Played musical optics this afternoon after loosely mounting the S3 where my new ATACR calls home.
Ran it side-by-side with a G3 Razor and the XTR Pro. FWIW I really appreciate getting the opportunity to test this scope out. I'm still contemplating getting rid of the XTR Pro, and the S3 is on my short list for two different rifles.
Today was a great day to test humidity and mirage. I will continue to run these together in low light, rain and fog (if any), and into the sun in the mornings/evenings. I've got this S3 for a little bit, so I should get plenty of time for most conditions.
Right off the bat, I'm impartial to the ZF-MRi reticle vs the SCR2. I definitely think that the SCR2 is going to be preferred by guys who shoot at little bullseyes more, while the ZF-MRi is probably going to be faster to acquire for the crowd that favors PRS etc... If you forced me to live with either, I wouldn't have a problem with that. I really like the EBR-7D for target shooting, and it us probably my current favorite reticle.
I've actually already recorded some videos on the turrets, parallax, and magnification adjustments. I even included the older U. S. made XTR III as mine doesn't suck near as much as someone else's. I'll eventually put all of them together and post a shitty video on it. For now, the guys who like it when you can hear them dial from 10 yards away - will like the G3 Razor the best. I'll also add that the Razor is the most tactile, and the parallax and magnification adjustments are the smoothest*. Basically tied in the parallax and magnification ring arena with the Razor is the S3. It is extremely smooth and nice. The elevation adjustment is very nice too, better than the XTR Pro. However, the tactile feel of the windage in the S3 is even with the Pro, and there is some noticeable play (I got it on video) in the windage knob of the S3 when you unlock it. The Pro had noticeable slop in the elevation - not sure if that has anything to do with the removable drums or not, but it also has the least positive detents...even worse than my XTR III. However the windage adjustments are even in their feel and sound with the S3.
The S3 has much easier parallax and magnification adjustment than the Pro for the samples I have on hand.
*** Here's where I randomly throw in that the included lens caps (at least I'm assuming) of the S3 blow the Pro (Butler Creek cheapies) out of the water. If these were added after the fact by the owner, I'll correct this part. They're better than the Vortex ones too.
The XTR Pro and III have locking diopters. I am a big fan of that. Doing stuff like putting a Triggercam on the back of your scope a lot will screw with your quick-adjust diopters. I'm also a big fan of yardage on the parallax...not because it is ever that accurate, but because it gives me an easier reference point to start fine tuning .
HIGH HEAT AND HUMIDITY
Focusing on cows at 150 yards, I really didn't see as much of a difference when switching back and forth between the S3 and Pro. I'll definitely give the contrast to the S3 though as there was certainly more definition in the colors, while the Pro had a slightly warmer look to it. I left all optics on 25x (the max of this S3). Unfortunately that means that the exit pupil disadvantage will go to the S3, but there really wasn't any discernable difference in the heat of the afternoon.
I started to try to make out bark patterns on a tree at 200 yards, and noticed that the parallax on this S3 is picky. There is definitely a smaller window where everything is in proper focus. As a matter of fact, when I did my crappy through the scope photos of that mossy trunk, I actually didn't have the S3 in focus well at all. I thought I was as good as I could get at the time. Here's where I prefer the XTR Pro over the S3.
The Razor G3 was actually a "clear" winner here. I was really surprised. It wasn't night and day...but it is absolutely noticeably clearer, and has equal contrast with the S3. I remember doing this same test with my Razor and buddy's S&B PMII 5-25, and how close they were. Vortex really did a good job on these (although stories of failures are seemingly higher than some other manufacturers).
My crappy cell phone camera doesn't do it justice, but it does reflect the differences my eye was seeing.
Razor G3
LRP S3
XTR Pro
If anything, maybe the above photos will at least show how well you will pick up the reticle in a complex background. The S3 wins here over everyone hands down.
It is way too early to tell, but I'm liking the S3 a lot. I should probably also mention that my Pro's elevation adjustment shit the bed on me and had to go back to Greeley for repairs. As such, my confidence isn't as high in it.
I'll also mention that I paid $1,400 for my Pro new, and an S3 will cost me $4-500 more...just like my Razor ran me $2,400. It is a $1K window, so I wouldn't expect equal performance.
So far, glass and most of the adjustments are in favor of the S3. However, the Pro is no slouch and has a few better features.
We'll see how I feel after some harsher condition testing.
-Richard
www.snipershide.com
