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Zero Compromise Optic 2022 and beyond Poll

What would you like from ZCO in the Future?

  • Lighter weight hunting option

    Votes: 177 55.7%
  • Higher magnification option

    Votes: 78 24.5%
  • LPVO 1-6/1-8/1-10 etc...

    Votes: 90 28.3%
  • More reticles

    Votes: 52 16.4%
  • Hats, shirts and more swag

    Votes: 11 3.5%

  • Total voters
    318
  • Poll closed .

CSTactical

Sniper's Hide Vendor
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Minuteman
  • Nov 18, 2009
    8,907
    5,255
    Sacramento, CA
    www.cstactical.com
    So gathering some research and feedback on what customers are looking for from ZCO in the future. I'll have a basic poll up, but feel free to list your suggestions as well :cool:
     
    • Like
    Reactions: Bakwa
    ZCO 420H

    Similar to the TT315P and TT315M variants. Cut the weight down to about 26oz on the current 4-20. If that means smaller main tube, turrets, whatever, that's fine.

    EG6r7Oc.gif
     
    I want a mpct3x without any holdover stuff. Just like mpct1.

    …and a 1-8 lpvo.
     
    • Like
    Reactions: gebhardt02
    A 20 oz. 3-12 or 3-15ish, that dials reliably, with locking turrets or locking elevation and capped windage, and a FFP reticle that doesn't require illumination to see at low power.

    20oz might be pushing it for a premium FFP, ~26oz is more realistic IMO...
     
    20oz might be pushing it for a premium FFP, ~26oz is more realistic IMO...

    I get that, and it might just be wishful thinking on my part. As light as possible is my preference. I have a TT 3-15H and something would essentially need to be significantly lighter to make me replace it.

    I would have snagged a 2.5-10 NXS in a heartbeat if it was FFP and had locking turrets.

    ETA: it seems that current market trends are the highest zoom ratios crammed into the shortest scopes possible, with all the difficulties that arise from that. I'd personally be super happy with a relatively low zoom ratio and lower powers at a light weight that gives me an optic that is easy to get behind, a reticle that is easy to use at all magnification, and I can abuse it and it keeps working.
     
    5-27x with 35mils of elevation is really hard to beat for a wide variety of precision engagements. In fact the last 2000 yard match I shot I was only zoomed at 12x the whole time, but there are times when some extra magnification is handy. Taking the current zoom multiplication factor, a 7-38x would be something I'd seriously consider as long as it still maintained at least 30 mils of internal elevation.
     
    There are so many lightweight hunting optics lol go buy a tangent 3-15, and give us a higher mag scope!
     
    A higher mag scope is the only option I want to see. We need a King of 2 Miles scope. I don't need anything on the low end....10-50x would be preferable to me. I'm in the market for a new ELR scope and move my 5-27 to the Dasher.
     
    I basically want a TT315H, but ZCO with the MPCT3 reticle. Maybe slightly thicker crosshairs, too, so it’s useful at 3x. I like the double-line trick in the Brownells MPO, and combined with center illumination should be a great hunting scope.

    I do not like non-tree reticles, even on hunting optics, and I loathe mil-dot-style reticles, so I won’t be buying a TT315H any time soon.
     
    A 1-8 or 1-10 with:

    A. A daylight bright horseshoe at 1x
    B. A FINE aiming point, not a gigantor, target-obscuring, freaking ridiculous 1 MOA dot.
    C. A generous Mil tree
    D. Did I mention a FINE aiming point?
     
    Last edited:
    Leave the LPVO to those who have been doing that for decades. Its not ZCO core competency. More mag and lighter hunting options would be awesome.

    There is a void for NRL hunter Alpha optics. Something with great glass, decent , good eyebox, nice turrets and maybe 34mm to keep the weight down.

    A 8-40ish optic would be nice. Most people aren't shooting bellow 12x for most of the games anyway.
     
    A lighter hunter/crossover option is needed in the ZCO price bracket. Let's face it, nobody likes the NX8 as much as they'd hoped for that role and the TT3-15 needs competition.

    We want a lighter weight [sub 27oz] FFP package that will keep it's rugged qualities, maintain the perception of clear low distortion glass throughout the mag ranges, have good light transmission, with either easy to use locking turrets or stiff clicks [so not to accidentally push it off zero], with a very forgiving eyebox, reasonable eye relief, a clean looking reticle [meaning while using in the field it's not a distraction from what you're glassing, but rather an ambient aid], the reticle should be usable at the low power up against real life backgrounds without having to use the illumination, and last the scope should exhibit a low end at 2-3X and a high end at 14-20X.

