Not too long ago if you wanted a higher magnification scope in a short package there were very few options, but with the introduction of 4 new scopes to this niche field of sport optics in 2018 the game has changed considerably. Ever since I got my first Bushnell ET DMR and mounted it to my LMT MWS rig I quickly realized the benefits and aesthetics of "short" scopes and now that covert style rigs are popping up all over the need continues to grow. For a full spec list of both old and new, see the bottom of this post.
I'm going to classify an "Ultra Short" scope as one being under 14" in length while offering 18x or higher magnification. Of newer scope designs I believe March was the first to market with their 3-24x42 which was followed by Bushnell DMR 3.5-21x50 and Leupold with their Mark 6 3-18x44 and then Schmidt & Bender entered the foray with their "Ultra Short" series which started with the 5-20 and a 3-20 quickly followed. I may have my order wrong but I think this is fairly accurate. Regardless, for the last several years these have been the only options. But over the past month or so something drastic has happened with the introduction of 4 brand new scope designs, two of which are coming from manufacturers who've never offered any scopes in this range:
The big unknowns is how will all these scopes perform and while looking through them at SHOT will give an idea, they really need to get into some competent shooters hands for a real world review as looking at the exit sign across the hall and spinning the turrets a few times can only tell you so much.
Leupold has hopefully fixed some of the woes of their Mark 6 3-18x44 with their new Mark 5HD 3.6-18x44; however, with it's 35mm tube it is a bit of an odd duck, but if the specs prove true they could finally have a winner with this one.
EOTech is brand new to high magnification optics having introduced their Vudu series last year, but none of those came close to being "short" so the announcement of their super short 5-25x50 comes as a huge surprise and with the lowest MSRP of the bunch could be a game changer if they got the optics and mechanics right. No specs have been provided as yet so looking forward to that, but a facebook post apparently by an EOTech rep said the weight of this scope will be only 29.5oz. It was rumored last year that the EOTech Vudu line were made by LOW in Japan and if that is the case for the new 5-25x50 then this may become the bargain of the century.
Kahles is a very well known brand in the long range community; however, their 4x erectors have been a limiting factor and offering only a 3-12 and 6-24 has had its own limitations, but the recently announced K318i 3.5-18x50 being an ultra short design will definitely turn some heads especially if the price is right, I really wished this scope would have been 3.5-18x56 to supplant the Hensoldt 4-16x56 as the short design low light king.
The final entry is a brand new company called ZCO (Zero Compromise Optic) but has Jeff Huber involved (Nightforce and Kahles) which is a big name to have for a brand new optics company so I have high hopes for their two new offerings but am most excited about their ZC420 4-20x50 design which is an ultra short design. A quick read on their website shows that a lot of R&D went into their scopes and very little compromise was made. This could also mean that their prices will be in the stratosphere similar to Tangent Theta, but here's to hoping they are not. The one detriment to their designs is utilizing a 36mm tube, but if their optics prove to be second to none I think a lot will overlook this.
Even though Sig has been out for at least a year with their new ultra short designs I'll mention them here as well because I think a lot of folks don't know they have these designs; however, they are the heaviest scopes of the bunch which may deter some shooters as one of the benefits traditionally for the ultra short design was some weight savings.
Bushnell also introduced their updated DMR IIi 3.5-21x50 at the end of 2016, it represents the cheapest scope of the bunch and while its optics are an improvement over the old DMR it still struggles as is definitely a tier below the other scopes in this lineup.
While Schmidt & Bender did not invent the Ultra Short their own Ultra Short series basically represents the pinnacle of this design and is what all the other scopes will be measured by, of course, the price also reflects this being the most expensive of the bunch (pricing is TBD on the Kahles and ZCO). And while S&B has numerous reticle designs they haven't had any with .2 mil hash except for their H2CMR which some are not fond of. In 2018 two new reticles should appear in the US 3-20x50 scope with Schmidt's own LRR-Mil and FinnAccuracy's new MSR2 which will definitely be hot sellers. Schmidt is known for having excellent parallax and eyebox and the clarity and contrast of the image is one of the best in the industry. The 3-20x50 with MSR2 reticle may become one of my next scopes; however, I am going to wait for more info on pricing for the Kahles and ZCO before making that decision.
March may have been one of the first to market with their 3-24x42 but have not done much since. Offering their 3-24x52 was a definite plus as many felt the 42mm was limited in low light and had a pretty finicky eyebox. That being said, March has sat on the same reticle designs for a number of years now and only offering the FML-T1 as a new design but not thinning up the reticle has kept this scope from having a home on one of my rifles. A newer/thinner reticle design from them with .2 mil hash marks would definitely put them back on my list, in fact, it may still be my favorite Ultra Short design simply because I love lighter weight scopes and the fact that it goes out to 24x is another plus. Sure it has its issues being an 8x design, but the simple fact it is an 8x design at just over 24oz makes it one of my favorites.
