Kelbly’s rolled out a remarkable new March benchrest scope at SHOT 2009: a completely new 36-55x52mm zoom, quite unlike anything on the market. Produced by Japan’s DEON Optical, the design was inspired, in part, by suggestions from ace shooter Lou Murdica. Lou looked at the current benchrest disciplines, from point-blank (100/200) BR, all the way to the 1000-yard game. He found that most benchresters (both short-range and long-range) rarely dialed their scopes below 30-power, and most wanted more magnification than their current scopes offered, for times when the conditions were good. Lou asked DEON’s designers if they could build a high-quality BR scope with about a two-times zoom ratio. But he also wanted the reticle to be super-stable, so it didn’t move at all when adjusting the magnification.
Six months later, DEON (March) sent Lou a prototype. It was very different that other scopes on the market because the zoom function is done in the eyepiece — similar to a spotting scope. In fact DEON dubbed the new scoped the “EP” zoom, with the “EP” referring to “eye piece”. Lou has tested the new March 36-55X and he says “The cross-hair absolutely doesn’t move when you zoom because everything is taking place behind the cross-hairs at the eyepiece. For a benchrest shooter this is a BIG deal — if you don’t like the mirage, you can change from 55 power to 36 power in the middle of your group, and know that point of impact will not change.” The other great feature of the scope is the near-constant eye relief — it changes only about 1/2″ from 36 power to full 55X magnification. Lou says, “you can zoom through the entire range and barely need to move your head at all.” Lou has worked with all the March BR scopes, from the early 40X through the lastest zooms. He feels that the new 36-55 may be the best yet for short-, medium-, and long-range benchrest shooters. As Lou explains: “It takes care of 100 to 1000-yard shooting with one scope. What more would you ever need?”
Revolutionary March 1:10 Ratio Zooms Amaze Optics Experts
March pulled off a major coup at SHOT Show. The new March 1-10x35mm and 2.5-25x42mm zooms were the talk of the Show. This is the first time ANY major manufacturer has been able to achieve a 10 times zoom ratio. March’s booth was mobbed as engineers from other optics companies came to see how March “achieved the impossible”. And the optics guys had to fight past a line-up of military personnel — from the USA, Canada, Israel, and Germany. Lou Murdica was there and he reports: “Once word of these scopes hit the show’s Tactical area, March had more military and law enforcement people from the U.S. and other countries than you could imagine.”
Apparently, the U.S. Military has been asking domestic manufacturers to perfect a 1-10X zoom for years, and the response was always: “It can’t be done.” Well, starting from a blank page, the engineers at Japans’ DEON Optical Design Corp. (makers of the March), figured it out. For the military this is a HUGE technical breakthrough because a 1-power optic is ideal for close quarters combat (or house-clearing) while 10-power is a good setting for long-range sniper work. The two 1:10 ratio zooms both feature 1/4 MOA clicks, illuminated plex or MTR2 reticles, 30mm tubes, and a huge elevation range: 180 MOA for the 1-10×35 and 100 MOA for the 2.5-25×42. Both these scopes are slated for June 2009 deliveries. The 1-10×35 scope is expected to sell for $1500.00 while the 2.4-25×42 will cost about $2400.00.
We are told that David Tubb will be working on adapting a specialized long-range reticle for the 2.5-25×42. Representatives of the U.S. Navy SEALs showed great interest in the 2.5-25x42mm March. In addition to the two smaller tactical scopes, March displayed 5-32x52mm and 10-60x52mm tactical scopes. These feature 1/8-MOA clicks and an MTR1 reticle.
Every year, the high-end Spotting Scopes from the major optics-makers seem to get bigger, better, and, unfortunately, more expensive. Leica rolled out its new flagship spotting scope, a black-bodied 82mm Televid with APO glass. A smaller version with a 65mm front objective will also be available in Spring 2009. These babies are expensive — the 82mm (body only, no eyepiece), carries a $3,195.00 MSRP, while the 65mm (body only, no eyepiece) retails for $2,295.00.
