Tag Archives: 5-30×56

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Inexpensive or Cheap? The DiscoveryOpt HD GEN II 5-30X56

Preface

Today we are taking another look into riflescopes from DiscoveryOpt Optics. Our topic today is their DiscoveryOpt HD Gen II 5-30X56 Riflescope, not a new scope but it is to me. Having had a good experience with another similar scope from DiscoveryOpt, I was curious to see how this model compared. These optics are manufactured in China, which brings a bit of a double edged argument. On one hand, they are very affordable when compared to better known manufacturers. But they are affordable because they are made in China which some folks might find distasteful at best. I have been impressed at how Chinese made optics have improved even in the short time I have been paying attention to them, so let’s get into this scope and see if its worth your time and consideration.

The DiscoveryOpt HD Gen II 5-30X56 Rifle Scope

My very first impressions of the HD Gen II scope were not unsimilar to the last riflescope I reviewed from DiscoveryOpt. Good packaging accompanied the scope on its arrival, and some included accessories that would be very nice.

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In addition to the scope itself, I found they had included a set of 34mm scope ring (the rings are available at additional cost) As well as a 56mm sunshade, and some of the little things most scopes come with like lens cloth, tools and stickers. Also were some nice flip caps that look like a clone of the expensive kind from Tenebraex.

Like the last DiscoveryOpt scope I got, this one has some very standout features like very large turrets. They also included a throw lever on the magnification ring which is nice, and it appears to be removable too. I didn’t remove it for reasons I’ll go into later. At 38 ounces, this beast is NOT lightweight. As soon as you lift it from the box you can tell it is heavy, which comes as no surprise when you come to terms with its physical size. These scopes are built big, bigger than the rest I would say. Every other 56mm scope I have easily fits inside the 56mm objective of this scope.

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The large turrets are quite nice, moving 10 MRAD per rotation which I consider the minimum these days. The clicks are both audible and tactile, and the turret is easily zeroed loosening four tension screws around the top. Underneath the turret you will find the zero-stop lock ring. It is also secured by four tension screws that lock it to the hub of the turret. And the ring engages a machined in post on the housing base, it is easily set once the scope has been zeroed to the rifle.

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here you can see the zero-stop lock ring, and the post it stops against

Specifications

Magnification– 5-30X

Focal Plane– FFP(First)

Objective– 56MM

Tube Diameter– 34MM

Iluminated– Red, 6 Brightness Settings

Length– 15.0in(380mm)

Weight– 38.1 oz(1080g)

Click Value– 0.1 MRAD | 0.25 MOA

Turrets Functions– ZERO-STOP

Elevation Adj. Range– 33 MRAD | 116 MOA

Windage Adj. Range– 17 MRAD | 60 MOA

FOV– 25FT(7.6m)~4.0FT(1.2m)/100YDS

Exit Pupil– 9.3-1.9MM

Eye Relief– 3.5 in(9.0cm)-3.4 in(8.6cm)

Parallax– 25-∞ YDS

Recoil Rating– .50 BMG

Fog Proof– Nitrogen Purged

Waterproof– IP67

Battery– CR2032

Inside the scope you will find the MRAD reticle, which uses the popular “Christmas tree” stylings. With great detail that allows you to measure and correct for all kinds of downrange eventualities. The reticle is illuminated using the control stacked on top of the parallax turret on the left side of the scope. Only the center 1-MRAD of the reticle illuminates, which I like, as well as the center dot of the reticle that I prefer. The parallax itself is adjustable down to 25 yards, which is handy for those who intend on using this scope that close.

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A closer look at the DiscoveryOpt rings

Mounting and Zeroing

Before I even started mounting the scope, I did find a problem. It’s hard to say whether this damage occured before or during shipment but either way it’s not good. Either the packaging foam isn’t enough for a scope this heavy, or it happened prior to shipment. For full transparency, the box showed no signs of damage.

The damage itself became apparent while trying to thread on the sunshade. After an abnormally long effort to try and thread the sunshade onto the objective, I found that the scope bell had been slightly bent (from impact I assume), this out-of-round-ness made it near impossible to align the sunshade properly and engage the threads.

