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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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
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.
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
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.
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.
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.
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.
Pros and Cons
Pros
- Very affordable price point
- large objective for good image gathering
- 10 MRAD Turrets
- Zero-stop feature
- included accessories (caps, rings, shade, throw lever)
Cons
- Heavy construction and bulky size
- Very tight parallax adjustment
- Optical aberrations (particularly at high power)
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.
