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February 2nd, 2011
If you need a good, basic, reliable 3-9X40 hunting scope, Natchez Shooting Supplies is offering great deals right now on Nikon ProStaff and Omega riflescopes. You can select among a variety of reticles, including medium plex (NikoPlex) and bullet-drop compensation (BDC). Sale scopes are offered in Matte Black, Silver, or Real-Tree Camo finishes. While discounts vary, prices on many of these scopes have been slashed 30% below normal levels. For example the Nikon ProStaff 3-9×40 Matte is now just $109.95, marked down from $159.95, a 31% savings. Nikon binoculars are also on sale.
CLICK HERE for Natchez NIKON Optics Sale
Story Sourced by Edlongrange.
January 28th, 2011
Schmidt & Bender has a very impressive new tactical scope in the PMII (Police and Marksman) line, the 3-20x50mm PM II/LP/MTC/LT. A first-focal-plane design, the new 3-20X PMII features very bright glass, and a double-turn, locking elevation turret. The scope can be ordered with a variety of reticles, and either 1/4-MOA clicks or one-tenth milrad clicks, with MTC turrets.
First delivered in late 2010, this unit has already drawn praise from the tactical community. JR, posting on SnipersHide.com Forum, declared: “I had the opportunity yesterday while at the Modern Day Marine show in Quantico to take a look at the new 3-20×50 PM II and to say that it impressed would be an understatement. The overall size was right between the 3-12 and the 4-16 and the 50mm objective is perfectly proportioned to this optic. Locking MTC turrets are very user friendly and it’s nice to have the option to leave them in the unlocked position when needed. Having a parallax range of 25 metres to infinity can also be very beneficial in many circumstances. Overall I was very impressed with the newest PM II … this scope will most definitely be sitting on one of my rifles before the year is over.” Another observer, writing in the Optics Talk Forum states: “If money is no object, consider the Hensoldt. But I think the scope that will be hardest to beat in the high-end tactical market will be the Schmidt & Bender 3-20.” That’s probably an intelligent call. However, at $3100.00+ per unit, we wonder how many shooters can actually afford the new 3-20x50mm PMII.
New Illuminated 1-8×24 Hunting and Multi-Gun Scope
At about $1899.00, Schmidt & Bender’s new 1-8x24mm Zenith scope is considerably less expensive. This scope is designed for short to medium-range tactical use, multi-gun competition, and hunting. One nice feature is that the scope has a “pure 1-power” setting that is 100% parallax-free. There will also be an illuminated version offered for $2149.00 US.
January 24th, 2011
The big news at the Nightforce Optics booth this year involved Nightforce’s “High-Speed” turret design. First introduced on select models in 2010, now the “high-speed” turrets will be installed as standard equipment on Nightforce’s full line of NXS riflescopes (except compacts). The “High-Speed” turrets basically double the amount of elevation (or windage) travel you get with one full revolution of the turret. Previously, a Nightforce elevation turret delivered 10 MOA of elevation adjustment with one 360° turret rotation. Now, with the “High-Speed” turrets, Nightforce scopes will yield twenty (20) MOA of elevation travel with one full revolution. The “High-Speed” windage knobs will now give 10 MOA of travel in each direction. For mil-based turrets, the amount of elevation travel (per revolution) has been increased from 5 mils (per 360° spin) to 10 mils.
The doubling of adjustment travel (per revolution) really is an important upgrade that should make Nightforce scopes more user-friendly and fool-proof. For most popular cartridges, you should be able to go from 100 to 1000 yards within one 360° spin of the elevation turret. This means you no longer have to worry about which revolution you’re on. There are highly visible index numbers on the turret, so you should be able to just dial an index number (e.g. 9, 12, 18) to zero at any distance from 100 to 1000.