What justifies the high price is Leica’s superb APO (apochromatic) glass. This is formulated to give enhanced light transmission with less chromatic aberration. Other manufacturers offer “ED”, “HD” or “LD” low-dispersion glass, but the Leica APO glass is probably about as good as it gets. (Both the new 65mm and the 82mm are offered at a lower price with HD flouride glass, with APO lenses an extra-cost upgrade.) Leica claims the optical performance of the new spotting scopes is significantly better than the preceding models. The High Definition (HD) versions use specialized glass in a newly designed lens arrangement for improved clarity and contrast.
Jason checked out the new 82mm Televid with angled body. It was fitted with a 25-50x Wide Angle eyepiece. Jason noted the eyepiece offered good eye relief, and the clarity and sharpness was outstanding. The scope is fairly compact (front to rear) for an 80mm-class optic. Is the 82mm APO Televid better than the Big Zeiss or Swarovski (or the new ED-glass Kowa)? Only field tests can reveal that. “You’d have to get the Leica 82mm in the field with a couple other premium spotters with low dispersion glass and see how they perform side by side.” The Leica Televid 82 and Televid 65 spotting scopes are both available with straight or angled eyepiece housing, with either HD or APO glass.
Leice also announced that, for 2009, it will offer HD (High Definition) lenses in its popular Geovid Laser-Range-Finding Binoculars. MSRP on the HD Geovids starts at $2395.00.
Our readers have been waiting a long time for Schmidt & Bender to bring its new high-magnification 12.5-50×56 PMII scope to American shores. We first wrote about this scope in April 2007. In February 2008, we published a follow-up report on the example we saw at the 2008 SHOT Show. For nearly two years now, American shooters have been asking us: “When can I get one?” Well, save your pennies. The scopes are slated to arrive in June, 2009 … provided S&B can deliver on its promises.
S&B Says the 12-50×56 Will Arrive in June
The scope will be available in the USA in limited quantities in summer 2009, hopefully in June. There are two (2) models. The black PMII version has a 34mm main tube and either 1/8 or 1/4 MOA clicks. Both normal and rapid two-turn counter-clockwise (CCW) turrets are offered on the PMII. The silver Field Target model comes with a 30mm main tube, and parallax that works down to 7 meters. Both scopes are priced at US $2849.00.
For more information, contact Mark Cromwell, Schmidt & Bender’s USA Manager, at 800-468-3450.
Nightforce has unveiled its new NXS 2.5-10x32mm compact scope. Made in the USA, this scope was created to answer the requests of hunters for greater low-light capability in a compact, lightweight optic. The NXS 2.5-10×32 measures 12″ long and weighs just 19 ounces. The new NXS 2.5-10×32 has a larger exit pupil than the 2.5-10×24 NXS. This improves light transmission and allows faster target acquisition. Both compact scopes are bright and rugged. In fact, Nightforce compact NXS scopes were originally created for the U.S. Special Forces for use with night-vision devices.
Shown with optional ZeroStop and windage limiter turrets.
Multiple Choices for Elevation/Windage Click Values
The NXS 2.5-10×32 is available with fully enclosed hunting-style turrets with 1/4-MOA clicks, or exposed target-style turrets with either 1/4-MOA clicks, 0.1 Mil-Rad clicks, or 1.0 MOA elevation + .5 MOA windage adjustments. The target-style turrets include the Nightforce ZeroStop control. This allows quick return to zero regardless of previous elevation adjustments.
New Ballistic Reticles for Compact NXS Scopes
Three new ballistic reticles are also being offered with Nightforce 2.5-10×32 and 2.5-10×24 NXS Compacts. Designed for hunting to 600 yards, the family of reticles are based upon a common NP-1 design, but with three different configurations for high, medium, and low-velocity cartridges respectively. Among the three reticles, you’ll find one that adapts well to most common hunting cartridges.
