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Rifle Scopes Steiner 3-15X50 Military review / eval

gebhardt02

Captain, Retired
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Jan 18, 2006
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www.zcompoptic.com
Steiner Optics reentered the riflescope market a few years ago, and just released the 3-15X50 Military scope in 2013. This optic is obviously marketed toward the military as well as shooters that desire a high end scope for competitive shooting, hunting, or any other purpose. Steiner has clearly done their research and utilized their optical expertise to build a very nice scope that is elegant in appearance, refined in adjustments, and robust in construction.

While conducting the evaluation of this scope, I compared the optical performance to a Nightforce 3.5-15X50 F1 as well as checked the Steiner’s adjustment reliability in addition to a minor “torture test.” This review is about the Steiner offering but considering that the Nightforce F1 is in the exact same configuration, magnification range, as well as comparable in cost, I felt the comparison would provide some suitable data with the Nightforce which has been around for several years and remains highly regarded for optical/build quality.

(Nightforce in back and Steiner in front)

The Steiner 3-15X50 Military riflescope is elegant yet rugged in appearance. The black anodized finish has a slight sheen to it that gives a hint of shine from bright sunlight but the scope also has a distinct military appearance with the 34mm main tube and three large turrets around the adjustment housing. The scope is 14.25 inches long and weighs 36 ounces. Turret caps have a coarse machined knurl which is easy to grasp in any weather condition with and without gloves. The parallax adjustment turret is marked with specific indicators in meters out to infinity and is co-located with the reticle illumination which is the outermost turret. Reticle focus is handled at the ocular with a fast-focus eyepiece as per usual with European optics. The elevation turret has milradian (mRAD) adjustments, marked to 15 mRAD per turn, provides two full revolutions with an innovative second-turn indication, and also has a zero stop function. The windage adjustment turret is marked to 6 mRAD left and right and has a stop built in so that the turret can’t be rotated past half-revolution, only 6 mRAD either left or right is marked on the turret but my scope actually travels to 7.5 mRAD. This particular scope has the first generation MSR reticle located in the first focal plane (FFP) so the reticle subtensions remain true at any magnification.


(MSR reticle @ 10X)

The magnification adjustment ring has an outer surface of rubber with grooves molded in to provide a textured surface as well as a raised portion to aid in grasping. Adjustment of the magnification ring is both smooth and firm throughout the entire range assuring that it doesn’t move without the operator making it happen, and turns counterclockwise to increase magnification.


(Magnification ring on the Steiner 3-15X50 Military)

Parralax adjustment is also very smooth and firm enough that I don’t have any concerns about it being inadvertently moved without the operator knowing it. The illumination has 11 intensity levels with the lowest levels being suitable for NVD operations and also has built in “off” positions between each intensity level so the user can select the brightness setting that is most desirable with the next detent being an off position in either direction. Only the very center section of the crosshairs illuminates. Both the elevation and windage turrets provide tactile and audible indications of adjustment. Click spacing is fairly close with a nice crisp and snappy feel, but making a single 0.1 mRAD adjustment is simple without over-dialing. The firmness of the turrets is adequate and again, I have no reservations about the turrets being accidentally moved.

After I mounted the Steiner scope I established a 100 yard zero. My rifle is extremely accurate so I decided to immediately check for return to zero and tracking. I utilized a paper target at 100 yards and had small rocks at a distance of 500 yards. I verified my trajectory correction for the rocks with a ballistics program and then came right back to my previous 100 yard group. After dialing back to my 100 yard zero, I was pleased to see that the shot was in the exact same group. Return to zero was good after the small amount of turret travel for a 500 yard shot. I dialed my turret again for the 500 yard rock, and the impact was exactly as before. From there I dialed the turret all the way to the very top end of travel and then back to my 100 yard zero. My shot was again back in the same exact group as before. There was no impact shift after adjusting the turret all the way to the top and back down. I did not check the windage turret at that time and I did not perform the normal “box test” but instead elected to see if the 100 yard zero remained true after making several major adjustments. While utilizing this scope on my match rifle at a wind reading clinic, my zero remained exact after multiple adjustments to various distances out to about 700 yards. It is also worth mentioning that the elevation adjustments have matched my ballistic calculator exactly so I am confident that the turrets adjust in true mRAD. Further testing has shown the turrets to continue to track true on a tall test target with spacing measured out in one mRAD increments to a total of eight mRAD. The impact on the target was exactly where it should be with every adjustment. The tracking on this scope is as perfect as I can test.

