Got it from SWFA last week and have finally had a chance to wring it out.
The case is a semi hardside, poly covered jobbie with molded compartments, and it has its own carrying handle and carrying strap. The tripod is strapped to the bottom by quick-detach plastic hooks. The spotter has a plastic lens cover in front and also has the standard poly cover that can be folded back at the eyepiece and lens, and which has hooks for attaching the supplied strap. It can be carried in the soft case by slinging the strap around the body and deploying by just resting it on a ruck or window ledge for milling/spotting without the tripod (which would seem cumbersome to use in comps).
The focus dial is free and works very well, however the magnification dial is very, very stiff. The controls are simple, however, and even a Marine could figure it out (
). It focuses very quickly at all mag levels from 15 to 45. And the mildot reticle (FFP btw) is easily readable at all mag settings. Only wish it had half mil hash marks.
The tripod is not so hot, if you've used a good one. Or is moderately ok if you're coming from a cheap Simmons spotter like me. It is very unstable with the weight of the spotter easily tipping it over backward. Care must be taken to ensure a tripod leg is directly behind the scope. Also, the various knobs and friction locks are rather cheesy. In short ... the tripod should be thrown away if the spotter is going to be used on it much. For static shooting/target practice it will do okay.
The lens is very, very clear when compared to any other I had access to (Simmons, cheaper Bushnell, and a Konus). I mean the view was very, very crisp and crystal clear with no haze nor distortions anywhere. Pretty impressive. At dusk it seemed to gather light in a way that only my old Pentax scope used to. It works almost like a pseudo NVG and lets me see into dark corners and woods. Very nice.
Was able to see .308 hits on white and orange background to 400 yards, but no mirage was boiling up yesterday. Should get to see heavy mirage today and see if that makes a diff.
Pros
- Very very nice glass. Crisp and clear.
- Saw .308 hits to 400 yards so far.
- Seems to focus easier than any other I've tried.
- Mildot reticle is easy to see at all settings (FFP)
- FFP reticle
- Good eye relief.
- Decent field of view
- Did I mention glass is pretty awesome?
- Spotter fits case with the tripod adapter attached (a biggie)
Cons
- Tripod blows goats
- Magnification dial is very stiff
- No dummy cord for lens cover
- Carrying strap on the bottom causing Mildot Master to fall out of pocket
- Pocket too small.
- Did I mention the tripod sucks ass?
The case is a semi hardside, poly covered jobbie with molded compartments, and it has its own carrying handle and carrying strap. The tripod is strapped to the bottom by quick-detach plastic hooks. The spotter has a plastic lens cover in front and also has the standard poly cover that can be folded back at the eyepiece and lens, and which has hooks for attaching the supplied strap. It can be carried in the soft case by slinging the strap around the body and deploying by just resting it on a ruck or window ledge for milling/spotting without the tripod (which would seem cumbersome to use in comps).
The focus dial is free and works very well, however the magnification dial is very, very stiff. The controls are simple, however, and even a Marine could figure it out (
The tripod is not so hot, if you've used a good one. Or is moderately ok if you're coming from a cheap Simmons spotter like me. It is very unstable with the weight of the spotter easily tipping it over backward. Care must be taken to ensure a tripod leg is directly behind the scope. Also, the various knobs and friction locks are rather cheesy. In short ... the tripod should be thrown away if the spotter is going to be used on it much. For static shooting/target practice it will do okay.
The lens is very, very clear when compared to any other I had access to (Simmons, cheaper Bushnell, and a Konus). I mean the view was very, very crisp and crystal clear with no haze nor distortions anywhere. Pretty impressive. At dusk it seemed to gather light in a way that only my old Pentax scope used to. It works almost like a pseudo NVG and lets me see into dark corners and woods. Very nice.
Was able to see .308 hits on white and orange background to 400 yards, but no mirage was boiling up yesterday. Should get to see heavy mirage today and see if that makes a diff.
Pros
- Very very nice glass. Crisp and clear.
- Saw .308 hits to 400 yards so far.
- Seems to focus easier than any other I've tried.
- Mildot reticle is easy to see at all settings (FFP)
- FFP reticle
- Good eye relief.
- Decent field of view
- Did I mention glass is pretty awesome?
- Spotter fits case with the tripod adapter attached (a biggie)
Cons
- Tripod blows goats
- Magnification dial is very stiff
- No dummy cord for lens cover
- Carrying strap on the bottom causing Mildot Master to fall out of pocket
- Pocket too small.
- Did I mention the tripod sucks ass?
