Meopta Optika 6 1-6 x 24mm SFP Zoom issue

[gerpwaller]

I recognize this isn't really a long range question but I figured there's a wealth of knowledge and experience on this forum and I'd see if anyone else has run into this issue as well. Last year (after a lot of research and deliberation) I decided to buy a Meopta Optika 6 1-6 x 24mm SFP scope withe te RD 223 reticle to mount on my 35 whelen. The other day I was doing some load developemnt with 250 gr hornady interlok bullets and my friend was shooting his 308 which has a Leupold VX 5 HD 1-5 x 24 mm. With his set to 5x magnifcation and my Meopta set to 6x we compared the optics and his seemed to be zoomed in more than mine despite mine nominally being a 6x. We found this curious so we compared them at 1x looking with both eyes open at a target that we could easily and clearly see. With the VX 5 we could easily focus both eyes onto the target and verify that it was in fact a true 1x power. With the Meopta when we focused both eyes on the target the view through the scope was clearly smaller than the naked eye. It appeared to be roughly 0.75 the size. We then compared his scope at 5x vs a Vortex Viper PST gen 2 3-15 at 5x and the magnification was close enough that we couldn't tell the difference and the meopta was obviously smaller. It appears my Meopta Optika 6 1-6 x 24mm is closer to 0.75-4.5 x 24mm. If the bottom end was still at least 1x i wouldn't really care too much about it but having it at 0.75 is frustrated. I've contacted the dealer I pruchased the scope from and they've contacted Meopta but it's been a week with no new from Meopta. Has anyone else had an issue like this with a Meopta? It definitely seems like a manufacturer defect to me. I just don't know if this is how all of their SFP 1-6 x 24mm scopes ar eor did I somehow get one that is messed up? I have access to a Vortex Viper PST gen 2 1-6 x 24mm that I can also compare it to as well as another verification but it's pretty easy to tell that when set to 1x the image is significantly reduced and is not a true 1x setting.

Thoughts and opnions?

 

[gerpwaller]

For those interested the Whelen put 5 rounds inside 1" at 100 yards pushing the interlok's 2570 fps. The first shot was at the high end of the group the other 4 were easily inside 3/4". Not that 5 rounds is statistically valid but it at least shows that the gun and load have potential. With the 200 gr interloks it also regularly shoots 5 round groups 1" or better. The rifle is a custom Tikka t3 with a JC Precision pre-fit barrel bedded into a Boyd's prairie hunter stock in Nutmeg brown and the barrel and action were cerakoted black.

 

[Sealesniper]

I have found some manufacturers put their power ranges on scopes without any true verification that the power/zoom is what is claimed.

 

[gerpwaller]

I have found some manufacturers put their power ranges on scopes without any true verification that the power/zoom is what is claimed.

I realize that there is likely a slight margin for error on most scopes. To be honest, I'd be fine if the bottom end of the range wasn't significantly below 1x. But at roughly 0.75x magnification it is handicapping an otherwise very nice optic.

 

[gerpwaller]

I have also compared the zoom range against a Vortex Viper PST Gen2 1-6 x 24 and the 1x on the PST is close enough to a true 1x that my eyes can't tell the difference and comparing it to the Meopta the 6x appears to be a true 6x (it's bigger that the meopta anyway).

 

[HandgunHTR]

Is it truly a zoom issue or is a field of view issue? If the Meopta is giving a larger field of view, it may seem that the target is smaller when it really isn't. It is a bit of an optical illusion.
Check the FOV specs for both.

 

[gerpwaller]

Is it truly a zoom issue or is a field of view issue? If the Meopta is giving a larger field of view, it may seem that the target is smaller when it really isn't. It is a bit of an optical illusion.
Check the FOV specs for both.

At 1x it is definitely a zoom issue. When I look the through the scope with both eyes open and focus on an object the view through the scope shows the object to be smaller than with the naked eye. Without calibrated measurements it appears to be roughly 3/4 the size. At the top end of the zoom range it's more difficult to say how much the size is different but comparing to 3 different scopes the Meopta appears to be a little smaller than that others at 5x. It may not be quite 4.5x but 0.75-4.5 translates to a 6x zoom range which makes sense for an Optika 6. I have contacted the Canadian inporter about 2 weeks ago and still haven't heard a response from Meopta on this issue. This leads me to belive that all Optika 6 1-6 SFP scopes have this issue and I'm just going to go away after time or that their customer service is very poor. Since the lenses would be ground the same for all of these optics I have a hard time believing that my issue is a one off. For a 3-18 or 2-12 optic being a little under the listed zoom range wouldn't be that big of a deal but for an advertised 1-6 to be closer to 0.75-4.5 I find unacceptable. if it wzas 1-5 or 1.25-7.5 it wouldn't matter as much but to have the bottom end of the zoom range actualy shrink the image is not cool.

 

[gerpwaller]

So I will have to eat a bit of humbe pie on this one. I've never seen this affect so darastically with any of my other scopes so I didn't even think about the ocular lense focus. Typically if the image is celar I don't have to make an adjustment but apparently with the Optika 6 1-6x optic you need to use the ocular lense adjustment to focus your eye so that the image is a true 1x image. It can be adjusted from roughly 0.75-1.25. Thanks for all your input. I will say I'm still surpised that customer service never got back to me on that but in the end there was nothing wrong with the scope and I just needed to adjust it to my eyes (even though the picture looked clear).

Cheers