Rifle Scopes New Weaver tactical 3-15x50

[jeffersonv]

Re: New Weaver tactical 3-15x50

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Fx1</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Im way more interested in this than the PST, the PST is meh. Weaver glass is some of the best and way above its price range.

Reviews of the PST so far have been around all of the bells and whistles added to it.

Give me high quality glass and image in a rugged design and ill take that over stuff i dont need anyday </div></div>

What bells and whistles are you referring to? Is there something on the PST that isn't on the Weaver that I'm not aware of? Besides the superior reticle? Does the Weaver have a zero stop? I don't see how that could be seen as a negative.

Actually, the Weaver has 2 colors for illumination, the PST only has one. I don't know if you would call that a bell or a whistle. AND the Weaver has the added bell/whistle of the pull-up/push-down turrets AND the zero set without the use of tools. The PST has just the boring plain jane really nice positive turrets. Maybe the Weaver has more bells and whistles than the PST now that I think about it! Meh!

BTW, when you say the PST is "meh" are you speaking from experience of actually using one? Or are you just getting emotionally invested in the Weaver and it makes you feel better knocking it's competitor?

Glass quality should be last in priority on a tacticle scope, but it sounds like you have other purposes in mind since the "bells and whistles" you refer to are mainly used for tactical shooting which it sounds like you don't need "anyday".

Some of us folks on here do actually use these "bells and whistles". Just so you know.

Do you have some information that the design of the Weaver is as rugged or more rugged than the PST? Do tell!

BTW, I think the Weaver Tactical looks like a nice option at this price range.

 

[wegner426]

Re: New Weaver tactical 3-15x50

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: TrapperSGD</div><div class="ubbcode-body"><div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: wegner426</div><div class="ubbcode-body">I stopped in Cabelas tonight.....they appear to be selling these also under their store brand "Blackhawk Tactical". Seemed like a decent scope for the feature set and price point. If you got the latest Cabelas coupon you may be able to get $50 off your $500 purchase to bring the price down further. </div></div>

From looking at the Cabela's scopes on the web it does not look like they are illuminated. Can anyone confirm this? </div></div>

The ones I saw were at the Cabela's in Kansas City.....you could call them and see if they can verify the illumination if you wanted to know. I gave the locking turrets a quick inspection and a quick look through the glass and that was it.

 

[BCP]

Re: New Weaver tactical 3-15x50

So have you taken it to the range yet? Tested it to see if it tracks, whether or not the reticle is canted?

 

[Flyingbullseye]

Re: New Weaver tactical 3-15x50

I can't as my rifle is with the smith for the next two weeks getting a new barrel, its going to be a loooong two weeks.

I'm dying to get this thing out and try it. Ggarrett1911 has his mounted, last I heard he was going to the range but not sure if anything came up.

I did however take the scope to a local city park and walk off give or take 700 yards. Its closed to vehicles at the moment so almost no one was there. It was nice to see it was clear and sharp at 700 as it is at 100. If it holds up as I imagine it should at $700-750 its a steal.

Flyingbullseye

 

[cooper_257]

Re: New Weaver tactical 3-15x50

are the Weaver's turrets zero stop?

 

[Nocalphoenix]

Re: New Weaver tactical 3-15x50

Flying or anyone else with the scope....do you lock down the turrets whenever it goes in the case or do you just leave them unlocked all the time? Would you feel comfortable hunting wiht the turrets unlocked? Guess Im just trying to see how quick they are to lock/unlock or if it is all unnecessary. Does the illumination on the parallex dial make the whole thing stick out to much?

 

[Flyingbullseye]

Re: New Weaver tactical 3-15x50

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Norcal Phoenix</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Flying or anyone else with the scope....do you lock down the turrets whenever it goes in the case or do you just leave them unlocked all the time? Would you feel comfortable hunting wiht the turrets unlocked? Guess Im just trying to see how quick they are to lock/unlock or if it is all unnecessary. Does the illumination on the parallex dial make the whole thing stick out to much? </div></div>

I usually have them locked, all you have to do is just lift them up to unlock them. Unlocked they won't move if you are hunting unless you are really trying to get them to move. Locked they won't move without pliers. The parallax/illumination knob sticks out as much as the windage knob. Both measure 1 inch. You'll love this scope.

