Schmidt and Bender Illuminated Reticle

2506Shooter

Active Member
Hi,

i have a S&B 3-12x30 Klassik with illuminated reticle but I think that there may be a fault with the illumination.

The the illumination is only visible in the extremes of dawn and dusk, and only when turned up to max. 0-8 are pretty much invisible at any time. I have exchanged the battery for a new one, so it is not the issue.

Having used RDS such as Aimpoint previously I would have expected a much brighter reticle.

is the scope faulty or am I expecting too much?

Thank you in advance.
 
I guess it might be worth going to a local gun shop and asking to see on of their illuminated scopes to see how it compares? It would be handy if it were an S&B but I'd guess that most of the quality names will all produce something fairly similar in terms of illumination so probably any scope would give you a "ballpark" figure. If your S&B is significantly different then I'd guess you have a fault.
 
Hi,

i have a S&B 3-12x30 Klassik with illuminated reticle but I think that there may be a fault with the illumination.

The the illumination is only visible in the extremes of dawn and dusk, and only when turned up to max. 0-8 are pretty much invisible at any time. I have exchanged the battery for a new one, so it is not the issue.

Having used RDS such as Aimpoint previously I would have expected a much brighter reticle.

is the scope faulty or am I expecting too much?

Thank you in advance.
Mine is clearly visible during daylight from about 5/6 onwards and at dusk 2 is clearly visible.
Can check it tonight if you like.
dave
ps just checked (6.40am) and number 1 is visible.
 
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Thank you very much for the replies. It sounds like it's faulty but I'll try to find one in a shop to compare.

Does anyone know if it's the kind of thing that Schmidt and Bender would fix? I bought the scope second hand from a shop a couple of years ago.
 
Thank you very much for the replies. It sounds like it's faulty but I'll try to find one in a shop to compare.

Does anyone know if it's the kind of thing that Schmidt and Bender would fix? I bought the scope second hand from a shop a couple of years ago.

My buddy had schmidt and bender change a reticle in a second hand pm 2 that he bought, there was no problem from the company but he had to use a schmidt and bender dealer to return the scope through..
 
Was the dot visible in daylight before? The flashdot version fitted to the Zenith has both day and night settings. On my 10yr+ Zeiss with illuminated #44 ret. it is only visible dawn and dusk, not bright enough to see in daylight.
the new HT series now has the day and night visible dot #60 ret. I suspect that your model is not intended to have a visible dot during normal daylight hours.
 
Thanks for the advice. The ret has never been particularly visible since I bought it (no discernible change). Iris visible at the extremities of dusk and dawn, which I suppose is the point, but it has always seemed a bit too dim.

I will try to compare it in a shop, and if faulty then return it via a dealer.

Thank you you for all the help.
 
Unless its a flashdot model which is designed to be used in daylight then it sounds like it fine. For dawn, dusk or night the dot wants to be so dim that you can only just see it otherwise it will disrupt your aim picture. If the rheostat is just numbered than it is a dusk/dawn type of red dot. If there is also a moon and a sun seperated with a line then its a day and night flashdot. I belive that the day settings start at 7 although I dont have my scope to hand now.
 
What you say makes sense. I suppose that having used RDS previously I quite enjoyed the illuminated dot during the day time. However, what made me question the rheostat was that I couldn't zero against a black target during the daytime. I thought that the illum ret would overcome that.
 
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