Thread: Small objective lens scopes?

Are the small objective lens scopes useful (by small I mean 24 or 28 mm). I understand a bigger lens is going to be better when light starts to disappear, but how much so. Looking at something 2-10 x 24, I like the idea of something compact but having more rifles than scopes would want it to go between a couple of rifles and uses, grendel and 22lr. Would one be ok for spotlighting at night or late evening hunting? Cheers

I've got a 24 mm variable (vortex strikeagle 1-6) and a 32 mm fixed 4x, never found them wanting except at last light and then it's not really an issue I don't think . Perfect for spotlighting. Easy to swap especially if on a rail, just record the clicks adjustment between rifles, dial it on or off and away you go. Zero doesn't alter.

The Leupold 1.5-5x20 has been my preferred bush scope for most of my time hunting. However if you will be swapping around onto a 22LR, with smaller targets, shorter ranges, then maybe quite a number of low-power scopes including the above won't be as suitable, given that zero-parallax distance (and perhaps focus) may come into play and need to be adjustable?

Having good glass can make up for the smaller objective lense.
I compared my Vortex PST 2.5-10x32 to the Athlon Helos 2-12x42 and the Vortex was considerably better in low light.

I'd probably want bigger than 24mm but the less magnification you have the less disadvantage there is to the smaller objective lens.

There aren't many 2-10x24 scopes on the market, you are more likely to find something 32-42mm.

Spotlighting will be fine with a small objective lens.

I run a tasco 1.5-5x 24 0n one of my main spotlighting rifles works well, and got a 2-7x32 on my other one.

Almost as important , fr me more is the tube diameter, big difference stepping up to 30mm in lower light , a lot of my shooting is at dawn and dusk, I'll take any advantage I can
I wouldn't go much under 42mm myself
Except for 1 -4 x for close up work for toothy clawy things or sharp horns eg cape Buffalo being one

Larger tube diameter makes no difference to light gathering, it just gives more available windage and elevation adjustment. It's the lenses that determine light gathering.

I have had several small scopes and I miss the light and compact aspect of them.
1-4x20, 2-8x32, fixed 2.75x26.5.
The 1-4 was for day time bush hunting with a course #4 reticale and I really like it. Still have it and it will move to my son's CZ 512 22wmr.
the 2-8x32 the cross hair's were too fine for my use so it got moved on.
the 2.75x26.5 is a reconditioned (recoated and gased) 1960's german scope which is still a great scope. son shot a goat using it recently and it still gets out.

I'm not doing long multi day tops hunts so extreme weight reduction is not so important, plus I wanted some extra power for shooting paper and 2-300 mtr shots.
However my 2 commonly used rifles have 2-10x42 and 4-16x44 scopes.
Also remember that as you age your eyes can't open as much so an exit pupil size of 5-6mm is all you need. at 5mm a 30mm objective lens would allow you to use up to 6x magnification before you start to loose performance.
Z

I have a Swarovski Z6 1-6x24 and have no issues with light gathering
..never felt hampered by it...

@zimmer once u gather light it still needs to get to other side
Happy to show u a comparison in real life

Originally Posted by Sharki

@zimmer once u gather light it still needs to get to other side
Happy to show u a comparison in real life

Zimmer is correct, the main tube doesnt have any influence on the amount of light that is transmitted.

The magic number is 7 ....which is why the old 6x42 and 4x32 have always worked in poor light. A tiny M8 4x is 4x28mm so again hits that magic 7. All the good light your eyes can use.

Greetings,
Agree with Micky, Zimmer and Husky above. Light transmission depends on the quality of the lenses and the size of the exit pupil or Micky's magnificent 7mm. Big lenses do not gather light like a dog rounding up sheep. This is just marketing BS and hype. The human eye can not use a scope exit pupil (the beam of light coming out the back of the scope) of much more than 7mm. For those of us with a few k's on the clock it is rather less than 7mm, one of the reasons that senior shooters tend to replace their scopes for ones with better and more expensive lenses with better coatings. Fat tubes have nothing to do with light transmission but certainly help with dialling.
Regards Grandpamac.
PS. Writing this post got me thinking about my T3 6.5x55. About the time I retired I bought a Leupold 6x36 scope for it thinking it would be a nice light rifle for Grandpa walks on the ridge north of Kiwi Saddle. I have just been standing out on the deck and can see that the ridge is still there but the body (at least for now) is not up to it. So will i sell my little T3 or put a bigger scope on it? Hell no!