Leupold VX-5HD 3-15x 44 vs VX-5HD 3-15x 56 in Low Light

[ludville1]

I have a Leupold VX-5HD 3-15x 44 on my Super Grade, and a VX-5HD 3-15x 56 on my Mark V...both scopes are Firedot Duplex. So tonight I decided to do a side by side comparison in the woods behind the house at the end of legal shooting light (1/2 hour past sunset in Michigan) with both scopes set at 5x. Didn't bother going any later, as I won't shoot beyond legal shooting light. The 56 was noticeably better/brighter, but certainly not a "night and day difference". Is it $300 better/brighter? Maybe if it makes a difference on a buck of a lifetime, lol!

 

[EKYHunter]

I have a Leupold VX-5HD 3-15x 44 on my Super Grade, and a VX-5HD 3-15x 56 on my Mark V...both scopes are Duplex Firedot. So tonight I decided to do a side by side comparison in the woods behind the house at the end of legal shooting light (1/2 hour past sunset in Michigan) with both scopes set at 5x. Didn't bother going any later, as I won't shoot beyond legal shooting light. The 56 was noticeably better/brighter, but certainly not a "night and day difference". Is it $300 better/brighter? Maybe if it makes a difference on a buck of a lifetime, lol!

Thanks for the comparison. Sounds like you’ve got some pretty sweet rifles.

 

[ludville1]

Thanks! I am very fortunate.

 

[A207X2]

Not to hijack the thread, but I have fallen in love with the Firedot! I have it on my new VX-5HD 1-5x24 and it’s amazing. I wish I would have got it on my VX-5HD 3-15x44. I went with the HTMR reticle but wish I got the Firedot. I’ll be getting the same scope but with the Firedot.

 

[NDGuy]

Not to hijack the thread, but I have fallen in love with the Firedot! I have it on my new VX-5HD 1-5x24 and it’s amazing. I wish I would have got it on my VX-5HD 3-15x44. I went with the HTMR reticle but wish I got the Firedot. I’ll be getting the same scope but with the Firedot.

The illuminated reticles are money. I have the Nightforce SHV with the Illuminated MOAR reticle. My next scope will be a VX6 with the TMOA Illuminated.

 

[Cornbread]

The illuminated reticles are money. I have the Nightforce SHV with the Illuminated MOAR reticle. My next scope will be a VX6 with the TMOA Illuminated.

I bought the VX6 with the TMOPA Illuminated reticle last January. It IS sweet. I read all the stuff about the first focal plane vs second focal plane and just was not willing to pay for something I'd never use. I have the Leupold range finder, and instead of screwing around trying to calculate the range with the reticle in the scope, the range finder gets it instantaneously. And I save a ton of money on the scope. I wish I would have bought 2 of those scopes instead of just one. i.e. a 2nd for my .30-06. I put the VX6 on my 7mm Rem Mag. What I worry about more would be shooting a fellow hunter in very dim light!

 

[KoolBreeze]

Surprising results. Shouldn't they be the exact same at 5x? 56 / 5 = 11.2 exit pupil; 44 / 5 = 8.8, both of which are larger than the human eye's entrance pupil. Perhaps the glass in the your sample of the 56 is a bit better than your 44. Don't know.

 

[Bambistew]

Have you ever been in a situation where it was legal to shoot and couldn't see through your scope? I can't really think of a single instance where this was true. Lots of times I couldn't see, but it was also 15 min before/after legal shooting light anyway. I may consider getting a huge scope though, since we don't have legal shooting time here. If you can see it you can shoot it.

 

[noharleyyet]

Loved the hubbles when they came out...44 is the limit for me now. Firedots preferable.

 

[BearLakeHunter]

Surprising results. Shouldn't they be the exact same at 5x? 56 / 5 = 11.2 exit pupil; 44 / 5 = 8.8, both of which are larger than the human eye's entrance pupil. Perhaps the glass in the your sample of the 56 is a bit better than your 44. Don't know.

I’m no expert on the subject but I believe it has to do with the objective lense size…..the bigger the lens the more light it can gather into the scope.

 

[KoolBreeze]

I’m no expert on the subject but I believe it has to do with the objective lense size…..the bigger the lens the more light it can gather into the scope.

That’s true only to a degree, as I understand it. The human eye’s pupil is 7mm at most and it generally gets smaller as we age. So as long as the scope’s exit pupil is at least as large as your eye’s pupil, your eye is taking in as much light as possible through the scope. Objective size / magnification = exit pupil size. So at 5x those 2 should be equal, if the glass is equal.

One unknown variable would be the glass since it’s not always consistent scope to scope. I’ve also read that higher the magnification multiple, the more complex the internals, the more light can be lost. So a 3-12x50 scope with the same glass, coatings, and etc would theoretically be brighter than a 3-18x50.

 

[Don Fischer]

I read an interesting article recently by a well known outdoor writer. I'm old and can't remember his name but being a writer he may or may not have a clue what he's talking about. He was talking about the light gathering ability of different scopes. Something he mentioned that really stuck in me was that that most scopes have the ability to gather more light than the human eye can see! It was somewhere on facebook in a forum by one of the outdoor magazines.

 

[A207X2]

Not to hijack the thread, but I have fallen in love with the Firedot! I have it on my new VX-5HD 1-5x24 and it’s amazing. I wish I would have got it on my VX-5HD 3-15x44. I went with the HTMR reticle but wish I got the Firedot. I’ll be getting the same scope but with the Firedot.

UPDATE: I just ordered the VX-5HD 3-15x44 with the Firedot reticle.

 

[ludville1]

UPDATE: I just ordered the VX-5HD 3-15x44 with the Firedot reticle.

Oh man, you are going to love it, congrats!