Swaro Scopes - the devil's in the detail

Gully

Well-Known Member
I am seriously thinking of buying a new scope. I currently use a S&B 8x56 which is great for woodland stalking but recently I've been getting into reloading and I'm finding it hard to test loads accurately with it as the mag isn't enough to accurately hold on the bullseye at 100 yds. Its also not very good on the range. Swarovski Z6 have always impressed me and I'm also tempted by an illumunated reticule.

So, what do I go for?

Do I need 56mm objective lens for stalking or will 50mm be OK? The great allrounder seems to be the 2.5-15x56 but I can stretch this to 3-18 or 5-30 if I go for the 50mm.

Is the Ballistic Turret worth having? It sounds like I'd need to spend a lot of range time at different distances setting it up

Which reticule - 4A-I or BR-I. I imagine the 4AI is cleaner but the BR-I more useful, expecially if I don't get the ballistic turret. I don't see the BR-I mentioned very much in ads for these, is there a reason for this?

I'm looking for an allrounder really, don't have any inclination to buy a new rifle but I like shooting on ranges at times. Rifle is a Sako 85 in 6.5x55.

thanks
Nick
 
Hi Gully

The 50mm will be fine although both that and the 56 are surprisingly compact

I think the ideal compromise between them all is the 18x.Plenty of mag for the longer ranges if you ever need it but with the added bonus of the wide field of view in low mag.The 30x is a fine scope but a bit overkill on a purely stalking set up.You do tend to lose the fine crosshairs in last light so I think the illumi is a must if its low light

I'd definitely go for the 4Ai ret with the ballistic turrets which are a doddle to set up.Just feed your info into the online ballistic calculator and the program works out the correct settings for you which can easily be checked in the field afterwards.

The only problem with the BR ret is that its only relevant at a certain mag.I originally had the BR but swapped them for the turrets.
 
All species really. Its an allrounder. Most of the deer I stalk locally are muntjac, roe & fallow but I've just got back from the Arran week on Red Stags. The Schmidt is great for stalking, but for load development I need a bit more zoom. I want to buy one more scope that will cover as many bases as possible.
 
I would buy the 2.5x15x56 given those choices. 4ai would be my reticle of choice.
Where are you based? I know a guy who may be able to help.

ATb Steve
 
I'm in SW Herts. Why the 4AI? I'm interested to know why everyone goes for these very simple rets.
 
Gully. 5-30x50 with BR reticle is what I use. Set at ~7 for most stalking. Wound up for load development. BR reticle has allowed me to shoot targets out to 900 yds without impacting on the stalking zero. Regards JCS
 
I had a Swaro 8X56 with the 4A reticle and the bars are too obstructive on a 250 yard plus target which causes you to drop the rifle to see the target. I bought 2 TDS-4i scopes and never looked back... best reticle available on Swarovski scopes.
 
I have a Z6i 3-18x50 4Ai, turrets etc. Brilliant scope, too damn complicated for a deer rifle in my opinion.

I had it on the 260 and moved it to the 22/250, I actually nearly sold it, I still might. This is a serious piece of kit for long range and small targets. Why the 4Ai? You don't need busy reticules when you have a turret. If you need to elevate for long range, you dial it in.

Downside for me is that the focus for me is very critical, if you adjust the parallax for longer range, I need to refocus the reticule or the red dot is blurred slightly.

I now have a Z6 2-12x50 on the deer rifle, it has a TDS4a reticule. Much simpler to use and the sub bars are good to 400m or so which is double any reasonable range. I might put one of these on the 22/250 also.

You are trying to achieve what I think are two contradictory things. A scope on a deer rifle needs to be simple and robust. The long range fancy stuff is great under controlled conditions, but can be a hindrance in the field.
 
Hmm, thanks. Top priority is the stalking, but just want something extra for reaching out when load developing or mucking about (i.e. nothing in any way competitive) on the range.
Leaning towards the 4A-i ret with the Ballistic Turret. I doubt if I'd ever dial in a shot on deer, just hold over accordingly, but on the range the BT would be as useful as the extra lines in the scope. They don't seem to make this scope with the TD4A ret.
 
I have z6i 2.5x15x56 bt with 4ai on my 243 & 308 you will not need any other scope cracking piece of kit for all your needs Regards Steve
 
I recently bought a Z6 for my Sako 85 6.5x55, and went for the 3-18x50 BR. I prefer the slightly higher magnification and its finer clicks over the 2.5-15 version, but I use mine for targets and plinking as well as stalking.
The 4Ai / ballistic turret is probably the best (but most expensive) combination as the reticle is very fine allowing great precision, the red dot gives an aiming point in low light, and the ballistic turret will let you easily reach out to distant targets at the range.
 
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