Darth Vader..we have your riflescope, Rem 2020

[joeycoates]

Have you guys seen this thing? I must admit...I am intrigued.

Shoot 2020 | Product Overview

It is huge and bulky, and kind of ugly. The range is limited for now and I am sure the cost will be exorbitant. But it is kind of a neat idea. We use our cosine indicators, reticle cant bubbles, smart phones with apps and range finders to do that this scope gathers. You would still need to gauge windspeed, which to me is one of the more difficult of the criteria that a good long range shooter needs to know, but it does many of the other things for you. And who knows how the glass is, but still kind of neat.

I do not think that I will be trading in for it any time soon, but hi-tech scopes like this could become much more common in the future. I know that others have tried to do similar things in the past, but not to this extent, and not marketed like this one is. So is this the future, or will this be like the electronic ignition that Remington came up with about 10 years ago?

 

[bruce_ventura]

Neither this product or the TrackingPoint product from which it was derived are very useful for hunting in this country. Neither one works in low light, including at least the first and last half hour of legal hunting. All the marketing videos show game animals standing out in the open during mid-day. I suppose that's fine for prairie dogs and African safaris.

 

[joeycoates]

Given the size of the objective I pretty well figured that they would be limited, so that makes sense. I have to applaud them though for trying to do something new and different. It would be cool to see some of this stuff after several generations of development. I am not going to be giving up my tried and true scopes any time soon, but if someone was not out there pushing the envelope then innovation would stagnate. There is certainly work to be done on it though.

 

[SidecarFlip]

With a price of admission of just shy of 5 grand for the base model, you won't be giving up your conventional optics unless you hit the lotto or have a rich old lady.

 

[Boman]

Flop.. I'd prefer they stick to firearms..

 

[joeycoates]

Wow, I knew it would be steep, but that is ridiculous... You could buy yourself all sorts of great conventional scopes for that kind of money. Sounds like they priced themselves right out of the market. Electronic ignition here we come....soon to be relegated to the past. Oh well, it is kind of a cool idea, way overpriced and perhaps under performing but who knows.

 

[varmintH8R]

Wow, I knew it would be steep, but that is ridiculous... You could buy yourself all sorts of great conventional scopes for that kind of money. Sounds like they priced themselves right out of the market. Electronic ignition here we come....soon to be relegated to the past. Oh well, it is kind of a cool idea, way overpriced and perhaps under performing but who knows.

I'm not sure how I feel about the technology/premise in general. I like equipment that gives me an advantage, but I also like the "art" of long range shooting. How much is too much (and what level of technology makes me a hypocrite)? I'm still working through that in my mind.

As far as price/looks - if the concept works and is accepted by enough people, it will get streamlined and cost will be driven out. I remember the first plasma TVs at $15K. A nice one costs a about 5% of that now. Clearly, long range scopes are a more limited market, but the same applies - if people accept the idea in general, the technology and cost will eventually evolve.

 

[joeycoates]

varmintH8R, I was actually thinking about that last night. Part of the enjoyment to me, and I would think most others who would actually frequent this site, is the challenge of long distance shooting. It is the working to achieve something that not every hunter can or will do. Shooting at long distances is not easy, but getting to where you can make those shots is rewarding. I really do not think that something like this scope would especially be aimed at the type of persons who would be on this site. For the most part I would say that it would be made for the hunter who while they enjoy the hunt, they do not really want to take, or maybe do not have the time or place, to become really proficient at taking longer range shots on game.

With that being said where would we be now if someone was not trying to "make it better" or to make technological advances? Look at what advances such as shooting programs that can be run on a smart phone have done for us. They have put the ability to make 1000+ yard shots into the hands of many who quite frankly would have a really, really hard time doing so without it. This is not to say that you do not still have to practice at it as the shooting programs do not make taking those shots a given, but it sure has made it a lot easier for most of us, myself included.

There will be a market for the 2020, however small it may be. And you are absolutely correct, these type of scopes will become lighter, smaller, faster, and more capable. I kind of look at this from a military point of view. We now have designated marksmen in our infantry platoons/squads. While we try to give them as much of a chance as possible to go out and shoot, we will never be able to afford to let them shoot as much or as often as we would like to see. Especially not with the spending cuts that are going on now. But for the average designated marksman who might be taking a critical shot pointing up at a 35 degree angle to eliminate a threat that is causing casualties...I want that marksman to have something like this. It would want him (or her now) to have a much better chance at making an effective first round kill so as to eliminate the threat, and move on to the next threat. They still have the ultimate decision on when to pull the trigger, but it would take a whole lot of the the things that take time and repetitive shooting out of the equation.

For a scope like this to really become wanted in our realm it needs better optics and a lot more reach. But I would have to think that it would evolve over time to get there if a market for it does exist. The question would be are there enough people like us who would pay for that piece of equipment which would take nearly all of the variables other than wind out of the picture in order to make that 1357 yard shot on a deer? I don't know, but if you were out somewhere, had been hiking all over the place for 3 days, and you only had 15 seconds to make that shot on a once in a lifetime trophy elk that was 1000+ yards away, would it be nice to point, range, calculate adjustments, and make that shot all in one action? I have to think about that one.. gun)

 

[bruce_ventura]

...I don't know, but if you were out somewhere, had been hiking all over the place for 3 days, and you only had 15 seconds to make that shot on a once in a lifetime trophy elk that was 1000+ yards away, would it be nice to point, range, calculate adjustments, and make that shot all in one action? I have to think about that one.. gun)

The Burris Eliminator scopes allow you to nearly do that today (750 yds on deer), but they don't sacrifice low light performance. The main limitation with the 2020 is that the image is digital. Using a color camera to digitize the image limits both resolution and low light performance. The only advantage I can see is that the 2020 allows you to record the shot.

 

[joeycoates]

Didn't know it was digitized. Explains how they were able to do so much though. I would have to think however that a lot of the resolution and low light issues could be addressed if it is digitized. We have some equipment that is digitized, and I have to say that the resolution and low light capabilities are very nice...and that is putting it lightly. However the price that goes with these particular pieces of equipment is NOT wallet friendly...and again that is putting it lightly.

 

[jbone405]

I was looking at the link yesterday, the 2020 only has an effective range of 500 yards if I remember correctly. I am sure that as time goes, it will get better. I think the other system, tracking point might have a little better range.

Just imagine a system like this on your rail gun shooting projectiles at the distance of the horizon, someday....

It might be pretty fun for shooting prairie dogs someday.