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December 1st, 2010
We’re often asked: “What’s the best way to set up a spotting scope for shooting from a bench?” Some guys have spotting scopes set on big full-size tripods positioned to the side of the bench. That will work, but it normally requires you to move way out of position to look through your scope. Also, if you place the tripod as close to the bench as possible, one of the tripod legs will extend down close to your foot. It is all too easy to jostle the tripod with your foot or knee and move the scope off your target. We’ve also seen folks with spotting scopes mounted on compact camera tripods set directly on the bench. Again, this is not a very good solution. These small tripods position the spotting scope too high. Small camera tripods are also really too light and flimsy to hold a big, heavy spotter, with a 65mm or larger front objective. You really need a better set-up. You want to mount the spotting scope so, when you are in shooting positino, the eyepiece is close to your head — allowing easy viewing without moving your whole body away from the rifle.
Scope Stands for Bench Use
The best system for mounting a spotting scope to a bench was the Ray-Vin Ultimate Benchrest Stand. This clamped securely to the side of the bench and was a very high-quality piece of gear. Unfortunately, Ray Brandes of Ray-Vin has retired and his clamping benchrest scope stand is currently out of production. If you can find one for sale second-hand — snag it. If you can’t locate a Ray-Vin clamping stand, don’t despair, Creedmoor Sports has come out with a clamping-type Spotting Scope Bench-mount that is only $79.95 without head. This features 1″-diam vertical shaft so it can be used with most scope-holding heads that can adapt to a 1″ tube, such as a Ray-Vin head, Big Blue head, or Creedmoor’s new Polecat head. The clamp mount secures the rig anywhere you want along the side of the bench. You can easily adjust the scope height and fore/aft position relative to the shooter. The Ray-Vin head, now sold by Creedmoor, features a twist handle with a ball joint on the end. This then lets you set the scope (and angled eyepiece) to any angle you want. It’s a very slick system.
The Creedmoor Bench-mount is currently back-ordered, but Creedmoor expects to receive product before the end of the year. The Polecat head is available now for $139.95. Creedmoor, which has taken over production of the Ray-Vin scope stand head, is taking orders for the Ray-Vin head currently. No release date is offered. However, there should be some 1″ Ray-Vin heads on the used market.
November 26th, 2010
Here’s a sweet deal if you are looking for a premium hunting scope with great glass, extended eye relief, and a handy +4/-3 diopter. Leica Sport Optics just announced a Trade-Up Program for its 2.5-10x42mm and 3.5-14x42mm ER riflescopes. From now through January 31st, 2011, Leica will knock $500 off the price of a brand new Leica ER scope when you trade-in any “functional” scope. Yes, under Leica’s rules, your trade-in could be a $20.00 Leapers. That’s like trading-in a used Yugo and getting twenty grand off the price of a new Mercedes.
There is no brand or price limit on the trade-in. Leica will accept any brand, make or model of trade-in scope, so long as it is “functional” and a “clear image and reticle [is] visible through the scope.”
Leica is offering $500 trade-ins on its impressive 2.5-10×42 and 3.5-14×42 ER scopes. You can choose among five different second-focal-plane reticles, and three turret options. These scopes feature 1/4 MOA clicks, 30mm tubes, and AquaDura-coated high-light-transmission lenses. Typical retail prices on these products range from $1799 to $2139. With the $500 trade-in, you can get into a premium Leica hunting scope for about $1299.00.
 Use a $20.00 Scope for Your Trade-In
The smart way to take advantage of Leica’s offer is to trade-in the cheapest functional scope you can find. You can buy used off eBay but you could get a busted scope that won’t qualify. We suggest you purchase a new $20.00-$25.00 scope and use that for the trade-in.
You can buy the Leapers Golden Image 4X32 Mil-Dot Scope for just $19.95 at DPHArms.com. Texas-based CDNN Investments also has scopes for under $30.00, including a 4×32 Simmons for $19.99. Drop an easy $20 on some cheap Chinese glass, and walk away with a life-time guaranteed Leica for $500.00 under the regular price. That’s smart shopping.
November 20th, 2010
 Our latest Forum sponsor, DoghouseOutdoors.com, is a new online retailer specializing in fine optics. Based in Salt Lake City, Utah, Doghouse has a modern, easy-to-navigate website with a wide selection of products, all illustrated with high-quality photos.
