With the price of some premium scopes approaching $3000.00 (and beyond), it’s more important than ever to provide extra protection for your expensive optics. ScopeCoat produces covers that shield scopes with a layer of neoprene rubber (wetsuit material) sandwiched between nylon. In addition to its basic covers, sold in a variety of sizes and colors, ScopeCoat has a line of heavy-duty 6mm products that provide added security.
Triple-Thickness XP-6 Model for Added Protection
The XP-6 Flak Jacket™ is specifically designed for extra protection and special applications. The 6mm-thick layer of neoprene is three times thicker than the standard ScopeCoat. XP-6 Flak Jackets are designed for tall turrets, with sizes that accommodate either two or three adjustment knobs (for both side-focus and front-focus parallax models). To shield an expensive NightForce, March, or Schmidt & Bender scope, this a good choice. XP-6 covers come in black color only, and are available for both rifle-scopes and spotting scopes.
The heavily padded XP-6 Flak Jacket is also offered in a Zippered version, shown at right. This is designed for removable optics that need protection when in storage. The full-length, zippered closure goes on quick-and-easy and provides more complete protection against dust, shock, and moisture. MSRP is $30.00.
Special Covers for Binos and Red-Dots
ScopeCoat offers many specialized products, including oversize covers for spotting scopes, protective “Bino-Bibs” for binoculars, rangefinder covers, even sleeves for small pistol scopes and red-dot optics. There are also custom-designed covers for the popular Eotech and Trijicon tactical optics. Watch the Shooting USA video below to see some of ScopeCoat’s latest specialty covers.
To compete with the vaunted Leica Geovids, Steiner Optik has released its new 10×50 porro-prism binoculars equipped with a built-in Laser Rangefinder. Steiner’s new model 398 10×50 LRF Military Rangefinder Binoculars feature a handy two-button interface and a powerful Class 1 laser rangefinder with claimed maximum ranging distance of 1,600 yards. That meets or beats the range of any other commercial laser rangefinder on the market. Beam divergence on the Steiner LRF binocular is impressively narrow. This allows ranging at very long distances. Steiner claims: “With sunshine and good visibility, the unit’s accuracy is within one yard at ranges up to 380 yards, within two yards to 763 yards, and within approximately 0.5% to 1,600 yards.”
Yes, There is a Mounting Slot for Tripods and Monopods
We were pleased to see that Steiner’s LRF binoculars incorporate a 1/4-20 tripod adapter mount. We think all “serious” laser rangefinders should have mounts for tripods and/or monopods. You simply can’t make use of the full ranging capability of these devices unless you can hold them rock steady when aiming at far-away objects. Steiner’s “easy-on” two-button control also helps you aim precisely. With some LRFs, such as the Swarovski LaserGuide, you must press down quite hard to activate the “on button”. This can upset your aim.
New LRF Binoculars are Built Tough Inside and Out
The new Steiner LRF binoculars are built to withstand tough use, even though, at 46 ounces, they are still fairly lightweight. The chassis is made with Makrolon®, a fiber-reinforced polycarbonate material that is very impact resistant. The exterior is fully armored with Nitrile Butadiene Rubber (NBR) for protection. The interior is pressurized with dry nitrogen fill and is waterproof to 16 feet. All alloy components are anodized, and external metal parts are enamel-finished to prevent corrosion.
Lowest Web Price is Under $2100.00
Though Steiner’s 10×50 LRF binos have “Military” in the product name, this unit can be purchased by the public. Current “street price” at most online optics dealers is $2,499.00. However a few dealers are now undercutting MAP pricing, so if you shop around, you may find the model 398 Steiner 10×50 Military LRF binoculars for under $2,100.00. DigitalFoto.com is listing the unit at $2079.48. For comparison, DigitalFoto.com sells the 8×56 Leica Geovid rangefinder binoculars for $2699.00.
At SHOT Show 2009, we were impressed with the new Zeiss Victory laser rangefinder (LRF), listing it as one of the highlights of the 2009 Show.
