Holiday Promotional Rebates on Zeiss Optics

Carl Zeiss Sports Optics has launched a 2009 Holiday Promotion, offering rebates on select binoculars, riflescopes, and rangefinders. Customers who purchase select ZEISS optics from authorized dealers between November 1, 2009 and December 31, 2009 can save up to $250.

Rebates will be offered on the following ZEISS optics products: All Victory FL Binoculars ($250 rebate); Conquest 10×40 Binoculars ($200 rebate); Conquest 8×30 Binoculars ($100 rebate); all Victory Compact Binoculars ($75 rebate); Victory 8×26 T* PRF Laser Rangefinder ($50 rebate); and all Victory Riflescopes ($100 rebate).

“This is our holiday gift to hunters, birders and outdoor enthusiasts who want to own the finest optics but may be hesistant to make such a purchase in this challenging economy,” said Erik Schumacher, president of Carl Zeiss Sports Optics. “Hopefully the savings we are offering on a wide selection of award-winning ZEISS optics will make it possible for many to upgrade their optics.”

All rebate submissions must be completed within 30 days of the purchase. Rebates will be issued via a Carl Zeiss prepaid VISA card. You’ll find promotion details and a list of authorized ZEISS dealers at www.Zeiss.com/sports.

When Good Scopes Go Bad — Making the Difficult Diagnosis

Riflescopes are mechanical contraptions. One of the sad realities about precision shooting is that, sooner or later, you will experience a scope failure. If you’re lucky it won’t happen in the middle of a National-level competition. And hopefully the failure will be dramatic and unmistakable so you won’t spend months trying to isolate the issue. Unfortunately, scope problems can be erratic or hard to diagnose. You may find yourself with unexplained flyers or a slight degradation of accuracy and you won’t know how to diagnose the problem. And when a 1/8th-MOA-click scope starts failing, it may be hard to recognize the fault immediately, because the POI change may be slight.

When An Expensive Scope Goes Bad
Recently, this editor had a major-brand 8-25×50mm scope go bad. How did I know I had a problem? Well the first sign was a wild “drop-down” flyer at a 600-yard match. After shooting a two-target relay, I took a look at my targets. My first 5-shot group had five shots, fairly well centered, in about 2.2″. Pretty good. Everything was operating fine. Then I looked at the second target. My eye was drawn to four shots, all centered in the 10 Ring, measuring about 2.4″. But then I saw the fifth shot. It was a good 18″ low, straight down from the X. And I really mean straight down — if you drew a plumb line down from the center of the X, it would pass almost through the fifth shot.

That was disconcerting, but since I had never had any trouble with this scope before, I assumed it was a load problem (too little powder?), or simple driver error (maybe I flinched or yanked the trigger?). Accordingly, I didn’t do anything about the scope, figuring the problem was me or the load.

But, at the next range session, things went downhill fast. In three shots, I did manage to get on steel at 600, with my normal come-up for that distance. Everything seemed fine. So then I switched to paper. We had a buddy in the pits with a walkie-talkie and he radioed that he couldn’t see any bullet holes in the paper after five shots. My spotter said he thought the bullets were impacting in the dirt, just below the paper. OK, I thought, we’ll add 3 MOA up (12 clicks), and that should raise POI 18″ and I should be on paper, near center. That didn’t work — now the bullets were impacting in the berm ABOVE the target frame. The POI had changed over 48″ (8 MOA). (And no I didn’t click too far — I clicked slowly, counting each click out loud as I adjusted the elevation.) OK, to compensate now I took off 8 clicks which should be 2 MOA or 12″. No joy. The POI dropped about 24″ (4 MOA) and the POI also moved moved 18″ right, to the edge of the target.

