07-27-2011, 10:27 PM
I have quite a bit of experience with USO, and they are one of the few acceptable standards in long range precision shooting. They are basically scopes made by engineers who care about performance, not aesthetics. The glass is top-notch and very clear. The tubes and turrets are extremely strong, and they offer the only scope line where the customer basically starts with a certain base model, and specifies what reticle, knobs, illumination, focus, placement of knobs, and finish they desire.
I have used, competed with, or owned 1.8-10x37 SN-3's, 3.2-17x37 and 3.2-17x44 SN-3's, & 3.8-22x58 SN-3's, while also doing a lot of side-by-side comparisons with IOR, NightForce, S&B, and even Hensoldt. USO is more in the neighborhood above NF, on par with S&B, and slightly less clear than Hensoldt/Zeiss when it comes to glass quality. NF beats them all in reliability, while USO is comparable to S&B in that arena. None of them offer the customer-specified features that USO does, so that is one of their biggest selling points when ordered from them.
They are quite popular in the 800m-2000m capable rifles, so the larger SN-3's are a bit overkill for most Grendels, while the 1.8-10x37 is an excellent scope for the Grendel and .308's or calibers in that performance envelope. If you are looking at USO, you might as well order a custom build exactly to your preferred specs. I ordered my 3.2-17x37 with the .1 Mil Ergo EREK elevation knob, the Mil MPR reticle, and Cerakoted in FDE.
If this is your first higher-end scope, I would suggest investing in something under $600-$700 with a good reputation, so you get a feel for what you like. What is the scope for? Hunting? State and National-level competition? Target-shooting for fun?
I would look at the Vortex Viper PST or hunter line first. USO's are worth the money, but they are usually purchased after years of dissatisfaction with Leupold's.
I have used, competed with, or owned 1.8-10x37 SN-3's, 3.2-17x37 and 3.2-17x44 SN-3's, & 3.8-22x58 SN-3's, while also doing a lot of side-by-side comparisons with IOR, NightForce, S&B, and even Hensoldt. USO is more in the neighborhood above NF, on par with S&B, and slightly less clear than Hensoldt/Zeiss when it comes to glass quality. NF beats them all in reliability, while USO is comparable to S&B in that arena. None of them offer the customer-specified features that USO does, so that is one of their biggest selling points when ordered from them.
They are quite popular in the 800m-2000m capable rifles, so the larger SN-3's are a bit overkill for most Grendels, while the 1.8-10x37 is an excellent scope for the Grendel and .308's or calibers in that performance envelope. If you are looking at USO, you might as well order a custom build exactly to your preferred specs. I ordered my 3.2-17x37 with the .1 Mil Ergo EREK elevation knob, the Mil MPR reticle, and Cerakoted in FDE.
If this is your first higher-end scope, I would suggest investing in something under $600-$700 with a good reputation, so you get a feel for what you like. What is the scope for? Hunting? State and National-level competition? Target-shooting for fun?
I would look at the Vortex Viper PST or hunter line first. USO's are worth the money, but they are usually purchased after years of dissatisfaction with Leupold's.