Rifle Scopes TRG-22 Scope Upgrade

[918v]

Hi:

I want to upgrade the scope on my TRG-22. I'm using a Zeiss Diavari 6-24x56 right now. I like it, but I want a tactical scope that has the same build quality and glass.

I think the Zeiss is built like a Swiss watch. Really! I took the turret off to zero it and had a peek inside. Wow! It has nice clicks. The controls are buttery smooth. But the reticle is in the second focal plane and the adjustment range is very limited.

I've been researching and come to a realization that as good as the Zeiss is, it is old and new optical designs can give me the same nice image quality from other manufacturers. I also know that the Zeiss 6-24 is not the best optical performer in their lineup.

I've been looking at Steiner and Premier. Could you tell me if the Steiner is as good optically and mechanically? I'm pretty sure the Premier is.

 

[peterh]

Hey 918v, I also have a TRG 22 and just re-scoped it this week. After doing all the reading and weighing all the pro's and cons I finally decided to go with a Night Force NXS 3.5-15X50 ZS HS Mil-Mil MLR reticle. I know NF may not have the best glass but it does have the best Zero Stop as far as I'm concerned, it also dimensionally is better than most. Unfortunately I did not have unlimited funds, I couldn't afford a SB, the Steiners are good but to huge and I didn't think it would look good on my gun. The Vortex Razor's are good but I just don't like them. I could have gone with the PST but for that I would have stayed with the Lupi MK4. I'm glad I waited and got the NF, I'm very happy with it so far. I recommend take your time, any of the top tare scope are great and your TRG deserves a good one, at least that's the way a saw it.....good luck....

 

[PatrickChewing]

I had both the Steiner and Premier on my TRG. The Steiner was a great scope but i prefer the Premiers.

 

[Crosshair]

You may have already read some of Ilya's articles, but if you haven't, check them out: High End Tactical Scopes: Part II » OpticsThoughts

Very thorough and objective testing of several of the optics you'd be choosing from.

 

[Craniotome]

I just put a premier light tactical on my trg 22. I am very impressed and it looks good on the trg 22. Had a bushnell g2dmr before which was good but the optics on the premier are a different level.

 

[918v]

Yeah, that's the thing. I wanna feel good looking through the scope. See, I just got a new RX eyeglasses and wow! That's what I want from my scope. Been doing some research and looks like Kahles may be a good option as well.

 

[CSTactical]

Premier, Kahles, S&B, and the Nightforce ATACR offer great glass and great built scopes. The Steiner scopes are nice also but I prefer the others, I used the Steiner 5-25x56mm for a few months and it did a great job.

Kahles is offering a sweet deal on their scopes at this time also.

Mike @ CSTACTICAL

 

[918v]

Is the eyebox on the Kahles as forgiving as on the Zeiss?

 

[bforney1984]

I've got the Premier 3-15x50 on my TRG-22 and just put a Zeiss Victory Diavari T* FL 4-16x50 on my Sako Hunter. I wanted something comparable to hunt with as I LOVE the Premier. Honestly i think the Zeiss FL glass was on par with the Premier glass. Is your Diavari an FL? If so, to my eyes the 2 are pretty similar. Build-wise, the Premier is built like a tank though

 

[Shortcut]

Is the eyebox on the Kahles as forgiving as on the Zeiss?

No it's not.
I would however say that Hensoldt is the answer if you wanna get Zeiss optical quality but skip the narrow adjustments that Zeiss scopes have. Neither Kahles, nor S&B, Nightforce, Premier and definitely not Steiner will be able to knock Hensoldt when it comes to the optics. It's as simple as that. They are good but not as good.
If the Steiner's eye box would be what I would characterize as a straw, the rest would be something like a smal pipe. Compare to that, the Hensoldt appears to be more like an oil pipeline. I mean the eyebox is just so huge. You also get a perfectly floating reticle image without any traces of the inside of the tube, something I do not find on the rest of the scopes.
The Hensoldt is also a real tiger as it gets down to the low light. Many of the competitors will have a real tough time hanging on to it, Kahles included.

 

[adamwade]

918v,

I've got a Steiner 5-25 with MSR that happens be off my TRG at the moment. I'm in RSM (local). If you want to meet I could bring my scope and you can mount it on your rifle and compare. It's sitting in a Spuhr mount for a picatinny rail.

 

[D_TROS]

Funny you picked up on both the premier and the Steiner, as I feel both of these scopes are the 2 most similar scopes you can buy, and 2 of the best. First off they are both built like a tank and both have Swiss watch like mechanisms. Glass and controls are amazing. I give the edge to Steiner in rect choices and knobs (really sweet garage door second rev like indicator on Steiner is sweet) The premier might and I mean very very slight edge, have better glass, but the Steiner 3-15 is near best I have looked through and have not compared to a premier yet.

http://www.longrangehunting.com/articles/steiner-military-3-15-50-rifle-scope-review-1.php


Both scopes would be much better than the Diavari and you will be happy with either. Good Luck!

DT

 

[jtrax]

If possible, get behind a Schmidt 5-25x56 (H2CMR, MSR, or P4F reticle) before you buy anything else. You are considering a Steiner and Premier so you are in the ballpark as to price. I've owned all scope mentioned in this thread including Zeiss Diavari FL 6-24x56 and the Hensoldt 4-16 NH1 (hunting only with the Zeiss). Of the scopes mentioned I still own one Premier 5-25 and one Kahles 624i MSR-K. Most of my rifles wear Schmidt 5-25's as I have not used a scope that I have found to be better than the Schmidt. I will not get into glass quality arguments because to my eyes between the Schmidt, Premier, and Hensoldt it is tough to say which is best (when adjusted to the same magnification and making sure that the ocular and parallax are properly set for the viewer). Overall, I would choose Schmidt.

All scopes mentioned by everyone contributing to this thread are great scopes and will perform well. There are no bad choices to be made here. Get behind as many as you can before making a decision.

 

[918v]

Has the parallax binding issue been resolved with the Premiers? Was it a QC issue or a torqued scope tube/misaligned ring issue?

 

[yej0001]

Hi: I want to upgrade the scope on my TRG-22. I'm using a Zeiss Diavari 6-24x56 right now. I like it, but I want a tactical scope that has the same build quality and glass.

What reticle did your Zeiss come with? You may consider changing reticle to Rapid Z-1000 if it's not already. Its hold-over option for 175 gr BTHP bullets works well at 24x. It may save some $$$ than getting a new scope. Zeiss quality is hard to beat!

 

[Toast]

I love every Nightforce I own. People say the glass isn't that good. Not from my perspective. I love them. Rock solid and an excellent combination with any Sako TRG. I run a 416 Barrett with a 12-42x56 Nightforce and a .308 with a 5.5-22x56 NXS. I couldn't be happier.