For the next 20 shots, we kept “chasing center” trying to get the gun zeroed at 600 yards. We never did. After burning a lot of ammo, we gave up. Before stowing the gun for the trip home, I dialed back to my 100-yard zero, which is my normal practice (it’s 47 clicks down from 600-yard zero). I immediately noticed that the “feel” of the elevation knob didn’t seem right. Even though I was pretty much in the center of my elevation (I have a +20 MOA scope mount), the clicks felt really tight — as they do when you’re at the very limit of travel. There was a lot of resistance in the clicks and they didn’t seem to move the right amount. And it seemed that I’d have four or five clicks that were “bunched up” with a lot of resistance, and then the next click would have almost no resistance and seem to jump. It’s hard to describe, but it was like winding a spring that erratically moved from tight to very loose.

At this point I announced to my shooting buddies: “I think the scope has taken a dump.” I let one buddy work the elevation knob a bit. “That feels weird,” he said: “the clicks aren’t consistent… first it doesn’t want to move, then the clicks jump too easily.”

Convinced that I had a real problem, the scope was packed up and shipped to the manufacturer. So, was I hallucinating? Was my problem really just driver error? I’ve heard plenty of stories about guys who sent scopes in for repair, only to receive their optics back with a terse note saying: “Scope passed inspection and function test 100%. No repairs needed”. So, was my scope really FUBAR? You bet it was. When the scope came back from the factory, the Repair Record stated that nearly all the internal mechanicals had been replaced or fixed: “Replaced Adjustment Elevation; Replaced Adjustment Windage; Reworked Erector System; Reworked Selector; Reworked Parallax Control.”

How to Diagnose Scope Problems
When you see your groups open up, there’s a very good chance this is due to poor wind-reading, or other “driver error”. But my experience showed me that sometimes scopes do go bad. When your accuracy degrades without any other reasonable explanation, the cause of the problem may well be your optics. Here are some of the “symptoms” of scope troubles:

1. Large shot-to-shot variance in Point of Impact with known accurate loads.
2. Uneven tracking (either vertical or horizontal).
3. Change of Point of Impact does not correspond to click inputs.
4. Inability to zero in reasonable number of shots.
5. Unexpected changes in needed click values (compared to previous come-ups).
6. Visible shift in reticle from center of view.
7. Changed “feel” or resistance when clicking; or uneven click-to-click “feel”.
8. Inability to set parallax to achieve sharpness.
9. Turrets or other controls feel wobbly or loose.
10. Internal scope components rattle when gun is moved.

Source of Problem Unknown, but I Have a Theory
Although my scope came with a slightly canted reticle from the factory, it had otherwise functioned without a hitch for many years. I was able to go back and forth between 100-yard zero and 600-yard zero with perfect repeatability for over five years. I had confidence in that scope. Why did it fail when it did? My theory is side-loading on the turrets. I used to carry the gun in a thick soft case. I recently switched to an aluminum-sided hard case that has pretty dense egg-crate foam inside. I noticed it took some effort to close the case, though it was more than big enough, width-wise, to hold the gun. My thinking is that the foam wasn’t compressing enough, resulting in a side-load on the windage turret when the case was clamped shut. This is just my best guess; it may not be the real source of the problem. Remember, as I explained in the beginning of this story, sometimes scopes — just like any mechanical system — simply stop working for no apparent reason.

Unitized Scope Mount System from DNZProducts

Quite a few of our hunter friends have praised the DNZ Products (aka DedNutz) scope mounting system. This is a unitized one-piece base AND ring system. Because the rings are integral with the scope base, you won’t encounter any potential misalignment between the front and rear base. You also eliminate the need to keep the rings torqued securely to a separate base. The rigid DNZ design has no moveable parts between the firearm and the scope.

Made of milled, anodized aluminum, the one-piece DNZ scope mounting system is one-third the weight of most other one-piece base and ring mounts and it can’t rust. For target rifles with a Weaver or Picatinny-style base, we still advocate the use of Burris Signature Zee rings. However, if you are looking for a sturdy, more rugged scope-mounting set-up, the DNZ system fits the bill. It would be a good choice for a walk-around varminter or a deer rifle. Because the front and rear rings are precision CNC-machined, DNZ claims that it’s not necessary to lap the rings. We still recommend you inspect the ring edges and lightly debur as necessary. If you choose to lap the rings, do it gently as the inside should be very concentric already and you don’t want to grind through the anodizing.