Current Mfg. Rebates in Doghouse’s Rebate Central
On DoghouseOutdoors.com you’ll find a very cool feature: Rebate Central. Here manufacturers’ current optics rebates are all collected in one place. This helps buyers take advantage of all available money-saving promotions on rifle scopes, binoculars, rangefinders and other products.
Here’s the way it works: DoghouseOutdoors.com searches out all applicable rebates and then highlights them on the DogHouse home page in the “Rebate Central” area. As you move from one featured rebate to the next, if you find a rebate that suits you, just click on the rebate notice and you’ll be taken to the relevant products. Each product listing contains high-resolution photos along with a detailed description.
FREE Shipping on Rebated Products
As an added incentive for AccurateShooter.com readers, DoghouseOutdoors.com will provide free shipping on all rebate-qualified products. This currently includes products from Burris, Bushnell, Eotech, Leupold, and Sightron. (Shipping policy subject to change.)
 Zeiss Instant Rebates
In related news, Zeiss just announced a Winter Specials Promotion providing instant rebates on Zeiss scopes and binoculars. If you purchase a set of Victory RF Binoculars between November 15, 2010 and January 31, 2011 you get a $200 instant rebate at check out. You can also get a $100 instant rebate if you purchase any other Zeiss Victory FL Binoculars or Zeiss Victory riflescope (except DiaRange LRF scope).
Field Days Mail-In Rebate
Also, under the Zeiss Field Days Promo (which continues through December 31, 2010), you can get a $100 mail-in rebate with the purchase of a ZeissVictory 8×26 T* PRF Laser Rangefinder or any of the Victory Compact Binoculars. We have field-tested the Zeiss 8×26 T* PRF Rangefinder and we recommend it highly. It is easy to hold and aim, optics are sharp and bright, and ranging performance is excellent.
November 10th, 2010
Elcan ushers in the age of digitally-enhanced scopes with its amazing Digital Hunter. It’s about time digital features were added to consumer rifle scopes. In many respects a $150.00 point and shoot camera is much more sophisticated than a $2600.00 Schmidt & Bender. Adding a digital image sensor and digital “crosshairs” to a telescopic lens system unlocks an amazing realm of possibilities. First, you can eliminate moving parts, including the reticle itself, avoiding the possibility of reticle movement that could alter your zero. With digital crosshairs “informed” by a ballistics calculator, the reticle’s aimpoint can automatically display the correct hold-over at any target distance. For low-light shooting, you can boost the brightness and contrast of the image. You can even hook up the scope to a remote monitor so an instructor or spotter can see exactly what the shooter is seeing. Last but not least, everything viewed through the scope can be digitally recorded for later playback and analysis. This way a hunter can record, for posterity, the moment he bagged a trophy buck. Or, a military sniper can record a complete target engagement, for later review by his commander and fellow marksmen.
The $1199.00 Elcan Digital Hunter offers a 2.5-16.5X digital zoom, four field-selectable reticles, and built-in video capture. Reticles can be changed ‘on the fly’ and you can output the video to an external monitor, or simply pop out the SD flash memory card to play back video files on your computer.
Electronic Zoom with No Moving Parts
There are no moving parts in the Digital Hunter except for the diopter adjustment. Magnification is accomplished electronically, and the aiming point does not change at all during magnification. The electronic magnification is parallax-free and the exit pupil remains constant, allowing easy target acquisition, even at high power. Elcan claims that resolution does not change significantly from wide field of view to narrow field of view.
Electronic Ballistic Compensation
One of the most useful features of the Digital Hunter is electronic ballistic compensation. Here’s how that works. The scope has a USB port to connect with a computer. Using Elcan-provided PC ballistics software, you input Bullet BC, Muzzle Velocity, and even wind speed and angle. The scope’s processor automatically calculates drift and drop for various distances and then positions the digital aim point for the correct holdover, based on the target distance you select. All the critical calculations are handled automatically. Watch the video below to see how this all works.
Day-Night Digital Hunter
 In addition to the standard Elcan Digital Hunter, Elcan offers a version for low-light shooting. The Day/Night Digital Hunter, priced at $1399.00, can be combined with IR (infrared) “flash-lights” to provide full night-hunting capability. Low Light mode displays all the available visible light and the near infrared light (that can be “seen” by the scope’s image sensor, but not by the human eye). Utilizing the near infrared means more light energy is available to the scope for better, brighter imaging. After dark, active night vision enables covert surveillance and varmint hunting (where legal). The effective range of the active night vision depends on the power of the IR Flashlight(s).
