Optics System Vote

[ChrisAU]

On a whim I upgraded from Vortex Diamondback HD binos to Swarovski SLC's this past year. Both 8x42. The SLC's are awesome, obviously. I've also really, really liked Leupold BX-4s in the past but I haven't had a pair of the 8x42's. I'm trying to be a bit $ conscious, and I think I know the answer to this but I'd like some other's thoughts.

I love 8x42's for the majority of my hunting, which is whitetail hunting in the Southeast. I do go west one week a year, and love glassing on a tripod, but I've always taken 10x42's to Colorado for elk.

This year we'll be going to Wyoming for antelope, and here I am with just 8x42 SLC's, a backup pair of 10x42 Vortex Diamondbacks (obviously not a 1st team candidate, I keep them for backups only), and a Kowa 602 20-60x60 spotter.

I want to try some big eye binos, but the budget is just tapped for now. I could sell the SLC's and get BX-4 8x42's for the chest and BX-5 15x56's for the tripod, and have my spotter in the pack too and be money ahead likely.

 

[realunlucky]

I had a similar experience this January with a Barbary sheep tag in New Mexico. I ended up renting a pair of 15x56 from guns and gear for around 200$

Sent from my moto z3 using Tapatalk

 

[Hatchet Jack]

antelope are really easy to find, really hard to judge. I'd keep the swarovskis. If this is a hunt where you're wanting to know the difference between a 74" goat and a 80" goat i'd rent a high end, large objective spotting scope.

 

[JGRaider]

Antelope are usually found in wide open or at least semi open country. I don't think you'd need a 15x bino for this type of hunt, IMO. You should be golden with those 8x42 SLC's (they're awesome), and that spotter.

 

[ChrisAU]

Thanks guys, typing it out made it seem even more of a bad idea and glad to see the affirmation ha. Will stay with the 8x42 SLC's and spotter.

 

[fatrascal]

You've already got a good thing going. Like the previous poster said, you can rent a pair of 15x56's if you really need to see what they are about. But what you have is a quality set up. Fatrascsl.