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Rifle Scopes US Optics Foundation series

Sounds like production will be going in 2 weeks. They're off to a great start with me ? FDN17 logo free with MGR reticle.
 

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Sounds like production will be going in 2 weeks. They're off to a great start with me ? FDN17 logo free with MGR reticle.

I just got a shipping notification last week that they were sending me one of those mounts. I was a little confused. I was too busy with work to look into it deeper. I didn't know if it was a mistake, but I suspected it might be a bonus for the long wait. Looks like you confirmed it for me, since mine has not arrived yet.
 
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I just got a shipping notification last week that they were sending me one of those mounts. I was a little confused. I was too busy with work to look into it deeper. I didn't know if it was a mistake, but I suspected it might be a bonus for the long wait. Looks like you confirmed it for me, since mine has not arrived yet.


It should soon. I have a Warne Skyline mount already. I like em both. The zro is definitely a step up. But if you want flush mount, Warne is great.

I actually called them like the morning they were gonna start calling folks with b17 orders. So she took all my info when I was on the line.
 


Well, that's pretty badass!! I already have a set of Bat rings and flip-up caps waiting for my scope to arrive.


I noticed that note is signed by Kyleigh! She's a down-right pleasure to talk with on the phone! I suspect she could sell icewater to an Eskimo, without even trying.

I listened to a Long Range Addicts podcast the other day, interviewing Josh, that redheaded ZZ Top looking guy from US Optics. During the interview Josh said that the FDN series uses a entirely new lense setup, front to back.

So, considering the B17 had pretty good glass, I'm eager to see how the FDN stacks up.






Now, cue that 16 year old, mom's basement, hamclammer kid to pop-in and fling poo. Maybe we could get an age verification requirement for this thread?
 


Well, that's pretty badass!! I already have a set of Bat rings and flip-up caps waiting for my scope to arrive.


I noticed that note is signed by Kyleigh! She's a down-right pleasure to talk with on the phone! I suspect she could sell icewater to an Eskimo, without even trying.

Josh said that the FDN series uses a entirely new lense setup, front to back.

She's so nice!

I think they mention the glass upgrade on their site someplace.
 
Has anybody heard anything after the mounts were sent out? Anybody have a scope yet or shipped?
 
@Kentucreed6

I talked to Kyleigh last week. They've had a few delays from local material suppliers due to this Coronavirus thing. As such, they're running a little behind schedule on getting the first orders assembled and QC'd.

Most everything in these scopes are sourced locally except the lenses, so the shutdowns are effecting their material suppliers. Unlike earlier models, every single lens in the FDN scopes are low dispersion glass from Schott AG, and so far they are doing ok on glass.

In a previous conversation with a different employee at USO, I seem to remember the Duryea, PA Schott facility mentioned, so hopefully PA doesn't get mandatory shutdowns.

They anticipate shipping the first orders placed starting in April, barring any more Corona virus delays. Their website has been updated to show availability as "4 to 5 months from order date"
 
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Got the call on Friday that my Foundation 25 is ready. Will ship Monday. Should be able to get some use out of it next weekend. Can’t wait to put it to work
 
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Got the call on Friday that my Foundation 25 is ready. Will ship Monday. Should be able to get some use out of it next weekend. Can’t wait to put it to work


You ARE going to come back on here and let us know what you think of the glass, turrets, etc. Right? ?

Got any other scopes to compare it too?
 
When did you order it?


I had a B25 ordered from sometime Last year and when I heard about the new foundation I just had them switch my order to one of these so that put me near the top of the list. They are starting to ship !
 
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Awesome optic. Didn’t spend a ton of time staring through this comparing it to other optics but I spent enough tome to see It’s got darn good glass. I mounted it and went straight to shooting and testing out the tracking. Scope performed Flawlessly the little bit I’ve used it so far


108CB840-6803-4969-96D6-A735FD1081FF.jpeg
 
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Awesome optic. Didn’t spend a ton of time staring through this comparing it to other optics but I spent enough tome to aee
It’s good darn good glass. I mounted it and went straight to shooting and testing out the tracking. Scope performedFlawlessly


View attachment 7287924

That's a awesome looking rig! I'm eager to hear your opinion on how the glass in that new scope stacks up to other scopes.
 
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Awesome optic. Didn’t spend a ton of time staring through this comparing it to other optics but I spent enough tome to aee
It’s good darn good glass. I mounted it and went straight to shooting and testing out the tracking. Scope performedFlawlessly


View attachment 7287924

please let us know how many times you need to send it back for it to track correctly.
 