Remote Viewing Capability Helps Disabled Shooters
When the Elcan Digital Hunter was first introduced a couple years ago, Outdoors writer Ray Sasser of the Dallas Morning News field-tested it with Ray Mauldin, Elcan Products Manager. Sasser wrote: “There’s a new rifle scope technology on the horizon, a spin-off from military developments made by the Raytheon Company [parent company of Elcan]. The software calculated bullet drop… and the information was stored in a computer chip inside the scope. The only two drawbacks I could find were price and weight. The digital scope weighs 26 ounces, nearly seven ounces heavier than Leupold’s LPS 3.5-14x50mm, my personal favorite traditional scope. Mauldin said physically challenged hunters are particularly excited about the Digital Hunter. It can be used with a video monitoring screen so the rifle can be sighted without your eye to the scope. That’s a huge advantage for a quadriplegic, one-armed or no-armed shooter.”
Digital Enhancements for Target Scopes?
Traditionalists may scoff at digital scope technology, thinking that something like the digital Elcan could never be used in a match because it is too big and heavy. But consider this — all you really need on top of the rifle is the lens system with light sensor. All the other controls and the display could be moved off the rifle and built into a benchtop display/control/processing unit (which could be wireless). In fact, the control functions and display could even performed by an iPod or smartphone. With the iPod you could select the reticle, input ballistics data (Velocity, Bullet BC, Wind direction), and select the magnification level. (Fitting longer focal-length lenses would allow higher magnification than the Digital Hunters’ 2.5-16.5X.) And with a finger-tap on the screen you can record the entire match you are shooting. When mass-produced, such a unit could be sold for considerably less than the $1199.00 price of the Elcan Digital Hunter, as the iPod does the processing and replaces most of the hardware.
November 3rd, 2010
 If you’re looking for a good, moderately-priced variable scope for multi-gun competition, consider the new Burris Optics Fullfield Tac 30. MidwayUSA, the exclusive vendor of this scope, just knocked $40.00 off the price, through the end of November, 2010. Introduced at $339.99, the scope is now $299.99 on sale. The Tac 30 features 1X to 4X adjustable magnification, 30mm 6061T6 main tube, and 24mm objective. Here’s the cool part, an illuminated Ballistic CQ reticle provides hold-over points for the longer stages (ballistics calculated for a .223 Rem AR shooting a 62-grainer). Sean Doke, MidwayUSA’s Optics Manager noted: “The new Burris Fullfield TAC30 allows for rapid engagement of close quarters targets while also providing holdover points out to 600 yards.”
The scope is offered in two colors: Matte Black and Dark Earth. TAC30s are covered by the Burris Forever Warranty: “If [this product] is ever found to have defects in materials or workmanship, Burris will, at our option, repair or replace it at no charge, even if you are not the original owner.”
October 18th, 2010
Gear Review by Germán A. Salazar, Contributing Editor
All of us have at one time or another struggled with glare in the front sight at certain ranges and certain times of year. There are a lot of ways to deal with glare, shade tubes being the most commonly seen. I prefer to avoid any type of extension on the front or rear sight, especially anything that hangs past the muzzle where the muzzle blast can cause damage and in any event, I haven’t found those tubes to be very effective. However, the need to do something about the glare at our south-facing range at the Phoenix Rod & Gun Club has become essential for me. At this time of year, the sun is directly in front at this range and I really struggle to get a clear sight picture.
The photo above, taken on 10/16/2010 clearly illustrates the problem at PRGC as the early morning sun is from the left and front. Note the backlit flag and the direction of the shadows. As the sun continues to rise, it aligns itself right down the range towards the shooters. Apart from the glare, the bull is hard to see on the targets once they’re up because the light is coming from behind the target, not from the front. A very challenging set of light conditions which will worsen from now through February as the sun stays lower in the sky month by month.
 Anti-Glare Filters from Art Neergaard
I recently spoke to Art Neergaard about this problem. Art manufactures a number of innovative products for rifle sights through his company ShootingSight LLC and he had an idea for me. The idea was simple in concept, a “donut” filter for the front sight with a hole in the middle so as not to darken the already dim bull and yet, it would cut the glare that otherwise enters the front sight. The picture at left shows the filter mounted on the sight. When you’re looking through the sights, there isn’t the large gap around the aperture, it’s actually a very close match. Sticking the camera right into the sight obviously changes the perspective a bit.
