Looking for Swarovski Z5 3-18 bt feedback

[garyx]

Getting ready to purchase a Swarovski Z-5 3-18 bt. Is this a ffp or sfp and does that matter. Is their ballistic turret reliable? Own leupolds on all my guns and never had any issues. Are swarovski scopes reliable? Looking for pro's and con's.

 

[42769vette]

it is a sfp scope. it does not matter for the scopes purpose since you are actually dialing for range.

i had one and it was great. i bought it for a wildcat round that i planned to hunt with. after getting the round and working with it i sold the scope because the round didn't drop enough at the ranges i shot it to warrent dialing. but absolutly no other reason. the scope is not cheap but its a pretty nice scope

 

[lightwind]

I assume you are looking at the Z5 3.5-18 because the Z6 is the 3-18. I have one of each. My Z6 is the BT and the Z5 is just the standard plex reticle. One of the interesting features of the BT for Swarovski is that it is limited to a single turn. That is fine if you don't need more elevation than the single turn will allow. If you are looking at shooting past 800 yards use the Swarovski ballistic computer and find out if your round will make the shot with the single turn of the turret. One way around that is to put a 20 moa mount on the system, but with the limited Swarovski elevation range you will be near the bottom of the range. So, take a look at how far you will be shooting, determine your true muzzle velocity (measure it) and decide if you will be able to get where you want with the single turn of the turret.

Having said that, I love it. I have the Z6 3-18 BT Plex on my FN SCAR-17s .308 and it puts the bullets right at the range I want them. Since the SCAR has a 16" barrel I don't expect to be using it regularly past 700 yards. And that is just about where the muzzle velocity puts me with the scope and the BT. I have a Zeiss on my Savage Model 10 .308 because I want the elevation to take me out to 1000 yards. So, if you do the math and you can live with the elevation limits, you won't find a better BT system.

 

[garyx]

Is there a big difference at dark between the Z5 and the Z6.

 

[lightwind]

Is there a big difference at dark between the Z5 and the Z6.

I'm sure that the term "big" is going to be interpreted differently by everyone reading this.

First, the 3.5-18X44 Z5 has a smaller objective than the 3.0-18X50 Z6. So, right off the bat the Z6 lets in more light. Second, the Z6 has the HD glass in it.

So, to answer your question I went out in the dark and took out both scopes and looked at a neighbor's house about 100 yards away. They have a porch lamp and under that I can see equally well with both scopes. Down about 50 yards more, another neighbor still has their Christmas lights up but no porch light. The lights are hanging in a tree. I can see the lights with the Z5 but the tree is a blur. With the Z6 I can see both the lights and the branches and pine needles around the lights. I then swung back to the neighbor with the porch light and started looking away from the light. There is a section of the garage that is not directly lighted by the porch light and I can see the roof as well as the shingles with the Z6. With the Z5 I can see the roof but I can't make out the shingles.

The answer is that I know in daylight ther is no difference in brightness in them but the images have more contrast and better resolution in the Z6. Everyone I have had look through them has been able to tell which is the better image even though they are both equally bright.

I hope that helps. I don't know if I would call being able to see the shingles a big difference or not.

 

[garyx]

Thanks for info. I think I'm going to go with the Z5. Trying to keep it as light as possible. Someone posted on here that they talked to factory and the Z5 and Z6 use the same quality glass. Don't know if its true or not.

 

[lightwind]

The Z5 and the Z6 use different glass in the higher power series. The Z6 5-30 uses HD (flouride) glass and the erector is different. They also use different coatings. However, the Z5 is an outstanding scope you will not be disappointed.

 

[Dr. Vette]

Think about the new 4W reticle for the Z5 that allows for windage adjustments. My hunting partner has the same Z5 that you're looking at, but the new reticle sure would have been nice. I would not be surprised if he upgrades in a couple of years.

 

[lightwind]

I have looked at the 4W reticle and I think it is a great choice for anyone with the BT. However, it appears that the width of the lines is still the same as the 4 and that is a bit small for me. I have been asking Swarovski for more information on it, but they haven't gotten back to me yet. They sent me their normal information but did not include the 4W, or the BRH.

 

[Toppack]

I like the glass in the Z5 and the BT is very reliable but one revolution, 13.25moa
max on a scope like this is a drawback. Don't get me wrong, 13moa(725yrds) is more than what I need on my backpack rig, but for my play rig the scope is limited. What's the scope going on?

 

[garyx]

300 rum

 

[Toppack]

That's got some legs! If you plan to shoot long I would consider a better turret setup! NF?

 

[lightwind]

That's got some legs! If you plan to shoot long I would consider a better turret setup! NF?

He is right. It does have some legs and you will not be able to take advantage of that with the Swarovski BT. I just ran the program and you would need to zero at 600 yards (not unusual for very long shooting) but that would still just get you to 950 yards with the RUM. You are only off 10 inches from muzzle to 600 yards but that is just because it is such a flat shooter. If you want to go both short and long you need more that a single turn on this scope. I use mine of a 16" barrel FN-SCAR-17s and don't expect to shoot more than 700 yards. On my longer range guns I use other scopes. However, the Swarovski is a great scope. However, if you want to shoot long you might not want to get the BT so you can dial. You can make your own cards with no BT and a full revolution putting you close to where you want to be and then dial from there.

 

[pontoon]

Sorry for bringing this from way back. If I get 10 or 10 MOA bases will I be able to shoot at both 10 yards and 1000? Ballistics calc says dial 24.6 MOA to get to 1000 with a 200 yard zero.