This scope was just released, so I thought I would do a review for those considering it. The price was 139 shipped.
Generally, I do not select such an inexpensive scope, but this gun is mainly for my wife. She does not know what she likes yet, so I wanted something that will work till she is ready to select her own. Also, I wanted to be able to use it too. Given these criteria, it fit the bill. The fast focus eye piece will allow either of us to quickly focus the reticle. The power range will be fun for plinking to 100, 50 yard paper, and rabbit decapitation. The reticle will help her understand trajectory and learn holdover.
Scopes I own or have owned include Mueller APV, Weaver Rv7, Weaver V-16, Weaver V-24, Sightron Big Sky 3-12x40, Nikon Monarch, Leupold Vx3 1.5-5x20, and Bushnell 4200 2.5-10x40. I am probably forgetting a few, but this gives you an idea of what I might be comparing it to.
My first impression started with the box which is really nice. It flips open and closes with magnets, I'll be keeping it to store scopes that are not in use or other items.
Upon closer inspection, the first thing I noted was the tacticool look to the scope. It has a very large ocular and power ring (more on that later), and the turret caps are distinctly textured. I also noted the heft of this scope which weighs 17 oz. Personally, I am not a fan of the tacticool look that is becoming prevalent with scopes these days.
I then installed a KIDD low rail. Next, I set it in medium Burris Signature Zee rings, and I immediately knew it was higher than I wanted. After getting it mounted I had my wife come in the room and check the eye relief. I ended up having to move it forward a couple notches on the rail. This puts the HUGE power ring over the rail. The ring is 1.75 inches in diameter according to my calipers, and this means the scope cannot possibly be mounted lower. In comparison, a weaver v24 power ring is 1.25 inches in diameter. Glad I checked it out before sending the rings back for something lower.
With the gun resting on bags, I evaluated the eye relief. I found it to be more critical than I like. This is to be expected on a cheap scope I suppose. Interestingly, the difference between 4x and 12x is not dramatic in regards to how critical the eye relief is. However, with a scope this low in power I expected it to be a little more forgiving. With my eye in the sweet spot I could go through the full range of power without having to move my face on the stock. The critical eye relief to me is a deal breaker on a walking varminter, but not very important from the bench. I also noted that the power ring was more firm than average, but not excessively so.
Next, I checked out the turrets and found that they are basically the same as the STT on the Weaver v-24. I really like this style of turret.The clicks are pretty solid, but between the clicks the turret has a slight bit of play. I can't recall any scope being like this. With no resistance there I don't think it is moving anything in the scope, so it probably does not matter.
Finally, I took it outside to check out the image. It was mid day without a cloud in the sky. While I no longer own the Mueller APV, I thought the image was a little brighter, as I remember the APV being sort of dark. The image was consistent all the way to the edges. I might compare it to the Rv7. I also noticed that the focus of the image was not highly dependent upon the parallax adjustment. Maybe it is just the lower power range; however, I find that the V24 is very critical in regard to the image focus and parallax adjustment starting around 10x or 12x. I will need to get it inlow light next to my other scopes to better evaluate it.
I really like the reticle so far. It appears to be sufficiently fine to decapitate rabbits, and I think it will be ok on paper at 50 yards too. I also like that the BDC dots are small and do not stand out. I selected this scope over the Nikon Prostaff, because I do not like the circles on their BDC reticle. As a side note, I like a fine reticle, so I might be biased. I think the varminter reticle on my v24 is perfect for hunting and the bench.
In summation, this scope seems to be a good value. If you like the tacticool look and don't mind the large ocular/power ring, then you might like this scope. However, it could limit your mounting options on a variety of guns. Certainly, it would hit the bolt handle on my cz 455, maybe even on high rings. The image is comparable, or maybe a little better than other scopes in the 150 dollar range. The BDC reticle may be for you if you are on the fence about the one offered on the Nikon Prostaff scopes.
If it is not windy, I will get it out to the range next monday and report back.
Just for reference, this is how I think a scope should look and how low I think it should be mounted. 455 varmint with V24 on med Warne 7.3 rings.
