Steiner T6Xi 3-18x56 or H6Xi 3-18x50

gdykstra · Oct 9, 2024

I am trying to decide on which scope to purchase. The reason I am looking at these scopes is because they seem to both tick all the boxes for what I am looking for (hunting and some distance shooting).

I understand the difference's between the two, the main one being the weight, but this really does not bother me. The price between the two is minimal with the T6Xi being slightly cheaper. I just don’t know if I am over looking something and wanted to get some other opinions?

Also I would entertain some other opinions on other possible scopes for the same purpose and around the same price point.

Thanks

TikkaVortexFan · Oct 9, 2024

I’ve owned them both. T6XI is great with locking turrets, 56 mm objective is bright, but the MSR2-MIL reticle below 8x is too fine & somewhat unusable @C_Does , green illumination, smaller illuminated reticle, locking diopter, good connecting lens caps but they don’t lay flat, comes with sunshade, bigger turrets. I didn’t see the point of having an unusable reticle below 8X so sold it.

H6XI is 3-18 (not 16) has no locking turrets, smaller 50mm objective, I had the MHR-MOA reticle with thicker center reticle, red illumination, larger reticle illumination, no locking diopter, the ocular lens cover wouldn’t stay on with the diopter dialed out, no sunshade, lower profile turrets. I had hoped that the larger, red illuminated thicker lined reticle would be better for hunting. It was OK at 4-5, but the brightness level wasn’t sufficient, so I ran it with an offset red dot. I was annoyed with having to run an offset red dot in short, dense woods so I sold it.

Every scope has a philosophy of use. For PRS the T6XI is great. If you wanted to hunt long range the locking turrets are exceptional and it’s a tank (heavy, but SOLID). The H6XI is a great hunting scope due to its light weight, low profile turrets, and thicker & larger reticle red illuminated area. Although the H6XI elevation turret doesn’t lock, it’s stiff enough not to be of constant concern. Both T6 & H6 turret clicks are a bit mushy and the illumination is good, but not daylight bright.

I sold them both and just purchased a Zeiss S5 LRP 3-18X50 in MOA. Side by side with T6XI 5-30X56 (which I still own also) the Zeiss Schott glass is clear edge to edge, contrast & color is detailed, super daylight bright illumination, better but not excellent turret clicks, thicker usable reticle down to 3X. The T6XI on the same magnification levels have a larger FOV and is brighter due to the 56MM objective.

I love Steiners! Their reticle designs need help, the turrets should have more tactical clicks, their glass beats most all scopes in its price points, and they just look COOL! If your use case mitigates some of the individual shortcomings, you’ll be very happy. On a side note, @C_Does has helped me understand what makes and breaks scopes. Scopes are the sum of all of their parts/features, there is no perfect scope, and his videos are thorough & best-in-class!

Guns&WhiteWater · Oct 10, 2024

I agree with most of the above assessments. The T6Xi is a good scope but be aware it’s on the heavy side. MSR2 reticle starts to shine around 10x and up. On 3-5 mag I use it as a green dot scope. Very easy to stay behind because there is absolutely no eye strain. Colors are neutral, but lacking in pop. Turret feel is average. Not so great for hunting but not really geared towards that. I had both the T6Xi 3-18 and the Zeiss S3 4-25 and kept the T6Xi. So far the tracking has been repeatable but I’ll be putting it to much heavier use now that the weather has cooled.

T6Xi pros: forgiving eyebox, good depth of field, low profile locking turrets, turret design with markings is pretty slick, available with MSR2 reticle, wide FOV is very nice to have when you need it, comes with accessories that add value to the scope, good glass, the controls feel robust, I don’t think the 6x magnification suffers any compromises. The overall package is solid and it’s a good looking scope.

Some T6Xi cons: mine will suffer a little CA if I am slightly off centered, not daylight bright illumination so it limits the capacity of the reticle, and hence the versatility of the scope, image suffers a bit when facing in the sun’s direction

The scope is underrated I feel. I love mine.

gdykstra · Oct 10, 2024

TikkaVortexFan said:
I’ve owned them both. T6XI is great with locking turrets, 56 mm objective is bright, but the MSR2-MIL reticle below 8x is too fine & somewhat unusable @C_Does , green illumination, smaller illuminated reticle, locking diopter, good connecting lens caps but they don’t lay flat, comes with sunshade, bigger turrets. I didn’t see the point of having an unusable reticle below 8X so sold it.

H6XI is 3-18 (not 16) has no locking turrets, smaller 50mm objective, I had the MHR-MOA reticle with thicker center reticle, red illumination, larger reticle illumination, no locking diopter, the ocular lens cover wouldn’t stay on with the diopter dialed out, no sunshade, lower profile turrets. I had hoped that the larger, red illuminated thicker lined reticle would be better for hunting. It was OK at 4-5, but the brightness level wasn’t sufficient, so I ran it with an offset red dot. I was annoyed with having to run an offset red dot in short, dense woods so I sold it.

Every scope has a philosophy of use. For PRS the T6XI is great. If you wanted to hunt long range the locking turrets are exceptional and it’s a tank (heavy, but SOLID). The H6XI is a great hunting scope due to its light weight, low profile turrets, and thicker & larger reticle red illuminated area. Although the H6XI elevation turret doesn’t lock, it’s stiff enough not to be of constant concern. Both T6 & H6 turret clicks are a bit mushy and the illumination is good, but not daylight bright.

