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February 8th, 2010
The innovative Zeiss 2.5-10x50mm Diarange riflescope with built-in Laser Rangefinder is now on sale at EuroOptic.com for $2400.00. That’s an amazing price — the Zeiss Victory Diarange 2.5-10x50mm normally sells for $3949.00. This represents a $1549.00 savings over the regular price — almost 40% off. (EuroOptic.com also has the Zeiss Victory Diarange 3-12×56 T* demo models for $3,200.00 marked down from $3,999.00.)
 EuroOptic.com has about 40 units at this price. They are offered with either Rapid Z 800 or Rapid Z 600 reticles (both illuminated). The Zeiss Diarange is a unique products that combines a very high-grade riflescope with an integrated laser rangefinder. Measuring range for the laser is from 10-999 yards, with a measuring accuracy of ± 1 yard up to 600 yards and ± 0.5 % of reading at ranges beyond 600 yards. Ranging is fast and the scope offers outstanding low-light performance.
For a hunter looking to simplify his load-out, the Diarange allows you to sight your prey and range it with one device. You can keep both hands on the rifle at all times and you can keep your muzzle on target while you’re ranging. Eurooptics’ $2400.00 price is a lot of money, to be sure, but consider that the discounted Diarange gives you a high-end scope AND a rangefinder for about the same price as a Zeiss Diavari scope by itself.
CLICK HERE for $2400.00 Zeiss Diarange Deal at EuroOptic.com
CLICK HERE For Zeiss Diarange 2.5-10x50mm SPEC Sheet
CLICK HERE for Zeiss Diarange Product Page with VIDEO
February 4th, 2010
Forum member Thomas Haugland (aka “Roe”) from Norway has created an excellent video comparing the features on four long-range scopes: Schmidt & Bender PMII 3-12x50mm, Schmidt & Bender PMII 12-50x56mm, Leupold MK IV, and Zeiss Diavari Victory 6-24x56mm. Thomas shows how the adjustments function, he records the available vertical elevation, and he takes apart the turrets to show how the weather seals work. While the Leupold MK IV has MOA clicks, the three Euro scopes tested by Thomas have mil-based or mil/cm adjustments. These mil-based clicks work well with first focal plane reticles that have mil or half-mil hash marks.
Thomas explains:
These films emphasize the shooter’s Point of View (POV) and ‘user friendliness’. ALL these scopes get the job done, but they have some similarities and differences in the details and your own personal preferences would decide what scope can be labeled ‘best’. The perfect scope doesn’t exist, you’ll have a compromise somewhere — be that economy, magnification, reticle, turret, optical quality, sturdiness…
In these films I’ve set the Schmidt & Bender PMII 3-12×50 as the benchmark for comparison. Not because it is ‘best’ (it isn’t!) but because S&B is one of the manufacturers which first recognized the needs of professional Long Range shooters and put together products [optimized to work well] in high stress environments. The features that are important are: First focal plane, MIL reticles and MIL turrets, plenty of adjustment and suitable magnification.
Note that S&B and Zeiss scopes are also available in the USA with MOA-based turrets and/or second focal plane (SFP) reticles, for those shooters who prefer the MOA system, and SFP. A first focal plane reticle is best for ranging, but a target shooter working at known distances will probably prefer a second focal plane reticle that doesn’t change in size with magnification.
February 2nd, 2010
 Nightforce Optics has enhanced their elevation adjustments in this year’s lineup of high-magnification Nightforce scopes. Now you can get DOUBLE the elevation travel with a SINGLE TURN of the elevation knob. For an NXS with 1/4-MOA clicks, this means you can get a full 20 MOA of elevation travel with a single turn of the knob.
Bravo, Nightforce — this simple enhancement can make a BIG difference in the field. With most “high-performance” calibers, 20 MOA will get you to 700 yards or beyond. This means that the varminter can zero at all likely hunting yardages within the same revolution of the turret. That makes life much simpler, and reduces the chance of being way off in your elevation. No more confusion about which revolution you’re on….
Likewise, a tactical shooter, moving from near to far targets and back again, can likely stay on the same revolution at most target yardages. Even if you shoot out to 1000 yards, you will be able to get all the way out to 1K within two complete revolutions. This upgrade — doubling the elevation travel in each turret revolution — gives Nightforce scopes practical performance (inside 700 yards) similar to much more expensive scopes fitted with a single-turn or double-turn elevation systems (such as the U.S. Optics EREK knob). The new high-speed adjustment system will be offered in Nightforce’s 15x, 22x, 32x, and 42x series of scopes. Anticipated delivery date for scopes with the high-speed adjustment is May, 2010.
What About Retro-fitting Older NF Scopes?
Nightforce plans to provide an upgrade path for existing Nightforce scopes “eventually, but not right away”. The upgrade would allow installation of the “high-speed adjustment” system on older NF scopes. We don’t have any more specifics. Nightforce has NOT revealed how much the high-speed conversion would cost or when it might be available for pre-2010 scopes.