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Mainly because I understand that things can happen, and I am hard on equipment, and also because my Saintly Mother didn’t raise any quitters; I chose to correct the issue myself. With a soft plastic hammer, I gave the objective a couple taps back in the right direction against a soft but solid surface. Once the circular geometry was reinstated, I threaded the sunshade on carefully.

I can totally understand why some folks wouldn’t have done this, and would have instead opted to send the scope back for a replacement. I guess I am a little less concerned with cosmetics and such. As long as it works as designed I am ok with making it work. Furthermore, it was quite apparent that the damage was only affecting the shade installation. As the damage didn’t even get close to the objective lens.

After correcting the issue, I decided to mount the scope to a host rifle. For that I chose one of my favorite rifles of all time. A custom Tikka T3 chambered in 25 creedmoor, and paired with a KRG Bravo chassis. You can read more about the rifle itself in the article: Operation Quarterlord.

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The included rings that came with the scope looked perfectly good, with four cap-screws and two screws for the foot. I mounted them to the picatinny rail on the rifle, and settled the scope into place to level it and adjust for eye relief.

With that done, I carefully torqued down all the fasteners, keeping an eye on the level and equal closure.

Zeroing

Later, in the field I zeroed the scope to the rifle by first bore-sighting the scope to get close, followed by making a few adjustments. Using the reticle, I measured the distance between where my first shot impacted and my point of aim. With that correction in mind, I turned the turrets a commensurate amount to bring the point of impact and aimpoint together. I fired a couple additional shots to confirm a good zero.

Shooting in the Field

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shooting supported from the Two Vets Carbon Fiber tripod

My first trip into the field with the DiscoveryOpt HD Gen II was a visit to one of my favorite deer hunting spots. A place where this rifle and scope combination would be a perfect tool for taking a Mule deer. Ranges varied from as close as 100-yards, and as far as I dared shoot. I ended up shooting a variety of different scenarios out to around 920-yards.

As is typical for me this time of year, much of my shooting involves small white naturally occurring quarts stones. Contrasting brightly against the wet dark mountain soil as snow melts around it. The wet soil is great for spotting misses, and impacts are clear when the puff of white dust comes from the target, or it is obliterated entirely.

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another trip into the mountains, this time sporting the Banish Buck 30 suppressor

Shooting different directions and angles gave plenty of opportunity to test this scope out. Dialing different corrections for different ranges, as well as adjusting focus and parallax for the conditions allowed.

Optical Quality

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A Mule deer doe seen through the scope

With big lenses like this, I expected the view to be quite sharp. And while it was certainly serviceable, I found it to have just enough aberration to irritate me. Mainly at the higher power settings like 25x plus, it seemed there was a slight fuzziness of the image. Almost like part of the image was focused and part of it wasn’t.

This phenomenon was only slightly irritating, and it was less noticeable when it wasn’t zoomed in. While I’m sure that scope snobs who are used to high end Japanese and German optics would find it unacceptable, I am less concerned. Mainly because this scope retails for $270, and at that price I think it isn’t as big a deal.

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the 25 Creedmoor rifle suppressed here by the Anechoic Anechox 35 underneath that Cole-TAC Python cover

The color and image otherwise seen through the scope are above average at this price point. Like other scopes in this ballpark, it could also do a little better in twilight. But again, using this scope for normal daytime shooting at anything other than maximum power is still fine.

Usability

Using the controls on the HD Gen II were simple and intuitive. The larger turrets are easy to grip, and you can both feel and hear clicks when adjusted. The sweep of the magnification ring is pretty broad since this is a 5-30 power scope. But the added throw lever makes short work of adjusting the zoom.

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This combo didn’t leave much squirrel for the dinner table

I did find that the parallax adjustment was a bit touchy. You can focus as close as twenty-five yards, it then goes up to fifty, then one and two hundred. The final increments are 500 and infinity, but there is very little adjustment between even the two-hundred and infinity. This makes the parallax adjustment very short across the range of adjustment where you need it most.

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the DiscoveryOpt HD Gen II went well with my 25 Creedmoor, supported on the Two Vets Carbon fiber tripod

I like the reticle, it has enough subtensions to be very useful without overcrowding the scope making it hard to see. The illumination only lights up the center MRAD, which is a nice touch. A couple other features that are icing on the cake, are the zero-stop, flip caps, and the included scope rings.