One DNZ scope mount user, writing on huntingnet.com, comments: “I bought a pair of DedNutz for a Browning A-Bolt and a pair of Talley Lightweights for the same gun. I have to tell you that I think these DedNutz rings are some of the most rugged rings I have seen and yet are very lightweight. The [DedNutz] have a superior finish to the Talley lightweights … and they are better machined. I put a lapping bar on both and the Talleys needed it but not the DNs.”

DedNutz scope mounts are are offered in 1″ and 30mm sizes, in matte silver, matte black, or Realtree Camo finishes. DNZ scope mounts start at about $57.00 and can be purchased from MidwayUSA.com, or direct from DNZProducts.com.

New Scope Zoom Lever from MGM

Here’s a new product for shooters who need to make rapid zoom changes with their optics. The MGM Switchview is a small, lightweight lever that clamps around the power adjustment ring of variable power scopes. Made from anodized 6061/T6 aluminum, the Switchview allows the user to quickly adjust the scope’s power setting with a push or pull of the lever, without taking your head off the gun. That should help 3-gun competitors who must rapidly switch from near to far targets and back again.

The MGM Switchview works with short, tactical optics as well as high-magnification long-range scopes. Only slightly taller than most target style turrets, the lever is easy to use, even while wearing gloves or in slippery or wet conditions. The manufacturer says that: “Whether you are glassing a large area for a target and then zooming in to make the shot without loosing your sight picture, or you need to transition from far targets to [close] targets in a hurry, the MGM Switchview will get to the magnification setting you need quickly and easily.”

The MGM Switchview is now available for a variety scopes, including the Burris XTR, Leupold CQT, Leupold Mark IV (illum. reticle), Millet 1-4×24DMS, and Nightforce NXS. And soon MGM plans to build Switchviews for the IOR Valdada 1-4 and 1.4-8, Leupold VXII and VXIII, and Nightforce NXS Compact.

MGM Switchview zoom levers cost $59.95 and come standard in anodized black. However, the levers can be special ordered in custom colors for an extra $12. (Add 3 weeks delivery time for custom color orders.)

For more info, visit MGMswitchview.com. To order, call 208-454-0555 or 888-767-7371 (toll free), or email travis [at] mgmtargets.com. You can also contact Mike Gibson Manufacturing, 17891 Karcher Rd., Caldwell, ID 83607 .

October Birthday Bash — Bulletin Highlights from 2009

The Editor Speaketh: For the past two and a half years, every day I’ve prepared new Daily Bulletin postings for you guys. Rain or shine, without a single day off — 956 days in a row to be precise. But today’s my birthday, and, well, I decided to take a day off and go shooting.

Don’t fret — so dedicated readers don’t go through Bulletin withdrawal, here are quick links to some of our “Greatest Hits” from 2009 — the coolest videos and the most interesting stories. For each item, click the blue link to read the full, original story. NOTE: when you get to the bottom of the page, click “Older Posts” for even MORE Greatest Hits!

As for me … I’ll be sending some lead downrange.

Greatest Hits: Anschutz Photo Shoot Video — Babes ‘N Arms”
Great-looking blond handling state-of-the-art German firearams. What’s not to like?

Greatest Hits: Revolutionary March Eyepiece Zoom Scope

LINK: March 33-55×52mm ‘Eyepiece Zoom’ Scope
This is a revolutionary new high-magnification scope, with the zoom in the eyepiece. It provides all a BR shooter could want… from 100 to 1000 yards.

