There seemed to be a ton of reviews about MTC scopes on here a while back, so with that in mind I deliberately delayed releasing this one. Reasons being, I could get a good period of 'in the field' experience with it – and people wouldn’t skip past reading, 'just another MTC review'.
So here goes.
I picked up a .22lr CZ, which I intended to use as a mooching about rifle. Fortunately, I’m picking up new shoots as well as being inviting along to friends’ shoots, with a bit of regularity, so I wanted a rough old gun that I could shove in the motor and take along with me, ‘on the fly’. The sub – hundred quid CZ fitted that niche perfectly ( and performs just as well as anything else I’ve got - but whether that’s a good thing, after paying nigh on a grand for some of the other rifles I’ve got, I’m not so sure! )
Anyway, to compliment the no-nonsense CZ, I wanted a compact, no-nonsense scope for it. I didn’t want high magnification, overly fussy reticles, gimiky features or anything, unwieldy. I did, however want, clear lenses, solid build quality and a hardworking, reliable product that would double up as a top performer should I choose to take this rifle lamping…Tall order really.
Trawling Ebaay and other related sites, offered Leupolds, Meopta’s, S&B’s etc and all the other high end scopes that are massively attractive to someone, like me, who respects quality gear after using it for years on end. The only problem with them, was they were priced at nearly double what I’d coughed up for the rifle. Nopw I’ve no problem with paying more for the optic than the average customer and I've always looked at purchasing kit to be 60:40 split in favour of the optic over the rifle – but for this gun, it seemed a bit wasteful.
I bumped into Gary C at the Midland Game Fair and had a peek through one of the new ( at the time ) Mambas. I already own a Viper and this gets used regularly, so I knew the reliability of these scopes wasn’t an issue. I know there’d also be no probs with customer service. Fair enough, some may know that Gary and Sammie are mates of mine but let’s also pay attention to MTC being held in very high regard and priding themselves on customer service. Gary is also regular on here and at the HFT shoots etc, so is a very ‘accessible’ bloke. And finally, I know these scopes are a serious bargain…
I looked at the 3-12’s and 4-16’s in this range. As nice as they were, they seemed a bit on the large side for my requirements of this particular little rifle, remember, I wanted something very compact. Then I picked up the 1.5-6x42 with a no.4 reticle – it ticked all the necessary boxes, on the spot.
The 1.5-6x42 is a chunky, solidly built little scope with a clarity that’s equal to most scopes I’ve looked through – that cost a lot more. It’s optically superior by a good number of times, to anything in it’s individual price range.
As I’ve said, the Viper I own is perfect for the needs of the rifle it’s sitting on. The turrets on this scope were groundbreaking in their function and in my opinion, a joy to use. The low profile turrets on the body of the Mamba, are unobtrusive to the point of the user not realising they’re on the scope, perfect for a fast action, ‘snag-free’ rifle, like I wanted my CZ to be. Removing the covers shows the neat, little adjusting turrets, clearly marked out and featuring an indicator. It was nice to find they weren’t too low to the point of being coin or screwdriver adjusted only, which usually results in all sorts being bunged in to shift the POI…these are easily turned with thumb pressure.
On the left side of the scope, is the rheostat for adjusting the level of intensity of the illuminated reticle. I’ve never used this on my Viper, infact the battery is still in it’s packet – but this cover is again, low profile and sealed with an O-ring. Out of curiosity, I fitted the battery and took the settings through the various levels of illumination. From ‘almost nothing’ to ‘easily seen on in direct sunlight’, it performed simply and positively.
The No.4 reticle, again is a piece of work and is a delight to use. Three, thick stadia at 3, 6 and 9 o’clock, coming to a stop with precise, thinner stadia coming from them, to form a fine cross with a central dot. The vertical, 12 o’clock stadia, being the same width all the way down to the centre. Giving fast target aquisition and a very large sight picture – perfect for lamping and precise when wound up to full mag, in the daytime. The 30mm body tube of the Mamba, gives loads of light transmission and loads of adjustment on those low profile turrets. It also adds to the scope’s solid build, a feature that I’d be thankful for over the coming months.
The magnification ring felt the same as the rheostat. I don’t like sloppy or overly easy to turn mag rings, this one feels precise and reliable – not so much that it’s a buttock clenching effort to change the magnification – but not so much that it’s going to turn if caught when put into a snug gunslip.
The box of the little 1.5-6 is a big old number that provides a home to the usual array of accessories that come as standard with these scopes ( sunshade, battery, lens covers, lens cover adjusting tools and mounts ). Whilst referring tot he mounts, the Mambas come with upgraded versions to the original Vipers. These are a sportsmatch, double screw/clamp, type with a retaining pin in the base of the rear mount. There’s also a nice little strip of protective material in the mount bodies, which will protect the finish of the scope. I’ve never encountered this before, so there’s an additional nice find. I understand that a few people moaned about the mounts supplied with the Viper and MTC Optics have acted on that – nice work.
Anyway, that’s the scope all described and outlined, all very nice, but I wanted something that would perform as well, in rough conditions and without any grief. After two months of pretty much solid use later, here’s what I found.
( READ PART 2 )