Flyingbullseye

 

[Flyingbullseye]

Re: New Weaver tactical 3-15x50

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: cooper_257</div><div class="ubbcode-body">are the Weaver's turrets zero stop? </div></div>

No just lockable. Would have been nice. That's the only feature this things missing.

Flyingbullseye

 

[ggarrett1911]

Re: New Weaver tactical 3-15x50

Hey guys, I did get to the local range yesterday & was able to try out the scope at 100 & 200 yards. It passed the box test easily @ 100 yards & the reticle subtension was spot on at that distance with the bullet holes. I will be going to our "informal" 500 yard range again this coming Friday & will get to test the tracking out that far plus see if it shows any reticle cant tendencies. I just haven't gotten to try it at a far enough distance to really test this as of now. Plus maybe I can finally get some good pics through this thing at an appreciable distance.

I will second what Flyingbullseye said on the lockable turrets. I would have no hesitation hunting with them unlocked... I just think the locking feature is a bonus for transport in a soft case or drag bag. When I finished shooting & packed it up, I just put the elevation & windage back to my 100 yard zero & locked them down before I put it in my Galati case. It is a neat feature.

A zero stop would be nice as well. I haven't commited to it yet, but I may try to do a homemade one for mine just for the hell of it.

I did get to look through a Bushy 6-24 FFP briefly while at the range. It was not mounted so I can't say it was a true functional comparison. I will say that the glass in the Weaver was considerably brighter at the same magnification, & had a definite edge in clarity to my eyes. The Weaver's reticle is also a bit finer than the Bushnell. The turret feel, which is good, is very similar on both scopes. The Bushy's illumination is solely green & it gets brighter in finer increments than the Weaver, but the Weaver has red & green illum so I'd call that one a draw. I would not have an issue using the Bushy and this is no way a knock on that scope at all, just reporting what my eyes could see in the short time I had to check them out. It will be much better to compare the 2 when they are both mounted up & functioning side by side on their respective rifles.

As it stands now, I am totally impressed with this scope for the performance vs cost. I can't foresee any major problems with the scope as it is built quite well, but that will remain to be seen as time goes on & I can use it a lot more. I'll report back after the longer range session this Friday evening & let y'all know how she does.

Gregg

PS - as a side note to some earlier posts, the Blackhawk scopes are the base model Weaver with the plain mil-dot reticle & no illumination, & definitely not a bargain at the prices I saw on Cabelas website... $799 versus $669 for the identical Weaver (model #800362) on Midway's website. The enhanced mil reticle illuminated model #800363 that Flyingbullseye & myself have is $749 @ Midway but is out of stock at the moment. Then you can deduct $50 with the Hide discount code as well...

I also sent an e-mail to ATK/Weaver asking if they had any plans to release a 4-20 version of this scope with the EMDR reticle & illumination and they replied that it was "too early to tell about 2012 releases" so I guess the jury is still out on that. I know I'd be interested in one at this pricing point, as long as my 3-15 holds up as I expect it to.

 

[Nocalphoenix]

Re: New Weaver tactical 3-15x50

Thanks to both of you for the great review. How do you like the reticle being open in the middle. I was looking at my notes from matches and it seems like most of time Im holding for wind less than a mil and use my half mil hash a lot for that purpose. Is it a drawback to not have the half mil?

I know its splitting hairs but Im down to this and the PTS and trying to gather all the using intel I can get.

 

[ggarrett1911]

Re: New Weaver tactical 3-15x50

Norcal, I'm liking the open reticle. It's TINY, so much so that have to look for it to really notice it at all. This scope does have 1/2 mil hash marks, if you look at the pics I put further up the page here on 10x & 15x you can make them out. The 15x pic was a little blurry but you can see them against the DirectTV dish. It is a very fine reticle, which I personally like for precision & not covering up the target like some FFP scopes I've seen in the past.

Can't help you on this scope vs the PST, I was waiting on a 4-16 FFP PST before I saw this scope. Depending on my cash situation, I'd like to get the PST as well if for no other reason than to be able to directly compare the two.

 

[Duckdog]

Re: New Weaver tactical 3-15x50

Thanks for the review...

I may have missed it, but what kind of warranty comes with the Weaver?