A companion product line, the Zeiss Victory range-finding binoculars, have won a series of prestigious awards. Introduced in early 2008, the Zeiss Victory RF was named a “Leading Edge: The Best of What’s Next” product by National Geographic Adventure magazine, which wrote: “Zoom in on an object through the Zeiss Victory 8×45 rangefinding binoculars and a crisp LED display will give you its exact distance — as if you had Million Dollar Man eyesight. Traditional high-end Zeiss lenses and workmanship and a waterproof body complete this first-of-its-kind package.”
The Victory RF, claimed to be the world’s first premium binoculars with digital laser rangefinder, LED Display AND Ballistic Information System (BIS), also won the prestigious Red Dot Design Award in addition to the Chicago Athenaeum: GOOD DESIGN™ Award. Both are international awards that recognize the best design innovations of the year.
Zeiss Victory RF Binoculars Features:
• Ranges from 10 yards to 1,300 yards.
• Integrated design — Victory RF binoculars are the world’s first binoculars with a hinge bridge that do not require a separate laser emitter.
• Tightly focused Beam — The laser beam used in the Victory RFs is narrow with minimal beam divergence, so you can range small targets even at long distances.
• Accurate “One-Touch” rangefinding for a steadier image.
• Ballistic Information System (BIS) that automatically calculates required aiming hold-over at the ranged distance.
Great Performance, but Extremely Expensive
What’s the downside of the Zeiss Victory RF binoculars? They cost a fortune. The Zeiss Victory 8×45 version retails for about $2900.00, while the 10×45 model runs about $3,000. That makes the Zeiss Victory RF Binoculars MORE Expensive than the Leica 8×56 Geovids which have a much larger objective, providing better low-light performance (and a larger exit pupil). And, you can get the smaller 8×42 BRF Geovids for $2245 at Adorama.com and other large online vendors.
Are the 8×45 Zeiss Victory RFs worth $750 more than the 8×42 Leica Geovids? You’ll really have to make that decision for yourself. The Geovids are a known quantity, having proven themselves in the field over many years. The Zeiss Victory RF offers more sophisticated software (with the BIS), and we think the Victory is more secure and comfortable to hold.
Forum regular Aaron H. (aka “6BR”) has been having great success in the California varmint fields with “Orange Crush”, his super-accurate 6BR rifle. Aaron recently posted his experiences with various laser rangefinder (LRF) types, and field binoculars. While there’s plenty of information available on LRFs, including our own Laser Rangefinder Comparison, it’s harder to find good info on binoculars from the perspective of a varmint hunter. Aaron looked at a variety of premium binoculars, and ended up choosing the 15×45 Zeiss Conquest, after careful consideration.
Choosing the Right Binoculars for Long-Range Varmint Hunting
Aaron writes: “[It] was a hard undertaking to pick the right pair. I decided I wanted a high magnification pair of binos in the 10x to 15x range. I narrowed my choices down to Zeiss, Swarovski, Leica, or Nikon. I was sure I was going to buy the Swarovskis when I started comparison shopping. However, I was wrong… I ended up getting a pair of the Zeiss 15×45 Conquests.”
Aaron reports: “The clarity of the Zeiss binos is awesome. I am glad I took the time to look through each and every pair before I bought. I was also impressed with the Nikon Monarch ATB; for the price, they are impressive. The Swarovskis were awesome too. However, through my eyes, the Zeiss clarity was better.”
The Zeiss 15×45 Binoculars are fairly expensive. At most places they go for about $1100.00 (see chart below), but you can find some better deals. Aaron tells us: “I had to sell other firearms to be able to afford the Zeiss binos and a Swaro 8×30 LRF. If you decide to shoot varmints, at long range, you’ll find out very quickly how important it is to have quality optics. When you spend a bunch of time looking through binoculars, it can become very hard on the eyes. So the better quality binoculars you have, the more comfortable you’ll be during your varmint hunt. I learned the hard way during the beginning years of long range varminting, and I realized how important it is to have quality optics.”
