Fixed power scopes 6x end of an era?

[ImBillT]

sorry one more for you

Vintage SCHMIDT & BENDER W.F.W. SORNET 6 X 42 Ret. # 1 excellent OPTIC top SHAPE | eBay

LENS with BEAUTIFUL DARK GREEN-BLUE-RUBY-RED-COATING and CRYSTAL CLEAR, LIKE NEW! EXCELLENT SHARPNESS AND BRIGHT VIEW, NO SCRATCHES, NO SIGNS OF CLEANING! 100% PERFECT VERY SHARP VIEW! GREAT ORIGINAL CONDITION, BEEN ONLY SLIGHTLY USED and ONLY ONES MOUNTED, MINIMUM SIGNS AND MARKS ON THE STEEL...

www.ebay.com

Be careful with “vintage” for three reason.

1) a lot of those older European scopes didn’t come with windage adjustments. They expected you to do that with your rings or bases.

2) Lens coating technology made a BIG leap in the late ‘90’s and early ‘00’s. I have a mid ‘90’s 6x42 Docter that was just abou the brightest scope in existence at the time. Ten years later a $138 Weaver K-6 6x36 was brighter, and a European 6x42 would have been brighter yet.

3) if you go too far pre-nineties plastics and rubbers weren’t as long lasting. If the seals are brittle, you can lose the nitrogen charge and your scope will fog.

 

[ImBillT]

i would disagree, the one i bought a few years ago has better clarity, brightness than many scopes that are more than double the cost of it. to my eye it is still better optically than the VX5HD series. It holds it own next to my father in laws Swaro Z5, his Swaro X5 does blow it out of the water. it does depend on application though, but curious now what would you buy at the $500 price point?

A) I currently own one Japanese Weaver K-6and have owned 3-4. Its not in the same class as a Leupold FX-III. Hands down, period, no contest.

B) you cannot compare a variable scope to fixed power scope without accepting the extra lenses in your variable. One of the points of this thread is that fixed power scopes have an optical advantage due to having fewer lenses. You can easily buy a Leupold M8, FX-II or FX-III for under $450, it will have equal or better glass depending on which of the three you buy, and it will have a warranty.

What do I buy at the $500 price point? I bought NIB with warranty Meopta 3.5-12 and 6.5-20 on sale for $350 and $450, Sightron S-III 6-24 for $435, and S-Tac 4-20 for $400. I got my FX-III used for $300, and at the time you could get them NIB for $400. If you catch a sale, you can get the Meopta 6X42 for under $500.

 

[xFREDx]

A) I currently own one, and have owned 3-4. Its not in the same class as a Leupold FX-III. Hands down, period, no contest.

B) you cannot compare a variable scope to fixed power scope without accepting the extra lenses in your variable. One of the points of this thread is that fixed power scopes have an optical advantage due to having fewer lenses. You can easily buy a Leupold M8, FX-II or FX-III for under $450, it will have equal or better glass depending on which of the three you buy, and it will have a warranty.

i have never owned any of the previous Leupold 6x scopes just their newest current offering so i cannot speak on that, just what i currently have. i agree with you on the fixed vs variable in point B. But i can't comment on the other Leupold fixed powers. In my preference and my father in laws preference who spends big money on glass he loves the current Leupold 6x i have. i need to ask him if he has ever used any of their fixed offerings in the past, he never mentioned it but who knows.

 

[406dn]

I got my FX-III used for $300, and at the time you could get them NIB for $400.

That is what I paid for the same scope, very lightly used. It is imo, a great scope.

 

[ImBillT]

i have never owned any of the previous Leupold 6x scopes just their newest current offering so i cannot speak on that, just what i currently have. i agree with you on the fixed vs variable in point B. But i can't comment on the other Leupold fixed powers. In my preference and my father in laws preference who spends big money on glass he loves the current Leupold 6x i have. i need to ask him if he has ever used any of their fixed offerings in the past, he never mentioned it but who knows.

The latest M8’s have similar glass quality to the Japanese Weaver K-6, and you can get them in a 6x42, which has an automatic advantage over a 6x36. I don’t think the FX-II came in a 6x42 except for the Hunter Class Benchrest model, but the glass is slightly better. The FX-III comes in the 6x42 and knocks the socks of the Weaver. All three of the Leupolds have better contrast than the Weavers, so the animals are easier to see, although the lens coating may appear darker, if you look through both at low light, you will see as much or more through the Leupolds, depending on which Leupold you’re comparing.

The M8 and I believe FX-II have “friction” clicks. The FX-III actually clicks. The FX-III is compatible with their alumina covers and filters. The amber filter further enhances low light usability, and I was glad to have it one my first NM mule deer.

None of the Japanese K-6s had micro-trac, and their adjustments were no better than the Leupold adjustments. The old US made K-6s did have micro-trac in some models BUT the US Weaver glass was basically terrible.

I edited the post you quoted to include some sub $500 scopes. The variables are not brighter than the Weaver K-6, but they are variable scopes with side parallax adjustment, so they have at least two, probably three extra lenses. The Weaver V-Series is darker, in spite of being front focus, simply by adding the lens to make it variable.

 

[bman940]

I have the Meopta R2 8x56 and it is a beast of a scope. Great in any conditions and low light is where it really shines, literally! There is also a R1 in 7x56 that can also be had with a Red Dot. Meopta is known for its European glass for a reason.