Greatest Hits: $12K Hensoldt Zeiss Super-Scope

LINK: Hensoldt Zeiss 6-24×72mm SAM
This 6-24×72mm Hensoldt may be the most advanced rifle scope on the planet. With a price of $11,979.95, it is certainly one of the most expensive. Take a 360° tour with this cool video from Hensoldt Zeiss.

done

Greatest Hits: Nightforce NXS vs. Nightforce BR Model

LINK: Nightforce NXS vs. Benchrest Model Compared
OK, what really are the differences between Nightforces NXS and Benchrest models… beyond the obvious? In this informative video, Nightforce Exec Kyle Brown provides definitive answers.

Gauge Low-Light Scope Performance with ScopeCalc.com

Hunters and tactical shooters need scopes with good low-light performance. For a scope to perform well at dawn and dusk, it needs good light transmission, plus a reasonably large exit pupil to make maximum use of your eye’s light processing abilty.* And generally speaking, the bigger the front objective, the better the low-light performance, other factors being equal. Given these basic principles, how can we quickly evaluate the low-light performance of different makes and models of scopes?

Here’s the answer: ScopeCalc.com offers a FREE web-based Low-Light Performance Calculator that lets you compare the light gain, perceived brightness, and overall low-light performance of various optics. Using this scope comparison tool is pretty easy — just input the magnification, objective diameter, exit pupil size, and light transmission ratio. If the scope’s manufacturer doesn’t publish an exit pupil size, then divide the objective diameter in millimeters by the magnification level. For example a 20-power scope with a 40mm objective should have a 2mm exit pupil. For most premium scopes, light transmission rates are typically 90% or better (averaged across the visible spectrum). However, not many manufacturers publish this data, so you may have to dig a little.

ScopeCalc.com’s calculator can be used for a single scope, a pair of scopes, or multiple scopes. Once you’ve typed in the needed data, click “Calculate” and the program will produce comparison charts showing Light Gain, Perceived Brightness, and Low-Light Performance. In the example below, we compared a “generic” 5-18×50 Tactical scope with a “generic” 8-32 Benchrest scope.

Though the program is easy to use, and quickly generates comparative data, assessing scope brightness, as perceived by the human eye, is not a simple matter. You’ll want to read the annotations that appear below the generated charts. For example, ScopeCalc’s creators explain that: “Perceived brightness is calculated as the cube root of the light gain, which is the basis for modern computer color space brightness scaling.” In addition, the way ScopeCalc measures Low-Light Performance is pretty sophisticated: “Low Light Performance [is calculated] as the average of light gain and resolution gain through magnification, as a measure of target image acuity gain in low light similar to Twilight Performance specified by scope manufacturers. Low Light Performance calculated here is much more useful than Twilight Performance, as Twilight performance is the average of the just the objective lens diameter times magnification, while Low Light Performance is the average of the actual Perceived Brightness times magnification, which also includes the exit pupil/eye pupil relation, light transmission, approximated diffraction, as well as the perception of relative light gain. Just as with Twilight Performance, this Low Light Performance calculation does not yet include lens resolution and contrast as factors. Therefore lower quality optics will yield relatively less gains at higher magnifications.” Got that?

*In low light, the human eye can typically dilate to 5mm – 7mm. The exact amount of dilation varies with the individual, and typically declines, with increasing age, from 7mm (at age 20) to a dark-adapted pupil of about 5.5mm by age 65. To take full advantage of a scope’s light-gathering capacity, the diameter of an eyepiece exit pupil should be no larger than the max diameter of your eye’s dark-adapted pupil, so that all of the light collected by the scope enters your eye, rather than falling on the iris. A large 8mm exit pupil may seem good, but it would be partly “wasted” on a shooter in his 60s.

Vortex Releases New HD 5-20×50mm Tactical Scope

Vortex Optics of Middleton, Wisconsin has introduced the impressive new Razor HD 5-20×50mm tactical scope. With HD objective glass, this new scope is very bright and very sharp. It also has a ton of vertical and horizontal adjustment. Advanced design and a fat, 35mm maintube give the Razor 5-20×50 a whopping 125 MOA (36 milrads) of total adjustment (combined above and below center) for both elevation and windage. 125 MOA of adjustment is huge. That’s enough vertical for ultra-long-range shooting with almost any modern cartridge.

