Hi all,
I went to the NRA convention last weekend and wound up purchasing a Kahles K16i 1-6x from EuroOptic via Ken Pratt (SM1 reticule). Ken was a nice man and was very patient with me while I walked the floor and checked out a bunch of other scopes before I made my decision. I didn’t take any good quality pictures, as I only had my iPhone. However, I figured I could provide some comments from what I saw to those who are shopping around for a 1-6x style tactical scope.
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Vortex 1-6x24 Razor HD Gen II with a VMR-2 milrad reticule: A Vortex rep was at the EuroOptic booth, and Vortex had their own display. I really really liked this scope and came close to purchasing this over the Kahles. The Vortex is only 10.1" long, so it’s short, heavy and fat. It felt solid like a S&B short dot, and the weight did not really concern me. The red dot was nice and crisp, with no scatter inside of the tube. The reticule was also clear with well-defined markings in mils. I liked how the turrets could be turned by hand after the caps were removed, and they are also marked off like tactical turrets. The eyebox was large and the glass was fairly clear. Last, you can turn the illumination on or off between settings and it locks in place. The only reason I went with the Kahles was because I subjectively felt the glass was better enough to justify the price difference.
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Steiner Military M5Xi 1-5X24mm Rapid Dot Riflescope: The Steiner rep at the EuroOptic booth had a 5.56 version to look at. Steiner also had a display on the floor. The turrets were excellent as was the illumination control. The downsides are: 1. this scope is 11.6" long, 2. The reticule leaves much to be desired (as the windage markings are backwards) and 3. there was significant scatter of the red dot’s light inside the tube on daylight bright settings. I think this scope has great glass to look through with a decent eye box, but they need a different reticule. I was less than impressed with the illumination system and would definitely take the Vortex over one of these scopes for my purposes.
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Leupold Mark 6, 1-6x CMR reticule: Everything people said about this scope was true. It is well made and rugged. However, the illumination system scatters light inside the tube and you have to line up right behind the center of the reticule to see it clearly. The intensity of the illumination on 1x was either dim or very bright. I could not find a happy medium indoors at the convention hall. I felt the Vortex’s dot was far superior, as was the Kahles and VCOG’s over Leupold’s. They really need to figure out a way to provide for a nice clear dot or horseshoe on 1x, because their system does not do a good job as it is set up now. Otherwise, the glass was nice and clear and I like the way the CMR reticule’s elevation and windage compensation is set up, unlike Steiner’s. The reticule also includes a mil based scale for further ranging off to the side. Leupold’s website has a pdf file that explains this. Although the eyebox is smaller than its competitors, I think this scope is a good choice for those who will find themselves shooting out at a distance more with their rifle than needing a daylight bright illumination system for close range shooting. However, there are far better options out there to achieve the same thing.
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Trijicon VCOG 1-6x with a horseshoe reticule (red or green - I looked through both, along with the segmented circle reticule): So this is the scope that I waited for over the past year. This scope is the reason why I did not buy a S&B short dot or a Kahles 1-6x last summer. I wanted to wait and see what this scope would be like, as I loved my Accupoint. To start, the scope is very rugged in appearance and feels solid. The turrets are sealed from the elements, as is the AA battery housing. I think the nicest thing about this scope is that you don’t have to worry about leveling the tube in a set of rings. I like the fact that it mounts the same way as the ACOG does to an ACOG type mount. The glass itself is not that bad in terms of clarity and brightness. I would put it on the same level or just a micrometer below the Vortex Razor HD Gen II. However, it is not European level glass by no means. There are 6 illumination settings to choose from, and I found anything from 4-6 to be useful during daylight. Likewise, you can turn the illumination off, between the settings, which is a nice touch similar to the Vortex or S&B. I’m guessing setting 1 may be NVD compatible, but none of the reps could tell me for sure at the Trijicon display. Now for the reticules themselves: the segmented circle model tended to scatter light on settings 4-6. The scattering did not originate from the circle portion of the reticule, but from the crosshair in the center. So if I was buying this scope, I would buy the horseshoe reticule version over the segmented circle for that reason alone. The horseshoe, for whatever reason, shows up as a more clear and crisp reticule, without any sort of scatter inside the tube. On 6x power, you get the same bullet drop compensation grid as on the segmented circle model (minus the center cross hair). On 1x illumination, the horseshoe shows up real nice, almost like a dot. My only gripe about the scope was that the reticule is pre-set for a 7.62 175 grain SMK load and is not mil based. I guess you can learn the hold overs for your loads, but I would prefer a mil based grid of some sort. So why the Kahles over the VCOG? I really loved the glass more than the VCOG’s, the Kahles eyebox was much larger, the Kahles field of view on 1x was wider and because there was no price difference between the two at the show.
