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October 17th, 2009
Greatest Hits: $12K Hensoldt Zeiss Super-ScopeLINK: Hensoldt Zeiss 6-24x72mm SAM
October 1st, 2009
Spotting Scope Stands for F-Class and ProneThe 2009 F-Class Nationals are underway right now at Camp Butner, NC. While riflescopes are allowed in both F-Open and F-TR classes, many competitors use a spotting scope as well. With a low-mounted spotting scope placed near the shooter, you can keep your riflescope trained on the target, then quickly check wind flags or mirage by looking through the spotter. Here’s a smart product from Ray-Vin.com that lets F-Class and prone shooters mount their spotting scopes in the ideal viewing position. Ray-Vin’s patented MKII F-Stand is solid and sturdy, and “floats” the scope close to the shooter’s head without interfering with the placement of a front pedestal rest or ultra-wide bipod. The base can sit off the shooter’s mat.
How much? The entire F-Stand package costs $310.00, including 8″ bottom for prone, two 24″ extensions, Ray-Vin 360 Head, and Take-Off Knob. But if you don’t need the extensions, you can purchase components separately.
You can see that the F-Stand places the spotting scope right where the shooter wants it, yet the legs do not interfere with the shooting position. A heavy-duty milled metal bracket clamps the base stud and scope rod securely. The F-stand will hold even heavy 80mm spotting scopes without flexing.
August 30th, 2009
Recycle Optics and Firearms with SWFA Trade-In Program
Now you can convert those valuable optics into cash with the SWFA Trade-In Program. You can either sell your gear outright to SWFA, or trade your items in on new products. (Wouldn’t it be nice to swap some old glass for a new Schmidt & Bender?) Just fill out an online appraisal form, upload a photo, and SWFA will evaluate your submitted product. You can designate whether you want to sell your item outright, or trade it in on new gear. Trade Your Pre-Owned Optics or Firearms Note, you must submit an Online Appraisal Form for all items submitted for trade-in. In addition, SWFA needs a digital JPEG photo of each item, 400 pixels wide and 300 pixels high.
August 24th, 2009
Optics Bargains on SWFA Sample ListIf you’re a bargain hunter, check out the Sample List maintained by SWFA.com. Here you’ll find scores of optics items and accessories at below wholesale prices. Many of these products are new (never been sold) items, that were used in trade shows or as demos.
SWFA has recently revamped its website, making the Sample List easier to navigate. Now with one click you can find the Latest 25 Additions. Here are some of the recent bargain offerings: Leupold 8.5-25×50 Vari-X III, Stock #10767 Leupold 25×40 FX-3 Silhouette Scope (Fixed Power), Stock #10413 Leica 10×42 Geovid HD (LRF/Binocular), Stock #10611 Swarovski 8×30 Laser Guide Rangefinder, Stock #s 1368-1371 (multiple units) Zeiss 85mm Diascope T* Flourite Body, Stock #10425
August 9th, 2009
Tiny Trijicon Red Dot Wins Optic of the Year Award
Where red dot sights are allowed in action pistol competition, they are almost universally used. If a red dot is compact enough, it can also work on a defensive handgun. However, a red dot is normally worthless when the batteries run down. Trijicon has solved that battery issue with its new Ruggedized Miniature Reflex™ (RMR), the world’s first battery-free mini reflex sight. The RMR uses light-gathering fiber optics and tritium for the display, so no battery is requried. The Tritium phosphor display works even in low-light situations, and is guaranteed to illuminate up to 15 years. The new RMR is extremely compact, measuring a mere 1.78″ L X 1.24″ W X1.03″ H and weighing in at only 1.22 ounces. This makes it small and light enough to mount on most handguns
In addition to the fiber optic + Tritium RMR (no battery required), Trijicon markets a more conventional battery-powered version with LED display. Using a single CR2032 battery (with an auto-shut-off circuit), this can provide up to 17,000 hour of battery life. The LED display also adjusts automatically for ambient light levels. Both RMR versions feature a tough, 7075-T6 aluminum alloy housing. Rugged and reliable, the Trijicon RMRs (both versions) come with a lifetime warranty from Trijicon.