The ballistic reticles are designed to be sighted-in at 200 yards. Elevation lines are marked in 50-yard intervals to 600 yards, including a 100-yard mark.This gives you the ability to quickly hold-over in known intervals, so you can engage targets at multiple distances without cranking your scope knobs. With the new reticles, windage compensation is also marked in 5 and 10 MPH increments–so you can quickly respond to wind changes by shifting to a hash mark left or right of center. Nightforce claims that this “smart reticle” system has been proven to be up to twice as fast as traditional rangefinding reticles.
For more info, contact Nightforce Optics in Idaho, (208) 476-9814, or visit Nightforceoptics.com. At the 2009 SHOT Show, Nightforce has booth #9381.
We’ve looked through many different types of spotting scopes. Initially we thought angled was the only way to go. This lets a shooter mount the spotting scope at his side and easily glance through the lens with the scope body rotated 30 to 90°. However, at matches where you spot for a partner, the straight scopes seem to work better. You don’t have to bend your neck down or remove your hat and your “free” eye can scan downrange for wind changes. When spotting for your partner (while seated or standing), a tripod-mounted straight scope was definitely the most “user-friendly” set-up.
Straight (in-line) Spotting Scope
Danny Reever, author of our Spotting Scope Review, tell us: “Straight vs. angled? Man, that’s a tough call! Having used both personally for over a year I’d have to say this: I feel the straight gives you a clearer, sharper image. One less mirror to contend with. If you have a dealer that can give you a side-by-side look at a couple of hundred yards the difference is apparent. That’s one reason Chip Allen chose the straight Zeiss over the angled. On the other hand the angled gives you more options in the way of setup which can be a bonus between cramped benches, when you’re spotting for yourself. I don’t shoot prone, but I think the angled would be the way to go for a solo prone shooter, again more setup options. Another benefit of the angled is that you can keep the tripod lower, a plus on a windy day. The 100MM scopes like the Pentax and Optolyth do not offer an angled body option — maybe there are some engineering issues, or perhaps that’s just to control costs.”
Angled Spotting Scope
Scope Stands for Bench Use
It you plan to use an angled spotting scope on the bench, Ray-Vin has a great clamping system that allows you to position the eyepiece exactly where you want it. The clamp mount Ray-Vin Benchrest Scope Stand allows you to easily adjust the scope height and horizontal position relative to the shooter. A twist handle with a ball joint on the end then lets you set the scope (and angled eyepiece) to any angle you want. It’s a very slick system. At $199.00 for the complete system (not including scope) shown below left, it’s not inexpensive. However, if you already own a Ray-Vin scope head with ball joint, the Benchrest Clamp is just $119.00. Another option for bench use is the Ray-Vin C-2004 “Tactical Tripod” (photo below right). This low-profile, $199.00 unit can be used on the bench or on the ground. Note: the Tactical Tripod uses a 3/4″-diam. vertical shaft, while the Benchrest Scope Stand has a 1″-diam. vertical shaft. Accordingly, the scope heads are not interchangeable between the two units.
We recently shopped the web to find a new pair of protective shooting glasses. Expecting to pay $20 or more per pair, we were surprised to find high-quality UVEX safety glasses for under $9.00! Available from CooperSafety.com, UVEX glasses feature wrap-around lenses and comfortable padded temples and nose bridges. The UVEX line of safety eyewear passes ANSI Z87+ and CSA Z94.3 standards and meets the MIL VO ballistic test for impact protection. UVEX offers a lifetime frame guarantee–something you won’t get with many $100.00 sunglasses. Among the UVEX product line, we liked the UVEX Skyper ($7.80) with its extended side-shields, the UVEX Genesis ($7.75 -$9.92), and the lightweight UVEX XC ($9.07-$10.55). All three come in a variety of lens shades, and replacement lenses are available for under $5.00 per set.