New Velocity 600 and Velocity 1000 Ballistic Compensating Reticles
Nightforce will also introduce two new “Velocity” reticles in the summer of 2011, one for 600 yards max, and the other for 1000 yards max range. These will initially be available for the 3.5-15X and 5.5-22X scopes only. Both NF “Velocity” reticles are basically Bullet Drop Compensating reticles that provide hold-over lines for particular yardages. But, you might ask, “How does Nightforce know the ballistic drops for my particular cartridge?” Here’s how it works — the customer sends in his bullet type, bullet BC, and muzzle velocity. Then Nightforce picks one of five (5) calibrated “Velocity” reticles, selecting the hold-over reticle design that most closely matches the actual trajectory of your loads. For most hunters using a common cartridge, one of the five Nightforce “Velocity” reticles should provide a good fit to your load’s ballistics. This isn’t revolutionary — Burris, Leupold, and Zeiss all offer something similar, but it’s good to see Nightforce add this reticle option to its lineup.
December 22nd, 2010
 If you’ve been shopping for Burris riflescopes or binoculars, visit SWFA.com. Texas-based SWFA is running a special liquidation sale on Burris optics with some items marked way down “below distributor cost”. Supplies are limited. Here are some examples of the savings:
Burris 3-12x50mm Xtreme Tactical XTR 30mm SideFocus with Mildot Reticle.
Price: $599.99, regularly $789.95. Stock #201914.
Burris 3-12x50mm 30mm Euro Diamond with Ballistic Plex Reticle.
Price: $349.95, regularly $619.95. Stock #200916.
Burris 6.5-20x50mm Fullfield II, Adj. Objective Front with Fine Plex Reticle.
Price: $249.95, regularly $419.95. Stock #200191.
Burris 3-9x40mm Fullfield II with Electro-Dot/Duplex Reticle.
Price: $199.95, regularly $329.95. Stock #200156.
Burris 8x56mm Signature Select Binoculars, multi-coated lenses, black body.
Price: $199.95, regularly $524.95. Stock #300284.
Below you can see a small sample of the many items on sale (CLICK HERE for full list). Visit SWFA.com or call (972) 726-7348. SWFA offers a price guarantee and SWFA claims it “will beat any price”.
December 14th, 2010
 When choosing a riflescope, picking the right reticle is vital. Even the highest-quality scope can be disappointing in the field if you don’t select the best reticle for your intended application — whether hunting, tactical, or target use.
Online retailer Webyshops.com has made the process of reticle selection much easier by providing Reticle Selector Tables for popular riflescope brands and models.
The folks at WebyShops tell us that customers often have trouble picking the right combination of reticle type, magnification option and scope finish: “Typically, customers have already narrowed down the brand and often the model, but they want to know all their reticle and finish options for the scope”. To make the process easier, WebyShops now offers Reticle Tables for many of the most popular riflescope brands and models. To access the tables, log on to the WebyShops site and select a scope brand. When you see a gray button like the one below, just click on it to see a list of reticle and finish options.
Shown below is a sample table for Nikon Monarch scopes. The table provides all available choices for this brand and model, classified by reticle type, magnification, and exterior finish.
WebyShops currently offers Reticle Selector Tables for the following scope brands and models. More tables will be added in the future. Click the links below to access Reticle Tables for particular scope brands and models:
December 5th, 2010
Here’s another promo that can save you money on your holiday shopping. When ordering goods through Gander Mountain’s online store, use Coupon Code GME1205 during check-out. That code gets you $20 off a $100+ order (20% savings), $50 off a $300+ order (16.6% savings), or an impressive $100 off a $750 order (13.3% savings). This promo is good through December 11, 2010.
How to Beat MAP Pricing on Optics
Note that many premium scopes, binoculars, and rangefinders are governed by “MAP” (Minimum Advertised Price) rules imposed by the manufacturers. That means the list price is going to be the same at all authorized dealers, even the “super-discounters”. However, if you can use a “generic” discount code to get $50 off or $100 on an order that includes MAP-priced items, you’ll come out way ahead. MAP agreements prevent any seller from displaying specific items below a certain price point. But your coupon code effectively allows you to purchase below MAP price.
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.
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.”
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