Looks like they got rid of the EREK-2 tool-less turret
 
Looking forward to your report. Don't leave us hanging

What reticle did you go with?

JVCR, they really knocked it out of the park as
far as I’m concerned with this reticle. Other tree style reticles are way to busy for me, this one works and doesn’t have to much clutter . But I know reticle preference varies from shooter to shooter. USO has a ton of reticle options
 
please let us know how many times you need to send it back for it to track correctly.


You should read #5 in the general forum rules, and #4 in the sale ad rules.


Or, perhaps just do your trolling in the bear pit.
 
Had mine out today. I think it’s a great scope but worlds apart from the gen 2 razor. The turrets are nice and smooth but don’t click like a razor but still easy enough to count the movement if you had to. I’ve got the 25 model and it tunnels at about 7 power and below which isn’t a big deal to me. I like how the elevation turret works as far as zeroing and the low profile and size of it. Windage I wish was lower profile like the elevation. Field of view was better than I expected after comparing specs of the razor and the foundation, I’d say almost equal. Now for glass, to me it’s at least as good as the razor, but I’m no snob or engineer. It didn’t just blow me away but to me there’s nothing wrong with it. That’s my first day impressions of it. It’s a nice optic for sure, my first USO so it’ll take a couple trips to adjust to it.
 
Had mine out today. I think it’s a great scope but worlds apart from the gen 2 razor. The turrets are nice and smooth but don’t click like a razor but still easy enough to count the movement if you had to. I’ve got the 25 model and it tunnels at about 7 power and below which isn’t a big deal to me. I like how the elevation turret works as far as zeroing and the low profile and size of it. Windage I wish was lower profile like the elevation. Field of view was better than I expected after comparing specs of the razor and the foundation, I’d say almost equal. Now for glass, to me it’s at least as good as the razor, but I’m no snob or engineer. It didn’t just blow me away but to me there’s nothing wrong with it. That’s my first day impressions of it. It’s a nice optic for sure, my first USO so it’ll take a couple trips to adjust to it.

Im eager to hear more, especially once you've had more time with it.

You mentioned that it's worlds apart from the Gen2 razor. Are you talking about quality, features or something else?

I'm also interested in your observations about the turrets. For comparison sake, my older ST10 USO Erek turret is very quiet. There pretty much no audible clicks at all. They turn very smoothly, but have a definite solid click "feel" to the detents. So, even though you can't hear the clicks, there no ambiguity whatsoever. You can definitely "feel" the detent clicks. Does it feel similar to that description?

I actually prefer tactile turret detents over audible. My hearings for shit anyway from years running a 240b in an infantry company. I can't hear worth a shit, but with USO scopes, I can certainly feel the clicks.

How is the parallax and mag ring feel?
 
I had 3 USO SCOPES none of which ever worked long enough to even get them mounted on a rifle. I would simply go through the adjustments and they would fail. Lock up, lose focus, something come loose inside etc. I sent them back countless times. Literally incurred hundreds in shipping. They finally told me they had no idea how to fix them.
I wasted a couple of years fooling with them.

Although I've seen some decent glass in USO's, and this was looking through people's scopes at matches, my other experiences were pretty sorry, actually very pathetic.

For those that know me, or at least my presence here on the Hide, I'm not one to pick fights or assault a Co. BUT!!!>>>

I owned only one USO, the short of the experience was that after sending this 3.2-17 back to the Co, the glass in it was still absolutely unacceptable. I've seriously had $70 scopes with better glass????

A friend has a MST100 Unertl copy and it had horrible glass and there something wrong with the reticle focus which changes after every shot.

Another friend has a 3.8-22, the glass is just not good at all.

That's 3/3 that are well below for what they sold for.

I sure hope the Co figured things out nowadays!
 
Have owned several USO scopes, still have a few (ST-10, SN3 3.2-17, SN3 3.8-22) but none built later than 2011.

I like the old EREK/ERGO, but got rid of the T-Pals that I had.

Were your glass problems on older or newer scopes?
 
@ken226
The turrets are pretty quiet. Almost silent. Like you described. Parallax knob is fine for my feel, moves smooth just like all the adjustments on the scope. Magnification is smooth, not too tight.

