New Riflescope Article by Matt Cashell

Matt Cashell

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Thanks Kevin.

Competition among riflescope makers is pretty intense right now. That is good news for hunters.
 

RosinBag

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Nice article Matt.....I use the same Mark 4 you tested at work, along with the other 5 guys on our team. We have all had issues with the Mark 4 holding zero once we start utilizing the turrett a lot during a day at long range. Did you have a chance to manipulate the turrett back and forth over several yardages and then re-check your zero mark? If so, how did it hold up? Thanks, Doug.
 

Matt Cashell

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Nice article Matt.....I use the same Mark 4 you tested at work, along with the other 5 guys on our team. We have all had issues with the Mark 4 holding zero once we start utilizing the turrett a lot during a day at long range. Did you have a chance to manipulate the turrett back and forth over several yardages and then re-check your zero mark? If so, how did it hold up? Thanks, Doug.

Doug,

I have ran the elevation dial throughout the range between shots, and had it return to zero dead nuts. The tracking is really reliable on this scope. I have seen some Mark 4s that have had tracking issues, but this is not one of them. I have also heard about canted reticle problems with Mark 4s, but this one wasn't off at all.

I am curious Doug, do you (or your partners) have issues with the Mark 4s holding zero on elevation, or windage, or both? Do all 5 Mark 4s drift zero during repeated adjustments?

My dissapointments with the Mark 4 were in the tunneling and variable eye relief.

The PST tracking is absolutely repeatable as well.

As noted in the article, I tested the tracking of the Z3, and found it tracked in 1/4"/100yds. rather than 1/4 MOA. I have not used the Z3 turrets for shooting, however, as that is not the intent of that model. I do like the simplicity of holding over in a hunting rig.
 

RosinBag

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All of ours are with elevation only. We have not adjusted windage much as we didn't want that to be off also. Elevation issues have come with repeated adjustments after shooting several different ranges throughout the day. All of these scopes are four plus years old, so maybe some of the newer ones have tighter tolorances. It seams like the carriage seems to be more reliable when turning elevation turret down verse going up.
 

Matt Cashell

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This Mark 4 is a 2012 model, so you might be on to something ... or it is just a good specimen.

As far as down vs. up, that makes sense as you are going with spring tension vs. against.

I had a 6.5-20 that tracked reliably, but on days I dialed a lot it could be off up to 1/2 MOA "up" on return to zero, so I have seen what you describe in the series of scopes, but not with this particular new 4.5-14.
 

Matt Cashell

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great article / what about z6,z5, ziess, night force

Sure, then there is Premier, Steiner, Schmidt and Bender, Kahles, Meopta, Sightron, SWFA, etc.

A lot of options.

I would be happy to test them all!

The three scopes I tested are those I had access to.
 
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