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Kahles K16i 1-6x with a SM1 reticule: The reticule was clear and crisp, even on the brightest illumination. It had zero scatter. The illumination is adjusted by a variable rheostat on the side of the scope, and while the knob does not lock in place, there is an autoshut off feature. Likewise, the rheostat does not adjust easily without placing a firm grip on the knob with two fingers. We’ll see if I can knock the knob around on my SCAR-17. The eyebox was huge and the FOV very wide. I guess the only downside to this scope is the lack of tactical turrets, but I really have no intent of using my SCAR-17 beyond 500-600 yards. It is a rare day where I can find a range that measures beyond 200 yards to begin with. I think this scope will work well for me at the 3-gun matches I attend and for hog hunting. My only concern is how well the scope will hold up to the SCAR’s recoil impulse. I purchased an ADM Delta mount for it, so hopefully it will work just as well as the Short Dot or Trijicon ACOG in terms of durability.
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Swarovski 1-6x24 Z6i gen 2 with ballistic reticule: Swarovski had a sort of fenced-in display designed to keep people away. Only one rep gave me the time of day when I walked in, despite the face I was very well dressed. Regardless, the Kahles beats this scope as I felt that the Kahles had a slightly larger eyebox and a much better adjustment mechanism for the illumination. I also don’t like the fact that the eyepiece is much more bulky on this unit, and the Kahles has a piece on the magnification dial that makes adjustments easier.
Other scopes of note:
Leupold Mark 8, 1-8x with the H-27D illuminated reticule: First, I’m just including this for comparison purposes. It is way out of my price range, but I can see why those with the funds have placed this scope on their Knight’s SR-25s and the like. The illumination system is better than the Mark 6, and it’s eyebox is not that bad. It has a smaller eyebox than say, a Vortex 1-6x or similar, but it’s acceptable, even with my eyes. Likewise, the 1.1x setting is pretty darn close to being 1x. What sets this scope apart from the others is the reticule on 8x power. This would be the perfect scope for a Knight’s ECC SR-25 for those 600-800 yard shots. The scope itself is built like a tank, and the turrets are well designed. I don’t think the clarity of the glass was as good as a Kahles or a S&B, but the feature set of this scope makes up for it.
Schmidt and Bender 1-8x24 scopes (close combat true 1x model vs. the 1.1-8x FFP model): So Mark Cromwell of Schmidt and Bender was there at the show, and he had 20+ scopes are the New England Custom Guns booth. It’s funny, because I had no clue that they were there until 4 hours after I purchased my Kahles. He was a very nice man, but seemed frustrated when I told him that these new S&B models were out of my reach price-wise ($3700+) and that I bought a Kahles. In a couple of years, I’ll try to make him feel better and buy one of his long range scopes. 
So the close combat (CC) model is the one I liked the most. It was a true 1x, with a 2nd focal plane reticule. I don’t remember if the dot is FFP or SFP, but this is the scope I would have purchased for my SCAR if I had the funds. The glass was superior to the Mark 8, and I found the eyebox to be generous. Everything else is rock solid S&B, from the turrets, NVD compatibility. Very high quality scope. I would definitely take this over a Mark 8. The other model is a 1.1-8x scope that has a first focal plane reticule for long distance use. Since I can’t find myself shooting in-between magnifications beyond 200 yards (less than 8x that is), I prefer the CC model. Regardless, I think I could have justified spending < $3k for one of these scopes, but not $3800.
S&B 1.5-8x26 (on a 34 mm tube): If you don’t need a 1x scope, this scope is a much better option on a .308 DMR type rifle than the long range version of the 1.1-8x24 scope S&B is offering. The light gathering ability is noticeably better, and it has all the same features as the other PM models (turrets, etc.). I was blown away by this scope, and I would have had little issues placing this on my SCAR, despite the lack of true 1x capability. The price was just at $3000-3100 as well, which makes it a little bit of a better buy than the other 1-8x models. However, since it is not a true 1x scope, why not just buy a 2.5-10x42 Nightforce then? Or, S&B has a new 1.5-8x42 Stratos scope that replaces the old 1.5-6x42 model. Why not that scope for even more light gathering ability? Regardless, maybe their 1-8x scopes should have been built on a 34 mm tube, but perhaps there were German military requirements for weight and size, etc.
Leica Magnus 1-6x: NOPE. Not at the show. Unfortunately, they are still fighting a lawsuit with Swarovski, so no plans to release the 1-6x model in the USA. The Leica reps had a nice display and were quite nice though.
So there you have it. Sorry for the long write up, but I figured that it might be of assistance to those interested in these high dollar scopes. I guess I will take some flak for picking the Kahles over the Vortex or VCOG, but I really felt it was the best value for the money. Now I just need more time to shoot and not work 80+ hours a week.
Take care!