Huskemaw Tactical 5-30X56 Riflescope Review
By Nicholas Gebhardt
I first learned of the new Huskemaw Tactical 5-30X56 riflescope while attending a precision rifle competition in central Montana. A two man team was using the new scope and were gracious enough to allow other competitors to check out the new product. I'm always excited to hear of new offerings and was impressed with the new scope at the end of the competition, as that team came out in first place among numerous other excellent teams. Obviously Huskemaw is doing something right with these new scopes, so I was pretty thrilled when Len Backus asked me if I'd like to conduct a review of this new scope for his web site.
The new Huskemaw Tactical boasts an amazing 6X erector system providing a magnification of 5-30X, is built on a 34mm main tube, and sports a 56mm objective. Total length of the scope is 14.25 inches and it weighs 35 ounces, which is about normal for this type of scope. A second focal plane reticle is used and is what Huskemaw calls the 12 MOA Hunt Smart Reticle. This reticle has 12 MOA of windage indications on each side of center in 1 MOA increments, along with hash marks on the lower portion of the vertical crosshair that are spaced at 2 MOA increments for a total of 10 MOA.
The parallax turret is located on the standard left side of the scope, with a patented dual interlocking elevation turret on top with the Huskemaw Rapid Field Ballistic Compensator (RFBC), and the windage turret on the right side of the adjustment housing. This scope utilizes a very large, coarse type knurling around the outer top edges of the turrets and turret caps that provide a secure grasp. The elevation and windage are graduated in Minute of Angle (MOA) and utilize 1/3 MOA clicks, which is different than any other tactical scope on the market which use 1/4 MOA or Milliradians. Thirty MOA of elevation are available in one revolution of the turret, which also has a zero stop ring that the user can elect to set or not utilize at all. The magnification ring is very similar in grasping surface but with larger grooves that are spaced a little further apart. The numbering around the magnification ring is sufficiently large to be easily seen but not so large as to detract from the overall aesthetics of the scope. A slight angle on the magnification ring placed the numbering at a comfortable viewing position that only required a minor head lift from the stock to check.
One final feature not found in many other scopes, but one that Huskemaw felt compelled to include, is an internal bubble level for ensuring the scope is perfectly level prior to taking a shot. The internal level is situated at the bottom of the field of view, is easily seen, but is out of the way. This was a handy feature to have while conducting this review. Ensuring the scope is level is critical to making accurate long range shots whether those are on paper, steel, or fur. Please see the article by Carl Taylor detailing the importance of reticle cant.
http://www.longrangehunting.com/articles/canting-rifle-long-range-accuracy-1.php
A nice dull black anodize rounds out the package and covers the scope, leaving little shine on a bright day. Huskemaw ships the scope with a DVD detailing mounting procedures for Talley rings, lapping procedure, leveling the scope, and their process for obtaining ballistic data in order to develop the customer's specific RFBC turret along with a user manual that covers their other scope offerings.
Hunt Smart Reticle and Internal level. Optical quality not representative as shown.
Rapid Field Ballistic Compensator elevation turret and parallax markings.
Scope details and testing
The analysis of this optic began with a cursory inspection of the scope for any visible flaws on the lenses or scope body itself. No imperfections were present and the scope had a nice feel to all adjustments. The scope is marked "MADE IN JAPAN" and I suspect by one of the same companies producing other high quality riflescopes. When I inquired about the testing I planned to do which can be abusive, my contact at Huskemaw gave me full liberty to test out the scope, and flat out told me the scope would hold up. I like that kind of confidence in a product!
Water immersion test with turret caps removed.
By Nicholas Gebhardt
I first learned of the new Huskemaw Tactical 5-30X56 riflescope while attending a precision rifle competition in central Montana. A two man team was using the new scope and were gracious enough to allow other competitors to check out the new product. I'm always excited to hear of new offerings and was impressed with the new scope at the end of the competition, as that team came out in first place among numerous other excellent teams. Obviously Huskemaw is doing something right with these new scopes, so I was pretty thrilled when Len Backus asked me if I'd like to conduct a review of this new scope for his web site.
