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April 25th, 2007
The big news at the recent NBRSA 600-yard Nationals was Don Nielson’s dominant performance, which included a new 1.776″ 10-shot NBRSA-record group. From a hardware perspective, however, the major story was the 40X ED March scope used by Lou Murdica. With this new, ultra-sharp scope with ED (low dispersion) glass, Lou was able to see his 6mm and 6.5mm bullet holes clearly most of the time, and that helped him aim his shots more precisely. Lou finished third overall, second in two-gun score, and posted the Light Gun high score, with a 50-3X, 1.745″ target.
Until now, ED or low dispersion glass was only available in premium camera lenses or top of the line spotting scopes. This is a significant enhancement for benchrest scopes. “ED” or “LD” stands for low dispersion glass–this lessens chromatic aberration, which can cause an image to look fuzzy. All things being equal, low-dispersion lenses transmit a sharper image because different colors (wavelengths) don’t separate as they pass through the glass.
We have looked through various scopes at 6mm bullet holes at 600 yards. With a Leupold 8-25x LRT you can sometimes (in perfect conditions) see holes in the white but they are fuzzy and indistinct. With 36X Weavers or Sightrons, you have more magnification but most examples don’t have the sharpness to pick out 6mm holes consistently at 600. With a 12-42x Nightforce at max power you can see 6mm holes in the white when conditions are good, but it’s pretty difficult otherwise. With the March, Lou reports: “I could easily see 6mm bullet holes in the white or the blue in the mornings. At mid-day holes in the white were still really sharp, but shots in the blue were getting harder to see. At the end of the day when the mirage was bad, I could still see holes, but you needed to wait for the conditions to clear a bit.” Lou added: “On the March the image is bright and sharp all the way to the edge. It’s really noticeably better at the edges than other scopes.”
If all March 40X ED scopes perform as well as Lou’s, then this is a major advancement that may change the way the 600-yard game is played. If the March scope lets you see your bullet holes reliably, in all but the worst mirage conditions, then that really does give a “competitive advantage” over other scopes. We can expect some 600-yard competitors will trade in their Nightforces for March EDs. Lou tells us “many, many top short-range BR shooters are going with the March–Tony Boyer, Billy Stevens, Mike Ratigan–you name it.” But in short-range BR, it is not the resolving power that has driven sales of the March–it is the tracking reliability. Lou explained “In short-range BR, maintaining shot to shot Point of Impact (POI) is do or die. That’s why guys ‘lock up’ Sightrons and Leupolds. But with the March the POI stays constant. And when you do spin the knobs, you get totally repeatable tracking. I was clicking throughout the 600-yard match–even in the middle of a group. When I came back to my original zero it was always dead-on.” Lou noted: “Since I’ve been using the March, my shooting has improved dramatically. I’ve been up at the top and winning more than ever. Even at 300 yards the March makes a big difference. At the 300-yard Nationals Eric Stanton and I were the only two guys who used the scopes and we cleaned house with those things. I finished second overall and Eric finished first.”
The March scope, built by Koto Precision of Japan, is a 40-power, non-zoom, side-focus design, with 1/8-MOA clicks and 72 MOA of total elevation. Weighing 21.2 ounces, it has a 30mm tube, 52mm front objective, and a 1.3mm exit pupil. In the USA, March scopes are sold exclusively by Kelblys. Price is $2100.00 with a choice of four reticles. For more info, click HERE for the March data sheet.
April 18th, 2007
 Here’s a great deal on a quality Gradient Lens Corp. Borescope.
Sinclair Int’l offers a special $560.00 Limited Edition Hawkeye model, designed for shooters and gunsmiths. This 17″ borescope, Sinclair item #HS17, includes the same light source, mirror adaptor, and cleaning kit as the regular Hawkeye #HS17FE-K. You don’t get a focusing eyepiece with the Limited Edition but focus is pre-set for 22 through 30-caliber barrels, so that’s not a problem. The same model with focusing eyepiece (item HS17FE-K) costs $775.00 ($660.00 after manufacturer’s rebate*). The Limited Edition Hawkeye is shipped in a padded, cardboard case and can be disassembled in seconds with included Allen wrench. Savings are passed on to shooters with the omission of the focusing eyepiece and hardcase. The more expensive model comes with a deluxe, lockable aluminum hardcase.
*Rebate offer: A rebate of $75.00 is available on the Hawkeye 17 Borescope Kit (HS17FE-K ONLY). Mail your Sinclair International Invoice directly to Gradient Lens before July 1, 2007. Rebate valid for United States customers ONLY. NO REBATE on Limited Edition.