I sold them both and just purchased a Zeiss S5 LRP 3-18X50 in MOA. Side by side with T6XI 5-30X56 (which I still own also) the Zeiss Schott glass is clear edge to edge, contrast & color is detailed, super daylight bright illumination, better but not excellent turret clicks, thicker usable reticle down to 3X. The T6XI on the same magnification levels have a larger FOV and is brighter due to the 56MM objective.

I love Steiners! Their reticle designs need help, the turrets should have more tactical clicks, their glass beats most all scopes in its price points, and they just look COOL! If your use case mitigates some of the individual shortcomings, you’ll be very happy. On a side note, @C_Does has helped me understand what makes and breaks scopes. Scopes are the sum of all of their parts/features, there is no perfect scope, and his videos are thorough & best-in-class!

Thank you TikkaVortexFan and Guns&WhiteWater for lengthy and informative replies!

Not being able to see the reticles of these scopes at the lower magnification range, even with illumination, is a big concern of mine. Depending on the scope I choose I would get either the SCR2 or the STR-MIL reticle. Would either of these reticles be better at the lower magnification range?

Also I see the Zeiss LRP S3 4-25x50mm .1 MRAD FFP ZF-MRi is available for the same price as the H6Xi. Any thoughts on this scope?

Thanks.

kthomas · Oct 10, 2024

Guns&WhiteWater said:
I agree with most of the above assessments. The T6Xi is a good scope but be aware it’s on the heavy side. MSR2 reticle starts to shine around 10x and up. On 3-5 mag I use it as a green dot scope. Very easy to stay behind because there is absolutely no eye strain. Colors are neutral, but lacking in pop. Turret feel is average. Not so great for hunting but not really geared towards that. I had both the T6Xi 3-18 and the Zeiss S3 4-25 and kept the T6Xi. So far the tracking has been repeatable but I’ll be putting it to much heavier use now that the weather has cooled.

T6Xi pros: forgiving eyebox, good depth of field, low profile locking turrets, turret design with markings is pretty slick, available with MSR2 reticle, wide FOV is very nice to have when you need it, comes with accessories that add value to the scope, good glass, the controls feel robust, I don’t think the 6x magnification suffers any compromises. The overall package is solid and it’s a good looking scope.

Some T6Xi cons: mine will suffer a little CA if I am slightly off centered, not daylight bright illumination so it limits the capacity of the reticle, and hence the versatility of the scope, image suffers a bit when facing in the sun’s direction

The scope is underrated I feel. I love mine.

I like the idea of the T6, specifically the 2.5-15 for an SPR optic. I just wish it wasn't so chunky. It's about 8ozs heavier than the H6. That weight would certainly be felt on a lightweight SPR, but the compactness will help that weight feel better through balance I presume.

Guns&WhiteWater · Oct 10, 2024

gdykstra said:
Thank you TikkaVortexFan and Guns&WhiteWater for lengthy and informative replies!

Not being able to see the reticles of these scopes at the lower magnification range, even with illumination, is a big concern of mine. Depending on the scope I choose I would get either the SCR2 or the STR-MIL reticle. Would either of these reticles be better at the lower magnification range?

Also I see the Zeiss LRP S3 4-25x50mm .1 MRAD FFP ZF-MRi is available for the same price as the H6Xi. Any thoughts on this scope?

Thanks.

Never used any of the SCR reticles, but if I am shooting at the low mag ranges, it’s because the target is or will be presenting itself at fairly close range and wind would not be a factor. Holdovers would also not be needed, like inside of 150 yards or so. So as long as I can see the center of the reticle I am good, and reticle type doesn’t matter much. But being able to actually see it is the tricky part. The illumination is sufficient in all but bright light to pick up the center at minimum power, but it can be nearly invisible depending on the background and ambient lighting conditions. Not sure if the SCR reticles are much different in that regard. The only FFP scope I have used that was completely usable in all lighting conditions at minimum mag was the S3.

I plan to hunt with my T6Xi on low power in the woods, and the illumination works great under the shady cover, giving it the feel of a green dot, and I target shoot with it on 15-18x, so the reticle is perfectly visible with no illumination. So I’m just nit picking on some things because there’s no perfect solution.

For what it’s worth, I have found I prefer the green illumination to red. It washes out less of the target, but that could just be what my eyes prefer. The MSR2 illuminates only a small center cross, which to me is ideal. The illumination on the T6Xi is also very finely tunable so you can get just enough visibility but not too much that it washes out the target.

The S3 has a lot going for it, too. Super smooth controls, great IQ with good color pop, near nuclear bright illumination, and the ability to dial out parallax at really close range. But it’s also heavy like the T6Xi. Also the tight eyebox gave me headaches from eye strain. Again that could just be my eyes. But I also didn’t like the reticle because it dominated the sight picture. Not being a gamer, I don’t need a reticle that stands out that much. It’s quite busy. I just enjoy shooting casually and appreciate the view through the scope of my targets without the distractions that the S3 reticle caused. I am hoping an S3 gen II will offer some improvements in the forgiveness of the eyebox and offer some other reticle options. Sorry for the rambling.

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Steiner T6Xi 3-18x56 or H6Xi 3-18x50

gdykstra

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TikkaVortexFan

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Guns&WhiteWater

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gdykstra

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kthomas

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Guns&WhiteWater

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