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Swarovski 1.7-10x42 Z6 Test Drive

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helo18 View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote helo18 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Topic: Swarovski 1.7-10x42 Z6 Test Drive
    Posted: March/07/2009 at 19:39
For the last month or so, I have had the opportunity to test the Swarovski 1.7-10x42 Z6 with the plex reticle.  I will try to do justice to this review.


Overview:  The optics on this scope are amazing.  It has great resolution and contrast.  Best I have seen yet.  I like the knobs.  The resetable feature is really nice.  Overall a great scope.  Two things I didn't care for.  First was the reticle.  Too thin for me.  The ocular seemed really big too.

Ok, now for specifics.

Lets start with the knobs and adjustments.  I did like the knobs.  Easy to sight in, and then return it to a zero from which you can make adjustment if wanted.



Took a little while to get used the to 1 cm clicks.  Had to do some conversions to figure out the total adjustments.  I counted 54 inches of adjustments.  Turns out that is what they advertise.

Reticle:

This is one area of complaint for me.  It is too thin in my opinion.  In low light it faded out to the point I couldn't see it well enough to make a shot.  For long range shooting in daylight, it would be great because it would not cover too much of the target.  There is a good selection of reticle choices, so I am sure I could find one I like.


Glass:

Amazing!!!  Very clear.  Even at night I could see through it, although I could not see the reticle.  This is the first scope I have looked through that was clear all the way to the edges.  It was clear all the way through the magnification range.  It was as clear as looking at an object 10 feet away as it was looking at targets a mile away.

I compared it with the scopes I have.  Burris Black Diamond, Burris XTR, Burris FFII (older USA version), and the Bushnell Elite 4200. 

Daylight tests:  I compared the scopes in the daylight.  In the brightest daylight, I was supprised to find out how well the BD and XTR compared with the Swaro.  Both of the Burris scopes lost a little clarity on the edges, but both seemed to have better depth of feild.  The Swaro had better feild of view.  I compared them all using some charts that Urimaginaryfrnd sent me (Thanks Wes!).  This showed that the Swaro definitely had better resolution and contrast than any of the other scopes.  Without those charts, it would have been hard to tell though.

Low light and night:  I would say this is where the Swaro really shined, except in one area.  As mentioned, the reticle was too thin.  I you had a 4a or illumination, it would be a great night hunting scope.  When I first got it, I took it out at 10:30 pm with the XTR to see how they would do.  It was overcast, patches of snow on the ground and a very small sliver of a moon. At 10x you could see through both scopes, but not the best.  At 5x the Swaro really started to pull ahead.  This is where the clearity, resolution, and contrast really stood out.  You could really pick out the targets, but how are you going to shoot when you can't see the reticle?  The XTR, you could make out the targets, but some of the farther out ones, where a bit blurry to me.  The advantage of the XTR was the thicker reticle, and illumination if you wanted it.  At the lowest end of the mag ranges on either scope, you had not trouble with the targerts.  The Swaro was brighter and clearer, but still no reticle.

Shooting:

First, I mounted the sope on my 45/70.  The scope was heavy enough that it made the gun a little top heavy.  I would prefer a smaller scope on this type of gun.


I took it out and ran 60 rounds through it.  I shot the Hornady 325 gr @ 2000 fps, and some 405 gr @ 1700 fps.  I wanted to see if the zero would hold.  I never saw a POI change throughout the testing on that gun.  After thoroughly abusing my shoulder, I moved the scope to a more enjoyable gun to shoot.  My AR-15

After I had it sighted in, I did a few box tests to check its tracking.  15u, 15r, 15d, 15l.  Then 10d, 10l, 10u, 10r.  Seemed to track fine.  The last shot didn't hit the middle of the target, which suprised me.  Every other shot had hit where it should have.  I am counting the last shot as shooter error.

This is a great scope.  Is it worth $1800?  The glass is by far the best I have ever looked at.  It is better than my other scopes optically.  It did not feel as rugged as my Burris scopes, but it survived everything I put it through.  Rattled around in my truck for a week.  Never lost its zero.  I guess I would not pay the $1000 over my BD for what I do with them.  If I take up night hunting, I might consider it, but even then, I would probably get a Kahles that is cheaper.  Plus I have heard the Kahles has glass that would compete.  Those are my thoughts.  Any questions?



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Dale Clifford View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Dale Clifford Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: March/08/2009 at 10:24
using your thumb and index finger can you wiggle the euro fast focus a little.??
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote lucytuma Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: March/08/2009 at 11:04
Good review, I feel the some way as you, I just can't justify more than $1,000.00 for any hunting scope on my budget.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote helo18 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: March/08/2009 at 13:14
Originally posted by Dale Clifford Dale Clifford wrote:

using your thumb and index finger can you wiggle the euro fast focus a little.??


Now that you bring it up, you could.  Surprised me a little since the rest of the scope was tight (the power ring and turrets).  The power ring was nice, but with how big the ocular seemed to me, the power ring added more height to it, which I didn't like, but wasn't a huge deal.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote helo18 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: March/08/2009 at 13:16
Originally posted by lucytuma lucytuma wrote:

Good review, I feel the some way as you, I just can't justify more than $1,000.00 for any hunting scope on my budget.


If I could afford it, or find a killer deal on a scope of that quality, I would buy it.  But like you, on my current budget, I have a hard time justifying it when a cheaper scope will do all of that as well.  I think my next scope will be a Kahles maybe since it is cheaper but still has excellent glass.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Roy Finn Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: March/08/2009 at 13:19
How did this scope compare to the 4200 as far as the optics were concerned.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote helo18 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: March/08/2009 at 13:39
The Elite 4200 did pretty good.  Better than the FFII.  To me it still is not what my Black Diamond is.  Resolution was as good as the BD, but I felt the BD had better contrast.  The 4200 did good at night with the lower powers, but lost standing at the higher powers.  The plex reticle on the 4200 was thich enough to stand out at night.  The Swaro was the clearest and brightes, followed by the BD, and closely by the 4200.  The FFII was a little behind the 4200 but not by much.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Roy Finn Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: March/08/2009 at 13:46
Thank you
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