Thanks

 

[ggarrett1911]

Re: New Weaver tactical 3-15x50

It has a "limited lifetime warranty", valid for lifetime of the scope as long as its owned by the original owner. Here's the link...

http://www.weaveroptics.com/general/warranty/

 

[Micah Hughes]

Re: New Weaver tactical 3-15x50

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: MitchinOR</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Can someone explain how the turrets work? Why the locking and unlocking? Can you just leave them unlocked? </div></div>
in the down position they are locked, they dont turn pull up and then you can make your adjusting. I love mine i got it through my work a while before i saw them on shelves. I am super impressed at this optic for the price and it just feels durable(time will show if it really is or not)

 

[jeffersonv]

Re: New Weaver tactical 3-15x50

I have the locking turrets on my Nitrex scope so I am familiar with the technology.

They don't take any time at all to use and the locking feature has to be a plus.

Pop it up and dial. Push down on the turret to lock (or not).

 

[gdsf2]

Re: New Weaver tactical 3-15x50

I had this scope but returned it. It looked well made and I liked the features but the glass on my copy just wasn't very clear. Maybe I had a bad copy?

 

[Flyingbullseye]

Re: New Weaver tactical 3-15x50

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: gdsf2</div><div class="ubbcode-body">I had this scope but returned it. It looked well made and I liked the features but the glass on my copy just wasn't very clear. Maybe I had a bad copy?
</div></div>

Probably was just a bad scope, all the scope companies sooner or later produce a bad one. Very doubtful you had this model, its only been out a week.

Flyingbullseye

 

[TAZ]

Re: New Weaver tactical 3-15x50

Am I smoking crack or does it look like the windage has turn indicators while the elevation does not... Or are you just below the first indicator?

 

[ggarrett1911]

Re: New Weaver tactical 3-15x50

Taz, it was below the first line on the elevation indicator.

 

[cerebell]

Re: New Weaver tactical 3-15x50

The Cabelas Blackhawk! (ATK/Weaver) is 4-20x50 with Mildot reticle and 1/10 mil adjustment. No illumination.

16.5 mil adjustment.
In my case, 10FCPHS and Rem700, to be able to zero at 100ys and reach 1000yd targets you need a 10MOA rail. With 0MOA rail maximum up adjustment will be 11.0 mils (110 clicks) and will not reach 1000yd where you need 11.6mil (116 clicks). With a 20MOA you can not set the 0 at 100yd because the adjustment was bottomed out.

Tested at 1000yd. 3 shots 3 hits.

Does not have zero-stop.

Great glass quality, great zoom tracking.
Outside rubber feel coating.
Price a little bit high compare with other vendors 899.00
No sunshade in the box, but available(~50.00 USD)in a slightly different shade of black.
No lens covers in the box but available (Obj #44 and Eyepiece #19)

 

[Flyingbullseye]

Re: New Weaver tactical 3-15x50

16.5 mil adjustment, that sucks. The weaver has 31.2 mils adjustment.

 

[cerebell]

Re: New Weaver tactical 3-15x50

Are you sure? Could you please double check?
The Blackhawk is a Weaver 800360 with 1/10 mil instead of 1/4 MOA
Weaver told me that their tactical scopes are around 60MOA.
31.2 mils are around 107MOA and in this case I will start thinking for a return...
Is your zero adjustment in the middle (~160 clicks from bottom out position)?

 

[Flyingbullseye]

Re: New Weaver tactical 3-15x50

Check the site yourself. #800363.
http://www.weaveroptics.com/optics/tactical/

Weaver says it has 100moa of elevation, I and ggarrett1911 both counted on each respective scopes 31.2 mils. Might want to think about a return.

Flyingbullseye

 

[cerebell]

Re: New Weaver tactical 3-15x50

You are right. Thank you!
The 5-20 is 55MOA but the 3-15 are 100MOA.

Now with the 10MOA rail from Ken Farrell I can reach 1000yd... but I'm close to the upper and lower limit. plus the scope and the rail got close to $1000

Hard one...

 

[LibertyOptics]

Re: New Weaver tactical 3-15x50

Hiders,

Update, my choice supplier can't get these because apparently the Weaver facility is OUT of these and the disaster in Japan will have a negative effect on delivery (not my words, just passing this along).

I was able to secure 5 units of these from another source, couldn't get the best price, but we will have them tomorrow for $799 delivered. Two have already been pre-sold. You guys know we never gouge prices but this is the best deal I can swing right now. I will fit BC caps to a scope to get the right sizes. This is the illuminated EMDR model...