Reliability

Testing the values of this scope were easily done with this rifle, and its well known predictability. Measuring the movement of the reticle against the turret values proved to be accurate enough for long-range shooting. Using data from previous engagements gave good accurate hits.

The only thing left to see as far as durability, is how this scope stands up to weather, use and abuse. I intend on giving it a great workout during this spring and summer. So check back later as I will update this story in the future.

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Pros and Cons

Pros

  1. Very affordable price point
  2. large objective for good image gathering
  3. 10 MRAD Turrets
  4. Zero-stop feature
  5. included accessories (caps, rings, shade, throw lever)

Cons

  1. Heavy construction and bulky size
  2. Very tight parallax adjustment
  3. Optical aberrations (particularly at high power)
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the turrets on this scope are fantastic

My Conclusion

All in all, I think the DiscoveryOpt HD Gen II is a good scope. I have certainly had much worse over the years, and paid more money for them as well. Its truly hard to believe you can get a scope like this for so little. While there are some deterring things about the scope, I think they are comepletly subjective to the end user. For some folks the drawbacks I mentioned might not even be a concern, especially considering the price for this scope. While I do like this model, I think I prefer the other DiscoveryOpt scope I have, its only a little more, and worth it in my opinion.

-CBM

If you are looking for great inexpensive riflescopes, click here to see more.

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Vector Optics Continental X6 5-30X56 Riflescope

Preface

In my endless quest to get hands on every riflescope available on todays market, I bring you another scope review. This one comes from Vector Optics, which has been in the optics industry since 2005. Vector Optics has a stated goal of changing our perspective of what a “made in China” riflescope means. In furtherance of this goal, Vector seeks to build the most value in a riflescope possible. Today I find myself in a position to evaluate exactly that, and I bring you a review of the Vector Optics Continental X6 5-30X56 riflescope.

The Vector Optics Continental is built on a 34MM maintube, with a 56 millimeter objective lens up front. The erector assembly while fairly petite, carries a robust elevation turret that has twenty-six MRAD of elevation. Inside you’ll find the EBC-MBR MRAD illuminated reticle. All these features fall into the set of a serious long-range rifle scope, lets go deeper into this scope review.

The Vector Optics Continental 5-30X56

                        Vector Optics Continental 5-30X56 Riflescope Features
Magnification5X-30X six power zoom
Objective Lens56 Millimeter
Tube Diameter34 Millimeter
Ocular Lens42 Millimeter
Field of View24.5-4.1 feet @100 yards
Eye Relief4.0 Inches
Length15.4 Inches
Weight 28.6 Ounces
Click Value1/10 MRAD
Mechanical Elevation Range26 MRAD
Mechanical Windage Range16 MRAD
Parallax/Focus Range10 Yards to Infinity
ReticleEtched glass VEC-MBR
Reticle IlluminationSix Position Red 
Battery TypeCR2032
Turret Values10 MRAD (100 clicks) per turn
Zero-stopAdjustable
Included Accessories34mm picatinny high rings, sunshade,, lens caps and cleaning cloth

Vector Continental Features

So far you might have figured out this scope has an impressive suite of features, and all the right ones for most precision rifle shooters. The broad 34mm tube has become the standard for tactical long-range shooting, as it allows greater internal travel for larger elevation corrections. Large lenses compress great detail into the image viewed through the scope, and with a parallax adjustment down as close as 10 yards make it suitable for rimfire purposes. A six-position illumination knob with off settings in between sits outside the focus turret.

the included tool for adjusting turrets was handy and prevented overtorquing

The turrets of the Continental are quite impressive. Ten MRAD per rotation of the turret is what I consider a minimum these days for a serious scope. But theres more; the turrets feature a push/pull locking system, as well as an adjustable zero-stop. The elevation turret also features a revolution indicator that is both visible and tactile, it pops up red upon hitting the second revolution. And when you reach the third revolution of the turret it pops up further still, exposing a silver ring under the red. This feature is excellent for keeping track of what rotation you are on. The Continental also comes with a second elevation turret that allows you to function without the zero-stop and rotation indicator.

the two included elevation turret options

Added Accessories

Aside from the extra elevation turret, the Continental also came with a sunshade which has become common practice as well. As have the inexpensive flip caps that often come with scopes, particularly those made in China. It also came with all the necessary tools to service the scope, including a plastic tool to safely loosen and tighten the turret screw.

the included scope rings from Vector

What hasn’t been a typical included accessory is a set of scope rings. I was actually expecting something a little more “economic” to put it candidly. But to my surprise, the rings were actually quite nice. Triple-screw rings with Torx fasteners on both the ring-cap and the pic-rail clamp.