The new Huskemaw Tactical boasts an amazing 6X erector system providing a magnification of 5-30X, is built on a 34mm main tube, and sports a 56mm objective. Total length of the scope is 14.25 inches and it weighs 35 ounces, which is about normal for this type of scope. A second focal plane reticle is used and is what Huskemaw calls the 12 MOA Hunt Smart Reticle. This reticle has 12 MOA of windage indications on each side of center in 1 MOA increments, along with hash marks on the lower portion of the vertical crosshair that are spaced at 2 MOA increments for a total of 10 MOA.
The parallax turret is located on the standard left side of the scope, with a patented dual interlocking elevation turret on top with the Huskemaw Rapid Field Ballistic Compensator (RFBC), and the windage turret on the right side of the adjustment housing. This scope utilizes a very large, coarse type knurling around the outer top edges of the turrets and turret caps that provide a secure grasp. The elevation and windage are graduated in Minute of Angle (MOA) and utilize 1/3 MOA clicks, which is different than any other tactical scope on the market which use 1/4 MOA or Milliradians. Thirty MOA of elevation are available in one revolution of the turret, which also has a zero stop ring that the user can elect to set or not utilize at all. The magnification ring is very similar in grasping surface but with larger grooves that are spaced a little further apart. The numbering around the magnification ring is sufficiently large to be easily seen but not so large as to detract from the overall aesthetics of the scope. A slight angle on the magnification ring placed the numbering at a comfortable viewing position that only required a minor head lift from the stock to check.
One final feature not found in many other scopes, but one that Huskemaw felt compelled to include, is an internal bubble level for ensuring the scope is perfectly level prior to taking a shot. The internal level is situated at the bottom of the field of view, is easily seen, but is out of the way. This was a handy feature to have while conducting this review. Ensuring the scope is level is critical to making accurate long range shots whether those are on paper, steel, or fur. Please see the article by Carl Taylor detailing the importance of reticle cant.
http://www.longrangehunting.com/articles/canting-rifle-long-range-accuracy-1.php
A nice dull black anodize rounds out the package and covers the scope, leaving little shine on a bright day. Huskemaw ships the scope with a DVD detailing mounting procedures for Talley rings, lapping procedure, leveling the scope, and their process for obtaining ballistic data in order to develop the customer's specific RFBC turret along with a user manual that covers their other scope offerings.
Hunt Smart Reticle and Internal level. Optical quality not representative as shown.
Rapid Field Ballistic Compensator elevation turret and parallax markings.
Scope details and testing
The analysis of this optic began with a cursory inspection of the scope for any visible flaws on the lenses or scope body itself. No imperfections were present and the scope had a nice feel to all adjustments. The scope is marked "MADE IN JAPAN" and I suspect by one of the same companies producing other high quality riflescopes. When I inquired about the testing I planned to do which can be abusive, my contact at Huskemaw gave me full liberty to test out the scope, and flat out told me the scope would hold up. I like that kind of confidence in a product!
This scope is sold in the LRH Store HERE.
Before going to the range to check the optics and conduct other testing, I decided to immediately immerse the scope in a sink full of water for an hour. I've had other very expensive scopes fail this simple test, so it is one of the first things I check on my personal scopes as well as for these articles. After one hour of submersion, I removed the scope and inspected for any water intrusion into the scope. Noting that there wasn't any moisture present internally, I decided to remove the turret caps from both the elevation and windage and place the scope back in the water for another hour to verify the integrity without these protective covers in place. I'm happy to report that no moisture crept inside the scope with the turret covers removed. This is exactly how a product should perform.
Water immersion test with turret caps removed.
