t spotted

Binoculars are top priority for me , they don’t have to be the best of the best , but clarity and low light performance are a must .
If you cant find an animal ( it amazes me how many animals people walk past without seeing) then your flash scope will only ever be used on paper targets . To be a successful hunter you first have to find the animals, your binoculars are ten times more useful in this task than your scope .

Binos

Personally I'd put more money into the scope as that ultimately, is what seals the deal, especially when repeated and accurate dialling are required. There is the argument that you spend the majority of your time glassing and they are right however, you don't aim with your binos and a quality scope that will maintain zero and dial (if that's your thing) are essential. Just my opinion, either way you will have a quality bit of kit that will last whichever way you decide to go.

Originally Posted by Sakoswarosorted

Depends what country you’re hunting too, if you’re the tops, open terrain or hunting rabbits on farm land etc, binos will be more important as you can sneak closer with a shit scope but you can’t shoot what you haven’t spotted

Yes and then you spot an animal at dusk through the awesome binos, then get behind the not so awesome scope and 'what'!! where is it

Originally Posted by Ryan_Songhurst

Binos

Originally Posted by Ground Control

Binoculars are top priority for me , they don’t have to be the best of the best , but clarity and low light performance are a must .
If you cant find an animal ( it amazes me how many animals people walk past without seeing) then your flash scope will only ever be used on paper targets . To be a successful hunter you first have to find the animals, your binoculars are ten times more useful in this task than your scope .

Both statements made for open scrub/tops hunting. Binos are next to useless in thick bush.

If in open country let the binos do the work, the better the quality glass the less eye strain you get and better at spotting of animals dawn and dusk as well as farther distance without having that milky hazzy look.
Short range bush stalking just about any low magnification will scope will work.

Spotting animals with only a rifle scope is a pain in the arse if doing lots of it.

All depends on the type of country you hunt in, if it’s open country I would say Binos. Any scope that holds it’s zero will do the business once you have found what your hunting, even if it means stalking in a bit closer.

I have a couple of productive spots I go to. One is up a river and is pretty close quarter, sightlines no more than 200m, the other is tussock tops, long sightlines. Generally just deer, but I am keen to go after some tahr and chamois too. If I sell my current rifle setup and spend a grand I will be getting a better rifle, a much better scope and a weekend guided tahr hunt. If I just spend that grand on a better pair of binos they won't nearly the same quality as the scope.

Originally Posted by Gibo

Both statements made for open scrub/tops hunting. Binos are next to useless in thick bush.

So are scopes

Originally Posted by CamFlatt

I have a couple of productive spots I go to. One is up a river and is pretty close quarter, sightlines no more than 200m, the other is tussock tops, long sightlines. Generally just deer, but I am keen to go after some tahr and chamois too. If I sell my current rifle setup and spend a grand I will be getting a better rifle, a much better scope and a weekend guided tahr hunt. If I just spend that grand on a better pair of binos they won't nearly the same quality as the scope.

I wanted that victory too Haha

Binos for me. A really good pair will find you more game, especially in low light. Plenty of good enough scopes out there until you can upgrade later.

As Gibbo says, it a bit of a toss up. Good binos find stuff that a less good scope can’t see. Good scope finds less stuff due to field of view and the fact that scanning through a rifle scope is less easy than binos, you are likely to do less looking.