Mounting the Vector Continental

Because I am so familiar with it, I decide to initially mount the Continental to my Desert Tech SRS M2. The included rings were a perfect fit for the height of the scope over the long picatinny sight rail. After leveling the scope in the rings, I torqued them down using my torque limiter T15. The wide coverage of the rings appeared to give great purchase on the scope, which should hold even under heavy recoiling cartridges like the 338 LM.

the SRS fitted with the Continental scope and Area 419 equipped Atlas bipod from B&T

It was then time to boresight the combo, using my visual tool-less boresighting method. Adjusting the scope to match the bore of the rifle would put it on paper at 100 yards. After shooting a few rounds to make final adjustments for zero, it was time to adjust the zero-stop.

Setting the Zero-Stop

Once you have the rifle zeroed properly, the zero-stop can be set. The way to set it requires removing the elevation turret, you gently push in the inner ring of the turret and rotate it according to the arrow printed on it. If zeroing the rifle requires you to dial down on the turret, you might have to remove the turret and release the zero stop by pushing in and turning it counter to the arrow indicated underneath. Approximating the amount you think you’ll need to dial down.

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under the elevation turret you can see the zero-stop feature

After zeroing the rifle, you can again pull the turret off. This time rotate the inner ring with the arrow indicator. When the inner ring engages a locking pin, you will hear an audible click. That aligns the turret with the zero, and you can reinstall the turret. Check to see that it aligns properly on zero after installing.

On the Range

For starters, I used the Continental on my Desert Tech SRS M2. Using a 22-inch 6.5 Creedmoor would make for pretty easy and predictable shooting. The SRS M2 uses a 30 MOA tapered optics rail, which would allow me to maximize the elevation adjustment available in the scope.

Optical Performance

With a 6X zoom the Continental has an impressive magnification range. I had brought along my Kahles 318i as well, and I took the opportunity to look through both scopes at five and eighteen power to see how they compared. It came as no surprise that the Kahles was clearer, with a slightly less hazy image than seen through the Vector scope. I would expect the Kahles to look better at four and a half times the cost.

While it might not have been as clear as the Kahles, it was certainly very usable. The clear image was as good as any Chinese scope I’ve used at that power range. I often find that folks with poor eyesight have more to say about optical quality than I, so keep that in mind.

Ergonomics

I was very happy with the controls of this scope, the textures of the control surfaces were just right. And the resistance to the magnification ring and parallax adjustment were also appropriate. The turret lock is both crisp and audible, so you’ll always know when you’ve locked or unlocked it. And the clicks are also quite crisp and audible, so you’ll have no problem simply counting the clicks if you are dialing blind.

Tracking Performance

Few things have made riflescope more friendly over the last few decades than matching turrets and reticles in my opinion. Being able to spot an impact at 900 yards, quickly measure it and dial a correction, and hit with a following shot is much easier with such a scope. The Vector Continental worked perfectly for dialing corrections, and the reticle gives you a great deal of data points to use.

Measuring the movement of the reticle proved to show repeatability and accurate movement. I like to bolt down my scopes to an immovable object, and run the turrets up and down repeatedly to see how close they track. The Vector Continental was as close to the actual distance adjusted as most scopes I have checked. With less than plus or minus 1/10 MRAD across 20 MRAD of adjustment.

VEC-MBR Reticle

Using reticles for their actual purpose has gotten much easier as they have developed better options. The VEC-MBR reticle of the Continental gives you some great features like an open center, a Christmas tree style drop grid, meter ranging bracket, and an illuminated center. I am not a big fan of incredibly busy reticles, but I found this one to be fine enough that it hasn’t bothered me. It was very effective at measuring corrections and holding wind.