Mechanically the scopes are completely different. Just differences in the turrets, battery compartment, zeroing and zero stop. Worst feature I think is the battery compartment. It’s a pain, but I don’t use the illumination or at least haven’t yet.
 
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Got my FDN17. I put it on a 20moa rail and all I had to do was go 2 clicks up. Glass looks good to me. Looks much brighter than my cheaper scope. I can't really say if my RZR hd lh is as sharp or not. It's close ya know. I love the feel of the elevation knob! The mgr reticle looks great. I love a floating dot. Hella tuff feeling. I mean, this is meaty scope. I put it in a Warne Skyline mount. I like it. The battery compartment is odd. It works. You just have to push down on the center and screw the cover on. It tripped me up at first too.
 

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Got my FDN17. I put it on a 20moa rail and all I had to do was go 2 clicks up. Glass looks good to me. Looks much brighter than my cheaper scope. I can't really say if my RZR hd lh is as sharp or not. It's close ya know. I love the feel of the elevation knob! The mgr reticle looks great. I love a floating dot. Hella tuff feeling. I mean, this is meaty scope. I put it in a Warne Skyline mount. I like it. The battery compartment is odd. It works. You just have to push down on the center and screw the cover on. It tripped me up at first too.
Update 1, at night the illumination is dead on. I mean absolutely perfect. I'd have to bet set 1 and 2 work with nvg. The, oh geez... focus knob on the left, I was kinda eh about it. But at night, it's so easy to see if there's any light. 200 yard shots with clear night skies and some moon light are gonna be easy. I'm gonna have to put it on my 243. How loud do clicks have to be? Isnt the goal to be quiet? I can hear them. Sounds great feels great. I knew I'd love the big knob! Oh. The larger numbers on elevation make it super easy to read without moving of you're shooting with both eyes open. I dont have much ti compare besides the razor sharp vortex razor HDLH. If all I cared about was weight savings and sharp glass (which reminds me) get the new HDLH v2.0. That extra sharpness comes at a cost. Anytime I've ever tried using the HDLH with the sun behind me, a garage light, or a bright moon, the eyepiece would severely reflect that light. I noticed it right off the bat. I was looking through the FDN17 and switch to the HDLH and as soon as I looked through it I noticed a much stronger glare on the glass. I'm super glad I got it. The HDLH is on my 22. But if I had to pick one to keep forever and destroy the rest, id pickup the FDN17 and smash the other ones. Can't wait to get up on the hill tomorrow. Best quarantine thing yet.
 
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Update 1, at night the illumination is dead on. I mean absolutely perfect. I'd have to bet set 1 and 2 work with nvg. The, oh geez... focus knob on the left, I was kinda eh about it. But at night, it's so easy to see if there's any light. 200 yard shots with clear night skies and some moon light are gonna be easy. I'm gonna have to put it on my 243. How loud do clicks have to be? Isnt the goal to be quiet? I can hear them. Sounds great feels great. I knew I'd love the big knob! Oh. The larger numbers on elevation make it super easy to read without moving of you're shooting with both eyes open. I dont have much ti compare besides the razor sharp vortex razor HDLH. If all I cared about was weight savings and sharp glass (which reminds me) get the new HDLH v2.0. That extra sharpness comes at a cost. Anytime I've ever tried using the HDLH with the sun behind me, a garage light, or a bright moon, the eyepiece would severely reflect that light. I noticed it right off the bat. I was looking through the FDN17 and switch to the HDLH and as soon as I looked through it I noticed a much stronger glare on the glass. I'm super glad I got it. The HDLH is on my 22. But if I had to pick one to keep forever and destroy the rest, id pickup the FDN17 and smash the other ones. Can't wait to get up on the hill tomorrow. Best quarantine thing yet.

Great post. Thanks for the info. I'm glad to hear the illumination settings are good-to-go. That was a common complaint about the B series. Many users complained that the lowest setting was too bright for low light use.

For a side by side resolution comparison, charts like the 1951 USAF resolution chart work. Print and set up the target, then see how the scopes compare resolving the smallest bar sets.


For contrast, multi-color images under various light conditions give a point of comparison.
 
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Great post. Thanks for the info. I'm glad to hear the illumination settings are good-to-go. That was a common complaint about the B series. Many users complained that the lowest setting was too bright for low light use.
The illumination is why I went out tonight. I could not see setting 1 through 5 or 6 in daylight. In the brightest light, the illumination does nothing. But there's also no illumination red ring inside of the scope like the Nightforce SHV or SVH. 56mm monster. I'll be shooting more real soon.
 