Generally, I do not select such an inexpensive scope, but this gun is mainly for my wife. She does not know what she likes yet, so I wanted something that will work till she is ready to select her own. Also, I wanted to be able to use it too. Given these criteria, it fit the bill. The fast focus eye piece will allow either of us to quickly focus the reticle. The power range will be fun for plinking to 100, 50 yard paper, and rabbit decapitation. The reticle will help her understand trajectory and learn holdover.
Scopes I own or have owned include Mueller APV, Weaver Rv7, Weaver V-16, Weaver V-24, Sightron Big Sky 3-12x40, Nikon Monarch, Leupold Vx3 1.5-5x20, and Bushnell 4200 2.5-10x40. I am probably forgetting a few, but this gives you an idea of what I might be comparing it to.
My first impression started with the box which is really nice. It flips open and closes with magnets, I'll be keeping it to store scopes that are not in use or other items.
Upon closer inspection, the first thing I noted was the tacticool look to the scope. It has a very large ocular and power ring (more on that later), and the turret caps are distinctly textured. I also noted the heft of this scope which weighs 17 oz. Personally, I am not a fan of the tacticool look that is becoming prevalent with scopes these days.
I then installed a KIDD low rail. Next, I set it in medium Burris Signature Zee rings, and I immediately knew it was higher than I wanted. After getting it mounted I had my wife come in the room and check the eye relief. I ended up having to move it forward a couple notches on the rail. This puts the HUGE power ring over the rail. The ring is 1.75 inches in diameter according to my calipers, and this means the scope cannot possibly be mounted lower. In comparison, a weaver v24 power ring is 1.25 inches in diameter. Glad I checked it out before sending the rings back for something lower.
With the gun resting on bags, I evaluated the eye relief. I found it to be more critical than I like. This is to be expected on a cheap scope I suppose. Interestingly, the difference between 4x and 12x is not dramatic in regards to how critical the eye relief is. However, with a scope this low in power I expected it to be a little more forgiving. With my eye in the sweet spot I could go through the full range of power without having to move my face on the stock. The critical eye relief to me is a deal breaker on a walking varminter, but not very important from the bench. I also noted that the power ring was more firm than average, but not excessively so.
Next, I checked out the turrets and found that they are basically the same as the STT on the Weaver v-24. I really like this style of turret.The clicks are pretty solid, but between the clicks the turret has a slight bit of play. I can't recall any scope being like this. With no resistance there I don't think it is moving anything in the scope, so it probably does not matter.
Finally, I took it outside to check out the image. It was mid day without a cloud in the sky. While I no longer own the Mueller APV, I thought the image was a little brighter, as I remember the APV being sort of dark. The image was consistent all the way to the edges. I might compare it to the Rv7. I also noticed that the focus of the image was not highly dependent upon the parallax adjustment. Maybe it is just the lower power range; however, I find that the V24 is very critical in regard to the image focus and parallax adjustment starting around 10x or 12x. I will need to get it inlow light next to my other scopes to better evaluate it.
I really like the reticle so far. It appears to be sufficiently fine to decapitate rabbits, and I think it will be ok on paper at 50 yards too. I also like that the BDC dots are small and do not stand out. I selected this scope over the Nikon Prostaff, because I do not like the circles on their BDC reticle. As a side note, I like a fine reticle, so I might be biased. I think the varminter reticle on my v24 is perfect for hunting and the bench.
In summation, this scope seems to be a good value. If you like the tacticool look and don't mind the large ocular/power ring, then you might like this scope. However, it could limit your mounting options on a variety of guns. Certainly, it would hit the bolt handle on my cz 455, maybe even on high rings. The image is comparable, or maybe a little better than other scopes in the 150 dollar range. The BDC reticle may be for you if you are on the fence about the one offered on the Nikon Prostaff scopes.
If it is not windy, I will get it out to the range next monday and report back.
Just for reference, this is how I think a scope should look and how low I think it should be mounted. 455 varmint with V24 on med Warne 7.3 rings.