Value

I have had a great variety of Chinese and other Asian made riflescopes, both good and bad. I will certainly say that they have come a long way from the comically poor quality from decades ago. After shooting with the Vector Continental now, this might be the best value for a high-power precision long-range rifle scope I’ve seen yet. After opening the box and seeing the presentation, features and the image through the scope I was actually blown away at the $700 price on Euro Optic.

Pros and Cons

The Vector Optics Continental 5-30X56 has a fantastic feature set, with all the features most precision rifle shooters are looking for these days. Professional finished looks that don’t suggest it was made in a sweat shop, and matched with good lenses that provide great detail. Excellent controls make this scope a precise tool for hitting targets, as do the little extras that matter like zero-stop, turret rotation indicator, 10 MRAD rotations etc.

Included extras also greatly improve the value of this scope, even the packaging gives the feeling of a high quality product. The scope rings were also a nice touch I wasn’t expecting. My very initial thoughts about this scope seem to have been right, its as though Vector engineers channeled some European scope design and brought it all together for less.

If I had to come up with something to dislike, it could really only be the Chinese origin of this scope. I never liked the idea of my sport/defense products being made somewhere besides at home, but thats the world we live in currently.

the view through the Continental at around 24X

Final Thoughts on the Continental

The foreseeable future it seems will be filled with more and more options for shooters, which is a nice thing. Vector Optics has done an excellent job changing what Made in China means. I expect that competition among the optics manufacturers will continue, and we will see more rifle scopes like the Continental that break molds and drop prices.

The Vector Optics Continental X6 5-30X56 riflescope offers impressive performance that would do well for most shooters. It is an excellent value if you find yourself wanting to compete with your financial superiors without spending your children’s future on a scope. Be it plinking in the hills like me, heavy varmint hunting, or shooting PRS competition, I expect the Continental would do well.

-CBM

Looking for a scope? Check out these other reviews

Steiner Optics T6Xi 5-30×56 riflescope

Introduction

Being an absolute precision rifle junkie, there are a few things that get my excitement up. Besides precision rifles themselves, riflescopes are probably my biggest affinity. Today we are looking at the Steiner Optics T6Xi 5-30X56 riflescope, an American-made riflescope by the international optics giant.
Steiner started mid-last century on the American side of post-war Germany, and has since been working on making the highest quality riflescopes and other optics they can. I have long been a fan of Steiner’s optics, though I have only recently been able to take one home for my own use. I was excited for the chance to shoot behind one of these scopes that I had fawned over for so long.

The Steiner mounted to my Desert Tech SRS M2

The Steiner T6Xi 5-30×56

The T6Xi is a variable scope based on a thirty-four millimeter tube, and up front is the industry standard fifty-six millimeter objective lens. The power of six-times magnification is where the T6 gets it five to thirty power range, which is no insignificant thing. The all important erector housing carries a great deal of additional features, twelve MRAD per revolution turrets with an intuitive turret lock. The elevation turret also incorporates a very interesting rotating number scroll to prevent you from ever being off a revolution on the turret. A typical side parallax adjustment knob, with the illumination rheostat stacked on top. Inside the erector itself sits the MSR2 MRAD reticle, after just a few trips I was quite pleased with this reticle and its subtensions. At the back of the scope there is the magnification ring to adjust the zoom from five to thirty power. In addition to the great features of this scope, it also came with a few extras I wasn’t expecting. Including a factory made throw-lever (or cattail) to make adjusting the magnification faster to execute, as well as a sun-shade, and Tenebraex scope-caps.

T6Xi Features

The Steiner mounted to my SRS M2 over an Atlas Bipod

-6x Zoom Range
-Locking windage and elevation turrets
-Low-profile never-lost turrets
-Second rotation indicator
-Locking diopter ring
-Optional throw lever
-Tenebraex cover
-Illumination – 4 night / 7 day levels
-Waterproof / Fogproof / Shockproof

Mounting the T6Xi

I planned on installing the Steiner on my Desert Tech SRS M2, wherein I do most of my precision shooting. I have used a plethora of excellent riflescopes on this rifle, so I figured it would be a great match to see how it compared to the others I’ve used.
I mounted the T6Xi into a 40 MOA canted scope base, and leveled in on the rifle. My very first impressions were regarding the size of the scope, I prefer scopes that don’t come across as “dainty”. The Steiner was in my opinion just the right size, smaller than some but big and robust enough to stand beside most competitors.
With the scope mounted to the rifle, I set it on a bench and put myself to bore-sighting the scope. I grabbed the hex-key wrenches from the box to zero the turret once I had the rifle zeroed properly, all that remained was grabbing the rest of my kit and ammunition and heading into the hills.

