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Rifle Scopes Schmidt&Bender-ZCO-Tangent Theta For 300 Norma

N

nick338

Commander- of what I have no idea
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Minuteman
Feb 21, 2013
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#1
These are the 3 scopes I'm looking at for a 300 Norma build. Have owned 3 Schmidt's but have never seen or handled a Tangent Theta or ZCO. Followed the ZCO thread here and was very impressed with the reviews but just leaving options open to hear from people who have owned or handled all 3 scopes and what they feel makes one stand out from the rest. Thought I remembered seeing Frank comment on the Schmidt about its ability to cut through a lot of moisture in Alaska and that other scopes were present but I couldn't remember where I saw the thread.

Anyway, in order of importance:

Glass, edge to edge clarity, field of view, eye box, are all at the top

Adjustment range-no denying I like ZCO and 35 mils

Durability and repeatability

Function-keep hearing about the turrets on the Tangent but I'm sure I wouldn't be disappointed with any of the above choices.

Reticles are obviously important but I'm not sure where they are on my list yet. Never been a huge fan of tree reticles and the clutter but the Gen 3 XR and MPCT 3 are interesting. The only reticle Schmidt offers that I would be interested in is the MSR 2. The dot seems very small in the ZCO reticles so I'm a little concerned on picking it up at lower power.

That is all
 
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#4
SB released a new turret last year that has 39 mil of total travel. Ck out the SB DT II+/MT II w .05 mil turrets.
 
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#7
BCX said:
SB released a new turret last year that has 39 mil of total travel. Ck out the SB DT II+/MT II w .05 mil turrets.
Click to expand...

I can see it now. Dialing the elevation on that turret for a mile shot and forgetting it's .05 adjustments. Should be easy to spot the impact though:ROFLMAO:
 
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#9
From your post above, your priority seems to be optical performance. Being that, the Theta is the best scope optically, hands down. I’m not saying the other two are bad, but the Theta is the best.

Scope choices are very opinionated. Not one scope has the best of everything. In my opinion, the Theta would be the scope I would get out of those three. You should choose the reticle you like the best and go from there. Personally, my favorite reticle is the new JVCR. Which makes my scope of choice USOs.
 
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#11
Just got a Tangent Theta TT525P Gen3 XR. Compared to my Kahles K525i I have to say the TT is noticeably better from a clarity standpoint and the turrets are best I have come across. Not familiar with ZCO but you wont be disappointed in a TT...
 
#12
I have owned Schmidt's and shot behind plenty of TT's. I think the Glass on the zco is better to my eyes and has the best image. The turrets are amazing on the TT though. The zcos turrets are nice and def better than the Schmidt's older turrets. The new style SB turrets are on the level with zco imo though

Reticle.... Pick the reticle that does what you need and go. If TT would ever come out with a decent reticle this decade I think they would sell more.

Fwiw
 
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#13
No bad choices in your list. The TT is amazing glass and turrets. The S&B is no slouch and the DT2+ turrets are a nice improvement. ZCO performs well in all aspects AFAIK. You'll just have to pick your most important feature and go from there, no wrong answer in the list.
 
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#15
If glass is you most important factor get the tangent. If you want the overall best package IMO get the ZCO. If you want the best value while still getting 90+% of the scope get a PMII. They are all better than you need honestly.
 
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#16
Really probably a toss up. I would go zco just because they are at least based in the US and are showing some support to what we do. I also like their reticle better. But at the end of the day, they are pretty much all the same.
Of note, I have seen some tangents go down, but they have more out, so statistically, you should see more. I would expect every manufacturer to have an issue from time to time, and more a matter of how they deal with it.
 
#18
The new Schmidt turrets are nice! I chose the 3-20 Us with msr2 reticle and pretty happy about it. More FOV with the US than the zco and I liked the msr2 reticle best. Just me maybe. Only $250 more for the zco but I chose the US.
 
