Why larger objective bells????

[jon lynn]

I was sifting through my pile of scopes, dying for me to get them a rifle to mate with, and noticed that every scope thet was older had an objective bell that was very small compared to the newer ones, except for Leupold and Bushnell Elites.

In my younger days I never had a problem with Bushnell scopes, except for those big objective bells, can't mount low and still clear the bolt handle. But in the slightly higher price/quality scopes, like the Fullfield II, and the new line of Swifts, the bells are getting bigger.

When I talked to the rep for MEADE (Simmons) at the Nuernberg Gun Show (IWA), he said that it was in the fact that you needed a bigger bell for the 'fast focus'..............I don't think he was lying, but okay.....is that true? Or is that a save money thing?

[Jack]

I guess I'll take a shot at this....
The "Larger bells for the fast focus" has me scratching my head.....unless you mean the ocular bell (the bell closest to your eye) rather than the objective bell (the bell closest to the object you look at).
I suspect, though, that you've labeled the objective bell correctly, and you ran into one of the all too frequent sales reps that think they can't say "I don't know" or "there is no good reason".
The purported reason for larger objective bells on new scopes is for better light gathering in low light conditions. Part of that may be due to newer scopes being higher powered, and in variables, wider magnification range. A 4-12X scope will need a larger objective for good light gathering at the high end than did the straight 4X we all used in Thee Olden Days.
Another factor in larger objective bells? Because they can.
Today manufacturers can grind (and coat) a larger lens cost effectively than they could 30 years ago- allowing scope designers to come up with those wide range variables you see today (like 4-16, 3-12, etc.)
Another reason for large objective bells? It sells scopes. Everyone knows more is better, right? And having a bigger scope bell than your buddy is better, too, right?

[Catfish]

I think you ran into a salesman that had no idea what he was talking about. The reason for a larger obj. lens is to gather more lite, and it is not nessary with lower powered scopes. With the lense coatings and quality of some of the glass on the market today the big bells help only with high mag. scopes in very low lite. As for scope haveing a greater varation in magnifaction has nothing to do with the size of the lenses. The varation come from moveing a lense inside the scope back and froth to increase or decrease magnifaction. The problem with varibles is holding that center lens in proper alinement so that you point of impact does no change when you switch power setting on your scope. With todays technoledge they are able to build the tubles nessary to do this more presicely and hence longer giveing you a greater varablity in power.

[L. Cooper]

I think there is another reason for larger objectives: marketing. Although in theory larger objectives do gather more light, there comes a point where the extra is just wasted. To simplify the science, once the exit pupil of the scope is the same diameter as your eye's pupil, no more light gathering will help.

But if you want to sell scopes, you need to be able to say you have an advantage over the competition. Larger objective lenses is an "advantage" you can sell. If the scope is used in anything resembling legal hunting hours here in Saskatchewan, you really don't need the light gathering power of the larger scopes. It looks impressive if you think yours isn't big enough (and I intend the double meaning) but few shooters actually need it.

I prefer that my scope is as small and light as I can have it and still get all the performance I need. Some of the "new and improved" scopes are just excess weight for my hunting practices.

[Dom]

There are a couple advantages, more field of view and more adjustment for windage & elevation. I've settled on the 50mm size, with an adjustable lighted dot, but then I do a lot of night hunting. In the old days, 56mm objective was needed with a bit of moon to be able to distinguish black tree stumps from boar, they kinda look like black lumps -- had to watch the ones that moved!! Now for the average daytime hunter, 40mm is standard fare. There are so many differences with glass and options, that each has to decide what they want to spend and what they want. I will say that just because it's larger doesn't necessarily mean it's better, you get what you pay for. The top european glass has always been better, they market the hunters who hunt at night. If their glass was no good you might as well sit home in front of the TV!! I think other scope manufacturers just took a spin off the European glass, but did not have to, that marketing ploy to try and sell more. Trouble is, it wasn't needed for daytime hunters. Waidmannsheil, Dom.

[Swift]

Originally posted by jon lynn
When I talked to the rep for MEADE (Simmons) at the Nuernberg Gun Show (IWA), he said that it was in the fact that you needed a bigger bell for the 'fast focus'..............I don't think he was lying, but okay.....is that true? Or is that a save money thing?

Maybe yer fingers can grip the bigger bell by 1 / 100,000 of a sec faster thus "fast focus"

[jon lynn]

Sorry guys, my brain is oatmeal since I started 3rd shift work.........I did mean ocular


As my fellow night owls know, it's hard to fit work sleep and family in to the odd hours, plus doing things that you only can do, while you should be getting some shut eye (like going to one of two ammo places in Nuernberg) and still not lose a beat or two (okay after this post, THREE).....sorry.............Jon (zzzzzzzzzzz)

[JimHnSTL]

Originally posted by Dom
There are a couple advantages, more field of view and more adjustment for windage & elevation.

i have always been under the impression that you windage & elevation adjustments come from your tube size. hence a 1" dia. tube will have more adjustment than a 3/4" tube and a 33mm tube will have more than a 1" dia. tube.

[Dom]

originally posted by Jim
windage & elevation adjustments come from your tube size

You're right Jim, had a disconnect between what I was thinking and what I was typing, most good 50 to 56mm objective scopes will have a 30mm tube, good eyes.

Now on the ocular, I love the European style, you can adjust rapidly and easily, vs. the loosen the ring, turn the ocular, reset lock ring, etc. Maybe they've gotten better over the years tho. They may be larger due to all the technical advances over the years, but so far I haven't had any trouble with too large oculars, Waidmannnsheil, Dom.

[JimHnSTL]

i didn't give the fast focus models all that much thought until my eyes did that funky thin when i turned 42 a while back (7 yrs ago)and i needed glasss to read the paper. but my kids eyes are like a hawk, when my son started to shoot my rifle and the scope setting wasn't to his satisfaction he was strugling to shoot. now he dials in his eyes and dial in mine, much easier than the older models.