Thanks,

Scott

 

[bricktop]

Re: New Weaver tactical 3-15x50

Out of curiosity, for those that own the scope, does it shine a beam out of the objective when the illumination is on? I know the Bushnell Elite Tactical did this.

 

[Flyingbullseye]

Re: New Weaver tactical 3-15x50

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: bricktop</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Out of curiosity, for those that own the scope, does it shine a beam out of the objective when the illumination is on? I know the Bushnell Elite Tactical did this. </div></div>

Not at all. Its currently not mounted as my rifle is getting a new barrel.

Disclaimer: Taking through the scope pictures is really hard, especially when natural light bleeds out most of the image in the camera screen.

10x. Max level red illum.

Green was too hard too pick up and through the camera you wouldn't see it. Its daylight visible but not as good as red, works better for low light situations. Soccer goal about 550 yards, chain link fence behind it 600.

Flyingbullseye

 

[PaulStafford]

Re: New Weaver tactical 3-15x50

boy do I feel lucky...picking mine up Friday from Scott. I hope the situation in Japan resolves quickly, but I think the power situation is not one to be fixed quickly.

 

[47D]

Re: New Weaver tactical 3-15x50

I jumped on the Weaver Tactical bandwagon, too. Scott says I should get it by Monday.

I had been debating several different optics for my first AR build (Noveske 18" upper), but settled on the Weaver Tactical. It seemed like the best combo of price, features, and availability.

 

[Rootshot]

Re: New Weaver tactical 3-15x50

Well, I got mine on order

I hate to be a gear whore who's chasing after the latest toys, but I just had a Horus scope crap out on me and this looked like a pretty nice replacement.

For what it's worth, I was very disappointed in my Horus Hawk scope. It was Japanese made (Hakko manufactured these) and I love the reticle. Glass was fine for my purposes and it seemed well constructed. It appears that a lens somewhere in front of the FFP reticle assembly fell out inside the scope and is now flopping around inside the scope. It was out of warranty (1 year warranty) and Horus did try to make it right by offering a $200 discount on a future scope.

Let me just say that the lifetime warranty to the original owner for the Weaver scope makes me feel a bit more comfortable.

--Rootshot

 

[Stickymatch]

Re: New Weaver tactical 3-15x50

Just picked one up from Scott as well based on the reviews in this thread and my thread on looking for a new scope. I hope the glass is better than that of my Super Sniper 10X that I currently have...based on the reviews and talking with Scott, I shouldn't be disappointed at all.

 

[jeffersonv]

Re: New Weaver tactical 3-15x50

I've had a SS 10x HD. I thought the glass was similar to the PST. Plenty good enough for precision rifle work.

I don't have a Weaver but I do have a Nitrex made by Weaver.
My Nitrex glass is easily a cut above.

If it's better glass you are after and if the Weaver glass is like the Nitrex I think you are in luck.

I hope the internals of the Weaver and the PST prove to be accurate and stout.

 

[problemchild]

Re: New Weaver tactical 3-15x50

Lots of chromatic aberation in those pictures. Same thing I noticed with NF scopes. SB does not have the CA issue when I compared side by side with NF.

 

[PaulStafford]

Re: New Weaver tactical 3-15x50

Measuring lateral and axial, primary and secondary CA is not an easy thing to do analytically. What methodology did you use?

 

[ggarrett1911]

Re: New Weaver tactical 3-15x50

Hey Paul, I see on another thread that you got to pick up your scope from Scott today! I'd like to hear your thoughts and impressions of it so far when you get a chance.

Scott, now that you've had the production model in hand, could you give us a little review on your initial findings on them? I'm curious to see what someone like yourself (who is in the optics business full time & has a lot more experience with these kinds of things) has to say about it as well. Anything in current scope offerings that you might directly compare it to?

 

[nfoley]

Re: New Weaver tactical 3-15x50

I had the Nitrex (Weaver) 3-15x 50 also and loved it. My brother ended up coaxing it out of me but the quality was excellent, especially considering the price.

 

[PaulStafford]

Re: New Weaver tactical 3-15x50

Hi ggarrett1911

Unfortunately, the rifle it is intended for is still under construction, so it is unmounted as of yet. I hope to have some good news soon on that front.

My initial impressions are good - I like the image quality, it's bright and clear in the center, and remains good out to the edges (I have no way of measuring that objectively, though). Perhaps Ilya will do a robust optics review!