Huskemaw Tactical 5-30X56 Riflescope Review
The next round of testing found the Huskemaw Tactical 5-30X56 in a freezer for a 6 hour period. After noting that the scope is indeed waterproof, at least to a depth of a normal kitchen sink, I wasn't surprised to find that the scope experienced no internal issues with being frozen. There wasn't any internal fogging present, only the normal moisture buildup on the exterior lenses after being removed from the kitchen freezer. All adjustments, except the magnification ring, turned with a little bit more resistance than prior to the freeze test, but not so difficult as to hinder normal operation. The magnification ring however, was extremely difficult to turn, but smooth throughout the adjustment range and did not give any binding. I didn't have a collimator available to check actual reticle displacement from turret adjustments.
Freeze test.
I had a short delay in the evaluation while I waited for a set of American Rifle Company rings to arrive, so I spent some time evaluating the optical quality. Bottom line up front is that the optics on this new Huskemaw Tactical 5-30X56 scope were quite good, right up there to be directly comparable to another high magnification optic of European manufacture that I have been using extensively. The optics were sufficiently bright, clear, and crisp in image quality. The field of view was crisp to the extreme outer edges and provided a nice flat image. Color fidelity in bright sunlight was excellent and resolution seemed to be identical to my other scope as well, being able to resolve individual blades of tall dead grass at 900 yards. The only optical property of little concern is a hint of Chromatic Aberration (CA) when looking at contrasting objects, such as a grassy skyline, and only when my eye was off center. This amount of CA isn't a big issue nor did I find it to be of any distraction while actually using the scope to engage targets out to nearly 800 yards.
After checking the optics, I tested the parallax control to see if the numbering on the parallax turret corresponded to the actual distance on that particular day. This is one of the only problems I experienced with the scope. The parallax turret didn't coincide as closely to the indicated distance as I would like to see. While looking at a 200 yard target, the parallax turret was set to the 300 yard marking, once parallax was eliminated.
Similarly, a 300 yard target required the turret to be on the 500 yard setting for a parallax free image. As a final note, past 950 yards, the parallax could be set to the infinity indication and provide a parallax free image. Given the discrepancy, I should have tested the parallax turret coming to the indicated yardage markings from the other direction. I hadn't thought to check for this until well after I was complete with the analysis of this scope. I would normally recommend to simply loosen the set screws on the parallax turret and reset it so the numbering coincided exactly with a given distance, but this scope used a different system and did not allow for this end-user adjustment.
This was my first experience with the American Rifle Company rings, but I found them to be of the highest quality. While mounting the scope, I ensured the rifle was level side to side and placed the scope in the open rings. Another level was placed on the top of the elevation turret cap and I tried to establish proper eye relief with the scope on maximum magnification of 30X. While sliding the scope rearward in the rings to establish proper eye relief, the objective bell of the scope contacted the front of the scope base. The best I could do was situate the scope in the rings with a hairs width gap between the objective bell and the scope base. My eye relief was close, but I had to creep forward on the stock almost a half inch for proper eye relief. If this was my personal scope, I would require the LOP to be shortened or utilize a different scope base that didn't extend forward of the action face.
View of the windage turret, zero lock ring, and adjustment markings.
Zeroing this new scope was straight forward and completed in five rounds total. My initial zero was established with the excellent The Best of the West 300 Winchester Magnum 180 grain Accubond ammunition. An accuracy check and return to zero was also completed with this ammunition prior to switching to the other ammunition supplied for testing, The Best of the West 300 Winchester Magnum 190 grain VLD. For more information on this ammunition, please see the end of this review. The scope adjustments seemed to be accurate and it returned to zero exactly as it should. The return to zero checks went through a total adjustment travel of 30 MOA, so this tested out the practical adjustment range. This initial check was abbreviated though, and I knew I would continue testing the adjustments as I went through the Huskemaw process of gathering data for a custom RFBC turret. So far in the evaluation, this scope was performing as good as many other high quality optics I have used.