While conducting observations of the optical quality in comparison to the Nightforce F1, I spent approximately one hour comparing the two and thought the optical brightness, clarity, and resolution all favored the Steiner but only by a very slim margin. I did not evaluate or specifically look for chromatic aberration nor evaluate under adverse or low light conditions.

I was at the family ranch in Eastern Montana while evaluating the optics during the Fourth of July holiday, so I asked five family members to compare the two scopes for optical quality. None of the family members are well-versed in top end optics and had no idea about these scopes except that the scopes were “expensive.” Specifically, I asked them to give me their opinion on which scope was brighter to their eye and also asked them to look at trees, bushes, rock faces, etc. at a distance of about 1555 yards and also look into the dark shadows that were present and see which scope gave them better resolution and contrast. I set both of the scopes to maximum magnification, parallax to infinity, and removed the sunshade I had on the Nightforce. The day was bright with few clouds in the sky and temps were already in the high 80’s. Two people thought the Steiner was brightest while three people thought the Nightforce had the edge. After asking about tree branches and a rock face that was heavily shadowed, three people thought the Steiner gave better contrast while the other two thought the NF was better. One person commented that after looking into the shadows, the Steiner gave a better depth of field and he was better able to resolve rocks and fissures. Another evaluator thought the Steiner was brighter immediately when he looked at a specific tree and could see the bright background through the branches. My “take away” from these observations is that the optical quality is at least equal to the Nightforce F1 and possibly a bit better with contrast and resolution.

While I was conducting my own evaluations, I noticed that the Steiner had a much better edge clarity as well as a wider field of view. While both scopes were set to 3.5X, the Steiner’s clarity went all the way to a definite edge but the edge was preceded by a very slim blue ring whereas the Nightforce edge seemed fuzzy and non-distinct. When both scopes were adjusted to above 5X, the edge clarity was superb in both and distinct.

Comparing the Steiner directly to the Nightforce F1, I prefer many of the features incorporated into the Steiner. The parallax knob has yardage markings (actually in meters according to the literature) that give a very good indication of about where the turret should be for a parallax free view whereas the NF has hash marks without any distance indications.


(Steiner parallax marked with distance indications out to infinity)

Steiner has also provided an easy to adjust illumination feature with “off” positions in between each intensity level. Nightforce utilizes an illumination method that is difficult to adjust for intensity and simply has an “on” and “off” position. However, the turret on the NF is a bit more streamlined and does not have as large a diameter turret. There are obvious benefits to the Steiner approach when clip-on NVS systems are considered, immediate adjustment capability that will not “bloom” the operator’s eye is important. Also important is the ease of adjustment that does not require any tools or the exposure of sensitive electronics to adverse weather elements.

Steiner’s second turn indication is one of the best on any scope as the first set of numbers get elevated out of view exposing the second set of numbers for the subsequent revolution. There are no turn indicator hash marks beneath the turret to try to remember as many other scope brands utilize. In the following pictures, both of the elevation turrets have one rotation dialed on. Note that the turn indication hash mark is barely visible on the Nightforce while there is no doubt that 15 mRAD is dialed on to the Steiner scope.


(Second rotation on the Steiner elevation turret)


(Second rotation on the Nightforce elevation turret)

I prefer the zero stop mechanism on the NF however to the Steiner’s. Nightforce uses a clutch mechanism that the operator can set for whatever distance or elect to not utilize at all. This means that a person may set their zero stop to be below their “zero” should they want to. Steiner has elected however to have their zero stop be 0.1 mRAD below the “0” marking on the turret, so establishing a 100 yard zero will not allow much adjustment below this setting. I do know from handling a Steiner 5-25 scope that the elevation turret travels to 0.4 mRAD below zero, so I may have an anomaly with my particular elevation turret.

I much prefer the Steiner windage turret to the NF though. I appreciate having stops built in so that the turret can’t be turned more than ½ revolution. The Steiner windage turret is marked to 6 mRAD but mine actually moves through 7.5 mRAD in each direction after which it will not turn any further. There is no worry about the turret being accidentally turned one full revolution and even 6 mRAD is sufficient enough for all but extreme long range shooting.


(Rear view of the Steiner windage turret)

The NF turret does provide 10 mRAD per revolution with the turret being marked to 5 mRAD after which the numbers begin decreasing. This allows the possibility of a shooter dialing on 6 mRAD of right adjustment, but a simple glance at the turret will look like 4 mRAD of left adjustment, or vice versa.