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Uh oh! Mine is going back. Illumination and reticle not lined up. Mgr reticle. You can get below where you can see through the scope and line up the stuff. For something so hands on it kinda burns worse. Nobody there saw this? Idk man. Boxed up. 2and poc is taken well below where my eye would be.
 

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Uh oh! Mine is going back. Illumination and reticle not lined up. Mgr reticle. You can get below where you can see through the scope and line up the stuff. For something so hands on it kinda burns worse. Nobody there saw this? Idk man. Boxed up. 2and poc is taken well below where my eye would be.

That's unfortunate! That should definitely been spotted by QC.

Hopefully they will get you taken care of quickly. It would be a shame for them to burn the last few customers willing to take a chance with them.
 
That's unfortunate! That should definitely been spotted by QC.

Hopefully they will get you taken care of quickly. It would be a shame for them to burn the last few customers willing to take a chance with them.

It is! I really like it. Im just returning it. Gonna get a Nightforce atacr.
 
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Really trying not to be salty about it. But as soon as I ipenes8it the illumination wasn't coming on. Replaced their 3v GI battery with an energize and walaa. Illuminated. I was happy! Then, the more I looked... I realized it wasn't even close to what they advertised. If they couldn't see that that was wrong idk man. It didnt jump put at me at first. Mostly because you cant see the illumination in the daylight. It's the first day I've really had it. I feel like they sent me a used scope tbh. Just trying to pawn one off because I got a veteran discount. Just because I like to make sense of things ya know. I just cant imagine anyone who knows what the mgr reticle illumination should look like would send that out the door.
 

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I won't go too much into detail unless you'd like, at which point we can take this to DMs, but my experience with the B25 really mirrors what you're going through. I had a near 8 month wait then the 3 malfunctions. Got rid of the B25, went to a Razor, and now going to an ATACR. Kyleigh at USO is a great person who genuinely cares.

Also I really do not think they would sell you a used scope since that would be borderline fraud. But I know every time I received my B25 the techs neglected cleaning it. One thing that stands out is the ocular lens had eyelash streaks (think when you wear sunglasses too close to your face). There were also fingerprints on the tube and debris on the objective lens. But either way I really do feel for you man.

Please keep us posted on what happens.
 
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I won't go too much into detail unless you'd like, at which point we can take this to DMs, but my experience with the B25 really mirrors what you're going through. I had a near 8 month wait then the 3 malfunctions. Got rid of the B25, went to a Razor, and now going to an ATACR. Kyleigh at USO is a great person who genuinely cares.

Please keep us posted on what happens.

I really went against my better judgment ordering it. I figured folks bashing them for QC were just your typical trolls. What you said about multiple failures is why I am just returning it. I'm not gonna play fix it for 3 months and then be the owner and stuck with it of something else goes wrong. End of this will be "I returned it".
 
I really went against my better judgment ordering it. I figured folks bashing them for QC were just your typical trolls. What you said about multiple failures is why I am just returning it. I'm not gonna play fix it for 3 months and then be the owner and stuck with it of something else goes wrong. End of this will be "I returned it".
Sadly bashing USO's QC is pretty earned at this point. It's easy to write them off as trolls but there are a lot of people with very bad experiences. That isn't to say there is a perfect scope, you'll find threads were Tangent Thetas have malfunctioned and needed to go back for work. But if I recall correctly Tangent had the scope out the door in a matter of days. I think this Foundation series is going to be very make or break for USO and will likely determine if there will continue to be a USO or if they will get absorbed by Zero Delta.

Hopefully the return goes through without issues and everything goes smoothly. Please keep us updated because I think how they handle this will be a major factor for people moving forward.
 
Good luck returning it. I had a B17 go down brand new. They didn’t replace it or take it back For a refund,
they kept it for 3 months then sent it back fucked up, and again, and again. 6 months and 3 trips back later, I finally had a scope that worked. I wanted them to get there shit together and succeed because it was US Optics so I didnt want to say bad things about them in a public forum. Now theyre selling Chinese scopes with USO on them. You would Prob have better luck with an IOR at this point, and I know of their rep here. They have earned
their reputation at this point. It’s not trolls giving USO a hard time. Its loyal customers for years
that USO keep screwing over.
 
