08-04-2021, 09:45 AM
I was looking for a scope for walkabout hunting on my Sako Vixen based Grendel ( https://www.65grendel.com/forum/showthre...=eigerwand ). Mainly, its for shooting small deer up to 200 yd. Ideally, these would be neck shots, although I might use a chest shot on smaller animals. So, most often Id be aiming for a target area only 2 across and seldom more than 6. This means some higher magnification would often be needed. I see the Grendel as a round requiring accurate shooting, for deer hunting.
[ATTACH=CONFIG]18083[/ATTACH]
But it will also often be used in thick forest, so close shots like 10 yd also need to be easy to do. 3-12x would have been ideal but Leupold doesnt offer that and I went up to the 4.5-14x rather than down to 3.5-10. Largely, this was because the 4.5-14 offered parallax adjustment, making it easier for me to see the target sharply at close range. I hoped that practice and a good stock fit would enable me to get on target straight away and use 4.5x for snap shooting.
Looking at different brands, most were significantly heavier than similarly specd Leupolds. Only the Swarovski Z5 3.5-18 was light enough but that is such a long scope and I wasnt impressed with the wobbly ballistic turrets. Leupold are also the only one with a nice slim ocular end.
[ATTACH=CONFIG]18084[/ATTACH]
I considered the VX-5 HD 3-15x44 but that scope is considerably larger (13.5 vs 12.7) and heavier (19.2oz vs 15.6oz) than the VX3i 4.5-14x40 SF CDS. I was prepared to do without the bigger numbers to save the weight. I put the money saved on the base scope towards a couple of custom shop mods to get it just the way I wanted it.
One of these mods was to order the heavy duplex rather than the standard duplex. The distentions of the thick and thin areas are the same but the thicker crosshairs make it easier to see. I would have been willing to sacrifice some fine aiming in good light to get better visibility in low. But, as it turned out, I could shoot under MOA with the heavy duplex anyway so its just fine.
[ATTACH=CONFIG]18085[/ATTACH]
On the left is the standard Leupold duplex reticle (VX-1 3-9x40 at 6x) and on the right is the heavy duplex in the VX3i also at 6x.
The other mod was to get 1cm/100m clicks and CDS turrets marked in this.
[ATTACH=CONFIG]18086[/ATTACH]
Initial testing included tracking, where I fired 3 shots at targets in a diamond pattern, up to 5mRad elevation amd 2.5 windage each side. I fired 3 shots one after the other at each target and although the groups were all goodenough, I got the feeling on two of them that the first shot hadnt quite made the full adjustment and the other two were closer to where they should have gone. Just a feeling, perhaps imagination 20 years ago we would have thought nothing of this; we assumed a sight would take a few shots to settle into a new setting and did stuff like tapping the dial after adjusing or going past the new setting and moving back to always approach it from the same side. Now we expect immediate accurate adjustment on every shot. Anyway this scope was GOOD.
[ATTACH=CONFIG]18087[/ATTACH]
This is shot at 100m and the grid is 1cm squares. I used a simple front rest and rear sandbag and carefully adjusted out all parallax, checked by moving my eye around he sight line.
After some on range trajectory validation, I made up a drop chart, which I used reasonably successfully at a couple of field target shoots (similar to precision rifle, with steel plates at 20 to 300 yd (paper under 50 yd), various positions, time limits and so on). The chart is in mRad and includes an estimate for a standard wind, corrections for slope at longer ranges and how much range a single click will adjust for. Its off a laser printer so the ink wont run and sealed on with a thick waterproof tape.
[ATTACH=CONFIG]18088[/ATTACH]
One thing I have found while hunting is that the dials can turn a few clicks while its being carried. I dont think the zero lock was available when I ordered it but if you can get one it would be well worth while. The clicks are sharp and easy to use and the scale is easy to read.
The eyebox is quite small at 14x and the eye relief does change a little with magnification. Ive put a carefully sized cheekpiece on the stock, which fixes any potential problems, but you may struggle with a low profile factory stock if your cheek is high above the comb. At 6x and 4.5x, the scope comes up straight to the eye and its good.
Its usual for writers to report on the sharpness, contrast, flatness and pop of a scope, but all I can say is that its good to look though, and I suspect that all middle and high end optics now offer better resolution than any human eye. Certainly its an advance over my older VX-1 scopes ! As you can see, I use it in dirt and rain and if I want a sharper scope, I carefully clean the lens.