April 10th, 2007
The new Bushnell 4200 Elite 6-24x50mm “Tactical” SF has been released. It features a 30mm main tube, 45 MOA of elevation (top to bottom), 12 MOA per turret revolution, and side-focus parallax adjustment. The scope weighs 22 ounces, eye relief is 3″, and the multi-coated lenses feature RainGuard weather-proofing. A number of vendors have the new scope in stock at prices ranging from $530.00 to $580.00. Currently, befitting its “tactical” name, the scope only comes with a MilDot reticle. Ranging is performed at 12X power, indicated by a red dot on the zoom ring.
Mike of CSgunworks.com reports: “The glass is good. The finish is nice and the turrets feel really positive. I like the fact that it ranges at 12x not 10x, and the side parallax is well-marked all the way down to 25 yards. The crosshairs on the Mil-Dot reticle are a little thicker than I would like, but not too bad. Overall, for the price this scope is hard to beat. I like it more than the Burris TAC scopes.” Mike plans to comparison test the new Bushnell vs. other mid-priced tactical scopes–watch this Bulletin for updates. You can purchase the new 30mm Bushnell 6-24×50 SF at Csgunworks.com, SWFA.com, and The Optic Zone.
April 9th, 2007
 This is a great deal for hunters. For a limited time, if you purchase a Burris Fullfield II 3-9x40mm scope at Midsouth Shooters Supply, you’ll receive a free Garmin eTrex GPS. The popular eTrex has a “street price” of about $90.00. Compact, yet fully featured, the 6-ounce, 4″x2″ eTrex literally fits in the palm of your hand. All five buttons are placed on the sides, for simple, one-handed operation. Midsouth’s package price is just $235.99 (item 023-200162-GPS). That means you are getting a quality, fully-coated “major-brand” hunting scope for under $150.00.
April 7th, 2007
Signature Zee rings are inexpensive and effective. The inserts allow you to mount the scope with no binding or misalignment, and no lapping is required. Using the offset inserts you can pre-load up to +20 MOA elevation, allowing you to shoot out to 1000 yards without a costly inclined rail. The polymer inserts ride between your scope tube and the metal ring, so you can mount/unmount your scope without marring the finish. If you have a Weaver or Picatinny rail on top of your rifle, these rings are hard to beat for the price–that’s why Burris Signatures are on all of this editor’s long-range rifles. Currently, 1″ diameter Signature Zee “High” rings are on sale at MidwayUSA for $28.99, item 612622.
March 31st, 2007
Zeiss has introduced a new series of holdover reticles for its Conquest and Victory scopes. Because Rapid-Z reticles are in the second focal plane, they remain the same size at all magnifications. By selecting a particular zoom power, the holdover can be precisely tailored to your load. In addition to holdover reference points, the reticles have horizontal hold points for windage (5mph and 10mph). Five different Rapid-Z reticles are offered: 600, 800, 1000, 1200, and Varmint. We think the Rapid-Z Varmint, in the 6.5-20 Conquest scope, is a great choice for varminters. All Rapid-Z reticles can also estimate range through the use of a simple ranging bracket feature. (The shooter will need to know the size of the target in relation to the brackets.) On SWFA.com’s Optics Talk Forum, you can see (and read about) all five Rapid-Z reticles. Click HERE for an interactive Flash demonstration showing how the Rapid-Z reticles function.
March 19th, 2007
We’re excited about the release of the NEW Nikon 6-24×50 Monarch later this spring (Release date early June). Initial reports from Shot Show 2007 were very positive. It has a 1″ tube, limiting its range of elevation compared to the Leupold 8.5-25×50 LRT, but otherwise this Nikon could be a real rival to the Leupold. Priced at $629.95 from The Optic Zone (Nikoplex Reticle), the new Monarch is over $200.00 less expensive than Leupold’s 8.5-25 LRT. (Target Dot, Fine CrossHair, and Bullet Drop Compensating reticles add $20.00 to the price.) We think this could prove a great scope for long-range varminters and F-Class shooters on a budget. Just use an angled scope rail or Burris Signature Rings with inserts to add extra elevation as needed.
March 7th, 2007
The Swarovski 8×30 Laser Guide was the top performer in our recent Laser RangeFinder comparison Tests. Going rate is $889.00–a lot of money. SWFA.com recently got hold of 30 Demo model Swaro Laser Guides. These are “like new” units with full factory warranty. Most are priced at just $749.95. Act quick before they’re all gone. You’ll find them in SWFA’s “Sample List”, www.SampleList.com.
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