May 19th, 2009
Sightron 6-24 Zoom Scopes ComparedSightron optics, particularly the new SIII 30mm series scopes, have been very popular with our readers. We recently tested the SIII 6-24×50 mildot scope and found that it offered outstanding clarity, sharpness, and tracking. A leader in its price class, the SIII 6-24×50 rivals some scopes costing hundreds of dollars more.
Three 6-24 Sightron Scope Models Now Offered 
April 29th, 2009
Shooting Sports USA Examines Shooters' Vision
This month’s cover story, “Winning Vision: A Guide for the Eye Care Professional,” is a must-read. It’s written by Dr. Norman H. Wong, O.D., a professional eye doctor and competitive shooter.
CLICK HERE for an archive of 24 more vision-related articles by Dr. Wong. Forum Member Jim Hardy comments: “[The] 24 articles by Dr. Norman Wong address many of the ocular issues confronting the competitive shooter. I downloaded all 55 pages and consider it mandatory reading for anyone associated with the shooting sports, whether you shoot iron sights or scope — handgun or rifle. The information is absolutely invaluable. If you are not seeing your best, you cannot shoot your best. If you don’t know the questions to ask your eye professional, you are not likely to get the answers your need — starting with the selection of your eye care professional. The Rx that works for reading, work, and driving may not be close to what you need on the range. These articles will give you the basic education you need to address the vision issues in your shooting game.”
This item is provided courtesy the NRA Blog.
February 15th, 2009
Canted Reticles — Serious Problem Needs to Be AddressedUnfortunately, we still see too many scopes sold to the public with canted reticles. The problem of canted reticles is a serious issue that some manufacturers (both domestic and foreign) have failed to address. (Note: here we are talking about an INTERNAL scope assembly problem that results in reticles being off-axis relative to the turrets. Don’t confuse this with the canting which occurs if you don’t level your rifle. A canted reticle is a scope production defect requiring factory repair.) One degree of scope reticle cant is noticeable. Three degrees is “slap in the face” obvious and, frankly, pretty unpleasant to work with. Unfortunately, three degrees happens to be one major domestic scope-maker’s production tolerance. And sure enough, you can find this company’s scopes in retail outlets with the reticles located a full three degrees off-axis. We believe that badly canted reticles are unacceptable in a high-dollar scope, one costing more than $450.00. Optics-makers — it’s high time to improve your quality control.
Three degrees may not sound like much–after all it is less than 1% of a 360-degree circle. Nonetheless, as the diagrams show, three degrees of cant is VERY noticeable in a scope. In fact, most people will be bothered by a reticle that is just one degree off-axis. Canted reticles are not just annoying to look at, but off-axis reticles cause a number of problems with sighting and accuracy. For example, if you set up your rifle so the vertical cross-hair is straight up and down, your turrets will be slightly tilted. This means that when you click elevation you will change windage slightly, and vice-versa. If, on the other hand, you cant (or tilt) the whole rifle to make the turrets square, this throws off the bullet trajectory–causing bullet impact that is low and displaced horizontally*. Now, all manufacturers can have a production flaw now and then. Yet we’ve never heard a complaint about canted reticles in Nightforce, U.S. Optics, or Schmidt & Bender scopes. So, it IS possible for the better manufacturers to get it right. Our point here is that it is time for the major scope-makers to address this problem and improve their quality control. That will happen sooner if consumers pay greater attention to reticle alignment during the purchasing process. If you have a scope with a canted reticle, send it back to the maker and ask for the problem to be fixed. If enough shooters do that, we expect the scope-makers will take notice and improve their products. *CLICK HERE to read a very thorough technical article that explains the effect of rifle canting on bullet trajectory. CLICK HERE to see targets shot with canted rifles showing bullet displacement. The diagram below shows how this occurs.