The remainder of the scope testing utilized the supplied 190 grain VLD ammunition. I also removed my external cant indicator and relied solely on the internal level in the scope. Obtaining ballistic data was straightforward. I placed a target at 770 yards that measured 7.9 inches square. Range day had a decent 8-10 mph breeze blowing from the 3 O'clock position. My atmospheric data came from a reliable Kestrel 4500 so I knew I had a good altitude and temperature to input into the Huskemaw online tool so I could get a custom RFBC turret ordered. I utilized my ballistic program with an estimated muzzle velocity and sent the first round down range. My elevation and windage were both off as the impact was high and right. I needed to know my exact drop so I made elevation corrections as well as windage corrections on the scope instead of holding for a follow up shot. Two rounds later and I had a solid impact on my steel target. I sent two more rounds in rapid succession and had two more solid impacts. Upon arrival at the target to check my group, I had a sub ½ MOA group of three rounds that was a couple inches high of center. Using my confirmed 100 yard zero, atmospheric data, and exact number of clicks to get on target at 770 yards, I was ready to order the custom RFBC turret from Huskemaw.
Unfortunately, I wasn't able to input the data online as I couldn't locate the turret for this new scope on the Huskemaw web site. One quick email later and I was instructed to simply email the data and my contact would get the turrets engraved and headed my direction. I was also informed that they engrave the inner turret for any other set of atmospheric data, so I could have two turrets done up for my specific load. This allows for a user to have one turret for their primary location (outer) and a second turret (inner) for another location that is significantly different in altitude and temperature. This is the heart of the patented dual interlocking turrets and is a very innovative feature found only on this Huskemaw Tactical 5-30X56 rifle scope.
Dual interlocking turrets with RFBC data.
One other very nice feature found on these turrets is a second set of numbers surrounding the upper portion of the turret, which represent a windage correction required for the corresponding yardage, assuming a 10 mph full value wind. I found this feature to be excellent as it provides an accurate windage correction with a simple glance at the top row numbers after dialing to the determined yardage indication. This feature has obvious benefits, especially while hunting or under a time constraint. Once a distance is known, a windage reference is easily visible without the need to bring out a separate ballistic program, so long as the data the RFBC turret was built with matches the current altitude and weather conditions.
Freeze test.
I had a short delay in the evaluation while I waited for a set of American Rifle Company rings to arrive, so I spent some time evaluating the optical quality. Bottom line up front is that the optics on this new Huskemaw Tactical 5-30X56 scope were quite good, right up there to be directly comparable to another high magnification optic of European manufacture that I have been using extensively. The optics were sufficiently bright, clear, and crisp in image quality. The field of view was crisp to the extreme outer edges and provided a nice flat image. Color fidelity in bright sunlight was excellent and resolution seemed to be identical to my other scope as well, being able to resolve individual blades of tall dead grass at 900 yards. The only optical property of little concern is a hint of Chromatic Aberration (CA) when looking at contrasting objects, such as a grassy skyline, and only when my eye was off center. This amount of CA isn't a big issue nor did I find it to be of any distraction while actually using the scope to engage targets out to nearly 800 yards.
After checking the optics, I tested the parallax control to see if the numbering on the parallax turret corresponded to the actual distance on that particular day. This is one of the only problems I experienced with the scope. The parallax turret didn't coincide as closely to the indicated distance as I would like to see. While looking at a 200 yard target, the parallax turret was set to the 300 yard marking, once parallax was eliminated.
Similarly, a 300 yard target required the turret to be on the 500 yard setting for a parallax free image. As a final note, past 950 yards, the parallax could be set to the infinity indication and provide a parallax free image. Given the discrepancy, I should have tested the parallax turret coming to the indicated yardage markings from the other direction. I hadn't thought to check for this until well after I was complete with the analysis of this scope. I would normally recommend to simply loosen the set screws on the parallax turret and reset it so the numbering coincided exactly with a given distance, but this scope used a different system and did not allow for this end-user adjustment.