Nikon Monarch ATB Offers Great Performance for the Price
Aaron was impressed with the Nikon ATBs, given their low cost. But Aaron cautions: “It’s very important to go look through the binos before you buy a pair. Had the Zeiss 15×45 Conquests not been so remarkably clear, I probably would have bought a pair of the Nikon Monarch ATBs. If you need a pair of binoculars and you can’t afford the higher end binoculars, I would highly recommend the Nikon Monarch ATBs, offered in both 10-power and 12-power. I would have to say, and I am not making this up, they were close to the clarity of the higher-end binos. I also looked through a pair of the Leupold Golden Ring binos. They are nice, however, I felt the clarity of Nikons were much better and the price was much cheaper.” [Editor: The Nikon 10x42mm and 12x42mm Monarch ATBs retail for about $290.00 and $330.00 respectively at discount vendors such as B&H Photo.]
Aaron added: “One more thing, I am stating my own opinion on what I think works best for me. Another brand of optics might work better for someone else. I don’t want to offend anybody or imply that other brands are bad, I just wanted to give my experience with what I use and have had success with.”
Tips for Holding Binoculars Steady
Nate Haler, another Forum member, offered this advice about high-magnification binoculars: “Unless you are using a tripod or other mechanical support for a binocular, 15x magnification is too much. Image tremble will be much more problematic when trying to hand-hold a binocular of such high magnification. Furthermore, the exit pupil (i.e. the little circle of light transmitted to the ocular lens) will be only 3mm in a 15×45 binocular, which means 15x magnification and a 45mm objective lens. Exit pupil enables you to see the image better or worse in low light. 7mm exit pupil is about as big as a healthy human eye in a young adult can dilate. Smaller than that, and the image is dimmer.”
Editor’s Comment: Nate makes some very good points, but we would add that you can rest your binoculars on a pack or sandbag, or use an inexpensive tripod or bracket to hold the binoculars steady. Zeiss also makes a 12-power version of the binoculars Aaron favored. This editor has used 12x binoculars in the field without difficulty, but you definitely have to learn to “hold steady”. One technological solution is built-in image stabilization. Canon has a series of image-stabilized binoculars (8x, 10x, 12x, 15x, and 18x), and they work very well. The 15×50 is shown below. Regarding the 3mm exit pupil, yes a bigger exit pupil is better in low light, but 3mm should be adequate for daytime hunting. Keep in mind that a shooter using a 25-power riflescope will be looking through an exit pupil that’s 2mm or smaller.
Geovid All-in-One Option (Rangefinding Binoculars)
The Leica Geovid binoculars are another option for hunters. These combine great glass with a built-in Laser Rangefinder. That way you only need one optic for both game spotting and rangefinding. Aaron considered the Geovid option, but it didn’t offer any money savings compared to purchasing binoculars and LRF separately. Additionally, he felt that his Swaro 8×30 rangefinder out-performed the LRF in the Geovids. “The Leica Geovids are excellent. They are just so darn expensive. I think they start around $2600 for the 8×42 and go up to $3300 for the 15×56 pair. I would still choose the Swaro 8×30 LRF over the Geovids. Why? Because the Swaro out-ranges the Geovids by 300 yards and the Swaro is $1600 cheaper. That leaves a lot of cash left over for good binoculars.”
Here’s another outdoor industry business consolidation, another big fish swallowing little fish. Beretta Holdings, through its Burris division, has acquired Germany’s Steiner-Optik GmbH. Steiner, a respected maker of optics, particularly binoculars, is based in Bayreuth, Germany, and now employs 120 workers. Steiner will be integrated into the Beretta Group through its optics subsidiary, Burris, based in Colorado. So now the Germans will be making binoculars for a US-based company owned by Italians.
Why did this acquisition take place? Steiner has not been very successful in the North American market. Steiner’s President and CEO, Carl Steiner, needed the help of an international group with strong distribution and plenty of marketing clout. Beretta Holdings doubtless believes that the addition of Steiner, a “prestige” optics name for over 50 years, will help Burris compete against high-end brands such as Leica and Swarovski. This is a good thing for Burris. Steiner has a record of innovation: Steiner produced the first pocket-sized binoculars, the first commercial binoculars with rubber armor, and the first binoculars with an anti-UV protective lens coating.
Burris General Manager, Steve Bennetts, said both Burris and Steiner have strong brand identification, and he suggested that the two companies will soon coordinate their product development efforts. We suspect this means the high-end optics will carry the Steiner name while mid- and low-cost optics will be sold as Burris products.
