Headquartered in Prerov, Czech Republic, optics manufacturer Meopta is not as well known in the United States as it should be, given the quality of its optics. An excellent example of this is Meopta USA with their new Optika6 3-18×50 SFP rifle scope.
Built on a sturdy 30mm tube, the Optika6 3-18×50 is a second focal plane scope with capped Elevation and Windage controls. Those controls are calibrated for MOA adjustments of .25 MOA per click. A parallax control located on the left side of the scope tube adjusts from 10 yards to Infinity.
My Optika6 scope sported Meopta’s DichroTech BDC reticle with sub-tensions to adjust for bullet drop and windage. The reticle featured red horizontal bars to either side of the center reticle, and a red bottom vertical red bar, a setup that brought my eye right to the center of the scope.
I mounted my Optika6 onto a Nosler 21 bolt-action rifle I was also reviewing, the rifle chambered in 6.5 Creedmoor. At my outdoor range, I initially zeroed the rifle and Optika6 at 50 yards. The first shots were on paper but high and left by several inches. The Optika6’s elevation and windage controls click audibly, and I easily shifted the point of impact onto the bullseye.
I moved to a 100-yard lane and ran the Optika6/Nosler rig through three brands of 6.5 Creedmoor ammunition. Each change in ammunition required a slight shift in my 100-yard zero, easily made with several clicks of the appropriate controls.
The best groups I shot at 100 yards were with Sig Sauer Elite Hunter ammunition loaded with 130-grain controlled expansion bullets, including a three-shot, .425-inch triangle. I used the Sig ammunition a few days later when I returned to my range to “shoot the box,” a standard test to see that the controls actually function when significantly adjusted.
The controls adjusted very well during the test, though my own shooting was off considerably.
I shot the box at 100 yards, with the parallax set for that distance and my scope put on 18x-magnification. My first shot at my black bullseye (set off in the center of a blaze orange cross) was on the money and just below the bullseye.
But my next shot, which should’ve hit four inches to the right, given the 16 Right clicks I made to the Windage knob, actually hit five inches over. Me or the scope? I wasn’t sure. I gave the Optika6 16 clicks Up on the Elevation control, for a four-inch shift but my shot hit 3.5 inches high, not the full four inches. Closer, though.
I clicked the Windage to the Left eight clicks for a two-inch shift, but that shot hit at 2.8 inches, gave the Windage eight more clicks and I shot better with a shift of 1.8-inches or just .20-inches off the expected adjustment.
My last shot proved to me two things. First, I was not taking enough time with my shots, was impatient to get this done, and did not get solid enough rests. Second, Optika6’s adjustments were spot on.
Spot on, because my last adjustment was 16 clicks Down on the Elevation, which should have put me back to my original zero. I purposefully aimed this shot a guesstimated 1.5-inches or so to the Left of my original very first shot.
And that’s exactly where my last shot landed.
The Optika6 performed well in low-light the next evening, too, pulling in good shooting light during dusk and several minutes after dark.
Conclusion
The Optika6 3-18 will be a fine choice for the hunter who wants to go longer range and needs clear, sharp-edged images, but in close-up situations can spin the magnification all the way down to 3x.
Many people believe a 30x or higher magnification scope is required for long-range shooting and competitions. Yet, the veteran shooters I know running PRS matches usually don’t go over 20x. So, I think the Optika6 can also have competition applications.
The Meopta website doesn’t list suggested retail, but I found my Optika6 on several sales sites for $649.00. That surprised me. I just assumed it was a $900 to $1,000 scope, based on past scopes I have used and reviewed.
But under $700 for a rifle scope of this quality? That’s quite a fine price.
The Otika6 lineup is also available in other magnification ranges, in first focal plane models (at somewhat higher prices), as well as MIL Rad and specific caliber options for the reticles.
Specifications: Meopta Optika6 3-18x50mm SFP Rifle Scope (as tested)
Magnification: 3-18x
Main Tube Size: 30mm
Objective lens: 50mm
Exit Pupil Diameter: 9.5 to 2.8 mm
Eye relief: 3.94 in.
Field of view at 100 yds: 33.6-5.7
Field of View: 6.4 – 1.1 °
Focal Plane Position: Second
Daylight Transmission: 91%
Twilight Transmission: 88%
Adj per click: .25 MOA
Windage and elevation adjustment range at 100 yards: 94.3 in.
Parallax Correction: 10 yds to Infinity
Length: 14.62 in.
Weight: 30 oz.
Price: $649.00
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