With this video I am looking to step back a little from the very expensive products I have been mostly looking at and test something with a broader appeal.
The sighting set-up in this video, altogether, costs about $700 which is still a lot of money, but is a far cry from the $4k+ setups I have been looking at.
The specifics optics I am looking at are Delta Hornet 1-6x24 with DDBR reticle and Hawke Micro RDS with 5MOA dot.
I am back home after a "bucket list" Aoudad hunt, so naturally that is what I want to talk about in this livecast. I'll talk a little bit about the environment, gear I used, and lessons learned.
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CJhMHrXhgNk
This camera is really struggling with focus hunting. I think I will have to use it in manual focus mode...
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mvWklW69TBE
Observation Optics for shooters. Let's have a discussion of how to look at binoculars and spotters if you are a shooter.
Post show notes and links:
The subject of good binoculars for kids came up. I really like lower magnification options for this.
Budget and surprisingly decent option is Kowa YF 6x30 https://bit.ly/3F69q5W
A little higher end and more compact is Maven B3 6x30 https://bit.ly/3meDYcO
For LRF binoculars, for $1200 Delta Titanium RF 9x45 is probably my favourite if you are on a budget: http://darnfineshot.com/deop9xhdrfra.html
As you go up in price a little, Meopta Optika LR is looking very promising: https://bit.ly/3A0EIaI
If you can live with a large porro bino and do not need an angle indicator, the depth of field of Steiner 10x50 LRF is really something and it is the only one to combine LRF with a reticle in the other barrel: https://bit.ly/3zRBfuN I was surprised with how good it is optically.
For a general non-LRF binocular, I have been using my prehistoric 6x32 Vortex Viper and the much newer Vortex Razor UHD 10x42: https://bit.ly/2WopuhJ
Someone asked a question about vintage binoculars. If you want a vintage look and modern performance, consider Swarovski's GA 7x42. Amazing depth perception. https://bit.ly/3CSRoC6
If you are ready to spend some money on a truly world class bino LRF, I think this Leica is probably your best bet: https://bit.ly/2Y3W49H
With spotters, the best currently available spotter for shooter is Hensoldt:
-Spotter 45 https://bit.ly/2ZNR9dz
-Spotter 60 https://bit.ly/3m9HoxM
Swarovski STR (https://bit.ly/2Y1QDaC) is up there and I used it for several years, but Hensoldt's depth of field wins the day.
Personally, my two "beater" spotters that use all the time are not as nice, but not priced like Hensoldt and Swaro.
Athlon Cronus Tactical 7-42x60 https://bit.ly/3kUJuSC
Athlon Ares G2 UHD 15-45x60 https://bit.ly/3D1ZNDc with 22x reticle eyepiece https://bit.ly/2ZDogQV
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1TCUZGuCdTI
This is so so cool. I am gong to get my hands on one and review it. The video was taken at AUSA where FoldAR had a booth. I had a chat with these guys and I liked what I am getting from them so far. They answered the questions intelligently. Noone tried to BS me and the concept looks very cleanly designed. The conical mating of the barrel extension to the receiver should be very repeatable.
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oNHttc95jJg
A quick look at several precision scopes with 50mm (or close to it) objectives: March 3-24x52, Tangent Theta TT315M 3-15x50, Nightforce NX8 2.5-20x50, Crimson Trace 5-series 3-18x50, Brownells MPO 3-18x50, EOTech Vudu 5-25x50
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oqti51KdGug
Having talked a little bit about flashlight during the last show, I figured it is a good idea to talk a little bit about "light" in general. I'll start out with a little bit on flashlights, specifically I want to re-visit the whole "lumen vs candela" business and then we'll go from there. If there is time, the subject of light transmission really should be discussed in some detail.