I’ve been looking for a scope that I can shoot on low magnification with both eyes open, like thick hardwoods hunting situations but also give me a mil/mil reticle and 8x+ power for shooting steel at longer ranges. Ok, so the SwampFox 2-12x FFP scope with RECCE reticle fits the bill. I have begun evaluating it and comparing it to some other scopes I have. The whole lineup:
Swampfox KYLR with the RECCE reticle:
https://www.swampfoxoptics.com/kentucky-long-series
Burris XTR3 3.3-18 FFP with SCR2 reticle
Bushnell Elite 3-12x44 FFP
Trijicon Credo HX 2.5-15x42 SFP:
Bushnell AR Optics 1-8x24 SFP:
I review scopes for my own purposes, which is a focus on how I use and operate a scope. My priorities are that it tracks properly and that the controls are easy to operate and see from behind the rifle. I mostly use mil/mil scopes with zero stop. A useful scope to me is one that gives me an eyebox that works in various rifle positions, has a good uncluttered reticle and provides good field of view. Illumination is important to me in scopes I might use for CQB, that have low 1x-2.5X magnification as well as FFP scopes where the reticle changes size dramatically. The illumination helps me see some FFP reticles which become small and thin at low magnification. Glass quality isn’t a top priority, but poor image crispness can become a hindrance or a distraction. So for me, the higher the quality of the scope, the less I worry about image quality. For this Swampfox I will pay closer attention to glass quality than I would for a Zeiss or Kahles.
1. Unbox and setup, fit and finish - Box is well packed. Comes with a throw lever, which is easy to attach using the provided Allen. Throw lever works well and mag ring moves smoothly.
Turrets have a nice tactile click.
There is no Revolution counter which is a shame because I find it a useful feature and it costs almost nothing to put marks on the inside of the turret column.
The reticle focus is easy to adjust. I’d rather it be a lockable adjustment because I have no reason to change it once it is set to my eyes. Hopefully it doesn’t move when I put a scope cap on the ocular.
Parallax adjust works well and the numbers seem pretty accurate for the ranges I tried so far.
Installing the battery was easy.
I don’t like that there is no OFF position in between the illumination dial numbers 1-11. When you are at either ends max of 11 or minimum of 1, you can just move it one position to 0 for off, but if you’re in the middle, like 4,5,6,7, then you have to move it as many as 6 positions to turn it off.
The turrets are locked. Pop it up and it is ready to dial. Pop it back down and it is locked again. Well executed.
The box includes a nice reticle card which shows the reticle at 2X, 12X and the subtensions outlined on the flip side.
To be continued…
Swampfox KYLR with the RECCE reticle:
https://www.swampfoxoptics.com/kentucky-long-series
Burris XTR3 3.3-18 FFP with SCR2 reticle
Bushnell Elite 3-12x44 FFP
Trijicon Credo HX 2.5-15x42 SFP:
Bushnell AR Optics 1-8x24 SFP:
I review scopes for my own purposes, which is a focus on how I use and operate a scope. My priorities are that it tracks properly and that the controls are easy to operate and see from behind the rifle. I mostly use mil/mil scopes with zero stop. A useful scope to me is one that gives me an eyebox that works in various rifle positions, has a good uncluttered reticle and provides good field of view. Illumination is important to me in scopes I might use for CQB, that have low 1x-2.5X magnification as well as FFP scopes where the reticle changes size dramatically. The illumination helps me see some FFP reticles which become small and thin at low magnification. Glass quality isn’t a top priority, but poor image crispness can become a hindrance or a distraction. So for me, the higher the quality of the scope, the less I worry about image quality. For this Swampfox I will pay closer attention to glass quality than I would for a Zeiss or Kahles.
1. Unbox and setup, fit and finish - Box is well packed. Comes with a throw lever, which is easy to attach using the provided Allen. Throw lever works well and mag ring moves smoothly.
Turrets have a nice tactile click.
There is no Revolution counter which is a shame because I find it a useful feature and it costs almost nothing to put marks on the inside of the turret column.
The reticle focus is easy to adjust. I’d rather it be a lockable adjustment because I have no reason to change it once it is set to my eyes. Hopefully it doesn’t move when I put a scope cap on the ocular.
Parallax adjust works well and the numbers seem pretty accurate for the ranges I tried so far.
Installing the battery was easy.
I don’t like that there is no OFF position in between the illumination dial numbers 1-11. When you are at either ends max of 11 or minimum of 1, you can just move it one position to 0 for off, but if you’re in the middle, like 4,5,6,7, then you have to move it as many as 6 positions to turn it off.
The turrets are locked. Pop it up and it is ready to dial. Pop it back down and it is locked again. Well executed.
The box includes a nice reticle card which shows the reticle at 2X, 12X and the subtensions outlined on the flip side.
To be continued…
