Help choosing scope for cz

[HazardsofLead]

I am looking to buy a scope for my CZ550 american with a real nice wood stock and need some help finding it.

I want a lightweight (20 oz or less?) scope that will be used for Hunting and shooting up to 800m or so, has a mil based reticle, power should be around 2-3x at min and somewhere from 9-15x at max. Windage will be held over. FFP is Desired but not set in stone.

The turrets need to be low profile, if this is not possible i would consider a capped turret with good repeatable clicks. I would really like turrets but they cannot ruin the look of the package. I would like to keep the price under 1k but may spend a little more if needed.

 

[HazardsofLead]

I did not want to sway any recommendations by listing a couple potential canidates but here are 2 that are real close to what i am looking for. I would rather spend less than more, but understand that cost comes with quality.

Swarovski Z3 3-10x42 with the brh reticle. 12.7 oz, would fit the look, but i am concerned about durability, and repeatable clicks if i ever remove the turret cap and dial in.



NF 2.5-10×32 NXS COMPACT with mil dot reticle. This may look too "tactical" and the cost is a bit higher than I would like.

I am in no way set on either of these, just giving you an idea of what type of scope I am looking for.

 

[joseph]

Sounds like you are more interested in looks then function. What caliber? Need more info to help you out.

joseph

 

[HazardsofLead]

The rifle is a 30-06. Trying to get a balance of function and form in a hunting rifle.

 

[MudRunner2005]

Awesome lightweight scope for a nice gun....

http://www.midwayusa.com/product/45...l-adjustments-first-focal-mil-2-reticle-matte

 

[HazardsofLead]

That Kahles Helia C is nice. I would have looked right past that one. Still have to do a bit more research as I am sure after a little bit of digging there are a few more similar scopes out there that are comparable.

 

[benchracer]

Check out the Leupold VX-R line:

VX

Reticles are not mil-based, but it meets pretty much everything else you have stated.

The Zeiss Conquest scopes are available with a mil-dot reticle and would meet your requirements.

 

[MudRunner2005]

That Kahles Helia C is nice. I would have looked right past that one. Still have to do a bit more research as I am sure after a little bit of digging there are a few more similar scopes out there that are comparable.

In that price range with that amount of clarity, and that light of weight, you won't find much...

I have one, and it is THE clearest scope I've ever looked through, and that's comparing Schmidts, NF, Swaro, Zeiss, and all the other top manufacturers.

Don't get me wrong, the Zeiss and NF scopes are excellent quality and worth every penny...I have 2 Zeiss scopes, and want a couple NF's.... so I'm not downing any products, just saying that for the money, you get more clarity for your buck with the Kahles Halia C. You get alot more features on the NF, but for a straight hunting scope with no bells & whistles, the Kahles wins hands-down. The NF is awesome for LR hunting (500+) and when hunting that far away you WILL need all those extra bells & whistles, but for the average hunter who is only hunting up to 500 yards or so, the Kahles takes the cake.

 

[bruce_ventura]

Kahles Helia C has very good glass. At that that price point, however, so does the Swarovski Z5 3.5-18x44. The Zeiss Victory HT 3-12x56 is not much higher in price. The options increase quite a bit and you should consider reticle options carefully.

If you're leaning toward a mil based bullet-drop reticle, then the Swaro BRH reticle is a good choice (1 mil between dots). If you want a reticle to closely match a ballistic profile, the Zeiss Rapid-Z is a good choice. If you want to dial elevation, then a variant of a mildot reticle - like the Kahles mentioned above has - is a good choice.

 

[HazardsofLead]

If zeroed at 100m i need 8.6 mil of elevation to reach 800m. Of course I can zero at 200+ and may but I like 100.

The Swarovski has a maximum adjustment of 1.6m @ 100m or 16 mils. 16/2=8 mils up or down. I can hold over 5.5 with the reticle plus 8 for a total of 13.5 mils.


The Kahles has a maximum adjustment of 1.25m @ 100m or 12.5 mils. 12.5/2=6.25 mils up or down. I can hold over 5 mils then dial in an additional 6.2 for a total of 11.2 mils.

I edited this post because i found bad information that claimed the swarovski had only 13.25 inches of adjustment at 100 yards. I double checked and found out that it is actally 1.6m per 100m.

The next question is how well each of those scopes turrets track. How would that kahles compare to the swarovski to the nightforce compact previously mentioned in turret tracking and holding zero?

 

[MudRunner2005]

Well.....Seeing that THAT particular Kahles doesn't have target turrets (which might be possible to have one installed?), I wouldn't know about adjusting the turrets alot, other than to sight the scope in. However, Kahles does offer some other scopes that DO have target turrets, but the price is comparable to a Schmidt & Bender, March, or USO...

The clicks are intensely accurate from my experience when sighting in. Very precise and very positive. Kahles is Austrian glass and made completely in Austria. It is 100% German optics. I absoluty love mine. I would have never been able to afford one had I not acquired it in a trade with a buddy of mine who got it really really cheap b/c he worked at the local outdoors store and bought the display model for next to dirt. He never used the scope, so I mentioned it in passing one day and he called me up with a trade offer I couldn't refuse. I used to work at the same outdoors store (different name, different owner) 11 years ago.

 

[bruce_ventura]

...The next question is how well each of those scopes turrets track. How would that kahles compare to the swarovski to the nightforce compact previously mentioned in turret tracking and holding zero?

Frankly, in this price range, I would not expect to see much difference in track accuracy or point of aim shift for these three scopes. As far as durability goes, I would give the lead to the NSX. It's pretty heavy for a 32 mm objective scope. Nightforce scopes have an excellent reputation for durability.

The other two scopes actually have a much lighter construction. They are primarily hunting scopes, for which light weight is a priority. Even still, I doubt that a 30-06 is going to be a problem for either one. I would not hesitate to use either one for long range hunting.

The biggest discriminators between these scopes are objective size and reticle design, which I already mentioned. Those are the differences I would focus on.

The large difference in objective size means a large difference in low light performance. The magnification that gives a 5 mm exit pupil is a good indicator of low light performance. The NF scope has a 6.4x mag at a 5 mm exit pupil. The Swaro has an 8.8x mag, and the Kahles an 11.2x mag. Essentially, this means that the Kahles will be nearly twice as good as the NF in low light. The Swaro falls exactly in between.

 

[FEENIX]

Dang Bruce, excellent analysis as always. If OP can't decide from your recommendation, I don't know what ... lightbulb gun)

Ed

 

[HazardsofLead]

Thanks for the help, I really appreciate it. You guys have really helped narrow this down for me. I am really leaning toward the Kahles right now because of the low light performance, light weight, mil adjustments with a mil reticle, 1st focal plane so I do not have to worry if i am at 5.5 or 6.2 power and possibly fudging holdover, and it looks good. The swarovski z5 is not out of the question. Hopefully I can hold them side by side and find out for sure. Cranking the elevation turret will be rare as normal ranges will be closer to 400-500m max but I would like the option to stretch it out to 800m for fun and practice.

If anyone has other suggestions post it because this purchase will be made sometime before October.