    A scope such as this would be seriously popular with hunters that buy higher end products such as Swaro, March, S&B, etc..., and it would bleed into the market that appeals to guys shooting DMR/SPR matches, guys caught up in the recce concept [fad], guys that actually use their rifles in the field that carry them around and have to take a likely "long" shot every so often or glass something from far away.
    A scope like this would be extremely versatile and would compete directly against the TT3-15 series. If executed properly, it would be more feature rich than the TT and would beat the pants off any NF, S&B, Kahles, Swaro, Leupold, or Steiner people have currently filling these roles that I mentioned.

    The community has already spoken to this concept.

    I'm likely holding off on buying another NXS 2.5-10 or S&B Klassik 3-12 in expectation of this ZCO concept debuting 2023 or so. Please don't let me down.

    Cheers
     
    A lighter hunter/crossover option is needed in the ZCO price bracket. Let's face it, nobody likes the NX8 as much as they'd hoped for that role and the TT3-15 needs competition.

    We want a lighter weight [sub 27oz] FFP package that will keep it's rugged qualities, maintain the perception of clear low distortion glass throughout the mag ranges, have good light transmission, with either easy to use locking turrets or stiff clicks [so not to accidentally push it off zero], with a very forgiving eyebox, reasonable eye relief, a clean looking reticle [meaning while using in the field it's not a distraction from what you're glassing, but rather an ambient aid], the reticle should be usable at the low power up against real life backgrounds without having to use the illumination, and last the scope should exhibit a low end at 2-3X and a high end at 14-20X.

    A scope such as this would be seriously popular with hunters that buy higher end products such as Swaro, March, S&B, etc..., and it would bleed into the market that appeals to guys shooting DMR/SPR matches, guys caught up in the recce concept [fad], guys that actually use their rifles in the field that carry them around and have to take a likely "long" shot every so often or glass something from far away.
    A scope like this would be extremely versatile and would compete directly against the TT3-15 series. If executed properly, it would be more feature rich than the TT and would beat the pants off any NF, S&B, Kahles, Swaro, Leupold, or Steiner people have currently filling these roles that I mentioned.

    The community has already spoken to this concept.

    I'm likely holding off on buying another NXS 2.5-10 or S&B Klassik 3-12 in expectation of this ZCO concept debuting 2023 or so. Please don't let me down.

    Cheers
    This.
     
    A higher mag scope is the only option I want to see. We need a King of 2 Miles scope. I don't need anything on the low end....10-50x would be preferable to me. I'm in the market for a new ELR scope and move my 5-27 to the Dasher.
    This! The market is flooded with quality scopes be it for hunting, prs, tactical, BR.
    High mag ELR scopes, not so much.
     
    Did not ZCO tease a higher power scope a couple years ago? There was a silhouette on the website for a while too.

    My vote was for the light hunter/crossover.
     
    • Like
    Reactions: Bakwa
    Is the more reticles a joke? Don’t they come out with a new one about every two months?
     
    Sometimes it’s preferable to dial magnification down on an ELR target because you’re really just trying to get the center on the target, not some portion of the target. In some cases you can zoom in, but there are trade offs. Some lower tier scopes look like shit at full magnification, others the eyebox shrinks to frustrating levels. Then there’s the problem of mirage for the folks who live in Humidity Land or Desert Hell. And then there’s just having enough FOV on target to spot splash, because sometimes you see it and others don’t. And who can get back on target quickly when fully zoomed in on a target coming off of magnum caliber recoil?

    That’s why I often shoot a 5-25x in ELR matches dialed back to 12x or 15x.

    But then there are times when you need 25x or more just to be able to sight the target.
     
    I guess it all depends on what we call ELR. I've shot a lot of matches that top out at 2100yds. There my ZCO 5-27 has been great. Some of the targets have been 2-3 MOA in size. There has been plenty of dry powder dirt around the target. All great for backing out the mag and rocking some targets.

    Then I've shot in wet conditions at 2500yds with low grass around the target and it is so hard to pick up your misses around the target. A few months ago I could see my bullets hitting 1.5mils to the left of the target in some wet dirt at 2250yds....but when I went to the next target at 2350yds...I couldn't see anything. I know I was close, but I couldn't see a thing.

    I'm really wanting 50x for the 1 mile paper matches I shoot....but also anything above 2300yds...I really want a lot more mag.
     