#21
Bangin said:
The new Schmidt turrets are nice! I chose the 3-20 Us with msr2 reticle and pretty happy about it. More FOV with the US than the zco and I liked the msr2 reticle best. Just me maybe. Only $250 more for the zco but I chose the US.
Click to expand...

Have you got the low profile US turrets or can you spec US now with the new DTii turrets? If the later, could I see some pics?

cheers,

Mark
 
#24
In term of pure optical quality, I think TT has a slight edge and that is what I use.

TT also still has the best elevation turret I have seen to date.

ZCO has the best locking turret, although S&B's DT2 and March's new turret are challenging that.

That having been said, and it pains me to admit this because I have raging OCD and spend a lot of time trying to figure out minor differences between these, start by deciding which reticle you like. These are all sufficiently close to each other at this point, that I would go with whichever one has the reticle you like.

I like tree reticles, so I use TT with Gen3XR, but I would probably be able to use the S&B with GR2ID just as well and better for some things. Everyone shoots a little differently, so MPCT2 in ZCO was not ideal for me, but honestly, it worked just fine after a very short adjustment period.

Lastly, you did not specify which magnificaiton range and objective size you are looking at.
With 50mm objective scopes, I think ZCO 4-20x50 is the best on the market right now.
With 56mm objective scopes, it is a tougher call and personally I lean toward the TT, but a lot of that is due to the reticle being a little more prominent in the center.

Look, reticles are such a personal business that I might switch to new March scopes once they are here simply because I had an opportunity to design a couple of reticles for them and I designed them, to a large degree, for the way I shoot.

ILya
 
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#26
Ilya, being the lord of all things optics, is the person i would listen to the most. I used to have a TT but I switched to a ZCO because of the reticle. TT had slightly better turrets but my eye cannot tell the difference in glass quality. It really comes down to the reticle you like more, they're all fantastic!
 
#27
All 3 of these are great scopes, I have each of them. The S&B 3-27 (tremor 3) with the new turrets are superb, but expensive $4900! I had gotten the ZCO during the free spur special, even got Dan from CS Tactical to throw in the caps for free. So, that was the cheapest of the 3. You can't go wrong with either of them.
 
#28
Own all three, S&B Ultra Short, the TT (5-25x) and ZCO (both 4-20 and 5-27x). Much smarter and experienced shooters gave great info above.

For my hobby shooting schedule, both are simply awesome. From my extreme "scientifically" based personal experience:

Turrets = TT > ZCO
Reticle = ZCO (MPCT 3) > TT (Gen3 xr)
Glass = I can't tell a difference
Customer Service (evident in this thread) = ZCO > TT **never had to use either specifically for service, but love ZCO's presence here on SH**
 
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#29
Shot all three and more today! I went with all three :)

20200815_150758.jpg
 
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#32
not that familiar with the TT but i did own a Premier which I believe is in its lineage... I didnt really use it hard enough to comment on its durability... Both NF and SB durability is legendary as you would expect from companies that sell to the military - buddy deals will only take you so far if you are having a lot of issues in the field. I have a lot of experience with NF and my 15 year old 3 - 15 is still kicking it after 1000's of rounds. the ZCO looks pretty stout and optical performance seems top notch - I would not expect durability to be an issue... especially since most civilians use is precision rifle and not humping it up and down mountains. Anyone using the ZCO on a hunting rig?
 
#33
I have a TT and S&B and got behind a ZCO for a day and this was my take on it. Tangent just edges out the ZCO on clarity and optical image. TT also has a larger field of view. The eyebox goes to the ZCO over the TT. The locking turret goes to ZCO. Both TT and ZCO tracked perfect. The only reason I still have the S&B is cause I'd have to pony up another 2K to get another TT.
 
#34
Hombre1 said:
The only reason I still have the S&B is cause I'd have to pony up another 2K to get another TT.
Click to expand...

A smart man would pony up the 4K for the TT and another 3k for a Vudoo or that Zermatt .22 rifle to put the S&B on, presuming it’s a PMII with that juicy 10m parallax dial.
 
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