August 28th, 2008
Leica 10×42 Ultravid HD Earns 'Best of Best' AwardThe new-generation Leica Ultravid 10×42 HD Binocular has been named “Best of the Best” by Field & Stream magazine. Field & Stream’s “Best of the Best” award selects winners based on design, dependability, and value. The Ultravid 10×42 is offered in both basic and HD (“high definition”) versions. The premium HD model features Fluorite-Ion Lenses for reduced chromatic aberration and enhanced color rendition plus state-of-the-art lens/prism coatings that transmit 3% more light. External lenses have an “AquaDura” hydrophobic coating that sheds moisture. The Leica Ultravid HD binocular was introduced in 2007. The new Ultravid HD offers a marked increase in depth of field, contrast, and light gathering while retaining a compact size. Leica Ultravid HD binoculars are offered in a variety of models: 8×32, 10×32, 7×42, 8×42, 10×42, 8×50, 10×50, and 12×50. The Award-winning Ultravid 10×42 HD is available from SWFA.com (item 40294) for $2295.00. The “regular” (non-HD) 10×42 Ultravid (item 40262) is considerably less expensive at $1,479.95.
10000Birds.com Review: Birdwatching.com Review: Great Optics but Just Too Expensive?
August 23rd, 2008
Sinclair International Now Stocking Nightforce ScopesSinclair International, a leading vendor for precision reloaders and competitive shooters, has added Nightforce Optics to its inventory of products. Nightforce scopes remain the first choice of most top long-range shooters, including F-Class National Champions. The Benchrest and NXS models offer high magnification (up to 42 power), clear, sharp optics, and very reliable and repeatable windage and elevation adjustments. Nightforce also offers a large variety of reticles. How good is the glass? With a 12-42 Nightforce BR or NXS, in ideal conditions, you can see 6mm bullet holes “in the white” at 600 yards (not razor sharp mind you — but enough to see shot placement on a white background). We just confirmed this ourselves this past weekend. Of course, viewing conditions truly have to be absolutely “perfect” (no mirage) to see 6mm holes at 600 and such conditions are normally short-lived, but the resolving capability is there with the high-magnification Nightforces.
Sinclair’s pricing is competitive with other authorized Nightforce vendors. For example, the
Shown above are some of the most popular reticles, but others are offered. CLICK HERE to view Nightforce’s complete selection of reticles. 
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The F-Stand is shown with Ray-Vin’s $85.00 Scope Head. This head allows the shooter to adjust scope height, rotation (around the stand shaft), scope angular elevation, and eyepiece orientation, all with one control. Some other scope heads, though more expensive, require you to use multiple knobs or friction adjusters. Conveniently, most of the adjustments can be done easily with one hand, using the black adjusting handle. Smart engineering we’d say.
A red dot sight can speed up target acquisition dramatically when shooting carbines, shotguns, or pistols at short ranges (where ballistic drop compensation is not an issue). Just put the dot on the target and pull the trigger. For older shooters who may have trouble focusing on both front and rear sights, a red dot makes the aiming process much easier. And for novices, who may have trouble aligning front and rear sights, the red dot gets them on target quicker and more reliably.
Trijicon, Inc.®, has been honored by the Firearms Marketing Group (FMG) for its innovative new Trijicon RMR™ Sight. The patent-pending Trijicon Ruggedized Miniature Reflex™ won the prestigious “Optic of the Year” award, chosen by 500 top industry executives, gun dealers and outdoor writers.
The article is written to help shooters and eye doctors find the best solutions for vision problems. We know many shooters, particularly as they hit “middle age” and beyond, experience a variety of vision issues. However, it’s common for shooters to ignore their eye problems, at the same time spending buckets of money on expensive optics. Pay attention to what Dr. Wong writes and you can benefit. Remember that the last element in the sighting system is the human eye — and no scope, no matter how sophisticated, can overcome serious failings in a shooters’ vision that remain uncorrected.
