HNSD to me...
Just got my "new to me" SS HD 5-20x 50mm scope from beretta_man11 on Friday (very smooth transaction, BTW). Got it mounted up and bore sighted Friday night but had to wait until Sunday morning to zero it and get some shooting in. Mine is mounted on a 700 LTR in .308 with a Farrel 20 MOA base. The rings are Burris XTR low. Although the scope could maybe be another 1/8" lower and still the the Butler Creek cap onto the objective, it's not too bad. I've got a Vortex bubble level on it as well.
First impressions: this thing is a beast compared to the SWFA 3-9 I had on this rifle before. I was surprised by the size and weight, actually. But once it was mounted, it didn't seem out of place on the rifle.
The layout is very nice and the turrets are fantastic. The clicks are more precise feeling that my copy of the 3-9 which seemed to be "gummy" in comparison. There was nothing wrong with the 3-9 by any means but the 5-20 seems to be a step up in overall quality. The parallax knob to the left is somewhat stiff as others have pointed out, but that's OK with me - I know it won't move by accident. I do wish SWFA would put a bump on the magnification wheel like most other scopes have. It is slightly awkward to grip that wheel, but again this is a minor nit.
The visual through the scope is outstanding - very bright and clear. It presents a huge image - I was surprised by this. The reticle is excellent as well, and the inclusion of the detailed card explaining the reticle is a nice bonus. My only criticisms are that the lines do get a tad thick at the higher magnifications and it would be nice to have an open center or a tiny dot in an otherwise open center. But these are minor issues and for me don't take away from the scope. I like the pointed thick lines from the left, right and top. These are great for the lower magnifications.
I started my zero at 50 yds (learned from when I mounted the 3-9 and first shots at 100 yds weren't on the target at all) and the three shot overlapping group was about 4" high and 4" to the left. I measured it in the reticle and adjusted the turrets. 2nd 3-rd. group was about 1/2" high and 5/8" to the left... not bad. A few more clicks and it was dead center. I moved out to 100 and did a couple more clicks for dead center. Then out to 200 where I ultimately wanted to zero the scope. With the come up I remembered on this rifle (+.4 mils) I was dead on elevation. Everything just felt very solid and positive during this process. The quality of this scope boosts confidence for sure.
With the last four rounds I decided to try for the steel targets at 550 yds. I dialed up +3.3 mils from the zero at 200 and had a friend spot for me. First shot - hit! Now that's the way it should be. So far, I'm really impressed with this scope and can't wait to get out for more fun.
Just got my "new to me" SS HD 5-20x 50mm scope from beretta_man11 on Friday (very smooth transaction, BTW). Got it mounted up and bore sighted Friday night but had to wait until Sunday morning to zero it and get some shooting in. Mine is mounted on a 700 LTR in .308 with a Farrel 20 MOA base. The rings are Burris XTR low. Although the scope could maybe be another 1/8" lower and still the the Butler Creek cap onto the objective, it's not too bad. I've got a Vortex bubble level on it as well.
First impressions: this thing is a beast compared to the SWFA 3-9 I had on this rifle before. I was surprised by the size and weight, actually. But once it was mounted, it didn't seem out of place on the rifle.
The layout is very nice and the turrets are fantastic. The clicks are more precise feeling that my copy of the 3-9 which seemed to be "gummy" in comparison. There was nothing wrong with the 3-9 by any means but the 5-20 seems to be a step up in overall quality. The parallax knob to the left is somewhat stiff as others have pointed out, but that's OK with me - I know it won't move by accident. I do wish SWFA would put a bump on the magnification wheel like most other scopes have. It is slightly awkward to grip that wheel, but again this is a minor nit.
The visual through the scope is outstanding - very bright and clear. It presents a huge image - I was surprised by this. The reticle is excellent as well, and the inclusion of the detailed card explaining the reticle is a nice bonus. My only criticisms are that the lines do get a tad thick at the higher magnifications and it would be nice to have an open center or a tiny dot in an otherwise open center. But these are minor issues and for me don't take away from the scope. I like the pointed thick lines from the left, right and top. These are great for the lower magnifications.
I started my zero at 50 yds (learned from when I mounted the 3-9 and first shots at 100 yds weren't on the target at all) and the three shot overlapping group was about 4" high and 4" to the left. I measured it in the reticle and adjusted the turrets. 2nd 3-rd. group was about 1/2" high and 5/8" to the left... not bad. A few more clicks and it was dead center. I moved out to 100 and did a couple more clicks for dead center. Then out to 200 where I ultimately wanted to zero the scope. With the come up I remembered on this rifle (+.4 mils) I was dead on elevation. Everything just felt very solid and positive during this process. The quality of this scope boosts confidence for sure.
With the last four rounds I decided to try for the steel targets at 550 yds. I dialed up +3.3 mils from the zero at 200 and had a friend spot for me. First shot - hit! Now that's the way it should be. So far, I'm really impressed with this scope and can't wait to get out for more fun.