Shop all Steiner optics at Scopelist
Euro Optics also has the full Steiner line

On the range

In a short time, I found myself in my fortress of solitude. The silent and vacant white canyons of the Rocky Mountains are where I spend my free time, and this time of year the blanket of sound soaking snow are spectacular for shooting.
I had brought two barrels for my SRS, the first was a .223 Remington match barrel I planned on zeroing the scope with. Even though I get paid to shoot, I still try to save money where I can. Once the rifle was zeroed with the .223 barrel, I would switch over to my 7mm SAUM barrel for shooting at more significant distances that would actually test this Steiner’s abilities.
I was immediately enamored with the view through this scope, it was crystal clear and a beautiful image to behold. I typically avoid running scopes at maximum magnification due to the fact that many of them seem to darken or lose clarity, but the T6Xi was still an excellent view even at 30X. The MSR2 reticle was an instant hit for me, I love the tiny center dot. It made perfect aim-point definition easy, and in just a few shots I had confirmed a good zero, after shooting a quick five-shot group to ensure I hadn’t lost my touch.

After zeroing the turrets on the T6, it was time to run both rifle and scope out to some distance. In less than a minute I’d switched barrels to the 7mm SAUM, and I turned my attention to the distant ridge across the canyon from me. Snow had covered most of my targets, but I could still pick out what I needed to see.
My density altitude and the cartridges I shoot typically keep me from needing the second rotation of most scopes. Many of the cartridges I shoot will reach beyond 3/4 of a mile without even cracking the second rotation, and my 7 SAUM was certainly in that group. I was going to have to shoot beyond fifteen-hundred yards to dial past the 12MRAD mark on the turret.
But before I did that, I wanted to see how the turret values lined up with the known dope for this rifle. I tried a few shots at targets from five-hundred to seven-hundred yards, with very predictable impacts. Spotting impacts at those distances is important, which is why I typically use lower power settings on my rifle scopes when shooting long range. With the power set at about half I was easily watching the 150 grain Cayuga solid bullets impact, and they were hitting with good authority as well.
Increasing the distance to the target made spotting impacts even easier, giving me additional time to get settled back on target before my bullet got there. Watching through the Steiner I was also able to see the trace of the bullet as it arched up over the target one it’s way there. The MSR2 reticle was very useful at measuring and holding corrections, in my opinion it is a perfect hybrid of substantial subtensions, but thin enough not to become cumbersome. Continue Reading Here…

I have other scopes in the same price bracket as this one, and it performs optically better than some and as well as others. The scope’s mechanical function was flawless, which should be expected at this level of the game. Optically, the scope is fantastic, and my eyes always felt comfortable and in charge when looking through the T6Xi. Even in low-light conditions, it had a great light transmission producing a clean image.

Pros:

  • MSR2 reticle
  • Great precision-shooting reticle
  • Flawless mechanical function
  • Excellent optical performance
  • Solid optics brand name
  • Quality machined aluminum throw lever
  • Good price compared to the competition
  • Tenebraex scope caps
  • Made in the USA

Cons:

  • It’s not cheap, but comparable to its competition

I do love the well-known quality that comes from European optics companies like Steiner, but the fact that this one is made right here in the U.S. almost makes it a slam dunk for me. The little things like the quality scope caps and throw lever are also very nice additions.

FINAL THOUGHTS

When you get to this price point in the optics market, it’s more about preference than a direct comparison. What I mean by that is most comparable riflescopes have very similar features and performance, which basically leaves you to choose the one that has the features you prefer the most.

The precision-rifle junkie in me is more than satisfied with this little scope. I often judge products based on their ability to sustain my addiction for the duration of my shooting career. I’m quite confident – even if the Steiner T6Xi 5-30×56 was the very last scope I ever bought – I could rock it for the rest of my time in these mountains. While that’s not the case, I still look forward to every outing with it.

CBM