Tract Toric 3-15x42 BDC Review
Sorry for not getting this out sooner but we had a few bad weekends of weather and I couldn't get out to shoot. Over the past few weeks I’ve made 3 range trips. The furthest distance was 200 yards for now. My other range is 700 yards but I need all the snow to be gone first. I have to say I’ve been extremely pleased with how my new rifle shoots and how well the Tract scope has performed.
The most important thing needed for testing a scope is a solid platform. The rifle I used was chambered in 223 Rem and it’s a tac driver. So far no matter what ammunition and loads I’ve tried this rifle eats it up with sub 1/2 MOA groups. Kampfeld Customs did some excellent work. I started with a trued Remington 700 action and PTG bolt. My parts list included: Brux barrel, HS stock, Calvin Elite trigger, Leupold one piece base, Burris Signature rings and a Holland recoil lug. Once I got the action back I bedded the stock and added some fancy paint. (pretty guns always shoot better) For the assembly process I degrease all my screws first. Blue loc tite and a torque wrench is a must as well. I like to eliminate all issues within the rifle so I know it’s one variable taken out of the equation.
My next step was load development. Since this rifle will be used for small game hunting and some field rifle competitions I wanted 2 loads. For hunting, 40 gr. Nosler ballistic tips and for target use, 52 SMK were utilizied. For brass the obvious choice was Lapua and powder I have a ton of Win 748. My concern is always accuracy over speed. I don't know if many of you guys have tried a Magneto Speed chrono but it’s a game changer. Fast setup and zero errors. I’m ready to take my Chrony out and put it out of it’s misery for good. I’m getting an average of 3175 fps with the 40 gr. heads and 2958 fps with the 52 gr. heads. Consistant loads with very low standard deviation are important once you get out to longer distances. The only way you’ll know is if you chromo your loads. (19 inch barrel used) I’ll use this later on for drop charts. You'll see in the pictures my groups ranged from 1/2”-1/4” at 100 yards. Even my 10 shot group was insanely small. Needless to say I love this rifle. The weather was in my favor, the days I went to the range the wind was almost non existant.
I’m not getting into comparing the glass in the scope to others. It’s too subjective and honestly the glass is so good there’s nothing to complain about. Even at 15x I can clearly see bullet holes at 200 yards in the white. All I’m going to say is the glass is extremely clear, very bright in low light conditions, and has very true colors. Aesthetically speaking I love the grey finish. It’s a nice break from the black scopes and I’m a huge fan of Cerakote Sniper Grey. Overall I was very impressed with the look and feel of the scope. Nice positive turrets, smooth parallax and power rings. I thought the way the turrets re-zero was a cool feature. No need for that annoying little allen key like most scopes. Just unscrew the top of the turret cap, remove the turret and line it back up with the correct mark. The parallax locks in place which is a nice feature as well. It has the perfect amount of tension so even if you don't lock it in place it’s not going to move.
Now for my testing. I conducted a series of box tests and tall tracking tests. The targets I used were from Bench to Box Precision. They allow you to run a scope up to 25 MOA. Once my zero was established I did a few box tests from 5 to 10 MOA. For the tall target tracking test I took one shot at each spot 5 MOA apart and ran the scope up to 25 MOA. This was repeated and every group had shots that touched. The tracking worked flawlessly. With a 100 yard zero the scope still has 47.5 MOA travel left. In all 3 trips I never had to re-adjust my initial zero. As far as a drop test, all I’m willing to do is drop the rifle butt on a ground from a little over a foot on the concrete. I did several of these after my zero and even between shots. No point of impact changes were noticed. Sorry, I care about my equipment too much to throw it. This isn't a $7000 sniper setup, take it for what it is. Sure my Nightforce scopes could probably handle a test like that but they cost 3-4x the amount of a Tract. Once I get to my other club I plan on testing on their ballistic program. I’m thinking this rifle will do pretty well out to 500 yards even with the light bullets.
Overall I’m very pleased with this scope. I believe it’s an excellent scope for hunting and target work. I really can’t complain about anything. If I have to say something maybe I wish it came with caps. But then again I understand they are keeping the cost down. I did a fair test and I hope guys are pleased. I’m sure somebody will bitch I didn't do this or that. It’s an honest test and Tract passed. What I might lack in writing and my keyboard skills I make up in shooting skills. I’m a full time firearms examiner and shoot everyday at work. Pretty much go out every weekend as well to either compete or shoot for fun. Over the past few years the optics market has changed drastically. Who would have thought 2 guys from Nikon would start a direct marketing company up selling scopes? Like any company they will have growing pains and startup might be a little slow. I suggest you give them a try for yourself. You have nothing to loose with their policy. Too many guys love to bash products they have never tried personally. I’m guilty of it myself at times. I’ve tested some scopes that I had no faith in due to the name brand and cost. I was really surprised how well they worked. This isn't Tract. Tract scopes are made to very high standards in the same factory several others high end scopes are made in. If you have some ways I could improve my testing let me know. Im always willing to learn I don't know it all.
Last edited by bhoges; 02/17/18 07:46 AM. Reason: photo issue
NRA LIfe Member, Colt, Sig, Springfield Armorer, NYBIN Certified, NYPD Firearms Examiner
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