Just came in Friday, along with my 1 week old DD rifle.
SWFA (Bobro) mount.
Nice. I know you probably haven’t had a chance to shoot it, but what is your initial impression of the scope? How forgiving is the eye box? How effective would you say it would be for CQB engagements?
I’ve heard some good things about this scope. I called SWFA and they mentioned that if you buy now, it will be a long time before the scope ships. Therefore, i’m seriously considering the SWFA 1-4 or the vortex 1-6 Razor HD.
My buddy just got one. Should be here today. If he likes it, I might grab one.
I have not had a chance to shoot it, but my initial impressions are very positive.
Well made, glass is clear and bright, reticle is very good…illumination is really good. Eye box was decent…I had to adjust the mount position a few times to where I was finally happy, but that’s not out of the ordinary with a scope this size IMO.
I had no problems at 1x with both eyes open acquiring targets 3-10 feet away.
I do some coyote and boar hunting, so the 6x really makes a difference there with longer range shots. I had a coyote out about 225 yards the other night and the extra 2x on the scope made it so much easier to get a crosshair on his chest. Unfortunately, I didn’t have the cope zeroed, or the gun fully setup, so I couldn’t try my new rig out.
This scope is awesome for the price. It certianly feels rugged and is full of well thought out ideas. The only downside is that the reticle is not quite daylight bright and the center dot can be hard to find against a black target in bright daylight. That aside I absolutely love the reticle design. The scope is definitely a viable option for CQB distances, at 1x the reticle feels like an eotech with a larger circle and with a proper cheeckweld it can be just as easy to pick up.
Now the only thing I have to figure out are the scope caps…not sure what size or brand to go with.
I just went with the butler creek caps offered by SWFA, they work fine.
I used one of these in a set of Warne mounts on my Ruger 77 African 9.3x62mm at the last safari rifle shoot. We had shots ranging from bad breath distance out to about 100 yards, including a ‘charging buffalo’ that had to be hit twice in the brain box to count as neutralized. The optic was very useful. At close range, I used the bottom post as a rough offset POA, and it worked great. Being able to quickly dial up to 6x made the longer shots easy as pie. I definitely had an unfair advantage over the guys running old double rifles with express iron sights.
I have a second SWFA 1-6x that I need to mount on my DDM4V5LW, but with the price of 5.56 ammo, I haven’t gotten around to doing so yet.
just got mine yesterday. got it mounted in the SWFA Bobro mount and it’s just perfect but it would do just as well in ADM Recon mount. no time to shoot with it yet but will do so at weekend.
initial impressions are optical quality and construction are excellent and somewhat above the price point - about what I would expect from SWFA SS. I had the 1-4 and it was just as nice but I wanted a little more on the top end. also, the reticle seems to be an elegant solution. this was the main reason I switched from the 1-4.
FFP is touted for the ability to range at all powers but IMO, is not needed for anything under 10 power. all my ranging is done at maximum magnification and 6 power does not really induce mirage or other magnification problems (like there might be with a 20x+ top end) so no need.
I intend to use this scope at either 1x or 6x so I see no benefit of having ranging capability at any other power. however, this scope uses the FFP to size the lighted cross and circle reticle to a useful size for close shooting on 1x, where the on 6x, the reticle enlarges so the circle completely disappears from view leaving only the MILRAD crosshair. perfect…
having the option of covered turrets or thread protectors is very nice. I may cap the windage adjustment and leave the elevation exposed but I’ll work that out. with a 6x top end, I’ll probably just cap them and use holdoffs for both. we’ll see…
it’s not a lightweight but it’s certainly not extreme and it is a direct result of the construction. I don’t think you’re going to get any scope of this quality to come in much lighter. at about 10.5" it’s a nice size too.
this scope may not be the holy grail of 1x- variable scopes, but I haven’t seen any I like better at this point. further testing will let me know if my initial impressions are correct…
Got mine out for the 1st time a few hours ago. Love the reticle and was hitting 2moa with some 193 and 855. Got it set in lt104 on my 18" spikes with lw50 1:8 barrel/ssa-e so it’s a pleasant combo to shoot.
I would take the same scope in sfp if $200 cheaper for ranging reasons mentioned above. However, since this was only $700, I figure it’s just a bonus feature to have the circle for up close. I was shooting my $450 Burris xtr14 next to it (on an stg58) and I think it was just as good except for extra magnification, turrets, and ffp.
Anyone else running the SWFA SS 1-6 with any impressions?
I’ve now run three safari rifle matches with my SWFA 1-6x on my 9.3x62mm bolt gun, and I’ve won all three matches. It’s like cheating against the poor guys with iron sights.
How is the eyebox?