For more information on protective eyewear, read our comprehensive Guide to Shooting Glasses. It explains the various safety standards which apply and gives the pros and cons of the various preferred lens materials: Polycarbonate, Trivex, and SR-91.
EDITORIAL — Zero Tolerance Needed on Protective Eyewear
I’ve noticed a disturbing percentage of shooters, novice and expert alike, who fail to wear proper eye protection when shooting from the bench. You’ve probably seen this yourself — experienced shooters who’ll grudgingly wear protective glasses in a match (only because they are required), but who won’t wear glasses while practicing. Or, you may have noticed young shooters who shun protective eyewear because they think safety glasses “look dorky”.
To be honest, guys, I think we need to exercise “ZERO Tolerance” when it comes to eye safety. “Mandatory eye protection” rules need to be enforced… no safety glasses = no shooting, period. Rangemasters must INSIST that ALL shooters on the line wear protective glasses. And when you’re out practicing on your own, wear your safety glasses… always… no matter whether you’re shooting centerfire, rimfire, or even air rifles. One little shard of brass or a popped primer and you could be blinded. Your eyesight is precious. Take care of it!
Leupold has announced that the VX-III Series of scopes will be discontinued. A new optics line (with enhanced features) will be introduced in 2009 and will be called the VX-3. The new features are not yet known, but in the meantime, you’ll find big discounts on current Leupold VX-III optics at major vendors.
Midsouth Shooters Supply has deeply discounted its 2008 Leupold VX-III models. VX-IIIs are now Clearance Items marked down as much as 15%. Midsouth tells us: “Our inventory is limited and will not be restocked until the the New 2009 models are out.” Below is a sample of discounted Leupold VX-III scopes at Midsouth.
Nightforce Optics has just released a new first focal plane (FFP) scope, the 3.5-15x50mm F1. This scope, developed with input from the U.S. Military, should be ideal for tactical applications. The scope is available with Zero-Stop windage and elevation knobs calibrated in 0.10 Mil-Radian increments. When combined with Mildot or MLR reticles in the first focal plane, the Milrad knobs permit easy and precise ranging and holdovers. (Turrets with 1/4-MOA clicks are also available.)
The big news is the first focal plane engineering — something new for Nightforce. The advantage of the first focal plane design (also called “front focal plane”) is that the reticle size remains constant relative to the target’s dimensions at ALL magnifications. With a first-focal-plane reticle, the ranging marks, such as mildots, stay in synch with the target image at any zoom level. This allows the shooter to range targets and judge hold-offs at any magnification. As Zak Smith explains: “In variable power scopes, a first focal plane (FFP) reticle configuration means that the angular measure of the reticle features stays constant. No matter what magnification [the scope] is set at, 1 MOA will be 1 MOA and 1 MIL will demarcate 1 MIL.”
This scope is made in the USA. It is in short supply right now but Mike at CSGunworks.com has two units in stock, priced at $2290.00 including MLR reticle, Milrad turrets, and Nightforce UltraLite Rings. Those two scopes will sell quickly but Mike should have more inventory before Christmas. Call Mike at (916) 670-1103 for availability (price subject to change).
Ken from Nightforce Optics has announced that supplies of the new 3.5-15×50 F1 will be very limited for the next 4 to 6 months because Nightforce is fulfilling U.S. Army contracts. Ken notes that: “this new model riflescope, in the Mil-Spec version, is currently in use by several U.S. Army Special Forces groups.” Ken provided these details about the new Nightforce F1:
Product Information for the NXS 3.5-15x50mm F1
Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price is $2,410.00
Standard Features Include:
1) ZeroStop
2) Illuminated reticle
3) Side parallax adjustment
4) Set of Nightforce Ultralite 30mm medium rings, (limited time only)
Reticle Options:
1) Two mil-radian reticles are currently available: The Mil-Dot and MLR
a. Thin-line subtended measurement equals .250 MOA
2) Proprietary MOA type reticles will be available in the future. (Within the next four to six months)
Adjustment Options:
1) .250 MOA elevation and windage adjustments, ZeroStop
2) 1.0 MOA elevation and 1/2 MOA windage adjustments, ZeroStop
3) .10 Mil-Radian elevation and windage adjustments, ZeroStop
Ken adds: “Considering the fact that we will only offer the Mil-Dot and MLR reticle options in the short term, we believe the Mil-Radian adjustment option will be the most popular of the models listed above for the short term.”