This was my first experience with the American Rifle Company rings, but I found them to be of the highest quality. While mounting the scope, I ensured the rifle was level side to side and placed the scope in the open rings. Another level was placed on the top of the elevation turret cap and I tried to establish proper eye relief with the scope on maximum magnification of 30X. While sliding the scope rearward in the rings to establish proper eye relief, the objective bell of the scope contacted the front of the scope base. The best I could do was situate the scope in the rings with a hairs width gap between the objective bell and the scope base. My eye relief was close, but I had to creep forward on the stock almost a half inch for proper eye relief. If this was my personal scope, I would require the LOP to be shortened or utilize a different scope base that didn't extend forward of the action face.
View of the windage turret, zero lock ring, and adjustment markings.
Zeroing this new scope was straight forward and completed in five rounds total. My initial zero was established with the excellent The Best of the West 300 Winchester Magnum 180 grain Accubond ammunition. An accuracy check and return to zero was also completed with this ammunition prior to switching to the other ammunition supplied for testing, The Best of the West 300 Winchester Magnum 190 grain VLD. For more information on this ammunition, please see the end of this review. The scope adjustments seemed to be accurate and it returned to zero exactly as it should. The return to zero checks went through a total adjustment travel of 30 MOA, so this tested out the practical adjustment range. This initial check was abbreviated though, and I knew I would continue testing the adjustments as I went through the Huskemaw process of gathering data for a custom RFBC turret. So far in the evaluation, this scope was performing as good as many other high quality optics I have used.
The remainder of the scope testing utilized the supplied 190 grain VLD ammunition. I also removed my external cant indicator and relied solely on the internal level in the scope. Obtaining ballistic data was straightforward. I placed a target at 770 yards that measured 7.9 inches square. Range day had a decent 8-10 mph breeze blowing from the 3 O'clock position. My atmospheric data came from a reliable Kestrel 4500 so I knew I had a good altitude and temperature to input into the Huskemaw online tool so I could get a custom RFBC turret ordered. I utilized my ballistic program with an estimated muzzle velocity and sent the first round down range. My elevation and windage were both off as the impact was high and right. I needed to know my exact drop so I made elevation corrections as well as windage corrections on the scope instead of holding for a follow up shot. Two rounds later and I had a solid impact on my steel target. I sent two more rounds in rapid succession and had two more solid impacts. Upon arrival at the target to check my group, I had a sub ½ MOA group of three rounds that was a couple inches high of center. Using my confirmed 100 yard zero, atmospheric data, and exact number of clicks to get on target at 770 yards, I was ready to order the custom RFBC turret from Huskemaw.
Unfortunately, I wasn't able to input the data online as I couldn't locate the turret for this new scope on the Huskemaw web site. One quick email later and I was instructed to simply email the data and my contact would get the turrets engraved and headed my direction. I was also informed that they engrave the inner turret for any other set of atmospheric data, so I could have two turrets done up for my specific load. This allows for a user to have one turret for their primary location (outer) and a second turret (inner) for another location that is significantly different in altitude and temperature. This is the heart of the patented dual interlocking turrets and is a very innovative feature found only on this Huskemaw Tactical 5-30X56 rifle scope.
Dual interlocking turrets with RFBC data.
One other very nice feature found on these turrets is a second set of numbers surrounding the upper portion of the turret, which represent a windage correction required for the corresponding yardage, assuming a 10 mph full value wind. I found this feature to be excellent as it provides an accurate windage correction with a simple glance at the top row numbers after dialing to the determined yardage indication. This feature has obvious benefits, especially while hunting or under a time constraint. Once a distance is known, a windage reference is easily visible without the need to bring out a separate ballistic program, so long as the data the RFBC turret was built with matches the current altitude and weather conditions.
