Scope Review: IOR Valdada 12-52x56mm with 1/8 MOA Clicks

IOR Valdada 12-52x56mm Terminator Scope Review

Scope Evaluation with Test in Benchrest Competition by James Mock

Since I started shooting in competition in the early ’90s, rifle scopes have really improved. The one which I am now testing may be the high point (zenith) of scope quality. The IOR Valdada Terminator 12-52x56mm with 40mm tube is a great scope by any standard. There are only two negative aspects to using one of these instruments. One is cost (retail $3695) and the other is weight (three pounds).

Many say that this scope is without equal. However, the most common complaints among those willing to pay the cost for this exceptional instrument was that there was no zero stop and the 1/4-MOA adjustments were too coarse. The folks at IOR Valdada listened and corrected both problems. They added a very functional zero stop and changed the adjustments to 1/8th MOA. Valdada listens to its customers.

“The Valdada performed absolutely perfectly and enabled me to win the match. The 1/8th MOA clicks are crisp and accurate and the big 40mm tube allows 100 minutes of vertical adjustment. The tracking of the scope was perfect. The MOA reticle and the precise 1/8th minute clicks helped tremendously. The scope performed flawlessly. Even with my 77 year-old eyes, I could see 6mm bullet holes in the white at 600 yards with this scope. I have been able to do that only one other time.”– James Mock

Some of the great qualities of the new Terminator scope are:

— Lenses are made with the finest glass from the Germany’s famous Schott Glasswerks (lenses have the proprietary Z-7 coating with 7-11 coats for EACH lens surface).
— Parallax adjustment on the tube body allows convenient and very precise adjustments.
— Reticle with precise hashmarks and illuminated center dot.
— One hundred MOA of vertical adjustment range.

This scope is very well thought out in all respects. The parallax adjustment is on the tube just behind the objective bell. It is very easy to get a sharp, parallax-free image with it.

As can be seen in the picture, this scope has every feature that long range shooters desire. With the change from 1/4-MOA to 1/8-MOA adjustments, one can see that this company listens to its customers. This is a second focal plane (SFP) scope and Valdada has a 40mm tube scope with first focal plane (FFP) for those who prefer that option. NOTE: The max magnification for the FFP version is 40X rather than 52X.

The power-changing ring of this scope is also well thought out. It features three different color-coded “clicks” that indicate subtension of the hash marks. (Meaning you have positive confirmation of the hash mark value). At 14.4X the reticle hash marks subtend 1/2 MIL. At 26X they represent one MOA and at 52X the hash marks represent 1/2-MOA (very handy for wind calls).

IOR Valdada 12-52x56mm Scope Proves Itself in Competition This Month
I received the scope on October 15th and used it in a 600-yard match on Saturday, October 16th. I quit competition several months ago and sold my trusty BAT/Leonard rifle. However, I could not stay quit and I picked up a Stiller Cobra action, and Dusty Stevens chambered a Krieger 1:7.5″-twist barrel in 6mm Dasher for this rifle. I received the barrel on October 13th, and that gave me three days to break in the barrel, find a load and get the scope zeroed. I shot 15 rounds of 1 shot/clean, 1 shot clean, 1-shot clean, 3-shots clean until I had 15 rounds. Since I did not have the scope, I could not develop a match load.

After receiving the Terminator on Friday, October 15th. I finished the fire-forming of the 48 pieces of brass and zeroed the scope with the fire-forming load. The scope was not hard to zero and I was very impressed with the optics. I wasn’t surprised at the quality — since 2009, I have shot a Valdada 36X Benchrest model on my target rifle. That is a superb scope with rock-solid adjustments and great Schott glass.

Shooting the “Square” Confirms Great Tracking
I shot the “square” with some fireform loads and the last bullet went through the hole made by the initial round. For those not familiar with this test, it consists of 5 shots while using the same aim point and adjusting 6 MOA between each shot. So the second shot is 6 MOA above the first, the third is 6 MOA right, the fourth is 6 MOA down and the fifth, final shot is 6 MOA left. When the last shot goes through the hole of the first, one can conclude that the scope adjustments are spot on. This Terminator was perfect.

Because of time restraints, I did not have a chance to work up a good load for this barrel, so I resorted to a load that had worked with a previous Dasher. It was with 32.5 grains of Varget and a 105gr Berger Hybrid seated .007″ into the lands. I favor Bart’s Hammers, but did not have enough to shoot the match.

Although I had only one day with the scope before the match, I got it mounted on the rifle. I shot ONE shot at my 100-yard range and adjusted the scope up 11 MOA. I told some of the shooters that I had never been so ill-prepared for a match. However, the Valdada performed absolutely perfectly and enabled me to win the match (first win at 600 in a long time!). The MOA reticle and the precise 1/8th-minute clicks helped tremendously.

The 1/8-MOA clicks are crisp and accurate and the big 40mm tube allows 100 minutes of vertical adjustment. The tracking of the scope was perfect. Valdada uses steel ball bearings in this scope.

During the match, the hash marks are very useful. Since the hash marks subtend 1/2-MOA at 52X, I used the scope at that power until the 4th target and then used it at 26X so I could use the 1-MOA hash marks. Since we shoot a steel gong for sighters, it is easy to determine the amount of winddrift by using these hash marks.

This scope features a lighted reticle. This is not an important feature for the type of shooting that I do, but many make use of this feature. The scope also features a zero stop that is very handy for those shooting events in which several adjustments are used. If one gets “lost” he can simply dial back to the “set zero”. This system was very easy to use.

Bullet-maker and benchrest shooter Bart Sauter has been using an IOR Valdada Terminator scope for several years and has made an impact in the 600-yard game. He is a Valdada dealer. If you need a Terminator or other IOR Valdada optic, give Bart a call.