(Rear view of the Nightforce windage turret)

Either windage adjustment system works, I just prefer the dummy proof of the Steiner. Lastly, reticle selection can be a very personal preference and the reticles in either brand are excellent.

One final feature that I really appreciate on the Steiner scope is the location of the elevation and windage reference points. Steiner has built the scope with a slightly raised portion at the base of the adjustment turrets that moves the reference marking away from the scope tube about a half inch. This extra distance is especially beneficial in that a shooter doesn’t have to come out of the shooting position as far to verify the adjustment that has been dialed on to the scope or to make another adjustment. As a right handed shooter, in order to see the adjustment reference points, I typically have to move my head off of the stock a significant distance to see over and around the rear scope ring on most other scope brands. Steiner has solved this little problem by moving that reference marking away from the scope tube so now a shooter doesn’t have to come out of position as much or at all. Again, this is a small feature but one that shows a very well thought out product for all types of shooting.

This scope is meant for military and heavy use operations. The user manual states that “Steiner Military Scopes were especially developed in close cooperation with international weaponry experts for the tough requirements of military missions around the world.” I expected that the scope would be able to withstand a fair amount of abuse and coming from a military background, I know what soldiers can do to equipment, so I decided to conduct a mini “torture test” on this scope. The testing consisted of a “dunk,” “freeze,” “toss,” and “drop” tests. The scope was removed from the rifle for all testing except for the drop test.

The literature provided with the scope stated that the scope is “fully waterproof and fogproof” so I wanted to verify that this specimen was as such. This test was simple; I filled my home bathtub with cold water and dropped the scope into it, literally, from about 3 feet. This wasn’t part of the drop test, but hey, the scope is meant for “tough requirements” and I wouldn’t consider this exactly tough anyway. I removed the lens covers but the scope rings remained attached. The scope soaked in the bathtub for 1.5 hours after which it was removed, dried and inspected. There was no water leakage into the scope, the illumination feature still worked as it should, and all adjustments had the same feel as before. The Steiner 3-15X50 passed the tactical bathtub dunk test!


(Steiner 3-15X50 Military in the bathtub for a soak)

Immediately after drying off the exterior of the scope and verifying everything still worked, the scope went into the freezer, on top of some Klondike bars for the remainder of the night. The total duration of freezer time was just over 12 hours. When the scope was removed, the magnification ring turned freely although with a little more resistance than prior to being frozen. The ocular adjustment for the reticle was very stiff to move at first, but once it turned, it also did so with slightly more resistance than prior to being frozen. I next checked the parallax adjustment which also turned freely but again, with slightly more resistance than before. The reticle illumination worked as normal as did the elevation and windage adjustments. There was no binding whatsoever due to being frozen. Lastly, I checked for internal fogging of which there was none present. I was very pleased that the scope had no mechanical or operational problems due to being frozen as I didn’t expect there to be any.


(Steiner 3-15X50 Military chilling with some Klondike bars)

Before continuing with the next round of tests, I had a major competition to attend in late September so I elected to hold off on further testing. During the match, my rifle was subjected to some extreme rain and mud during the entire first day. The scope held up just fine and all adjustments were perfect. It wasn’t until the last weekend of September that I had the time to complete the rest of the evaluation. The testing day had temperature of 50oF, and winds were 10 mph gusting to 15 mph and also switching between 5 and 7 o’clock.

My procedure for the toss test was a lot more involved than the previous testing. I first verified that my zero was good and then removed the scope completely from the scope base rail on the action. The scope was then reattached and the rifle fired at the same target and point of aim for three rounds. I did not use a torque wrench to measure an exact load applied to the rail clamp screws on the rings, but instead just tightened the rings as much the same as I could on each trial. This procedure was performed three times for a total of nine rounds. My intent was to establish the accuracy of the rifle/scope after the scope had been removed and reattached so that I had a baseline to determine any variation in point of impact change during the toss test that would be attributable to removal of the scope only. After the baseline accuracy of 1.5 MOA was established, which was mostly a horizontal spread, the scope was removed and thrown by hand out to the dirt and weed covered field. The scope traveled a total of 24 yards where it impacted the earth with a definite thump. When I retrieved the scope, dirt was stuck to the parallax knob and around the elevation turret which had turned upward by 0.1 mRAD. I adjusted the scope back to zero, remounted it to the rifle, and fired three more rounds at the same target and point of aim. The bullet impacts were at the center of the target. The scope held zero and was within the accuracy of the mounting system. I then adjusted the scope to the limits of the elevation turret as well as the left and right limits to verify that nothing internally had been affected. The scope came away unscathed from this little test.

