Since my parents are to go to England next month, I got in touch with Gary and Sammie, the owners of MTC and asked them if they could reserve one for me. It then occured to me that Asif was in England at that very moment. So after a few e-mails, cell phone messages and a bit of juggling with the finances the scope was UPS'ed to Asif and I finally managed to lay my grubby mitts on it last night.
This scope comes with thoughtful little features that point to shooting enthusiasts rather than bean counters having a say about the final package.
On opening the box, I found the scope securely boxed and the following accessories besides the obligatory owners manual, lens cleaning cloth and sachet of silica gel.
There was a set of two-piece 30mm mounts (this scope has a 30mm tube) and allen keys.
Screw-in metal flip-up lens caps and keys to loosen or tighten them. Besides having a double bayonet latch, the flip-ups are also o-ring sealed against the elements.
Another nice feature of these flip-ups is that they fold down quite substantially when opened rather than stay at the vertical or near vertical like most.
The next accessory is a 3" long sunshade and adaptor ring for the same. This scope is longer than what I would have ideally liked, so I don't see myself using this feature very often, if at all. However, it's a nice accessory to have for those who do use one.
There are three turrets on this scope. The top and right turret caps protect the elevation and windage adjustments, whilst the third turret, on the left, regulates the brightness of the illuminated centre dot. The turrets are finger adjustable and there is no need for a coin or screwdriver.
However, there is a little something more. The inside of the windage turret houses a spare cell. Now that is thoughtful!
I have been reading about the zoom rings being tight. Well, mine is a bit on the tight side but quite manageable and it will loosen a bit with use, so this does not worry me in the least. The important thing is that the zoom ring is smooth to operate.
The scope also has a quick focus ring and this too works without a glitch. Both rings are aggressively crenellated and will not slip in the wet or pose a problem to a gloved hand.
The reticle is a German #4 with an illuminated centre dot and the optics are very close to being brilliant - from edge to edge.
My criticisms are few. For one the threads on the windage and elevation turrets are ever so slightly rough. I will brush them out later and add a small dab of grease to see if that improves things. There may also be a problem with the ocular flip-up not screwing in tight, though the third time I tried it, it did. Need to check that again. However, these are both minor matters but there is one that has been a real disappointment and it is to do with the illumination system. There is a bit of red flare on the lowest settings (1 & 2) and I wish this were not the case.
Other than the above, I would have been happier if the length and weight could have been reduced but that's about it and I am glad I finally managed to get one.
My thanks to all concerned.
Edit 1: The flip-up covers fit just fine. I was making the mistake of tightening them by screwing them on without using the supplied keys.
Edit 2: The turrets on this scope track precisely. After a rough borescoping, I shot twice at 25 yards and the point of impact was 3" low and 1/2" to the right. 48 clicks up and 8 clicks to the left and the rifle put the third shot exactly in the centre. No tapping of turrets or putting a few shots through to let the reticle settle was required.
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What are you firing?Gold bullets?