Just a quick one, no danger of a full review as all I've done is an HFT setup and I've yet to use it in anger. There's still a good chance of it all going horribly wrong but the following points will remain true even if it does.
1) Bought for HFT as I like to see what I miss. You want depth of field? This scope has it in spades, the greatest DOF that I've ever seen on a scope and that includes a Leupold MK4 3-9x36. perfectly usable with a 20 metre px setting from 12 to 55 yards. It's just starting to blur at around 10 and 45 yards.
2) Optics, as good as you would expect from Leupold. Sucks in the available light very, very well giving a nice bright sight picture. Yet to be tried looking into really shaded spots in woodland but here's hoping that the ret doesn't disappear or the picture darken too much! Made my favourite HFT scope, the Nikko 10x42 Sniper look pretty bloody awful even though I know it's far from bad.
3) Adjustments, Front PA is very smooth but as it'll be used for HFT chances are that it won't be moved very much once I settle on the final setting.
Turrets, weird this one, there are no clicks. Not a big drama but quite unusual as far as I'm concerned. I found it a little disconcerting to start with but I'm sure I'll get used to it.
Mag zoom, damned stiff, bloody awkward to actually turn. Pleased that it's for HFT and won't move as it's damned near impossible to move!
4) Reticle, not a standard duplex affair on this puppy.It's a scope that I've been hoping to acquire for quite some time. I don't suppose that there are many about, and there won't be any more, as it's a Premier Reticles Mil-dot conversion. As far as I can tell, I've yet to get the proper test pattern out, it's true on 9x, unlike the Leup custom shop version. It's also an unusual USMC mil-dot pattern. The dots are actually elliptical and the cross hairs seem a little finer than many.
5) Finish, it's a second hand scope of a reasonable vintage but the quality still oozes out of it. A lovely gloss finish that has stood the test of time and still looks excellent.
I hope that Tim F got it right when he said that this little EFR could possibly be the best HFT scope available, provided it was made available with a true Mil-Dot/TMR reticle. So far so good, lets see how well it stands up to the rigours of competition.Hopefully I won't end up going back to the Nikko Snipers but I'll be keeping hold of them for quite some time yet, just in case.
Despite the standard model only being available with variations on the duplex reticle I'm a little surprised that there aren't more people using these scopes on air rifles. There are still plenty of people out there that prefer duplex. Last time I checked these can be bought from the USA for around the £200 mark (not inc P+P or potential customs charges). At the price you can do an awful lot worse. I suspect that the fashion for high mag, large objectives, target turrets and sidewheel PX will keep them pretty much ignored though.
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Originally Posted by Davestate