The rifle/scope exhibited 1.5 MOA accuracy for removal and reattachment of the scope. The rifle is normally capable of 0.3 MOA when I am shooting well. It was during the previous testing that I found out how badly my trigger system had rusted during the competition the previous weekend although I spent considerable time trying to dry everything off. My trigger pull weight was fluctuating from very heavy to almost normal and my safety was no longer able to move, it was rusted in the “fire” position. I did my absolute best to maintain consistency but I’m sure the fluctuating pull weight affected my accuracy to some extent. Regardless, I’m happy with the results of the toss test.

The “drop” test began by verifying my 100 yard zero on a different target. I then held the rifle vertically with the butt of the rifle about four feet off the ground and then dropped the rifle onto the ground and allowed it to fall however gravity decided to bring it to a rest. This test is partially a test of the rifle as well as test of the scope but considering the top quality components used in the rifle and tight bedding compound, I was certain of the rifles capability to maintain zero as long as the scope held up. The zero was the same as before the drop test for the first iteration and shifted 0.2mRad to the left on the second trial. Again, I’m happy with the results and the shift in point of impact could be attributable to the rifle itself. At this point, I am very confident that this scope can take a bit of harsh treatment and any shift in point of impact will most likely be very minimal, if any at all.

Final Thoughts

During the last competition, I had the opportunity to show this scope to several other competitors. While showing some of the features of this scope, I ran the elevation turret to the furthest limits of travel to show the innovative sliding scale. These demonstrations were not done after the match but usually within a couple minutes before I was to shoot a stage. One competitor commented on me having confidence in my equipment to make a major adjustment to the scope right before shooting a stage. My performance at the match was not hindered in the least.

The testing that I conducted on this scope is directly tied to failure of other brands of scopes under similar conditions. I’ve had a few other scopes that were priced at $2000.00 and above fail one or more of these tests so I wanted to conduct as thorough an evaluation as I could come up with on the Steiner offering. Nothing is more frustrating than spending the kind of money that high end optics go for and finding out that the scope fails a simple test such as those conducted here.

This scope has an optical prescription that provides an outstanding sight picture. The clarity is very good, contrast is excellent, and the scope is very easy to get behind. This scope performs as advertised; waterproof, fogproof, and shockproof. Steiner has built an absolutely incredible riflescope with well thought out features combined into a package that is elegant in appearance, refined in adjustments, and robust in construction. Give one a try if you are looking for a top tier optic. I’m confident you’ll be pleased with your purchase.
 
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Very good write up on this scope...Were you going to comment on the reticle illumination in the scope at a later time.
 
What more would you like to know on the illumination? There is a section addressing the illum that is also with the parallax adjustment. That paragraph is directly beneath the picture of the magnification ring. I'll be happy to answer any other questions if I've left something out.

Geb
 
Very detailed write up sir.... Steiner has certainly surprised me as well. I picked up a 5-25 and I think it runs right in line with my premier 5-25... I do wish the elevation knob had a more defined click when being adjusted, seems a tad spongy for my liking.

hard to beat either of the two scopes tested.
 
I did see this part but mostly wandering if the illum was crisp on this scope at the different settings.

What more would you like to know on the illumination? There is a section addressing the illum that is also with the parallax adjustment. That paragraph is directly beneath the picture of the magnification ring. I'll be happy to answer any other questions if I've left something out.

Geb
 
Yes, I've not experienced any problems with the illum at any setting, but the lowest three are for NV compatibility and hardly visible. During the day, I've only found the need for the settings just above the middle. No problems with washout that I've seen. Thanks for the question.

Geb
 
Great..thanks for the reply.

Yes, I've not experienced any problems with the illum at any setting, but the lowest three are for NV compatibility and hardly visible. During the day, I've only found the need for the settings just above the middle. No problems with washout that I've seen. Thanks for the question.

Geb
 
...The scope traveled a total of 24 yards where it impacted the earth with a definite thump. When I retrieved the scope, dirt was stuck to the parallax knob and around the elevation turret which had turned upward by 0.1 mRAD...

NICE review. Glad to see you took the proper procedure to correctly break in your new scope!!

You bringing this scope to the finale in Florida this weekend???

Regards,
DT