I wanted to evaluate the Centra Goliath 30mm sight on my new Palma tubegun. Since Art intended to make the filters for the 30mm size, this was a good time to begin that evaluation as well. My last match score with this rifle, five weeks ago before the light got bad, was a 600-42X, since then, I’ve had a couple of poor matches with other rifles as the light and glare have really troubled me. With the 600-42 as a “good condition baseline” with this rifle I was eager to see how the filters would work.
Art sent me a few items: two filters (one gray, one orange), and one filter-holder for them, as well as a fixed aperture cut in the same material as the filters, with a beveled edge like the ones available for many years for smaller sights. The filters are interchangeable in the holder and can be changed in a minute or so. The aperture, however, is fixed as the hole is drilled in a lathe after mounting the disc in the holder — this ensures perfect concentricity for the aperture.
 Gray Filter Preferred
Arriving at the range, I mounted the high-contrast orange filter first and looked through it. Frankly, although it cut glare well, I hate the look of an orange world! A quick change of filter and another look through the sights showed a good, glare-free and natural-looking sight picture with the gray filter. At right is a photo that shows the relative glare-cutting effect of the gray filter.
Scores Improved with Anti-Glare Filtration
Shooting a good mid-range .308 load with Winchester brass, Federal primers, IMR 4064 (manufactured in 1960, just like me) and moly-coated Sierra 190 gr. bullets, the rifle showed it’s good breeding giving me a 200-12X, 200-15X and 200-14X for a 600-41X, my 22nd score of 600! Well, quite a dramatic improvement over the last couple of weeks when I struggled to shoot 590, and back to the score I shot five weeks ago when the light was still good. Hooray! So yes, I’m very satisfied with the concept of the filter with a hole in it. All the extraneous glare that was hurting my sight picture was gone and the bull remained unimpaired. Not that the bull was too good to begin with as all I can see is a fuzzy gray blob out there, but keeping the center unfiltered was better than some solid filters I’ve tried in the past.
Clear Rain Filters for Front Sights
Art plans to make clear donut filters to use as rain shields for shooters with a front lens in their sight. That would keep raindrops off the lens — especially the middle of the lens where a drop could destroy the shooter’s ability to see the bull properly.
 Filter Works with Fixed & Variable Apertures
Although I intended to try the fixed aperture also, I ended up shooting the entire match with the filter and the Centra variable aperture. I’ll try to use the fixed aperture (photo at left) next week. The value of a fixed aperture shouldn’t be underestimated. It provides a lower cost way to use a 30mm sight, an important consideration given the current $175 price of the adjustable aperture. Perhaps just as important, the fixed aperture is something that should be in every high-end shooter’s kit in case of failure of the adjustable, which has been known to happen. If I were traveling across the country or around the world to a match, you can be sure there would be a set of fixed apertures of various sizes in my kit to back up the adjustable iris.
Art Neergaard
ShootingSight LLC
www.ShootingSight.com
eMail: shootingsight@nuvox.net
Phone: 513-702-4879
October 12th, 2010
MidwayUSA has teamed up with Burris Optics to produce a new scope that should be ideal for Multi-Gun competition. The new Burris Fullfield TAC30, sold exclusively thorugh MidwayUSA, features 1X to 4X adjustable magnification and a 24mm objective. The illuminated Ballistic CQ reticle provides hold-over points for the longer stages. The scope body is sealed and nitrogen-purged. Sean Doke, MidwayUSA’s Optics Manager noted: “We listened to our Customers and partnered with Burris to create a unique scope that met our customers’ requirements. The new Burris Fullfield TAC30 allows for rapid engagement of close quarters targets while also providing holdover points out to 600 yards.”
The scope, finished in Burris’s popular Dark Earth Color, is constructed with quality, multi-coated lenses. The new TAC30 retails at MidwayUSA for $339.99, and is covered by the Burris Forever Warranty which states: “If [this product] is ever found to have defects in materials or workmanship, Burris will, at our option, repair or replace it at no charge, even if you are not the original owner.”
October 9th, 2010
Stephen Ivey has engineered a set of gimbaled scope rings allowing up to 150 Minutes of Angle (MOA) of elevation. These rings have precision hinge pins front and rear allowing the entire scope to be tilted by a micrometer-controlled cam in the rear. This allows the scope to tilt upwards (in the rear) with the front ring as the axis while both rings remain parallel to prevent scope binding. The rear ring tilts to match the front while a cam pushes it up. Ivey also makes tilting +150 MOA Picatinny riser rails.
