Is there a truly rain and fogproof scope???

[KenSel]

Well I spent the 16th and 17th hunting a state park reduction hunt that hadn't been hunted in over 6 years and there were some MONSTERS roaming around.  It was pouring the rain all day both days except for about an hour around noon on the first day and an hour right at daylight on the second day.  The scope on my slug gun was so fogged up that I missed a 40yd shot at a big doe, so I went out and got my handi and I had to pass on a buck because it was fogged also.  I did end up getting a big doe that someone had shot in the butt on the first day and a little spike on the second day both were at those little breaks in the rain.  So I'm wondering what scope should I get for hunting in these cold downpouring conditions; Bushnell Elite with Rainguard, high end Leupold, Nikon Monarch, Burris, ?  Anyone know of a scope that you can use in these conditions and feel confident in?

thanks,
Ken

[no guns here]

Advice... Two words... LENS CAPS!

Nothing will keep your view clean, dry, distortion free, etc if  you let rain hit your lenses all day.  Keep your lenses dry with some lens caps and at least you won't be fighting water droplets.

Fog?  You shouldn't have any fog or moisture on the INSIDE of your scope in this day and age.  If so, get a new scope...

Fog on the outside?  Keep the scope cold, in the elements and don't breathe on it.  Don't put your scope under your poncho to keep it warm and dry.  As soon as that warm glass hit cold, damp air it will fog on the outside.  Solution?  Keep your rifle as close to air temperature as possible, use lens caps, don't breathe toward your scope prior to shooting.  When it's real cold, I wear a neopren face mask.  This keeps my face warm and secondarily, diverts and diffuses my breath and seems to keep my warm breath from being directed near my scope.

Even my cheap Nikon's and Bushnells have a clear view if I keep the lenses at air temp and dry...


NGH

[skyhigh_seller]

I see so many people without lens caps and many with high dollar scopes.  They are $20 insurance.

[KenSel]

I was using the solid lens covers with my slug gun but had to remove them to shoot,  I'll pick up a pair of the see through ones and see if it makes a difference.

thanks,
Ken

[charles p]

Try not to cradle your gun or rifle.  As another reader stated, if your scope gets warmed my your body heat, it will fog on the outside whenever it is raised to the shooting position.  I have been known to sit on a stand with Kleenex stuffed against my lens.  They still get wet no matter what.  There is a wax product that can be applied to the outside of a lens and it will not fog.  It is made of taller and wax I think.  I put it on my glasses several times one year and it took 10 minutes for a gal at the eye glass doctor to remove the stuff. 

[JimFromTN]

What kind of scope do you have?  There is a world of difference between a $100 or less scope and a $200 or more scope. 

I have no experience with it, but I have heard the rainguard on the elites works really well.  The only issue with them is the short eye relief which you may not want on a slug gun.  They may have a slug gun scope with a longer eye relief.

[KenSel]

I prefer to stalk or still hunt and it's hard to not hold my gun close to me and it's hard to hunt that way with scope covers as most of my shots are quick.  I do believe I've come up with a perfect solution though.  I'm gonna remove the scope and use open sights when it's raining buckets.  As for the scopes, one is a Bushnell Banner 1.5 - 4.5 X 32 and the other is a Nikon Prostaff 3-9 X 40

Ken

[Oldshooter]

Bushnell Banner 1.5 - 4.5 X 32 and the other is a Nikon Prostaff 3-9 X 40

Shouldn't have had fog inside either of those! But what was said before is the ticket! a dry baby diaper, the cloth kind, will wipe the exterior lenses clean.

And if your shooting forty yards, you dont need a scope just sight down the barrel at that distance! Hold your index finger down the side of your barrel and shoot where its pointing, works for Marines in close combat in the dark!

[Mac11700]

I have had several of the cheaper scopes fog or leak on me at 1 time or another even new ones..but have never had a Weaver, Atec,or Leupold fog on me.I do the dunk test with all of my scopes I buy or trade for...Then I wipe the glass after careful cleaning it with some Rain-X disposable wipes and polish with a micro fiber cloth and even in a real fog they don't cloud over.Lens covers to me are good when your hiking thru brushy area and I use them then..but when I'm hunting..they are flipped up or off completely depending on the gun I use.If I hunt in a steady rain..I make sure I have a clean dry micro cloth to wipe off the lens from time to time if needed..but most of the time with the Rain-X on it I don't and have a clear enough sight picture to shoot with.

Mac

[KenSel]

thanks for the info Mac,  I carried some microfiber cloth on the second day of the hunt for that very reason, but never heard of the Rain-X wipes.  I'll have to track some of those down and use them on all of my scopes.

Ken

[j350hp]

for close in the woods work i like the raised scope bases that let u use either ur standard open sights or ur scope.