SA JAGTER | MAART 2014
We used Hercules Louw’s .416 Ruger to put the 1-6x24 Lynx scope
through its paces. RIGHT: This picture shows the finger-adjustable
turrets as well as the side-turret to switch on the centre-dot.
test report
A Lynx for
dangerous
game
By KOOS BARNARD
Not all scopes can handle the recoil of bigbore rifles, but you can be sure the 1-6x24
Lynx LX2 Professional is up to the task.
P
rofessional
guides that regularly accompany hunters
on dangerous
game hunts prefer to use their
64
medium and big-bore rifles with
open sights. However, the average hunter favours scoping his
big-bore, because most of them
are not really familiar with open
sights and also use their rifles for
general antelope hunting.
Open sights are fine for closerange back-up work, but for
99% of hunting a scope is preferable. Also, older eyes really
battle with open sights.
Now, most people that scope
their big-bores are concerned
that their scope of choice
might not be tough enough to
withstand the recoil of the rifle
and rightly so, because some
of these monsters really pack a
hefty punch in the recoil department. Two calibres that immediately spring to mind are the .450
Rigby and the .500 Jeffery.
When you shop for a scope
for a big-bore consider the following: The scope must be
tough enough – recoil must
not “shake” its lenses and innards
loose; it must keep its zero and the
adjustments must be utterly reliable
(precise and repeatable); the eyerelief must be long enough to prevent the dreaded “Weatherby eye”
and the reticle must be visible in all
lighting conditions in dense bush
(some reticles are difficult to see
against a busy, leafy background).
South African hunters are conservative and according to some
only a small number of scope
brands are suitable for dangerous
game calibres. Well, now you can
add the 1-6x24 Lynx LX2 Professional to that list.
EXCELLENT QUALITY
Lynx is well-known in South »
SA JAGTER | MAART 2014
» Africa and still one of the
most popular scope brands
among locals. The company’s
LX2 scopes, introduced a number of years ago, really represent
excellent quality. In these models the mechanical tolerances
have been tightened up and the
all-alloy gimbal system used on
the erector tubes provides better
accuracy and reliability. Lynx
also uses a high-precision tracking system for the elevation and
windage adjustments for precise
and repeatable adjustments.
Some months ago we
received a Lynx 1-6x24 IR from
Lynx Optics for testing and
decided to mount it on a .416
Ruger belonging to Hercules
Louw. A second Lynx was sent
to Stefan Fouché of Safari &
Outdoor in Pretoria to mount
on his .450 Rigby.
This scope with its 30mm,
one-piece main tube has a tough,
dot really draws the eye quickly
towards your aiming point.
Eye-relief on the Lynx is quite
generous: From 106mm at 6x
magnification to 111mm at 1x.
The click value for adjustments
is a ¼MOA at 100 yards or 7mm
at 100m. The scope is 265mm
long and weighs 525 grams.
ON THE .416 RUGER
Hercules uses 320gr Impala bullets in his .416 Ruger, loaded to
2 500fps and although the recoil
is not in the same class as that
of the .450 Rigby, it is still stout.
After the initial range tests, during which the scope performed
to perfection, we also used it
during a big-bore shooting competition at the Premier Shooting
Club just outside Cullinan, east
of Pretoria.
At the shoot Hercules and I
fired 16 rounds each and afterwards Hercules fired another
hole and landed right on top of
the first shot (see picture). What
more can you ask for.
ON THE .450 RIGBY
Stefan Fouché also used a Lynx
during the same big-bore shoot
and afterwards performed a
box test while Hercules and I
watched. As you can see from
the results, the Lynx stood up
perfectly to the very stiff recoil
of the .450 Rigby.
I am very positive about the
Lynx 1-6x24 scope and recommend it without reservation to
those who need a scope for a
big-bore rifle.
It is perfectly capable of
handling the recoil of heavy
calibres and the quality of the
optics is also very good. Due to
its 6x magnification this scope
is also suitable for hunting in
more open savannah/bushveld,
where shots up to 200m should
not present any problem.
It is not meant for bigbores only though; the Lynx
1-6x24 will perform excellently on any bushveld rifle.
• The suggested retail price is
R10 280.
• Lynx has a very good after
sales reputation and what’s
more, they are local. That
makes dealing with the company easy should you have
any queries. For more information, visit your favourite
dealer and if he does not stock
Lynx products ask him to contact Lynx Optics in Johannesburg on 011 792 6644.
I am very positive about the Lynx 1-6x24 scope
and recommend it without reservation to those
who need a scope for a big-bore rifle.
scratch-resistant, matt black
anodised finish. It sports userfriendly, finger-adjustable turrets and the reticle comes with
an illuminating centre-dot – a
pinprick-size green dot operated
by a side-turret located on the
left-hand side of the tube. Some
people who are colour blind
can’t see the red LED displays
that so many manufacturers use
in rangefinders and scopes.
Green stands out very well
against the tan and brown winter colours and is even clearly
visible in summertime against
green backgrounds. To make it
suitable for both day and night
use, the intensity of the centredot can be adjusted – 11 settings
are available.
The Lynx has a fairly heavy
reticle which I find ideal for
bushveld work and many will
probably not use the illuminating option when hunting
in good light. However, I have
found that when using the illumination option, that centre66
eight rounds to test the accuracy
and repeatability of the Lynx’s
adjustments. At this stage the
Lynx had endured the recoil of
close to 200 shots fired from the
.416 Ruger. As you can see from
the pictures the 1-6x24 passed the
test with colours flying sky high.
Hercules first fired a single
shot at the centre of the target,
then we adjusted the scope so
that the next shot landed high
and left (while still aiming at the
centre diamond).
Consequently we adjusted
the scope to the right, then
down and left and right/up
again (firing one shot after
each adjustment) to perform a
four-shot rectangle “box” test.
The final adjustment returned
the impact to the central aiming mark.
After performing the “box”
test Hercules fired a three-shot
group to confirm that the Lynx’s
adjustments were indeed accurate and repeatable – those
shots formed a single ragged
Stefan shooting his .450 Rigby with the Lynx scope.
The box tests, performed by Hercules Louw (left) and Stefan Fouché (right).
The Lynx scopes stood up to the recoil of the .416 Ruger and .450 Rigby.