NEW IOR/Valdada 12-52x56mm 100-MOA Scope — $3695.00

It’s big (40mm tube, 48 ounces), it’s powerful (52X max magnification), and it’s wickedly expensive ($3,695.00 MSRP). The new IOR 12-52x56mm “Terminator” is designed to “raise the bar” among rifle optics — to be the new Gold Standard. Is the new fat-tube 12-52X IOR really as “bad-ass” as its “Terminator” name implies? Well it does have some impressive features, starting with 100 MOA of vertical elevation travel (25 MOA per revolution). It also boasts ultra-high-grade Schott HD glass, digital illumination with auto shut-off, optional interchangeable BDC rings, and a Fast-Focus eyepiece.

But the real innovation is the Terminator’s proprietary Mid-Focus Parallax adjustment. Handier than old-fashioned front-adjusting objectives, this new mid-focus system dispenses with sometimes-troublesome side-focus knobs. Look at the photo below. You’ll see a wide ring about 3″ ahead of the turret housing. Rotate that to set the focus for your target distance — anything from 21.5 feet to infinity.

1/4″ Clicks and Tiny Exit Pupil at Full Magnification
With 52-power magnification on tap, you’d think IOR might offer 1/8th MOA clicks, at least as an option. However, the click value is listed at “1/4 inch”. Apparently, the Terminator scope, as launched, has one reticle choice, a new design, the “MP-8 EXTREME MOA-X1″. Below is a photo of the reticle taken by dealer Citadel Gun & Safe which has Terminators in stock for $3599.00. The reticle has 1 MOA stadia (hash marks), alternating in line length (taller vs. shorter). We’re informed that the markings are 1 MOA at 26X, so they’d be 1/2 MOA at 52X. It also has four sets of hold-over lines (set in +5 MOA intervals), with 1 MOA stadia running out from center. This will let you hold-off for windage, while simultaneously holding-over for elevation correction. We think this reticle is too “busy”, but it may appeal to some folks. Frankly, we are surprised that the front objective is only 56mm. This means that the exit pupil will be a tiny 1.08mm at 52 power. That’s really quite marginal. A 50+ power scope should have a larger front objective. CLICK HERE for More Photos (scroll to bottom of linked page).