Huskemaw Tactical 5-30X56 Riflescope Review
Upon receiving and installing my custom RFBC dual interlocking turrets for the 190 grain VLD's set for my altitude and temperature, I verified my 100 yard zero prior to validating the turret at a further distance. Unfortunately, I was cramped for time and only set out a single target at exactly 700 yards. I initially started going through my procedure of inputting my data into a ballistic program but realized the RFBC turret already had my data. I dialed directly to the "7" indicating 700 yards and then checked the windage correction which indicated I needed 3.5 MOA of correction for a full value 10 mph wind. As luck would have it, the wind on that day was 7 mph gusting to 10 mph. I held off firing until I felt a gust of wind come through, then held center elevation but 3.5 MOA into the wind. My first round impacted the 7.9 inch steel target at 700 yards! Things don't get much easier than that.
My next batch of testing immediately followed the data validation at 700 yards. I came back to my 100 yard zero and verified point of impact, and as a further check on return to zero. I removed the scope rings from the base, snugged the clamp back down on the ring, then threw the scope overhand as hard as I could out to the open field. The scope landed on its side and tumbled a short distance before coming to a rest. Thus began my impact resistance and ability to hold zero test. The scope traveled 26 yards to the impact location and 30 yards total before coming to a stop. The scope had a minor rub mark showing bare aluminum on the objective end of the scope as well as other dirt and debris in various places. I retrieved the scope then remounted it, and fired two more rounds at the same point of aim as used prior to throwing the scope. Impact of the bullets was in the same exact spot. I repeated this test a second time with identical results. The scope is built to take some abuse! I expected some sort of shift in point of impact, but there was absolutely no shift during this test that I could detect.
Thrown 30 yards.
Remounted to verify POI.
Design observations
While analyzing this scope for a couple months, I found several things I appreciate about the scope and a few other design aspects I would like to see changed to make this optic even better. First, the good things.
Optically, the Huskemaw Tactical 5-30X56 is very good. I found the optics to be sufficiently bright, clear, and crisp with good contrast and resolution. There was a bit of CA present in the scope, more than I would like to see given the price point, but not enough to dissuade me from purchasing this optic. The RFBC dual interlocking turrets are very nice, one of the best ballistic compensating turrets currently available especially given the engraved windage correction. This makes LR shooting a lot easier so long as the turret matches the given conditions. Who doesn't enjoy making things easier? The elevation and windage turrets don't utilize tiny set screws around the perimeter to hold them in place, but a single screw on the end of the turret that can be removed or tightened with a coin. Again, simplicity. I also appreciate having yardage indication on the parallax turret as this gives me a solid reference point to get to a parallax free setting the fastest. After testing for impact resistance, I'm happy that this scope is built to take some abuse and keep on working. Given that the reticle is in the second focal plane, I also like having the magnification numbering at a slight angle so I can easily see them without having to come completely out of shooting position.
There are some things that I would like to see Huskemaw implement for future revisions to make this optic even better. I ended up resetting my zero a few different times during this evaluation and noticed that the click lines didn't always line up with the reference point when reinstalling the turrets. This can lead to confusion when lines don't exactly coincide where they should. The direction indication arrows for adjusting up or down are engraved on the scope tube itself, instead of higher up on the adjustment housing. I am familiar enough with optics, but a new shooter may need to see those indications to make sure he is turning the turret in the correct direction. Having those arrows on the scope tube itself makes them impossible to see from shooting position, so moving them up higher would fix this minor issue. Also, given this is a "tactical" scope, I would like to see the bright stainless set screw on the windage turret anodized black along with L and R lettering next to the numbering around the windage turret. Again, this will alleviate confusion. This is a non-issue, however, if the windage cap will be left on the scope once a zero is established. The reticle worked well during my testing, but the current trend in tactical optics is with a mil based scope and FFP reticles that are illuminated. There are numerous advantages with the mil system so I'm not going to list out my perceptions, but building a mil adjustment turrets and corresponding mil reticle in the FFP would be hugely beneficial given this scope is "tactical." Finally, having some manner of resetting the parallax turret so the yardage indications coincide with a given distance would be helpful if an end user found the parallax to be off from what it should be.