Ivey offers two scope-mounting products. First is the RT-150 Ring set (above). This has two, polished 30mm or 34mm 6061-T6 aluminum rings with bases to fit a Picatinny profile or mil-spec 1913 rail with standard 5mm cross slots at 10mm spacing. (Weaver installation requires extra cross-slots to be cut.) Total elevation is +150 MOA. The micrometer adjuster is graduated in true 1 MOA intervals, with 5 MOA of elevation change per rotation. This product costs $525.00 and requires at least 5-1/2″ length mounting base.
The newest product is the MSRR-150MOA Riser Rail, a pivoting 5.75″-long Picatinny-style rail that accepts Weaver-style clamping scope rings. This Adjusts from Zero to +150 MOA and raises the scope 1.45″ from the top of the action. The extra height provides clearance for large objectives when the unit is tilted for a full +150 MOA elevation. Cross slots are 5mm wide at 10mm (.394″) spacing. The $525.00 riser rail is made of 6061 T6 Aluminum hard-anodized black. Clamps are heat-treated steel. The micrometer thimble is marked for 1 MOA gradations, and provides 20 MOA per revolution.
The Ivey products are expensive, to be sure, but they are beautifully machined, and they offer unique capabilities for ultra-long-range shooters. With the +150 MOA units you have enough elevation to shoot at 2000+ yards! We like the idea of using the micrometer to dial within 1 MOA and then just using the scope turrets for fine-tuning. To learn more, visit the Ivey Shooting website, or call Stephen Ivey at (615) 896-9366, or email him at sales [at] iveyshooting.com .
October 2nd, 2010
Swarovski makes fantastic hunting scopes. They feature extremely high-quality glass, that is bright and razor-sharp. Excellent light transmission ensures good performance at dawn and dusk. Right now, through the end of October, MidwayUSA has clearance-sale pricing on two Swarovski medium-range zooms suitable for varminting or long-range hunting.
The Swarovski PH 4-16x50mm (30mm) with Ballistic Reticle (item #676135) is marked down from $1,849.00 to $1,399.00, a $450.00 savings. The higher power Swarovski AV 6-18x50mm with Ballistic Reticle and 1″ main tube (item #220145) is $929.00 on sale, reduced from $1229.00. Whenever you can get a mid-range zoom Swaro for under a grand, it’s a pretty good deal. Both these scopes feature diopter-type eyepieces offering ample focus correction. That’s a big plus if you normally need glasses but don’t have prescription shooting glasses.
Both scopes are covered by Swarovski’s 30-year warranty. The AV 6-18x50mm is less expensive, but the PH model should provide enhanced lowlight performance.
IMPORTANT: both these scopes have metric, non-standard click-values. The PH 4-16x50mm moves 0.5 cm per click at 100 meters (about .18″ at 100 yards), while the AV 6-18x50mm moves 1.0 cm at 100 meters (about .36″ per click at 100 yards). Make sure you can live with metric clicks before purchasing either scope.
September 22nd, 2010
Our readers were very interested in the recent announcement that Remington Arms was selected to build the new M24E1 Sniper Weapon System, the successor to the venerable M24 Sniper Rifle used by the U.S. Army for many years.
 New Leupold Scope for M24E1
A key component of the M24E1 system is the new Leupold Mark 4 6.5-20x50mm Extended Range/Tactical (ER/T) M5 riflescope (34mm locking version). This scope features First Focal Plane (FFP) Horus ranging reticles (H27 or H58), side parallax adjustment, and a beefy 34mm maintube.
Other key features of the new ER/T include M5 windage and elevation adjustment dials with audible, tactile 1/10 (0.1) milrad clicks to match the mil-based Horus reticles. An elevation zero-stop helps prevent under-rotation in high-stress situations. The eyepiece offers long eye relief and it employs a “lockable” fast-focus design to ensure that the reticle remains in sharp focus. The scope has an auto-locking elevation adjustment.
 With either a Horus H27 or H58 reticle in the front focal plane, the scope can accurately range at all magnification settings (the reticle magnifies with the image). The 34mm maintube allows for ample windage and elevation adjustment — a full 100 MOA of elevation and 100 MOA of windage adjustment.
The Mark 4 6.5-20x50mm ER/T M5 Locking Adjustment riflescope is waterproof, fog proof and shock proof. With its M5 Locking Adjustment, the scope’s platform is unique in the Mark 4 ER/T line. It is controlled under International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) and limited to domestic and international government sales only.
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