Optics/Sights

Shadows lengthened across the North Idaho canyon, reaching tentative fingers into every sunlit opening. Bears were on the menu tonight, and I sat, back to a small tree, watching the slopes and timbered openings across a small canyon.

My affinity for scary black rifles began eons ago, back in 2003, as an honorary member of the Tarleton State High Power Rifle Team. From there, my interests morphed into local 3-gun competitions where I took my DCM rifle and changed out parts to make the gun more viable for match shooting—something of a Franken-gun, really, but it ran well, and it was a tack driver.

As 3 gun shooting becomes more and more popular, people are demanding more out of their guns. However, without the proper optic the shooter can only ask so much. The Atibal X is a 1-10 power optic that can do it all for shooters that appreciate a run-and-gun style while demanding performance both up close and personal as well as out to 5-600 yards or more, making this optic perfect for recreational shooters and law enforcement alike.

I got started in precision rifle shooting when it was common logic that if you paid less than $50 for scope rings you shouldn’t expect to get much out of them. Thankfully, modern machining processes have improved to the point where that’s becoming less and less the case.

Zero Compromise Optic is a relatively new company that is shooting (pun intended) for the top spot among their competition, and they have just the product to do it: the ZC527. This rifle scope is packed with features, including locking windage and elevation turrets, rotation indicators, a highly efficient and clutter free, first focal plane reticle, an illumination system with intelligent on/off programming, incredible glass quality and it is all assembled with the highest regard for low tolerance and precision.

The little 1-8x is a scope that really can get the job done.

As of late, there are so many options for red dot sights on the market. Some see this as a bad thing, but I really enjoy the huge selection that is available when shopping for an electronic sight. Crimson Trace adds to these options with their new line of electronic optics and I had the privilege to test out the CTS-1000.

Best known for its holographic sights, EOTECH jumped into the riflescope market a few years ago with the VUDU line of optics. Today, the VUDU line encompasses four models with first-focal plane (FFP) reticles and three models featuring second focal plane reticles. Magnification options from 1 to 6 all the way to 8 to 32. [...]

Maven’s new spotting scope with its compact size and lightweight, could prove to be an essential tool for the ounce-counting backcountry hunter or a valuable addition to a daypack.