Beretta’s companies offer a vast range of products, with optic devices representing an increasingly important component. Current companies owned by Beretta Holdings include: Beretta, Benelli, Burris, Franchi, Meccanica Del Sarca, Sako, Stoeger, Tikka, Uberti Replicas.
Currently, Natchez Shooters Supply has the highly regarded Steiner 8×32 Predator binoculars on sale for $199.00, marked down from $249.00. The versatile, rubber-armored Predator 8×30 is small enough to carry easily and fit into a coat pocket, while offering both power and brightness. The Steiner 8x30s provide 20mm of eye relief and a 390-foot-wide field of vision at 1,000 yards. Weight is 18 ounces. The waterproof Predator 8x30s come with Auto-Focus System, wrap-around eye cups that fold down, objective lens covers, binocular case and strap. Steiner offers a 10-year warranty on this model.
This is a very good deal. We did a quick price search on the web. Cabela’s.com has the same 8×30 Steiners for $260.94, while OpticsPlanet.com is charging $249.00.
I know most of this site’s readers on this site would spend their last dime on bullets and powder. But sometimes, you do have to purchase other essentials such as winter clothing and outdoor gear. Plus it’s the holiday season again, and that means gifts for the family.
Today we’re featuring Sierra Trading Post. This is a solid company that provides a wide variety of products for the outdoorsman, at sometimes spectacular prices. This editor has personally shopped with Sierra Trading Post for years, and just today I purchased two items, a Windstopper® Base Layer Shirt (item 12991) for winter motorcycling, and a set of Kenyon Polarskins polypro long johns (item 13854) for snow sports. At $16.95, the Polarskins are half the price I’d pay for a similar product from most outlets.
Sierra Trading Post is now running a huge promotion, with every item at least 50% off retail. Here are some products of interest to shooters and hunters:
I’ve got one of these LED lamps. It is much lighter than most other “headband lamps” and the battery lasts a long time. I use it for camping, reading, and even in the reloading room in the evening for extra illumination.
For $39.95, this Blaze Orange/Khaki Winchester Upland hunting jacket is a great bargain, though it’s not waterproof. What I really like is that it comes with TWO fleece inner liners–a vest and a full-sleeved inner jacket, both of which can be worn separately. It even has cartridge holders in the front and a game pouch on the back. Here’s what one purchaser has to say: “Have worn this in thick bushland, stands up to abuse, and with blaze orange built in, no need for extra items of [hunting] clothing. Very adaptable with warm vest that can be removed if too warm”.
If you want a pair of armored binoculars that will last a lifetime, these 7×50 Waterproof Steiners are a great deal at $274.50. Even at “ultra-discount” warehouse stores, 7×50 Marine Steiners sell for $300-320.00. These binoculars are based on the rugged Steiner mil-spec 7×50 unit used by the U.S. Army. Steiner’s fully-coated lenses are legendary for their clarity and resolution.
Sierra Trading Post isn’t all just camping and outdoor gear. There is a wide selection of other suitable gift items for the wife, kids, and relatives — wool sweaters, silk underwear, travel accessories, ski goggles… you name it.
With the price of some premium scopes approaching $3000.00 (and beyond), it’s more important than ever to provide extra protection for your expensive optics. ScopeCoat produces covers that shield scopes with a layer of neoprene rubber (wetsuit material) sandwiched between nylon. In addition to its basic covers, sold in a variety of sizes and colors, ScopeCoat has a line of heavy-duty 6mm products that provide added security.
The heavily padded XP-6 Flak Jacket is also offered in a Zippered version, shown at right. This is designed for removable optics that need protection when in storage. The full-length, zippered closure goes on quick-and-easy and provides more complete protection against dust, shock, and moisture. MSRP is $30.00.
Why did this acquisition take place? Steiner has not been very successful in the North American market. Steiner’s President and CEO, Carl Steiner, needed the help of an international group with strong distribution and plenty of marketing clout. Beretta Holdings doubtless believes that the addition of Steiner, a “prestige” optics name for over 50 years, will help Burris compete against high-end brands such as Leica and Swarovski. This is a good thing for Burris. Steiner has a record of innovation: Steiner produced the first pocket-sized binoculars, the first commercial binoculars with rubber armor, and the first binoculars with an anti-UV protective lens coating.