Impressive APO and HD Glass on new 5-20×50 Razor
The optically-indexed lenses are precision-ground from XD optical glass and coated with Vortex’s XR coating for enhanced resolution, clarity, and edge-to-edge brightness. The Vortex also boast a multi-element apochromatic (APO) objective lens that virtually eliminates chromatic aberration across the entire field of view.

Ranging is simplified with Vortex Optics’ proprietary new EBR-2 milrad reticle. Laser-etched and placed in the first focal plane, the reticle enlarges and shrinks with the target when zoomed so the scale remains constant at all magnifications. In addition, the subtensions on the EBR-2 milrad reticle match the 0.1 milrad turret clicks for simpler ranging and adjustments.

Vortex’s RZR (Rapid Zero Return) Zero Stop mechanism employs a rotational-blocking steel design. Vortex claims this patent-pending system is “mechanically more reliable and accurate than other systems that block the vertical movement of the turret”. The RZR Zero Stop delivers precise return to zero without the need to count clicks.

The 5-20×50mm Razor features waterproof/dustproof/shockproof construction and boasts a full 3.9″ of eye relief through the entire 5-20X range of magnification. This impressive new tactical scope has an MSRP of $2499.00, while “street price” is about two grand. For $1999.95, SWFA.com offers the 5-20×50 HD with 0.1 milrad clicks and EBR-2 reticle (item RZR551), or with 1/4 MOA clicks and EBR-1 reticle (item RZR550).

Vortex Optics and Unconditional Lifetime Warranty
You may not have heard about Vortex Optics yet, but this American-owned company is putting out some very good scopes these days. Vortex backs its products with its unconditional, transferable, lifetime warranty. That warranty is as good as it gets.

Spotting Scope Stands for F-Class and Prone

The 2009 F-Class Nationals are underway right now at Camp Butner, NC. While riflescopes are allowed in both F-Open and F-TR classes, many competitors use a spotting scope as well. With a low-mounted spotting scope placed near the shooter, you can keep your riflescope trained on the target, then quickly check wind flags or mirage by looking through the spotter.

Here’s a smart product from Ray-Vin.com that lets F-Class and prone shooters mount their spotting scopes in the ideal viewing position. Ray-Vin’s patented MKII F-Stand is solid and sturdy, and “floats” the scope close to the shooter’s head without interfering with the placement of a front pedestal rest or ultra-wide bipod. The base can sit off the shooter’s mat.

How much? The entire F-Stand package costs $310.00, including 8″ bottom for prone, two 24″ extensions, Ray-Vin 360 Head, and Take-Off Knob. But if you don’t need the extensions, you can purchase components separately.

The F-Stand is shown with Ray-Vin’s $85.00 Scope Head. This head allows the shooter to adjust scope height, rotation (around the stand shaft), scope angular elevation, and eyepiece orientation, all with one control. Some other scope heads, though more expensive, require you to use multiple knobs or friction adjusters. Conveniently, most of the adjustments can be done easily with one hand, using the black adjusting handle. Smart engineering we’d say.

You can see that the F-Stand places the spotting scope right where the shooter wants it, yet the legs do not interfere with the shooting position. A heavy-duty milled metal bracket clamps the base stud and scope rod securely. The F-stand will hold even heavy 80mm spotting scopes without flexing.

CLICK HERE to Read Reports from F-Stand Owners.

Swarovski Sale at Cabelas.com

Now through the end of October, 2009, Cabela’s is running a major Sale on Swarovski Optics. You’ll find significant savings on Swarovski products. Many Swaro spotting scope models are $200.00 off, and Swaro binoculars have been discounted by as much as $250.00.

To get Cabela’s best discounts on Swarovski products, click the sale icon below: