HHA with illuminated 3x32 L4 Hybrid illuminated scope on 335

[GodsCrossBowRanger]

My Eyes are getting old Despite my New Cataract surgery at the V.A. Hosp ? Washington States overcast weather and forests make it tuff to see later in the day for me ? Even with that Beautiful Dead Zone Scope !! No matter what , there comes a time in the Evening I go visually challenged !!! Ok... Blind as a Bat almost !!! It's about Dusk or early on ?? I have no earthly idea why this happens to me ? But, I have Night Eyes !!! No kidding ??? Well, I use too !!? Not, so much now ? With these new lens ? I think ? Idk ? But, I adapt after awhile after Dark !! My point is, I need an illuminated Scope ? That 1. Will allow a lot
Of Ambiant light in !! 2. Adjustable lighted reticals that won't get too bright and bleed out the Target !! 3. The HHA should help improve my accuracy although I may loose critacal time in set up shot ? 4. What if I mount my Range finder ? What do you lifers have to Suggest ? And, I can get a pretty darn good deal on a set ? Unless you know of something better ?

[Clover13]

In my experience, you need maximum light transmittance in low light. Illuminated reticles are cool, but you have to be careful they don't "overpower" and drown out your sight picture. If you go with the illuminated reticle, I'd highly recommend something that is very adjustable, such that you can minimize the light intensity down to almost nothing in those last few minutes of light.

Beyond that, I never shoot a scope on any gun or my crossbow that isn't at least 40mm objective due to the low light requirement. With both my binoculars and my scope I can see very clearly in the last minutes of legal time, even when my eyes cannot. I might be able to see a silhouette with my eyes or hear a sound moving through brush, but with the binos or scope I can clearly identify what it is (assuming there is line of sight).

I also have the HHA on my 405, and it's important to scan areas around you to know distances so you can make quick adjustments if needed. I usually know where to expect deer and am "preset" to that yardage. Of course, if a buck comes chasing a doe in at Mach 10 speed, you might not have time to adjust, so it's good to have an idea of where your "preset" hits at various yardages if you need to make a quick shot. The only way to know that is through a fair amount of practice, i.e. know your crossbow

Range finder wise, I'm trying to come up with a quicker way to go from rangefinder to shot without the rangefinder either being in the way or causing too much movement, or worse...hitting something on my stand as I maneuver for a shot. If you can find a way to mount a rangerfinder for use on the bow, that would be ideal...or you can invest in a scope that has the range finder built in but it'll cost a pretty penny!

[GrassyKnoll]

Here ya go...

http://www.excaliburcrossbow.com/catalo ... nder_mount

[GodsCrossBowRanger]

Thanks men !!

[Crazy Horse]

I have got floaters in my eyes something fierce. Low light conditions kick my butt. I wanted to go with a nice lighted reticle crossbow scope, but it didn't agree with me. (Long story on my eye condition.) I ended up putting a Nikon Prostaff 3x9x50 rifle scope with my HHA. Yep, it added a little weight and its a little bulkier, but I can see - especially in low light conditions. It brings in so much light, it's unbelievable. I can still see my cross hairs. The Robin Hood in my avatar was shot at 60 yds. as I was setting up the HHA. It was still shooting a little low at the time.
I have since put some camo tape on some of the scope.

This shot was an honest 80 yds. with this set up. It's hard to see, but I am dead nuts with the horizontal line and about 1/2" to the left of the verticle line.

[Clover13]

Very nice shooting! I have the same scope except in the 40mm version. Of the other 40mm scopes I have (Zeiss, other Nikon ML scope, Burris), the Nikon Prostaff is pretty good especially for the money. Crosshairs in the final minutes get a little difficult to make out, but you can see the center of the scope fine and you know where the crosshairs are.

[Crazy Horse]

Thanks! Even a blind hog finds an acorn every now and then!
That 50mm objective pulls in tons of light! You gotta try one to see what I am talking about. I have switched over to that scope on all of my rifles but one and it's next. For around $200, to my notion they can't be beat.

[GodsRanger]

Thanks Men!!! Since I wasn't a Sniper in the Battalions ? Or a wanna be Chris Kyle like 89% of the population now ? In fact, I walked into a Sportmans Store to check out the 40mm Objectives ? And, I'll be honest ? I don't know much about Scopes ? I never claim to !!! I'm a real world former Soldier Who lived and Breathed fixed sights !!! In real world conditions ??? But, I can't say I ever sniped anyone from 1200 meters + not even a Deer !!! Never ever close!!! But, I opened my mouth about a 40 mm Scope ? And the Scope Guru asked me "tube" or "Bell" ? So…I assumed Tube ? not, realizing it was a loaded question ? Bone Head was setting me up for Failure ??? He, immediately went for the throat ? And, I thought to myself ? Aw ha! He thinks I'm another Chris Kyle wanna be, because I'm flying my Mil.Spec. Cap ? Yup? So, i cut to the chase ! I told him straight out!!! I have No Earthly idea what I'm doing ? And No! My name isn't Chris Kyle the II" ? He just Smiled and gave an embarrassing laugh !! And, apologized !!! It's true though ! I know very little about Scopes ?? I know the basics ! And how to sight in ? I'm not completely ignorant of sighting conditions ? Windage ? Drop, weight etc..., things you basically learn with repetitive practice with the same ammo with fixed sights at different distance ? Now, I'm dealing with more data, and ambient light and visual acuity / focus ? Iv learned from you guys ! And our Scope Guru ? That the Objective ? (The Bell of the Scope ) The larger it is ? The more light it allows in !! And typically , the more it costs ? Theoretically ? But, that's, not for certain !!! But, now, if your looking for one with a built in Range finder and illuminated ? Now, your talking money ??? Especially if your looking for something compact ??? Like for Micro 335 ? That could just be nuts ??? Personally , I like the ranger finder mount above the Scope ? I realize it weighs it down more ? But, I'm not exactly a tiny guy ? Although I'm not a giant !!! : ) but, thank you Crazy Horse for the idea on the 50mm Objective ? I didn't know they were available that large for a Crossbow ?

[Crazy Horse]

GR, let us know what you come up with and how you like it. My Nikon is 1" longer than the Excal's Twilight.
It works for me.

C13, does any of your scopes sport a 30mm tube? I hear good things about them. Everything I got is 1".

I have got blaze orange ribbons from 20-60 yds. and keep the HHA set loose on 30. A slight turn either way and good to go. I hunt from a permanent stand, though.

I get out in the yard with the range finder and try to judge distances. Surprisingly, I have gotten better at it.
But then again, there is a big difference between judging the distance of a flower pot and deer with my heart tryin' to jump outta my chest!!

[GodsCrossBowRanger]

My Burriss and Dead Zone of course are 1" now I'm looking at 42mm multi red dots too ? To accommodate the HHA ? I was reading other forums regarding the 50mm Scopes ? The majority didn't praise them ! And recommended no larger than 42mm ? They said it may not be as bright ? But, that there was more field of view with very good lights!!! At 2 x magnification ? And more stability in picture sight ? Especially in the 12 power ? I'm sure I won't need !! Anyway, I read numerous reviews on both ! And they were right if the reviews were reputable ? The 40mm and 42mm were highly recommended!!!

[DeathMerchant]

If you're going to go with the HHA set up, you can go with any size objective bell you want, even up to 56mm.