Leupold's 2005 catalog lists a new VX-1 2-7x28 Rimfire scope with fine Duplex reticle and short-range parallax setting, friction dials and the multicoating once used on Vari-X II lenses. There's a VX-II 9x33 EFR for rimfires, too. Choose the FX-I 4x28 if you'd rather scope that .22 with a fixed-power sight.
Handgunners can now buy a 2.5-8x32 Leupold VX-III. A feathery six ounces, it has 18 inches of eye relief, finger-click adjustments and the index-matched optical coatings.
The company's Mark 4 scopes, designed for tactical use and law enforcement, include a couple of new 1.5-5x20 variables. The one-inch "Precision" scope weighs less than 10 ounces. The 30mm Mid Range/Tactical scales 15. It offers a new reticle, designed to permit fine aim at long range but with the speed of a Circle Dot. Another new Mark 4 listing is the 3.5-10x40 Long Range/Tactical. Choose tall target knobs and quarter-minute clicks or more compact M3 (bullet-drop-compensating) dials, whose one-minute elevation clicks allow quicker sight adjustment to extreme range. A front-plane reticle stays the same size relative to the target, no matter the magnification. All Mark 4 scopes have Leupold's best lens coatings.
Accouterments from Beaverton include lenses you can spin onto the objective bells of late-model Leupold scopes to enhance specific colors. "The idea is to improve the target image you expect to find, on the range or in the field," says the firm's Pat Mundy. "There's a lens to bring warm colors out of foliage so you can better spot a partially hidden deer. Other lenses act like tinted shooting glasses to reduce glare or brighten the sight picture." Available for most VX scopes (except some early VX IIs), these lenses come in diameters of 20 to 50mm. "If your scope isn't threaded for lenses, we'll thread it at half price," adds Pat.
NIKON'S BUCKMARKS GET BETTER
Nikon's Monarch riflescopes are among the best values out there, in my view. They're as bright as any, but they cost less than many. A best-quality sight shouldn't require a second mortgage. Nikon must agree that there's little to improve in this line because it hasn't changed any of these models for 2005. But the second-tier Buckmasters have a new look, with rounded objective housings and a quick-focus eyepiece. AO models have been stripped of the up-front sleeve and given a more convenient turret-mounted dial. In a fit of altruism, Nikon left the prices essentially the same as last year.
Nikon BM 4.5-14x40
There's a lot of news at the company's binocular bench, where top-ranked LX roof-prism glasses have been renamed LXLs. They're lighter in weight this year and feature lead-free, arsenic-free glass. A stickier rubber jacket makes them easier to grip in rain or when your hands are cold. More binocular news is at www.nikonsportoptics.com. Nikon's 440 and 600 laser rangefinders, joined last year by an 800 model, now have a 1200 stablemate. In black the 1200 sells for about $430. The Realtree version is $20 higher.
SCHMIDT & BENDER: WHAT'S TO IMPROVE?
Schmidt & Bender hasn't jammed its 2005 catalog with new scope announcements. In fact, you'll find a dearth of news in the clean but elegant pages, the razor-sharp photos. What you get in a Schmidt & Bender catalog reflects, in large part, what you get with the company's scopes. The premier Zenith line is represented by 30mm variables in power ranges 1.1-4x24, 1.5-6x42, 2.5-6x56 and 3-12x50. They not only feature resettable windage and elevation dials, the dial faces show where in the range of adjustment you are. You won't run out of inches without warning. You can also use the mount to center the optical axis in the physical axis of the scope. An auxiliary ring under the dial face allows you to record several zeros. FlashDot illuminated reticles are available on Zenith sights. Unlike most lighted reticles, FlashDot will vanish if you want to use the black reticle instead. In dark cover, turn on the dot, and adjust brightness to suit conditions. A beam splitter puts the dot always in the exact center of the field. Forgot to turn it off? There's an automatic switch that kills the dot after six hours to save the battery. You'll find an extra battery under the windage cap. Incidentally, S&B also offers traditional illuminated reticles in the Classic-series 2.5-10x56, 3-12x50 and 3-12x42 and in the fixed 8x56. The 4-16x50, 6x42 and 10x42 come with a broad choice of standard reticles. The firm offers a retrofitting service, too, so shooters using standard reticles can get the illuminated feature on selected S&B scopes they already own.
SIGHTRON ADDS SIDE FOCUS
Alan Orr tells me that Sightron is announcing three "SS" scopes with side-mounted parallax dials. "The 3.5-10x44, 4.5-14x44 and 6.5-20x50; Plex, Dot and Mil-Dot reticles are cataloged for the high-power models," he says. "The 3.5-10X comes with Plex or Mil-Dot." SS scopes are fully multicoated and waterproof and are shipped with sunshades and dustcovers. A new 30mm S III-series 6-24x50 features greater adjustment latitude than do most one-inch scopes of similar power. Select plex, dot or Mil-Dot reticle.
For whitetail and turkey hunters, Sightron has a new 2.5x32SG scope with more than four inches of eye relief. True to its efforts to bring useful products to shooters at reasonable prices, Sightron is also cataloging a hunting-size spotting scope. It comes with 25X and 20-60X eyepieces, plus a Cordura soft case zippered to allow quick access to the ends. The S II WP2060x63 scope is waterproof and camera-adaptable. It is fully multicoated.
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