I like the recticle. It is neither obtrusive at max, nor gone missing at min magnification. The very center is open. The dots themselves are also open-centered, and the 1/2 mil lines are interesting- they're actually small dots on either side of the reticle line. All that makes for an uncluttered image.

I detect no tunneling at low magnification. Eye relief is long, and not too sensitive.

Elevation and windage knob feel is positive. You can lock them if needed, but the detents seem positive enough that appears unnecessary. As you've read elsewhere, plenty of elevation travel (31 mils).

It has both red and green illumination (0-5 stages of brightness each), with the adjustment knob concentric with the parallax adjustment. The green illumination appears more usable.

Construction appears robust, but time will tell! It will live on a .300 wm, so I'll see firsthand if heavy recoil affects it over time. It has almost all of the features I wanted - mil/mil, FFP, illuminated reticle. There is no zero stop - that is the only feature that is missing IMHO. In my limited experience, for under $800, it seems like a <span style="text-decoration: underline">great </span>value.

FYI, OD on the objective is 2.36", and 2.59" with caps, to help you calculate required ring height. Speaking of caps, the eyepiece is Butler 18 eye (1.7"/43.2mm) and 44 obj (2.36"/59.9mm)

As soon as it is mounted on a rifle, I will post the normal practical tests.

 

[ggarrett1911]

Re: New Weaver tactical 3-15x50

Paul, glad you like it so far. I've been quite impressed by this scope in the short time I've had it. Definitely hard to beat for quality & features vs cost. As you said, it will be the test of time & usage that will ultimately tell the tale. Will be interesting to see how it fares on your 300WM, mine is riding on my 260 so recoil isn't really much of a factor LOL!

Gregg

 

[ssgtcarroll]

Re: New Weaver tactical 3-15x50

Does anybody have these in stock?

 

[Flyingbullseye]

Re: New Weaver tactical 3-15x50

I think Scott at LO might still have some in stock. You can also try swfa as well.

Flyingbullseye

 

[47D]

Re: New Weaver tactical 3-15x50

Try Scott. SWFA says they don't expect any until May.

 

[ggarrett1911]

Re: New Weaver tactical 3-15x50

47D, PM sent

 

[LibertyOptics]

Re: New Weaver tactical 3-15x50

Bump, it's been a long day, I will say my Bay Window review was between the Weaver and a NXS F1...spent about a half hour with both side by side...I'll finish this tomorrow

Scott

 

[ggarrett1911]

Re: New Weaver tactical 3-15x50

Scott, looking forward to seeing how the Weaver fares against the F1. Thanks for taking the time to do this little comparison & giving us your insight on this scope!

Perhaps sometime we could see a "mid-priced" FFP shootout between this Weaver, the Vortex PST, & the Bushnell Elite once they all become a little more available to the public?

 

[ccoker]

Re: New Weaver tactical 3-15x50

I should have one in in the next 2 weeks
On hand to test against:
4200 3-12 mil/mil/ffp
Mark4 4.5-14x50 mil/mil/ffp

Coming USO 3.2-17 and SB PMII 3-12x50

 

[ggarrett1911]

Re: New Weaver tactical 3-15x50

ccoker, that sounds like a good lineup to compare, let us know how they stack up.

 

[Flyingbullseye]

Re: New Weaver tactical 3-15x50

ccoker, sounds good. Too bad you can't throw in that comparison a SS 10X HD and the PST. Look forward to the review.

Flyingbullseye

 

[ccoker]

Re: New Weaver tactical 3-15x50

PST is on order
will check on the SS

 

[Hawk45]

Re: New Weaver tactical 3-15x50

It's all well and good to have clear optics, but even the best glass won't mean a thing if it can't track and repeat under use. That being said.. different strokes for different folks.

 

[slothlacrosse]

Re: New Weaver tactical 3-15x50

i compared the old 3-15x50 MIL/MOA model against my SIII, Mark 4, and SS 10x (non-HD).

i sold my SIII and Mark 4, bought the weaver tactical 4-20x50, and my SS 10x is on my 22 LR.

if the glass is as good/better on the new ones, i think you will all be very happy.

they track very well and the glass is very good for a sub-$1000 scope.

is it the best scope i've ever used? no, but for what little long range shooting i do, the weaver tactical line has served me very well.