Konus Pro 3-12x50AO

[Zomboid]

A few years back I took the plunge and got myself a KonusPro+ 3-12x50AO IR. It was sold with a significant discount so it was worth the risk. The first thing I noticed about it was the weight. It was a very solid scope – the sort you could imagine using as a crowbar or battering ram.

Aside from the solid build the quality of the turret adjustments were superb. They felt like microswitches and very smooth and positive. Given the prices I’ve paid for scopes, this was the best I’ve used. Far more than the £250 Sightron I had for a time. The lenses were incredibly clear too and the whole design reminded me of the later version of the Optima Super Moonlighter.

However there were some negatives. The scope had a very narrow field of view which isn’t something I’m a fan of. The other thing was the reticle. It had a floating 30/30 cross which became illuminated. I tried but in the end realized it just wasn’t for me.

It did leave me as a fan of Konus scopes though and I considered dipping into them once again. Not many places stock them so you do have to search around a bit. Luckily one of my favourite suppliers does them.

The opportunity came in the shape of a faulty Hawke Vantage and the dreaded ping. In the midst of waiting for a replacement I decided to give Konus another go and so changed my replacement to an upgrade – just a few quid more.

On appearance I’m very happy I did too.

There are some differences with he Pro and Pro+. The body is two piece not my preferred one piece. The microswitch adjusters have been replaced by the more usual sharp click you get with a lot of brands. Obviously this is why one is the Pro and the other is the Pro+.

The scope is still a heft and feels solid.

Looking through the scope the reticle is a fine 30/30 which has been engraved rather than using wire. The field of view is wider than the Pro+ but its clear the lenses are still of the same high quality. They have a rather nice green/blue/purple hue to them which reminds me of the Simmons WTC coatings.

Given the more budgeted production build with the scope tube and adjusters I think the money has been spent on keeping the lens quality up. This is very much a good decision.

The destination for the scope was for my .22 80. It’s had an old Tasco AG on it for a while but I have plans for this to be used elsewhere (when I get round to ordering it). Fitting the scope was easy and its worth noting that it comes with a screw in sunshade which is of course totally useless on a break barrel – something worth considering if you want to use it.

Balance wise it came up to the eye naturally and didn’t feel like it over balanced the rifle, which is something that does happen when you fit bigger scopes. It is for this reason I’m not a huge fan of 50mm scopes but this felt just about right, despite it being 14 inches long.

With only an hour or so to spare after work I figured I had enough time to get a few pellets down my 15m garden range. To my surprise my first shot was virtually on target. In fact I didn’t need to touch windage at all and only notched the elevation down about 5 clicks. That’s nice when it happens!

The 30/30 reticle is very fine and to my liking. I don’t mind mildots and half mildots but they can be distracting and they are often lost in poor light or difficult backgrounds. The best reticle I’ve ever used was Sightron’s HHR – shame that the scope didn’t last long!

Using Ron’s (my HW80 .22 has a name) favourite diet of RWS Hobbys I achieved a very tight group as pictured. The scope was set to 4x and I shot from an artillery hold. Very pleasing I must say. With the light starting to fade I continued for a bit longer and blasted the crap out of an old apple.

In conclusion if I can heartily recommend Konus as a brand and certainly the two scopes I have experience of. Not being as widely available as Hawke or Nikko Stirling means they have to offer something a little different and I think they do. For this model in particular there is a bit of nostalgia with the way it looks and feels while the quality of the lenses certainly shoots above the relatively low price tag – its priced at just under £90 from Tactical Scope. You can also get a discount too – 5% I think.

Nike Wake of Tactical Scope rates these scopes and thinks it’s a shame more people don’t take the plunge. Ironically most of what he has gets exported to Italy. Konus is an Italian company!

Hopefully I’ll get to Bisley this weekend to check its zero at 25m – I don’t think it will move much. With a holiday looming, featuring some potential squirrel shooting Ron may well have wrangled his way back into top spot above the .20 97.


PS: Clearly from the groups what they say about sub 12ft lbs HW80s and cheapo flat head pellets are true.


PICTURES - I've included the Pro+ too for comparison

KONUS 3-12x50
https://photos.app.goo.gl/1S6cvoKunniJaoQdA


KONUS PRO+ 3-12x50AOIR
https://photos.app.goo.gl/wkMBRhMlJAKRUSma2

[hutchys]

Thank you for the review. I was going to put one of these on my check list so it is definitely worth a look now.
thanks
Jim

[1952paul0]

I would second that an excellent scope value and optically