First Focal Plane vs. Second Focal Plane Optics
If first focal plane design is better for ranging, one might ask “why aren’t all scopes made this way?” Well, there are tradeoffs. When shooting at known distances, if you’re trying to aim with extreme precision on a tiny X-Ring, you don’t want the cross-hairs to appear thicker as you turn up the magnification. With first focal plane reticle configuration, the reticle increases in thickness, as viewed by the shooter, as magnification increases. This means that, at higher powers, the reticle lines and mildots/hashmarks may obscure very small targets at long range. For a more complete discussion of the pros and cons of first focal plane vs. second focal plane designs, read Optics for Practical Long Range Rifle Shooting by Zak Smith.
Jim Kelbly recently let us know that a new March Scope will be entering production soon, a 5-32x52mm. This scope will be available, exclusively from Kelbly’s Inc., in December 2008. The new 5-32x52mm will be the second variable-focal-length scope in the March line-up, complementing the superb March 10-60x52mm zoom. Our friend Joe Friedrich recently received one of the 10-60X March zooms and he has compared it with Leupold comp scopes and his own 45x March. “You won’t believe it”, Joe told us “but I think this thing is brighter than my 45X March when set at the same magnification. As for the Leupolds… well, there’s no comparison. This 10-60X is a fantastic scope.”
The new 5-32×52 scope features 60 MOA of elevation and 40 MOA of windage adjustment, with 1/8th MOA clicks. Max field of view (at 5-power) is 4 degrees, and eye relief is near constant, at 3.34″ to 3.89″ over the entire zoom range. Three reticles will be offered: Fine Cross-Hair, Fine Cross-Hair with 1/8” OR 1/16” dot, and the new MTR-1 tactical ranging reticle. The scope has a 30mm main tube, is 16.02″ long, and weighs 25 ounces. The 5-32x52mm March will be priced at $2400.00, or $2600.00 with MTR-1 reticle. For more info, call Kelbly’s at (330) 683-4674.
New MOA-based MTR-1 Ranging Reticle
Kelbly’s is also introducing a new MTR-1 ranging reticle for March scopes. Though dubbed a “tactical” reticle, it does NOT have military-style mil dots (for use with milrad scope clicks). The reticle is a fairly fine black crosshair with vertical and horizontal “hash marks” at 2 MOA intervals (when set at 20X magnification). Both the horizontal and vertical directions have a total of 20 divisions each. These hash marks can be used to hold elevation and windage for long-distance target engagement.
For American shooters, who typically think in inches and MOA, the MTR-1 reticle should proove “user-friendly” for horizontal hold-offs at long range since one MOA roughly translates to 1″ per hundred yards. For example, if you are shooting at 600 yards with the scope set at 40X, and your sighter ends up 12″ wide of your point of aim, that’s 2 MOA so you can simply move over one hash mark. This is a quite different than mildot ranging, but we think many competition shooters and varmint hunters (as opposed to military snipers) will find it easy to use. (On the 10-60X52 March scopes, you can also use this reticle at 40-power. At that setting, one hash-mark span equals 1 MOA.)
The MTR-1 reticle can also be used for ranging. For example, if a target of a known height of 12″ is seen through the scope and appears to match one hash-mark division, then you can calculate your distance as follows. Dividing 12″ by 2 MOA equals 6, which means the distance to the target is 600 yards. For benchrest shooters, the hash marks can be used to easily estimate the size of a group (provided of course, you are shooting at a known distance and can see the bullet holes).
