Rifle Scopes New voice for Tract optics is here.

[bhoges]

Well guys you finally have someone to help field your Tract questions. My name is Brian and I'll be taking over for Trevor. I had a sit down with Jon recently and I decided to help with consulting. To start things off I'm not an optics guru. I'm just a guy who likes to shoot. My daytime job is a firearms examiner for a large department. My hobbies include Cerakote, Duracoat painting and pretty much anything that goes bang. I prefer rifle shooting but, I also shoot pistol and shotgun. As far as optics go I'm not the guy to tow a single party line. If your brand works I'm all for it. I do honest testing and if it doesn't I'll be the first to say so. Doug over at Cameraland knows me for a long time. I run everything from Nightforce, Swarovski, Zeiss, Athlon, Leupold, Steiner and even Vortex (Jon breaks my balls over it all the time). I will try to answer any questions you have and If I don't have the answer I'll get it for you. Lets try to keep things civil. These threads get out of control and guys expect too much at times. No optic is perfect but, I know Tract is an excellent brand and they are here to stay. I remember when Vortex started in the early 2000's. All I ask is you give Tract and I a fair shot. Thanks for your time.

 

[TonyTheTiger]

Alright, first question: why no tree type reticles?

 

[bhoges]

Being a new company with a small budget they tried to keep things simple and only a few models. Down the road Im sure more options will be available. Believe me Id love to see more options but I understand.

 

[TonyTheTiger]

?

 

[flyer]

I just got a Toric 30mm and so far I'm impressed although I haven't had a chance to really test the optical quality yet.

I liked the mechanicals so much that I decided to pre-order an $800 Bushnell LRHSi 4.5-18x44 from GAP so that I can have similar ergonomics and feature set on a "trainer" rifle (mostly just cheaper to shoot).

It has been said that the Toric 30mm is based on the same mechanical package as the LRHS so is there anything you can say about what the trade-offs were going with a 5x zoom range and a bigger objective? Is there anything you can say about the difference in glass quality?

 

[Tyler Kemp]

They sent me one to print up some levers for, and I thought the glass was awesome for the price, the turrets definitely weren't big tactical knobs by any means, but they were crisp and felt good. That's all the info I have, didn't mount it up and shoot or anything. General feel was good though.

 

[Baron85]

What is the reticle thickness at the center on the 4-20?

 

[Glassaholic]

Thank you Brian, the Hide community sure appreciates having some of its own as rep's for manufacture's who can field some questions without having to email and wait indefinitely for responses from the manufacturer.

I'd like to ask this - what is the pedigree of Tract? Meaning do they have any history in the optics industry (I thought I read in another thread about roots with Nikon?) or are they brand new to the game?

 

[gr8fuldoug]

I'd like to ask this - what is the pedigree of Tract? Meaning do they have any history in the optics industry (I thought I read in another thread about roots with Nikon?) or are they brand new to the game?

Yes, Ex-Nikon from a long time at Nikon.

 

[Glassaholic]

Just got off the phone with Jon LaCorte and what a great conversation and a great guy for the sport - knowledgeable, friendly and forward thinking. The founders of Tract do in fact come from Nikon's sport optics division and saw an opportunity to provide a high quality optic at a better price to the consumer. I like where they've come from and I like where they're going. I agree with others that their reticle offerings are not that compelling, but they are listening and I think we'll see some better options for the Christmas tree crowd in the future. But to be honest, for anyone willing to spend $1800 or so for a Leupold Mark 5HD 3.6-18x44 with TMR reticle, why not consider a Toric 4-20x50 for $700 less with essentially the same reticle, true the Toric is 8oz heavier than the Mark 5 and I think that is where most will make their decision, but I'm looking forward to getting my hands on a Toric and see how it compares to other scopes in this price class, and based on my conversation with Jon I expect it to outclass some more expensive scopes in regard to optical quality.

 

[bhoges]

I met Jon a few years back at a Nikon Spot On shoot. Subsequently I was invited back 4 more times. Jon is a stand up guy and has been in the industry a long time.

 

[flyer]

I don't have a lot to compare it to but my MRAD scope has pretty fine lines in the reticle.

I'm used to cheaper scopes with heavier lines so I'll have to get used to it.

 

[SageRatSafaris]

From Tract website:
>Like all TORIC scopes, the 30mm is designed and engineered here in the U.S., and built in Japan by the leading optical manufacturer in the world known for its precision components and highest tolerances.

Highest tolerances? I'm not an engineer, but I'd assume low tolerances are more precise than high tolerances, right?

 

[bhoges]

If the reticle lines are too heavy they will obstruct the target at higher power level in FFP.

 

[flyer]

I don't know how small a target or how far away it would need to be obstructed by the reticle but it would have to be small and far away.

Magnification shouldn't matter, the reticle maintains the same angular width because it's FFP.