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Review: SWFA SS 3-15x42 at '13 Sniper Challenge

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jawbone View Drop Down
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    Posted: November/27/2013 at 08:53

This summer I competed in the 2013 Sniper Adventure Challenge organized by Competition Dynamics out of Denver, CO.  The event was held in the rugged high desert of New Mexico over the Fourth of July weekend.

I was shooting a custom-built AR-15 mounted with an SWFA SS 3-15x42 scope.  I had heard lots of good things about SWFA from the shooting community, but this was my first hands-on experience with one of their scopes.


Due to the rules of the match, bipods were now allowed for the carbine shooter.  Therefore my shooting position for the fist stage was sitting cross-legged with my rifle supported on my pack between my legs.  I scored a first round hit on an 8" target at 295 yards.  I hit 2 more targets at 415 yards with 2 shots each and one more at 375 yards.  Needless to say after that experience, I was impressed, and I trust my SWFA scope.

The folks at SWFA have produced a workhorse scope.  It performed flawlessly under pretty harsh conditions.   It survived both the rugged high-desert and being transported in my Eberlestock Gunslinger II pack (which is no easy task).


The scope came with SWFA's first focal plane Mil-Quad reticle.  Having the reticle situated on the first focal plane made it convenient to hold for wind regardless of the power setting.  After shooting with the scope I appreciate the thought processes that went into the design of the reticle.  The Mil-Quad made holding for wind very straightforward;  it was easy to keep track of where I was in relation to the world.  The image was bright, clear, and comparable to my teammate's Nightforce.

The dope on the SS scope was spot on.  The 0.10 mil clicks were crisp and solid.  It never felt like I was going to bump them off setting.  The turrets felt good in my hand and were easy to operate.  Setting zero on the scope was easy as well.  After getting dialed in, all I had to do was manipulate a couple of set screws.  The only thing I would've liked to have seen in regards to this was a zero stop.


Having a side parallax knob was very convenient, as was the gradated markings (6m to infinity).  It made it easy to set the distance in a tactical situation without having to mess around trying to "focus" on the fly.  The throw knob on the power adjustment was also really handy.  It's one of those seemingly minor details that I didn't even know I wanted, but once I had it, I didn't want to shoot without it.

Summing up, the SS 3-15x42 is an extremely rugged, easy-to-use scope.  The price tag is also icing on the cake.  I would not hesitate to take this scope into a real-world tactical situation.


Review by J. Russell
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote SVT_Tactical Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: November/27/2013 at 08:57
Excellent
"Most folks are about as happy as they make their minds up to be" - Abraham Lincoln
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote SVT_Tactical Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: November/27/2013 at 08:59
BTW - http://swfa.com/ContestEntry.aspx?contest=16
You might want to toss a photo into the contest of that 3-15Wink
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote billyburl2 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: November/27/2013 at 09:02
Great review! I have shot a match with it as well, but it was over here in Ashfork, Arizona. The match was from 200-1100 yards, and my 3-15 performed flawlessly. Cant say the same for the idiot reading the wind, but that is usually the problem when I go to a match...
If it is tourist season, why can't we shoot them?
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Bigdaddy0381 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: November/27/2013 at 09:13
Excellent well done. great looking rifle too!

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Sparky Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: November/27/2013 at 10:33
Nice review!
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote BeltFed Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: November/27/2013 at 11:30
Not only is it a good scope review, but the jerk behind the trigger was doing a good job tooWink
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote jonoMT Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: November/27/2013 at 13:31
Nice review. It is one of my favorite scopes...and comparable to several I've paid 2-3X as much to own.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Chris Farris Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: November/27/2013 at 13:42
That is awesome, please enter our Photo/Story contest.
 
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Gil P. Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: November/27/2013 at 19:22
Im impressed if the glass is comparable to nightforce since those cost 2-3x more. Has anyone noticed if the glass on the 3-15 models is better than the fixed power, non HD versions?
 
Good review by the way, loved the pictures.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote jawbone Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: November/27/2013 at 21:32
[QUOTE=BeltFed] Not only is it a good scope review, but the jerk behind the trigger was doing a good job tooWink[/QUOTE

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote jawbone Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: November/27/2013 at 21:38
Originally posted by Gil P. Gil P. wrote:

Im impressed if the glass is comparable to nightforce since those cost 2-3x more. Has anyone noticed if the glass on the 3-15 models is better than the fixed power, non HD versions?
 
Good review by the way, loved the pictures.


Thanks.  My match teammate was running a Nightforce 6-22 on his .260 AICS.  I was able to do a side-by-side comparison in the field.  It was indeed comparable.


Edited by Skylar McMahon - November/10/2014 at 10:43
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Gil P. Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: November/28/2013 at 12:21
Well, I think you've inspired me to sell off a couple of my scopes (conquest and SWFA 12x) in order to buy a 3-15.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Skylar McMahon Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: November/10/2014 at 10:44
Jawbone, thank you for sharing your findings. Excellent job!
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Kickboxer Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: November/10/2014 at 13:07
A year ago... but still good info.
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