There are more criticisms than positives, but I am also being quite picky. Huskemaw has a very solid first offering in the high magnification realm and I'd like to see them make this product even better. Their current patents with the RFBC and dual interlocking turrets is highly innovative and has practical benefits. There are obviously good things going on with Huskemaw.
Ammunition tested
I was graciously supplied with The Best of the West 300 Winchester Magnum 180 grain Accubond and 190 grain VLD ammunition. The bottom line up front is that both of these ammunition loadings turned in impressive results.
The 180 grain Accubond ammunition was utilized for initial zeroing, accuracy check out to 300 yards, and return to zero. At 100 yards, this ammunition produced a sub ½ MOA three round group. When I tested it out to 300 yards, I was pleased to see a three round group that was just slightly over ½ MOA. Interestingly enough, my total group size after five separate checks on return to zero at 100 yards, was also just over ½ MOA. For a hunting style bullet, this is exceptional ammunition and one that I can wholeheartedly recommend for the 300 WM.
Fortunately, I was supplied with two boxes of the 190 grain VLD ammunition to complete the remainder of the optic evaluation with. Again, I found this ammunition to be exceptional. This ammunition was utilized to gather data for the custom RFBC turret and for all other testing to verify accuracy of the RFBC at distance. At 100 yards, the 190 grain VLD produced a group of slightly over ¼ MOA for three rounds. When I tested this ammunition at 300 yards however, three more rounds came in at slightly under ¼ MOA. When tested for accuracy and to gather RFBC data, this ammunition produced a sub ½ MOA three round group at 770 yards in field conditions with a decent wind blowing. Accuracy like that doesn't come along very often, especially not in factory loaded ammunition. My personal endorsement doesn't get any better than stating that if I am in a crunch and can't load ammunition myself, I'll be purchasing the 190 grain VLD from The Best of the West!
Nicholas Gebhardt has been an active hunter primarily pursuing mule deer, antelope, coyotes and prairie dogs since he was old enough to legally hunt. Nicholas is a precision rifle competitor and uses the knowledge he gains from competition shooting to aid in his ethical taking of game in the field under most any condition. He enjoys custom rifles and is usually in some form or another of either planning or building the next one. Nicholas earned his B.S. in Wildlife Biology from the University of Montana and is a Captain in the Montana National Guard.
My next batch of testing immediately followed the data validation at 700 yards. I came back to my 100 yard zero and verified point of impact, and as a further check on return to zero. I removed the scope rings from the base, snugged the clamp back down on the ring, then threw the scope overhand as hard as I could out to the open field. The scope landed on its side and tumbled a short distance before coming to a rest. Thus began my impact resistance and ability to hold zero test. The scope traveled 26 yards to the impact location and 30 yards total before coming to a stop. The scope had a minor rub mark showing bare aluminum on the objective end of the scope as well as other dirt and debris in various places. I retrieved the scope then remounted it, and fired two more rounds at the same point of aim as used prior to throwing the scope. Impact of the bullets was in the same exact spot. I repeated this test a second time with identical results. The scope is built to take some abuse! I expected some sort of shift in point of impact, but there was absolutely no shift during this test that I could detect.
Thrown 30 yards.
Remounted to verify POI.
Design observations
While analyzing this scope for a couple months, I found several things I appreciate about the scope and a few other design aspects I would like to see changed to make this optic even better. First, the good things.
Optically, the Huskemaw Tactical 5-30X56 is very good. I found the optics to be sufficiently bright, clear, and crisp with good contrast and resolution. There was a bit of CA present in the scope, more than I would like to see given the price point, but not enough to dissuade me from purchasing this optic. The RFBC dual interlocking turrets are very nice, one of the best ballistic compensating turrets currently available especially given the engraved windage correction. This makes LR shooting a lot easier so long as the turret matches the given conditions. Who doesn't enjoy making things easier? The elevation and windage turrets don't utilize tiny set screws around the perimeter to hold them in place, but a single screw on the end of the turret that can be removed or tightened with a coin. Again, simplicity. I also appreciate having yardage indication on the parallax turret as this gives me a solid reference point to get to a parallax free setting the fastest. After testing for impact resistance, I'm happy that this scope is built to take some abuse and keep on working. Given that the reticle is in the second focal plane, I also like having the magnification numbering at a slight angle so I can easily see them without having to come completely out of shooting position.
