Not impressed with Bushnell 3200 in dim light

[brownsfan]

I've got a standard matte Bushnell Elite 3200 3x9x40 on one of my rifles and a Bushnell Trophy 3x9x40 on my other gun.
With the 3200, I am running out of shooting light on a cloudy day after about 20 minutes after sunset.
(This is open field hunting, with the scope set at 7 or 8 power shooting from a blind, and legal shooting time is 30 minutes after sunset.)
I have to strain to find the crosshairs and the entire view is not what I would consider impressive in fading light.
Maybe that's why Bushnell gives you the option of "firefly" cross-hairs or the "3-2-1 recticle".
(You might need these features in order to even find your crosshairs.)
I actually think my 3x9x40 Bushnell Trophy performs better in fading light!
I guess I will have to take both guns out to the deer blind for a real field test, since I keep seeing deer just as the 3200 fades completely out.
A little disappointed here....
Is the 4200 series an improvement in this area or should I switch to another scope brand for "low-light" shooting entirely?
Or am I just expecting too much?

[Howler]

my 4200 is only a fraction brighter than my 3200 firefly!
maybe your scope has a factory flaw or maybe you are expecting to much.

[Graybeard]

Or maybe the objective lens is coated with dust and needss to be cleaned. All scopes will do exactly as you mention when that happens.

GB

[brownsfan]

Nope, no dust...just checked and cleaned the lenses before I went out on that hunt.
I also have a Butler Creek pop-up cover on the front lens.

After the 3200 faded out, I took a look at a deer walking (at 150 yards) through my compact binoculars (Nikon 7x20 Travelite IV) and things actually brightened up.

[Graybeard]

Hmm, very strange. It sounds like it might be a good idea to check out the life time warranty on the Elite scopes on yours. Now it is true that any fine reticle will go away on you early and late and that can be a problem you should be able to see thru the scope to see the animal pretty plainly. I've just not had that problem with my Elites.

GB

[Swamp Fox]

Another thing to rember is that the image will be brightest at the lowest power setting.
I have a Bosch & Lomb 3200 W/50mm obj. (pre bushnell) It does a great job of extending shooting time. When I'm in the field I leave it on 3 power.

[brownsfan]

On the plus side, the Elite 3200 did fine tonight, since we just got some fresh snow on the ground here in Michigan.  With the addition of some snow, things looked pretty good right through legal quitting time.

Also, I passed on shooting a button buck (like a good boy) with less than 10 minutes left.

[brownsfan]

I compared the standard Bushnell Elite 3200 (3x9x40) to the standard Bushnell Trophy (3x9x40) side-by-side on two of my rifles.

This was done by continually swapping guns and looking through each scope while using a sandbag rest.
I began about 10 minutes AFTER sunset and I continued the process as the remaining daylight finally faded into darkness.

I noticed that the Elite 3200 was less "position sensitive" as one could move their eye and head a bit more without the scope "blacking out".
The less-expensive Trophy seemed to have slightly heavier crosshairs that stood out a little bit better in the fading light.
However, I noticed no difference in picture "brightness" between the two scopes.

[RandyWakeman]

I've got a standard matte Bushnell Elite 3200 3x9x40 on one of my rifles and a Bushnell Trophy 3x9x40 on my other gun.
With the 3200, I am running out of shooting light on a cloudy day after about 20 minutes after sunset.
(This is open field hunting, with the scope set at 7 or 8 power shooting from a blind, and legal shooting time is 30 minutes after sunset.)Is the 4200 series an improvement in this area or should I switch to another scope brand for "low-light" shooting entirely?
Or am I just expecting too much?

Swampfox hit the reticle on the head-- crank down the power ring, that's all. From 8X to 4X, you have double the exit pupil, simple as that.

Yes, the 4200s have brighter glass-- but, that's good for only an extra 5 minutes or so at the end of the day. Sightron SII and Zeiss Conquests also have brighter glass.

[woodseye]

Hey brownsfan......Randy hit it square on the head, with a 40mm objective lens you can't go much above 5X and not start to limit the light more than your own eyes exit pupil at dusk. To utilize 7-8X you would need a 50mm or larger objective lens.

Reticle prominence will often "trick" your eyes into thinking a scopes brighter when in reality the crosshair fading doesn't really change the scopes brightness level............. that is determined by the lens quality, lens coating quality,lens cleaness, and objective size.

Again as Randy said there are brighter 40mm scopes out there due to lens quality.......the Nikon Monarch - 4200 Elite - Zeiss Conquest - Sightron ll - Leupold Vari X lll - and Weaver Grand Slam to name a few that will be brighter in those last minutes of fading light. I personnaly use Conquests for that low light shooting up here in Maine as they are not only very bright (I've found none better) but they have a reticle that shows up long after most have disappeared in the gloom (you got to have a visual reticle to shoot accurately when you do see that buck). Down in a thick heavy overstory cedar or spruce bog on an overcast day at 20-30 minutes after sunset will really narrow down the field for scopes that will still do the job.


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