Zeiss or Schmidt and Bender?

tiny_in_ireland

Well-Known Member
Hi gang! im changing the scope for my 6.5, i have a burris on it at the mo, but withthe dollar being low now i think il go for a more expensive model, which of the above is better? or are they both equally as good? im leaning more towards the zeiss....
 
Tiny, I have 2 s&b. 3-12/by50, and a 8*56. Both are fab. Have looked through various others and all seem about the same. All I can say is that the 8*56 quiete often gives me a later shot than some of my mates can take. But I believe that is the "56" bit!!!
 
Tiny, try and have a look through both, at this quality of glass there is not much in it, all down to personal taste. I am a big fan of and use S&B, but when I was after a scope for my 222, there were two to choose from both variable, one a S&B and one an IOR, would you believe I chose the IOR, just appealed to me more on the day.

John
 
Tiny,
I have the German S&B 6x42,fantastic optics and no complaints, never tried a Zeiss but i am sure they are equally good.
Sportsman have a new S&B scope in, it is 7x50, sounds good to me.
Cheers
Richard
 
Following on from this post about scopes (i need to get one soon for my 7x57). What is the consensus in illuminated reticles? Are they any good?
 
sp4rkman, I only have one IR, that IOR, I like it for late in the day when it is easy to lose the reticule against a dark background. I only got it last year but so far I like it.

John
 
cheers for the advice lads, im gonna put the burris on a 223 that im gonna get now in a few weeks, good scope but i could do with better ya know!
 
I get the feeling that the latest generation of Zeiss products, whilst still very good are not as good or as well made as they used to be. The american ones are made to a price. The old Zeiss 4x32, 6x42's etc were fantastic. Certainly my 7x42 BGAT binoculars are wonderful, but I wouldn't buy the latest generation of Zeiss bino's - I would go for Svarovski or Leica.

In terms of scope I would lean towards the Schmidt & Bender. In terms of reticle - I like the German No 4 style with heavy outer posts and fine central wires. I have one in my Meopta (again a very good brand) and even at last light still can position easily enough, when there is still enough light to positively identify what I am shooting at. The only reason that I bought the Meopta is that i have low mounts on the Heym and the Meopta was the only one that fitted and didn't touch the barrel etc. It came with a Zeiss 4x32 but for hill shooting wanted a 6 power - I stupidly sold the Zeiss as it was a brilliant scope and would have been very useful for woodland stalking.

Illuminated reticles I have used in the past. Would I buy a scope with one - don't know, but if it was one or the other I would rather spend the money on better optics, than illuminated reticle.

I suppose at the end of the day if you took a Khales, Svarovski, S&B, Doctor etc and scratched off the names you would have a hard job to tell between.
 
Zeiss is good but Schmidt has more to offer.
They are a smallish outfit where one can pick up the phone and the
girl at the desk knows what a scope is.
I've had several S&B's and came to a few conclusions.

1) The S&B glass has gotten much better in the last years. Quite a
difference. My newish 4-16x50 seemed much brighter at dusk than my
maybe 20 year old 8x56.
2) The flash-dot is absolutely fantastic, by far the best system.
The FD 7 reticule is so fine that it compensates the first focal plane
dissadvantage, and one still has a daytime red dot scope.
The normal No. 4 reticule is quite a lump at max mag.
3) S&B's are strong and reliable and good for rough terrain, but also
fairly heavy.

First choice for hunting and foxing rifle, 3-12x50 Zenith FD7
First choice for a very lightweight carry around rifle. Swaro 4-12x50 AV
with a plex reticule.

The most sensible choice would possibly be the fixed 7x50 as a stalking scope. No messing around, just concentrate on the shot. At the IWA I thought it was the brightest scope I have ever looked through, it can also be ordered with a normal illuminator.

edi
 
Hi ejg,
I've got a feeling that this is going to go on for ages. Personally i use 3 8x56 hungarian Smitts and a Docter 8x56 but ive had a couple of Zeiss 6x42 over the years. I chose the Smitts as they were such good value for money and ive been really happy with them i bought the Doctor coz it was cheap. I have had all my rifles side by side on the bonnet of the car alongside my mates CZ with a brand new Zeiss 8x56 and another mates old variable smitt it was a moonlit night and i was looking at the tiles on a barn roof, the Zeiss was a tiny bit better picture and the variable had a better reticule (slightly heavier) but pound for pound i was pleased with my Hungarians. I supose it comes down to whats important to you and what kind of shooting you do, if its customer service you want then it's Leopold every time. I dont think i've ever looked through a newish Swarovski so i couldn't say how they compare.
Just my opinion,
Ezzy.
 
Zeiss or S and B

Both excellent as are swarovski and some others, you pays your money and takes your choice, generally with optics you get what you pay for. as far as illuminated rets are concernedI have found, with one exception, money is better spent on better glass. The exception being, if you are doing a lot of lamping with a 22 for rabbits a centre illuminated dot is excellent for quick acquisition.
 
I have couple of Zeiss scopes a 2.5-10x50 on .308 and a 3-12x56 on .243
like them very much. I don't think there is a great deal of difference in quality between Zeiss , S&B ,and Swarovski. You pays your money and takes yer pick :D . I think some scopes suit some peoples eyes better than others, try looking through all, preferably at same time to compare.
Try them at dusk if you can ;)
regards FB
 
Tiny
Just to add another thing into the mix, seeing as u want to spend a bit ever thought of a us optics. I had a look through one about a week ago, the optics are brilliant on par with schmidt and swarovski. Built like the brick s@*t house, and you can tailor them to your requirements.
 
I nearly bought a Zeiss last summer. Went to the Midlands Game Fair and they had a very good stand and very good staff who were very informative and extremely knowledgeable.

I said that I had been eyeing up the conquest series in America because they were a very reasonable price with the exchange rate.

He told me that they were made to break into the American market but said they were no where near the quality of the European stuff. The scopes I looked through were fantastic and as mentioned earlier they have some very superior lens coatings. Personaly I thought the clarity was better than that of the Swarovski.

In the end I bought a Swarovski but all im saying is do not rule Ziess out. All these modern scopes are of a spectacular standard and really its just a case of finding the one that you like and get on well with. Much like buying a shotgun, a rifle or a horse for that matter!!!!

Good luck to you!!

Miles
 
alled12,

I must admit I am very much an S&B man myself. However the US Optics does interest me, as you stated you can tailor them to your requirements. What model is it you like?

Regards
 
Steyr
The model I had a look through was ST10. Its the fixed power model 10x44. It was very bright (better than swarovski, ziess) with an excellent reticule for target shooting which was what the guy who owned it was doing with his rifle. Personally at the moment I think they are extremely good value due to weakness of the dollar. However they do get excellent reviews and at the moment I believe you can get them quicker than a S & B pmii. Their are any number of models that I like. The SN3 T pal which is 5-25x56, SM3 t pal 3-17x56 and SN3 1.8-10x56. I like the fact that you can pick you reticule, the way its illuminated, tube diameter and just about anything else. For those of you who have not seen them follow this:
http://www.usoptics.com/
I would love to be able to buy one but unfortunately not at present.
Which S & B do you use at the moment steyr?
 
Steyr
Sorry forgot about this, if your interested I know where their is a us optics scope for sale at the moment?
Regards
Alled
 
Alled,

At the moment I am using a 2.5–10 x 56 Precision Hunter, and a 1.5-6 x 42. Both have standard target turrets, cracking scopes.

The us optics scope that I like is the SN3 T pal range, cracking bit of kit. Unfortunately, like you I am not able to consider one at present.

Regards
 
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