Well, I got my March 3-24x42 FFP Illuminated scope yesterday and have been playing with it. As mentioned in my other posts on the subject, the rifle that this scope is going on is currently being built and I am going to send the scope on to APA in the next few days.
Some initial thoughts. The scope is SMALL. The scope is INCREDIBLY clear. I really like the wide, low-profile knobs which have very crisp, audible clicks that are firm enough I'm not worried about them getting bumped off but also aren't a pain to twist. The lines line up perfectly with the index line on the scope body every time. The build quality looks excellent. The illumination is pushbutton and with the bright illumination module ranges from dim enough to use at night on bright nights to bright enough to show up against dark backgrounds on a sunny day. It does wash out against bright objects or the sky, but the reticle is pretty bold so that isn't a problem. The reticle is VERY similar to the IOR MP-8 A5 found on the 3.5-18x50, except even mills are numbered, the wide bars outside the main reticle area are tapered and the main reticle extends 4 mils up and to the sides, is interrupted for 1 mil, then has 1 mil of very fine .2 mil hashes for ranging or measuring. The reticle is usable even down to the .5 mil hashes on 3x (although on 3x you have to slow down and look a bit to use the .5 mil hashes - it's easier at 5x and above). I think they struck a perfect balance on the reticle for an FFP scope with this wide a magnification range. The mag ring has a little lever on it to help it turn and the 3x-24x range is accomplished in a little less than a half turn of the ring. The objective does not turn. The objective does turn to adjust diopter and has a locking ring.
Note that in the photos, the erector housing is resting on one of the lens covers, it doesn't have a huge growth on the bottom.
Logo on the side of objective bell:
Reticle pics next. The 24x pic is pretty dark because I had to underexpose a lot to keep glare from around the scope from washing out the photo. The scope is bright and clear and illumination visible on 24x. The 12x photo is closest to the actual illumination quality on the highest setting. The background and reticle are clear across the entire field of view, the blurriness at the edges is entirely due to my photography. All photos are of plants and a wood picket fence approx. 10-15 yards away in my back yard.
3x (reticle taper is accurate despite photo fuzziness):
12x:
24x (note the interruption from 4 mils to 5 mils on the sides and top of the reticle and the fine .2 mil hashes from 5 mils to 6 mils. Also note that as mentioned above the photo is dark because I had to purposely underexpose the photo to keep light outside the scope from washing out the photo - I need some kind of shroud or something):
Some initial thoughts. The scope is SMALL. The scope is INCREDIBLY clear. I really like the wide, low-profile knobs which have very crisp, audible clicks that are firm enough I'm not worried about them getting bumped off but also aren't a pain to twist. The lines line up perfectly with the index line on the scope body every time. The build quality looks excellent. The illumination is pushbutton and with the bright illumination module ranges from dim enough to use at night on bright nights to bright enough to show up against dark backgrounds on a sunny day. It does wash out against bright objects or the sky, but the reticle is pretty bold so that isn't a problem. The reticle is VERY similar to the IOR MP-8 A5 found on the 3.5-18x50, except even mills are numbered, the wide bars outside the main reticle area are tapered and the main reticle extends 4 mils up and to the sides, is interrupted for 1 mil, then has 1 mil of very fine .2 mil hashes for ranging or measuring. The reticle is usable even down to the .5 mil hashes on 3x (although on 3x you have to slow down and look a bit to use the .5 mil hashes - it's easier at 5x and above). I think they struck a perfect balance on the reticle for an FFP scope with this wide a magnification range. The mag ring has a little lever on it to help it turn and the 3x-24x range is accomplished in a little less than a half turn of the ring. The objective does not turn. The objective does turn to adjust diopter and has a locking ring.
Note that in the photos, the erector housing is resting on one of the lens covers, it doesn't have a huge growth on the bottom.
Logo on the side of objective bell:
Reticle pics next. The 24x pic is pretty dark because I had to underexpose a lot to keep glare from around the scope from washing out the photo. The scope is bright and clear and illumination visible on 24x. The 12x photo is closest to the actual illumination quality on the highest setting. The background and reticle are clear across the entire field of view, the blurriness at the edges is entirely due to my photography. All photos are of plants and a wood picket fence approx. 10-15 yards away in my back yard.
3x (reticle taper is accurate despite photo fuzziness):
12x:
24x (note the interruption from 4 mils to 5 mils on the sides and top of the reticle and the fine .2 mil hashes from 5 mils to 6 mils. Also note that as mentioned above the photo is dark because I had to purposely underexpose the photo to keep light outside the scope from washing out the photo - I need some kind of shroud or something):