Forum member Richard H. (aka “DesertLefty”) has found a great bargain — a quality Kowa spotting scope for $850.00 — that’s $455.00 off regular retail. The Kowa TSN-771 scope with 25X long-eye-relief eyepiece is ideal for High Power and prone shooters. It has a waterproof, angled body with an advanced focus system to decrease image movement when focusing.
Richard reports: “Champion Shooters has a great deal on the new Kowa TSN-771 scope with 25X LER eyepiece. Just $850 + shipping. That’s $455 off their regular price.
I received mine yesterday. Looks good. Haven’t got to the range yet, but my ‘backyard test’ reveals that color and contrast are excellent. Edge-to-edge sharpness is very good. The dual-focus works well and the slide-out sunshade is nice. My only gripe so far is that it doesn’t have an adjustable eyecup. It comes with a stiff, thick eyecup that works well without glasses, but makes the scope hard to use with eyeglasses when the eyecup is installed. The eyecup is removable, however the fit is so tight that it not easy to remove. You won’t want to be switching back and forth. That said, the view using eyeglasses without the eyecup was good. Enough eye relief to see the entire field of view. The eye position might be a bit more sensitive than my buddy’s Leica 77mm, but that’s just a first impression, not a side-by-side comparison.”
Editor’s Note: No other online vendor can touch this price on a Kowa TSN-771 with 25X eyepiece. The lowest price we found elsewhere was $1100.00 with NO eyepiece.
Kelbly’s rolled out a remarkable new March benchrest scope at SHOT 2009: a completely new 36-55x52mm zoom, quite unlike anything on the market. Produced by Japan’s DEON Optical, the design was inspired, in part, by suggestions from ace shooter Lou Murdica. Lou looked at the current benchrest disciplines, from point-blank (100/200) BR, all the way to the 1000-yard game. He found that most benchresters (both short-range and long-range) rarely dialed their scopes below 30-power, and most wanted more magnification than their current scopes offered, for times when the conditions were good. Lou asked DEON’s designers if they could build a high-quality BR scope with about a two-times zoom ratio. But he also wanted the reticle to be super-stable, so it didn’t move at all when adjusting the magnification.
Apparently, the U.S. Military has been asking domestic manufacturers to perfect a 1-10X zoom for years, and the response was always: “It can’t be done.” Well, starting from a blank page, the engineers at Japans’ DEON Optical Design Corp. (makers of the March), figured it out. For the military this is a HUGE technical breakthrough because a 1-power optic is ideal for close quarters combat (or house-clearing) while 10-power is a good setting for long-range sniper work. The two 1:10 ratio zooms both feature 1/4 MOA clicks, illuminated plex or MTR2 reticles, 30mm tubes, and a huge elevation range: 180 MOA for the 1-10×35 and 100 MOA for the 2.5-25×42. Both these scopes are slated for June 2009 deliveries. The 1-10×35 scope is expected to sell for $1500.00 while the 2.4-25×42 will cost about $2400.00.
Every year, the high-end Spotting Scopes from the major optics-makers seem to get bigger, better, and, unfortunately, more expensive. 
Multiple Choices for Elevation/Windage Click Values
New MOA-based MTR-1 Ranging Reticle
I received mine yesterday. Looks good. Haven’t got to the range yet, but my ‘backyard test’ reveals that color and contrast are excellent. Edge-to-edge sharpness is very good. The dual-focus works well and the slide-out sunshade is nice. My only gripe so far is that it doesn’t have an adjustable eyecup. It comes with a stiff, thick eyecup that works well without glasses, but makes the scope hard to use with eyeglasses when the eyecup is installed. The eyecup is removable, however the fit is so tight that it not easy to remove. You won’t want to be switching back and forth. That said, the view using eyeglasses without the eyecup was good. Enough eye relief to see the entire field of view. The eye position might be a bit more sensitive than my buddy’s Leica 77mm, but that’s just a first impression, not a side-by-side comparison.”