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sorry to hear about your issue. Sounds like an awesome optic. But demanding a refund for something that can be fixed and used is unreal. Get it fixed and enjoy the scope. They will fix it and make it right. Remember, you bought the first year of a new product. It’s like buying an automobile the first year. Be ready for some bumps The company needs to get the bugs out.

Before you lose your cool, let them attempt to fix their mistake before you start bashing them. It’s why we buy scopes with a lifetime warranty.

If I bitched about scopes malfunctioning and having problems, I would have to give up shooting. I’ve had every brand of scope go bad, and yes even Nightforce. All the companies fixed the problems. Some better than others.

Good luck, enjoy the scope, and give them a chance to fix their mistake.
 
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Uh oh! Mine is going back. Illumination and reticle not lined up. Mgr reticle. You can get below where you can see through the scope and line up the stuff. For something so hands on it kinda burns worse. Nobody there saw this? Idk man. Boxed up. 2and poc is taken well below where my eye would be.
Hi there,
I'm sorry to hear that you are not satisfied with your MGR reticle's illumination. The MGR reticle illumination is designed to only illuminate the dots. By doing so a back light is seen across the entire reticle. It can be seen prominently in high settings from the right side (where the LED is located). The reticle and illumination are not misaligned, and this does not reflect the quality of the scope’s functionality nor does it imply a mechanical defect. Any of our reticles designed to partially illuminate (i.e. IGR and MGR) appear the same. We do offer many reticles that are fully illuminated that illuminate much clearer across all settings. We apologize you are not satisfied with your reticle, but it is my understanding that our team is already working with you to ensure we meet your needs and expectations. If there is anything else you may need, feel free to shoot me a PM or reach out to our team at 828-874-2242.
 
Hi there,
I'm sorry to hear that you are not satisfied with your MGR reticle's illumination. The MGR reticle illumination is designed to only illuminate the dots. By doing so a back light is seen across the entire reticle. It can be seen prominently in high settings from the right side (where the LED is located). The reticle and illumination are not misaligned, and this does not reflect the quality of the scope’s functionality nor does it imply a mechanical defect. Any of our reticles designed to partially illuminate (i.e. IGR and MGR) appear the same. We do offer many reticles that are fully illuminated that illuminate much clearer across all settings. We apologize you are not satisfied with your reticle, but it is my understanding that our team is already working with you to ensure we meet your needs and expectations. If there is anything else you may need, feel free to shoot me a PM or reach out to our team at 828-874-2242.
 
Update! Everything Maggie said is exactly what I see. Josh called me this morning and was willing to change the reticle. I put my scope back on my rifle and looked through it into the pasture, today, with gloomy conditions, it looks really good ? I just wasn't really sure if it was misaligned. It isn't. Other than that small hiccup. This is an amazing freaking optic you guys ? Hated getting upset about that. Now that I know what I'm seeing and why I am a very happy FDN17 owner. Buy Carnival cruise stocks!
 
Hi there,
I'm sorry to hear that you are not satisfied with your MGR reticle's illumination. The MGR reticle illumination is designed to only illuminate the dots. By doing so a back light is seen across the entire reticle. It can be seen prominently in high settings from the right side (where the LED is located). The reticle and illumination are not misaligned, and this does not reflect the quality of the scope’s functionality nor does it imply a mechanical defect. Any of our reticles designed to partially illuminate (i.e. IGR and MGR) appear the same. We do offer many reticles that are fully illuminated that illuminate much clearer across all settings. We apologize you are not satisfied with your reticle, but it is my understanding that our team is already working with you to ensure we meet your needs and expectations. If there is anything else you may need, feel free to shoot me a PM or reach out to our team at 828-874-2242.
Thanks Maggie. Everyone was really helpful and understanding. I really didn't wanna send it back because I absolutely love it.
 
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I'm glad to hear you it worked out!

I don't use reticle illumination much, but I always order scopes that have it.

It's always been standard practice that when using an illuminated reticle, or when using a red dot such as Aimpoint or Eotech, to reduce reticle bloom by using the lowest setting that allows you to clearly see the reticle.

So, if you take the scope into a reasonably low light room and set the illumination on the lowest clearly visible setting, does it look clear and sharp?

I ordered my FDN17x with the GAP reticle, which is fully illuminated. My ST10 has the GAP reticle, and the illumination is flawless. I'm hoping my 17x looks as clear as my ST10.

Having a company rep, @Maggie on the site, willing to answer questions and help resolve issues is a big confidence booster.
 
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