There are some things that I would like to see Huskemaw implement for future revisions to make this optic even better. I ended up resetting my zero a few different times during this evaluation and noticed that the click lines didn't always line up with the reference point when reinstalling the turrets. This can lead to confusion when lines don't exactly coincide where they should. The direction indication arrows for adjusting up or down are engraved on the scope tube itself, instead of higher up on the adjustment housing. I am familiar enough with optics, but a new shooter may need to see those indications to make sure he is turning the turret in the correct direction. Having those arrows on the scope tube itself makes them impossible to see from shooting position, so moving them up higher would fix this minor issue. Also, given this is a "tactical" scope, I would like to see the bright stainless set screw on the windage turret anodized black along with L and R lettering next to the numbering around the windage turret. Again, this will alleviate confusion. This is a non-issue, however, if the windage cap will be left on the scope once a zero is established. The reticle worked well during my testing, but the current trend in tactical optics is with a mil based scope and FFP reticles that are illuminated. There are numerous advantages with the mil system so I'm not going to list out my perceptions, but building a mil adjustment turrets and corresponding mil reticle in the FFP would be hugely beneficial given this scope is "tactical." Finally, having some manner of resetting the parallax turret so the yardage indications coincide with a given distance would be helpful if an end user found the parallax to be off from what it should be.
There are more criticisms than positives, but I am also being quite picky. Huskemaw has a very solid first offering in the high magnification realm and I'd like to see them make this product even better. Their current patents with the RFBC and dual interlocking turrets is highly innovative and has practical benefits. There are obviously good things going on with Huskemaw.
Ammunition tested
I was graciously supplied with The Best of the West 300 Winchester Magnum 180 grain Accubond and 190 grain VLD ammunition. The bottom line up front is that both of these ammunition loadings turned in impressive results.
The 180 grain Accubond ammunition was utilized for initial zeroing, accuracy check out to 300 yards, and return to zero. At 100 yards, this ammunition produced a sub ½ MOA three round group. When I tested it out to 300 yards, I was pleased to see a three round group that was just slightly over ½ MOA. Interestingly enough, my total group size after five separate checks on return to zero at 100 yards, was also just over ½ MOA. For a hunting style bullet, this is exceptional ammunition and one that I can wholeheartedly recommend for the 300 WM.
Fortunately, I was supplied with two boxes of the 190 grain VLD ammunition to complete the remainder of the optic evaluation with. Again, I found this ammunition to be exceptional. This ammunition was utilized to gather data for the custom RFBC turret and for all other testing to verify accuracy of the RFBC at distance. At 100 yards, the 190 grain VLD produced a group of slightly over ¼ MOA for three rounds. When I tested this ammunition at 300 yards however, three more rounds came in at slightly under ¼ MOA. When tested for accuracy and to gather RFBC data, this ammunition produced a sub ½ MOA three round group at 770 yards in field conditions with a decent wind blowing. Accuracy like that doesn't come along very often, especially not in factory loaded ammunition. My personal endorsement doesn't get any better than stating that if I am in a crunch and can't load ammunition myself, I'll be purchasing the 190 grain VLD from The Best of the West!
Nicholas Gebhardt has been an active hunter primarily pursuing mule deer, antelope, coyotes and prairie dogs since he was old enough to legally hunt. Nicholas is a precision rifle competitor and uses the knowledge he gains from competition shooting to aid in his ethical taking of game in the field under most any condition. He enjoys custom rifles and is usually in some form or another of either planning or building the next one. Nicholas earned his B.S. in Wildlife Biology from the University of Montana and is a Captain in the Montana National Guard.
