Hello there, shooters.
I wanted to stop by and relay some information to you about my experience with this fine piece of equipment.
First, a little background story if you don't mind. Ken, a member of these forums and representative for Khaybes LLC and Kahles optics, had noticed that I was a an ill equipped troop deployed to mountainous eastern Afghanistan, and did more for me than I could imagined...he mailed me a brand new Kahles K312 optic. I've told him this a few times but I think it's worth saying again, that was a greater gesture than any of my family or friends made for me. Crazy, right? Again, Ken, I can't thank you enough. He was also kind enough to add to that package the necessary mounts and rings for the picatinny setup on my M14, and then some. Thank you all, gentlemen.
Now, for the things you want to hear about.
As soon as you hold this beast in your hands you can tell that it's sturdy, well made. Taking it to the "range" on a day off mission, the process to zero was quick, learner's curve was painless. I was realizing how nice the glass was, the view extremely crisp and offered a nice and wide field of view. Adjustments at 1/8th MOA offered, very precise adjustments.
After the day at the range I was confident enough to take the optic out on mission. I think that's worth mentioning because any veteran here will tell you how important it is to not only constantly check you and your guys' gear to make sure it's properly maintained and operating properly, but that the user has CONFIDENCE in what they're using. An example would be taking a rifle with an ACOG that you haven't zero'd out on mission...you're not exactly going to be a confident shooter, especially at the great distances you can be engaged from in a place like Afghanistan.
On mission: the weight of the optic actually worked itself off immediately, as it also replaced my set of binos, which also saves room in my Go Bag, leaving more room for food, water, socks or warmer clothes, etc. Where I usually was in a typical scenario, was dropped off the main body to hump up a mountain and find a suitable place to provide overwatch from. Observing down from mountains into valleys, or up further in the mountains, or across ridgelines, or down into villages, the wide field of view the optic provided was very valuable, and the clarity of the glass made identifying objects, people, animals, etc that much easier. "Isn't that what all magnified glass is supposed to do?" Yes, but, an example would be the binos I was using previously that were of the same magnification. Once while on a mountain I noticed motion on the ridgeline across from me, but had to wait a significant amount of time for the object to walk closer before I could positively identify it, because the clarity of the glass was lacking. The fewer times that I was in a more urban environment, usually a perch or rooftop, again the wide field of view came in very handy when observing something as lively as a bazaar could be.
Hopefully this input has been helpful to people interested. The entire experience with Ken and Kahles has been great, I can't recommend them enough.
If there are any questions about specifics on the optic or how I used it in Afghanistan, feel free to ask and I will do my best to answer in between sleeping, eating, and drinking...I landed back at home stateside on Friday, but will be back at it soon enough.
Take care,
Nic
I wanted to stop by and relay some information to you about my experience with this fine piece of equipment.
First, a little background story if you don't mind. Ken, a member of these forums and representative for Khaybes LLC and Kahles optics, had noticed that I was a an ill equipped troop deployed to mountainous eastern Afghanistan, and did more for me than I could imagined...he mailed me a brand new Kahles K312 optic. I've told him this a few times but I think it's worth saying again, that was a greater gesture than any of my family or friends made for me. Crazy, right? Again, Ken, I can't thank you enough. He was also kind enough to add to that package the necessary mounts and rings for the picatinny setup on my M14, and then some. Thank you all, gentlemen.
Now, for the things you want to hear about.
As soon as you hold this beast in your hands you can tell that it's sturdy, well made. Taking it to the "range" on a day off mission, the process to zero was quick, learner's curve was painless. I was realizing how nice the glass was, the view extremely crisp and offered a nice and wide field of view. Adjustments at 1/8th MOA offered, very precise adjustments.
After the day at the range I was confident enough to take the optic out on mission. I think that's worth mentioning because any veteran here will tell you how important it is to not only constantly check you and your guys' gear to make sure it's properly maintained and operating properly, but that the user has CONFIDENCE in what they're using. An example would be taking a rifle with an ACOG that you haven't zero'd out on mission...you're not exactly going to be a confident shooter, especially at the great distances you can be engaged from in a place like Afghanistan.
On mission: the weight of the optic actually worked itself off immediately, as it also replaced my set of binos, which also saves room in my Go Bag, leaving more room for food, water, socks or warmer clothes, etc. Where I usually was in a typical scenario, was dropped off the main body to hump up a mountain and find a suitable place to provide overwatch from. Observing down from mountains into valleys, or up further in the mountains, or across ridgelines, or down into villages, the wide field of view the optic provided was very valuable, and the clarity of the glass made identifying objects, people, animals, etc that much easier. "Isn't that what all magnified glass is supposed to do?" Yes, but, an example would be the binos I was using previously that were of the same magnification. Once while on a mountain I noticed motion on the ridgeline across from me, but had to wait a significant amount of time for the object to walk closer before I could positively identify it, because the clarity of the glass was lacking. The fewer times that I was in a more urban environment, usually a perch or rooftop, again the wide field of view came in very handy when observing something as lively as a bazaar could be.
Hopefully this input has been helpful to people interested. The entire experience with Ken and Kahles has been great, I can't recommend them enough.
If there are any questions about specifics on the optic or how I used it in Afghanistan, feel free to ask and I will do my best to answer in between sleeping, eating, and drinking...I landed back at home stateside on Friday, but will be back at it soon enough.
Take care,
Nic