January 31st, 2010
On Media Day, just prior to SHOT Show 2010, our Assistant Editor Jason Baney headed straight to the biggest, baddest rifles he could find — a pair of serious-looking tactical rigs from Barrett Rifles. First off was the mighty semi-auto Barrett 82A1, chambered in .416 Barrett. a “beast of a cartridge” according to Jason. The .416 is a very powerful chambering, and you can see the recoil pushed Jason pretty hard. That’s serious energy — Jason’s a big boy, and the Barrett 82A1 weighs nearly 31 pounds. Want one? You may have to liquidate some investments. MSRP on the Barrett 82A1 is a whopping $9345.00.
Ninety-Eight Bravo in .338 Lapua Magnum
Next up was Barrett’s bolt-action model 98B (“Ninety-Eight Bravo”), chambered in .338 Lapua Magnum. At less than half the weight of the Barrett 82A1, the 98B was much easier to steer on the bench and the ergonomics were generally better according to Jason.
While recoil from the .338 Lapua Mag was stout, you can see in the video that the .338 LM kicked much less than the .416 Barrett, even in a gun with less than half the mass. The 98B gives you a good solid thump to the shoulder when firing. By contrast, the .416 Barrett in the 82A1 shakes your whole body. The 98B weighs 12.4-13.5 pounds (depending on configuration) and starts at $5039.99 without optics. Speaking of optics, the hooded display on top of the 98B is a Barrett Optical Ranging System (BORS). This $1500.00 gadget provides a digital read-out of your actual ballistics settings. It doesn’t control windage and elevation — that is still done manually with the scope knobs. BORS is an integrated electronic ballistic computer that mounts directly on the riflescope and couples to the elevation knob. Just turn the elevation knob until the LCD displays the target’s actual range (which must be pre-determined). The BORS’ three internal sensors automatically calculate a ballistic solution, compensating for up/down angle, temperature, and barometric pressure changes. It even tells you if the rifle is canted. It’s a handy device that eliminates the possibility that you loose track of your turret settings.
January 30th, 2010
We had a chance to visit with Jim Kelbly of Kelbly’s Inc., at SHOT Show 2010. Jim had all the new March scopes on display, including the amazing 8-80x56mm long-range scope, part of March’s ground-breaking 10 times zoom range series. Jim reviewed the March line-up, explaining the many high-magnification models available for precision shooters.
Jim also showed us the stainless Grizzly II action and the new Atlas series of stainless actions. The Atlas actions are designed for varminters, tactical shooters, and long-range shooters who want an affordable stainless action with a Remington 700 action footprint. The Atlas actions should be a simple drop-in installation for stocks inletted for Rem 700s. At the close of the interview, we asked Jim about the future of benchrest competition. Jim believes that we will see more cross-over of short-range shooters into the long-range disciplines (and vice-versa), along with growth in the F-Class and tactical disciplines.
January 25th, 2010
At SHOT Show, Sightron rolled out its much-awaited 10-50x60mm, and it looks good. Currently available in either a Fine-Cross-Hair (FCH) reticle, or FCH with target dot, the new unit has 1/8 MOA clicks and 50 MOA of windage and elevation. Priced under $1000.00, this is a good value compared to other premium optics with similar max magnification.
Affordable High-Magnification Long-Range Optic
With a “street price” under $995.00, the Sightron 10-50 could become hugely popular in 600/1000-yard benchrest and F-Class shooting. The big new zoom features a jumbo 60mm objective, 30mm maintube, and 1/8 MOA clicks. Nearly 17″ long and weighing 28.9 ounces, make no mistake, this is a BIG piece of glass. If the new 10-50×60mm SIII Sightron is as good as the 8-32×50mm LR SIII we tested in 2009, this should be a fantastic scope for the money.
New Tactical Scopes with Rear Parallax Control
Sightron had another much smaller, but equally impressive, scope on hand. It was the 10X model from the new SIII Tactical series which includes 16X and 20X versions also. The new SIII fixed-power Tactical Sightrons feature a modified mildot (MMD) reticle with 1/4 MOA clicks. These scopes (10X, 16X, and 20X) all boast an amazing 150 MOA of total elevation (and windage). We repeat: 150 MOA of total up/down travel. That allows you to shoot well past 1000 yards without needed an angled scope base. The parallax control is at the back, where you’d normally find a zoom ring. The position is actually very handy. With the parallax (focus) control near the rear eyepiece, you can easily set the parallax with your firing hand without moving out of position. These new fixed-power Tactical Scopes will retail for about $550.00.
January 24th, 2010
At SHOT Show 2010, Zeiss Sport Optics displayed its impressive new series of Diavari scopes with FL (flourite) glass. The new scopes are extremely clear and bright (on a par with Schmidt & Bender), and the flourite lens elements allow very high light transmission with super-low fringing (chromatic aberration). Controls are very positive and the Zeiss eyepieces feature a +2 to -3 diopter. With that broad diopter range, you can use the scopes without corrective lenses even if you normally wear eyeglasses or contacts. A variety of reticles are offered, including ballistic compensating reticles calibrated for four popular cartridge types. Three scopes will initially be available in the new Zeiss FL lineup: 4-16x50mm, 6-24x56mm, and 6-24x72mm, shown below. This extra-large 72mm objective provides superior low-light performance plus a large exit pupil, even at full 24X magnification.