[ATTACH=CONFIG]18089[/ATTACH]
[ATTACH=CONFIG]18090[/ATTACH]
[ATTACH=CONFIG]18083[/ATTACH]
But it will also often be used in thick forest, so close shots like 10 yd also need to be easy to do. 3-12x would have been ideal but Leupold doesnt offer that and I went up to the 4.5-14x rather than down to 3.5-10. Largely, this was because the 4.5-14 offered parallax adjustment, making it easier for me to see the target sharply at close range. I hoped that practice and a good stock fit would enable me to get on target straight away and use 4.5x for snap shooting.
Looking at different brands, most were significantly heavier than similarly specd Leupolds. Only the Swarovski Z5 3.5-18 was light enough but that is such a long scope and I wasnt impressed with the wobbly ballistic turrets. Leupold are also the only one with a nice slim ocular end.
[ATTACH=CONFIG]18084[/ATTACH]
I considered the VX-5 HD 3-15x44 but that scope is considerably larger (13.5 vs 12.7) and heavier (19.2oz vs 15.6oz) than the VX3i 4.5-14x40 SF CDS. I was prepared to do without the bigger numbers to save the weight. I put the money saved on the base scope towards a couple of custom shop mods to get it just the way I wanted it.
One of these mods was to order the heavy duplex rather than the standard duplex. The distentions of the thick and thin areas are the same but the thicker crosshairs make it easier to see. I would have been willing to sacrifice some fine aiming in good light to get better visibility in low. But, as it turned out, I could shoot under MOA with the heavy duplex anyway so its just fine.
[ATTACH=CONFIG]18085[/ATTACH]
On the left is the standard Leupold duplex reticle (VX-1 3-9x40 at 6x) and on the right is the heavy duplex in the VX3i also at 6x.
The other mod was to get 1cm/100m clicks and CDS turrets marked in this.
[ATTACH=CONFIG]18086[/ATTACH]
Initial testing included tracking, where I fired 3 shots at targets in a diamond pattern, up to 5mRad elevation amd 2.5 windage each side. I fired 3 shots one after the other at each target and although the groups were all goodenough, I got the feeling on two of them that the first shot hadnt quite made the full adjustment and the other two were closer to where they should have gone. Just a feeling, perhaps imagination 20 years ago we would have thought nothing of this; we assumed a sight would take a few shots to settle into a new setting and did stuff like tapping the dial after adjusing or going past the new setting and moving back to always approach it from the same side. Now we expect immediate accurate adjustment on every shot. Anyway this scope was GOOD.
[ATTACH=CONFIG]18087[/ATTACH]
This is shot at 100m and the grid is 1cm squares. I used a simple front rest and rear sandbag and carefully adjusted out all parallax, checked by moving my eye around he sight line.
After some on range trajectory validation, I made up a drop chart, which I used reasonably successfully at a couple of field target shoots (similar to precision rifle, with steel plates at 20 to 300 yd (paper under 50 yd), various positions, time limits and so on). The chart is in mRad and includes an estimate for a standard wind, corrections for slope at longer ranges and how much range a single click will adjust for. Its off a laser printer so the ink wont run and sealed on with a thick waterproof tape.
[ATTACH=CONFIG]18088[/ATTACH]
One thing I have found while hunting is that the dials can turn a few clicks while its being carried. I dont think the zero lock was available when I ordered it but if you can get one it would be well worth while. The clicks are sharp and easy to use and the scale is easy to read.
The eyebox is quite small at 14x and the eye relief does change a little with magnification. Ive put a carefully sized cheekpiece on the stock, which fixes any potential problems, but you may struggle with a low profile factory stock if your cheek is high above the comb. At 6x and 4.5x, the scope comes up straight to the eye and its good.
Its usual for writers to report on the sharpness, contrast, flatness and pop of a scope, but all I can say is that its good to look though, and I suspect that all middle and high end optics now offer better resolution than any human eye. Certainly its an advance over my older VX-1 scopes ! As you can see, I use it in dirt and rain and if I want a sharper scope, I carefully clean the lens.
[ATTACH=CONFIG]18089[/ATTACH]
[ATTACH=CONFIG]18090[/ATTACH]