    Hunting optic for sure. Under 28 oz. A reticle that's usable on the low end. Don't care about specific mag range as long as it's in the 3 ish low end and 20 ish high end. 15 or 16x would be just fine my me too.

    I agree that more mag then the 27x for ELR is pointless. Last time I shot two miles it was on 18x. And the time before that was 16x. But that's just my opinion of course.
     
    For a hunting scope only the center dot needs to illuminate, low profile elevation turret, capped windage turret, tool less zero, bold numbers on elevation turret that glow in the dark (hey a guy can wish)

    Edit to add:

    Maybe even 5 mils per rev on the elevation turret gets the numbers bold without turret being obnoxiously big and 5 mils gets you out to 700ish yards most people are shooting game well within that.
     
    Last edited:
    Lightweight, compact hunter, 3-20, either 44 or 50mm in the 26-28 oz range with a reticle that's actually usable at 3X, that doesn't have to rely on illumination but has it.
     
    • Like
    Reactions: CSTactical
    A lighter hunter/crossover option is needed in the ZCO price bracket. Let's face it, nobody likes the NX8 as much as they'd hoped for that role and the TT3-15 needs competition.

    We want a lighter weight [sub 27oz] FFP package that will keep it's rugged qualities, maintain the perception of clear low distortion glass throughout the mag ranges, have good light transmission, with either easy to use locking turrets or stiff clicks [so not to accidentally push it off zero], with a very forgiving eyebox, reasonable eye relief, a clean looking reticle [meaning while using in the field it's not a distraction from what you're glassing, but rather an ambient aid], the reticle should be usable at the low power up against real life backgrounds without having to use the illumination, and last the scope should exhibit a low end at 2-3X and a high end at 14-20X.

    A scope such as this would be seriously popular with hunters that buy higher end products such as Swaro, March, S&B, etc..., and it would bleed into the market that appeals to guys shooting DMR/SPR matches, guys caught up in the recce concept [fad], guys that actually use their rifles in the field that carry them around and have to take a likely "long" shot every so often or glass something from far away.
    A scope like this would be extremely versatile and would compete directly against the TT3-15 series. If executed properly, it would be more feature rich than the TT and would beat the pants off any NF, S&B, Kahles, Swaro, Leupold, or Steiner people have currently filling these roles that I mentioned.

    The community has already spoken to this concept.

    I'm likely holding off on buying another NXS 2.5-10 or S&B Klassik 3-12 in expectation of this ZCO concept debuting 2023 or so. Please don't let me down.

    Cheers
    He said it better than me, this!
     
    I am putting my vote in for a 4-20 lightweight option (24-27oz). I would be happiest with being able use the reticle at 10-12x like when I owned a 5-27 MPCT2. I could be happy hunting there with the MPCT3x reticle. I would like to see only the center cross hairs illuminated. I am fine with having to use the illumination to use the low power. I don't understand why everyone has to have a 2,3,4x reticle, let alone one that is usable without illum. Does everyone think they are snap shooting shit on the run? I have never found the bottom end of an illum ffp reticle to be a problem. I don't want to sacrifice where I will use the scope most just to have a bottom end useable reticle.

    I would also like to see 20x on the top end because sometimes it is nice to practice with the hunting rig at longer ranges. Sometimes it is nice to use the scope as a poor mans spotter. And not that ZCO scopes exhibit the trait, but other scopes do things like get dark, etc. towards the top. For shooting any type of match too, I'd like to see 20x.

    This fall I used the Vortex HD LHT 4.5-22 for hunting and for a couple prs/nrl type matches. I was extremely happy with how it has performed and am starting to think a similar scope done up in ZCO fashion would be great.
     
    I ain't against a light weight hunter but a 7-35/8-40 would definitely be great. Right now only leupold and nightforce really own that segment and while I love the NF, ZCO glass and design would reign. I have a feeling one is coming....
     
    I ain't against a light weight hunter but a 7-35/8-40 would definitely be great. Right now only leupold and nightforce really own that segment and while I love the NF, ZCO glass and design would reign. I have a feeling one is coming....

    Don't forget the Schmidt has the 5-45. March has a tons of optics to choose from too. 4-40, 5-42, 5-40, 5-50, 6-60, 10-60, 8-80.
     
    Of the poll choices, I went with lighter, as a nod to making weight for NRL. But, for my non-weight restricted use, I shoot the 527 MPCT2. I‘d be happy with tool-less zero and non locking turrets, which are apparently an option now. The illumination is a feature I never even touch, including having never even put a battery in, so that could go.