Higher Magnification and Dual-Rate Focus for New FL Diascope
In addition to the new FL Scopes, Zeiss displayed its new 65mm and 85mm Diascope FL spotting scopes. These look very similar to last year’s models, but there are internal lens upgrades, a new focus system, and a superb new eyepiece that raises the max magnification to 75X on the 85mm model.
We really like the new “dual-rate” focus system. Focusing a high-magnification spotting scope can be frustrating with a single control knob. The dual-rate system is an intelligent solution. When you spin the knob more than 270°, it automatically goes into fast focus mode, which is five times faster. Then as you “dial in” your subject, it reverts to fine focus mode. This is a smart system that works very intuitively. Kudos to Zeiss for this innovation. Zeiss engineer Stephan Albrecht, Diascope project manager, explains the new features.
January 19th, 2010
Today at the SHOT Show’s “Media Day at the Range”, Burris gave us a glimpse of the future in hunting optics. The new Burris Eliminator scope will range your target, calculate your trajectory, and illuminate a spot on the reticle that becomes your aimpoint at extended range. We could write a treatise on the Eliminator’s breakthrough technology, but all you really need to know is that after you range your target with the scope, a red dot appears on the vertical crosshair that is the correct aiming point for your ranged distance. The ballistics “hold-over” is already calculated. Just put the calculated red dot on the target, and pull the trigger. It’s that simple.
The new “Eliminator” scope is being introduced as a 4-12x42mm optic, for an expected $850.00 street price. The laser is activated with a simple push-button on the left side of the scope, and also comes with a remote switch that you can attach to the rifle in a more convenient position allowing the laser to be activated while maintaining the aim of the rifle. In the above photo you can see the remote switch on the objective end of the scope.
Once the target range is acquired, the range displays for about 10 seconds and the illuminated aiming dot remains illuminated for 70 seconds. The illumination clock allows plenty of time to pull off a good shot, yet saves battery life.
So how does the Burris LaserScope calculate the appropriate trajectory of your load? The software in the scope contains a database of hundreds of factory-loaded cartridges and even calculates handload trajectories using two (2) user-provided data points. The user inputs the zero range (100 or 200 yards) along with the inches of drop at 500 yards. The 500-yard drop is best found by real world shooting, not by using a calculated trajectory approximation from a ballistic program. The scope’s software then uses the zero-distance and the 500-yard drop figure to extrapolate the entire trajectory.
While shooting this scope on a Tikka 7mm-08, we successfully engaged targets from 350-570 yards that were approximately the size of a whitetail deer’s vitals area. Seeing how the conditions were not very conducive to accurate shooting with rain and a 5-15 mph switchy wind, we were impressed with the results.
For those that hunt or shoot out to about 600 yards or so, this scope will definitely speed up the process of pulling off an accurate long range shot. In a matter of seconds, you can locate a target, range it, and engage it. There is no time wasted fumbling with a separate laser rangefinder, no time wasted looking at a drop chart, and no time wasted clicking in the appropriate amount of elevation. As long as you can get a range on your target, the only thing left to worry about is the wind! This scope is obviously not for everyone, but we are confident that many hunters can benefit from this remarkable new technology.
Burris Eliminator Specs:
Click value 1/4″ at 100 yards
Weight 26 ounces; length 13″
Eye Relief 3-3.5″
Elevation Travel 50″
Laser range 550-800 yards based on reflectivity
January 15th, 2010
 Here’s a little-known bit of information about Trijicon optics. Did you know that, for many years, Michigan-based Trijicon Inc. has discretely placed references to Bible passages on Trijicon optics products? Look carefully at the codes on the side of Trijicon optics and you’ll note Biblical references “hidden in plain sight” next to manufacturer product numbers.
ACOG Scope — ACOG4X32JN8:12
John 8:12 — “When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, ‘I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.'”
RMR Red-dot — RM01 2PE1:19
2 Peter 1:19 — “And so we have the prophetic word confirmed, which you do well to heed as a light that shines in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts[.]”
There are discrete Scriptural references such as these on every optics product Trijicon sells. It’s an interesting feature, we bet few of you knew about… until now.
January 15th, 2010
 Florida-based Tactical Rifles has just released its new “Chimera” series of 30mm Titanium Tactical Rings. Precision machined from advanced billet alloys and titanium, these sturdy, wide-body rings offer 50% increased surface area, with no fewer than twelve (12) 8-32 torx screws per set.
Though the Titanium Chimera rings weigh just 2.6 ounces each, they are rugged and durable, and provide a secure mount for even the heaviest tactical riflescope. Three different exterior colors are offered: Desert Tan, Matte Black, and Olive Drab. The Black finish is hard anodized, while the tan and olive colors are a moly epoxy finish. (NOTE: Prototype rings are shown in the photos; the interior section of production rings will be anodized matte black.)
Each ring set is serial numbered as a matched pair, and are available for pre-orders now. Suggested retail price is $229.00 per set, your color choice. For more information, visit TacticalRifles.net or call 1-877-811-GUNS (811-4867).
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