Here is a full spec sheet for all the latest Ultra Short scopes available in 2018, keeping in mind that I am defining an "Ultra Short" design as a scope that has a minimum top magnification of 18x and the scope itself is under 14" in length:
I'm going to classify an "Ultra Short" scope as one being under 14" in length while offering 18x or higher magnification. Of newer scope designs I believe March was the first to market with their 3-24x42 which was followed by Bushnell DMR 3.5-21x50 and Leupold with their Mark 6 3-18x44 and then Schmidt & Bender entered the foray with their "Ultra Short" series which started with the 5-20 and a 3-20 quickly followed. I may have my order wrong but I think this is fairly accurate. Regardless, for the last several years these have been the only options. But over the past month or so something drastic has happened with the introduction of 4 brand new scope designs, two of which are coming from manufacturers who've never offered any scopes in this range:
- EOTech Super Short Vudu 5-25x50 (11.2" and 29.5oz according to Facebook info)
- Leupold Mark 5HD 3.6-18x44 (12.06" and 26oz)
- Kahles K318i 3.5-18x50 (12.32" and 32.59oz)
- ZCO ZC420 4-20x50 (12.8" and 34.8oz)
- Sig Tango 6 3-18x44 (37.6oz and 12.4")
- Sig Tango 6 4-24x50 (40oz and 13.6")
The big unknowns is how will all these scopes perform and while looking through them at SHOT will give an idea, they really need to get into some competent shooters hands for a real world review as looking at the exit sign across the hall and spinning the turrets a few times can only tell you so much.
Leupold has hopefully fixed some of the woes of their Mark 6 3-18x44 with their new Mark 5HD 3.6-18x44; however, with it's 35mm tube it is a bit of an odd duck, but if the specs prove true they could finally have a winner with this one.
EOTech is brand new to high magnification optics having introduced their Vudu series last year, but none of those came close to being "short" so the announcement of their super short 5-25x50 comes as a huge surprise and with the lowest MSRP of the bunch could be a game changer if they got the optics and mechanics right. No specs have been provided as yet so looking forward to that, but a facebook post apparently by an EOTech rep said the weight of this scope will be only 29.5oz. It was rumored last year that the EOTech Vudu line were made by LOW in Japan and if that is the case for the new 5-25x50 then this may become the bargain of the century.
Kahles is a very well known brand in the long range community; however, their 4x erectors have been a limiting factor and offering only a 3-12 and 6-24 has had its own limitations, but the recently announced K318i 3.5-18x50 being an ultra short design will definitely turn some heads especially if the price is right, I really wished this scope would have been 3.5-18x56 to supplant the Hensoldt 4-16x56 as the short design low light king.
The final entry is a brand new company called ZCO (Zero Compromise Optic) but has Jeff Huber involved (Nightforce and Kahles) which is a big name to have for a brand new optics company so I have high hopes for their two new offerings but am most excited about their ZC420 4-20x50 design which is an ultra short design. A quick read on their website shows that a lot of R&D went into their scopes and very little compromise was made. This could also mean that their prices will be in the stratosphere similar to Tangent Theta, but here's to hoping they are not. The one detriment to their designs is utilizing a 36mm tube, but if their optics prove to be second to none I think a lot will overlook this.
Even though Sig has been out for at least a year with their new ultra short designs I'll mention them here as well because I think a lot of folks don't know they have these designs; however, they are the heaviest scopes of the bunch which may deter some shooters as one of the benefits traditionally for the ultra short design was some weight savings.
Bushnell also introduced their updated DMR IIi 3.5-21x50 at the end of 2016, it represents the cheapest scope of the bunch and while its optics are an improvement over the old DMR it still struggles as is definitely a tier below the other scopes in this lineup.
While Schmidt & Bender did not invent the Ultra Short their own Ultra Short series basically represents the pinnacle of this design and is what all the other scopes will be measured by, of course, the price also reflects this being the most expensive of the bunch (pricing is TBD on the Kahles and ZCO). And while S&B has numerous reticle designs they haven't had any with .2 mil hash except for their H2CMR which some are not fond of. In 2018 two new reticles should appear in the US 3-20x50 scope with Schmidt's own LRR-Mil and FinnAccuracy's new MSR2 which will definitely be hot sellers. Schmidt is known for having excellent parallax and eyebox and the clarity and contrast of the image is one of the best in the industry. The 3-20x50 with MSR2 reticle may become one of my next scopes; however, I am going to wait for more info on pricing for the Kahles and ZCO before making that decision.
March may have been one of the first to market with their 3-24x42 but have not done much since. Offering their 3-24x52 was a definite plus as many felt the 42mm was limited in low light and had a pretty finicky eyebox. That being said, March has sat on the same reticle designs for a number of years now and only offering the FML-T1 as a new design but not thinning up the reticle has kept this scope from having a home on one of my rifles. A newer/thinner reticle design from them with .2 mil hash marks would definitely put them back on my list, in fact, it may still be my favorite Ultra Short design simply because I love lighter weight scopes and the fact that it goes out to 24x is another plus. Sure it has its issues being an 8x design, but the simple fact it is an 8x design at just over 24oz makes it one of my favorites.
Here is a full spec sheet for all the latest Ultra Short scopes available in 2018, keeping in mind that I am defining an "Ultra Short" design as a scope that has a minimum top magnification of 18x and the scope itself is under 14" in length:
