Redfield 3-15x52

SIMMONS REINVENTS THE RIFLESCOPE
When ATK bought a suite of shooting-industry labels in a deal with Blount a few years ago, it got three optics companies: Weaver, Simmons and Redfield. But ATK's focus was and is munitions, as well as high-tech military weapons and NASA projects. ATK sold the optics lines to Meade, a California firm whose success at building and marketing astronomical telescopes had earned it international recognition. Meade CEO Steve Murdock told me early on that he was committed not only to keeping the sports optics lines but to improving them. His first riflescope project: the economical Simmons stable. An overhaul of Simmons, completed last fall, would prove to be a testing ground for technology later to appear in a revitalized Redfield line.

The Master Series Simmons has a lot to offer. The scopes are lighter, simpler and stronger than their predecessors. (At 10.5 ounces, the 3-9x40 is lighter than most competitive models.) There's up to 17 percent greater windage and elevation range, longer eye relief and a bigger "eye box" so you find targets quicker. I was treated with a 3-9x40 prototype of the Simmons Masters late last fall. Mounting the scope on a Winchester 70 in .270 WSM, built by Hill Country Rifles, I "shot around the square" 20 clicks at a time to check repeatability of adjustment. The final shots struck an inch to 4 o'clock of the first. Click values hewed close to the quarter-minute graduations specified. However, there was slight vertical shift in point of impact with windage adjustment and some horizontal shift with elevation changes.

This scope was a prototype, not a sample from a retail shelf. To get it in my hands quickly, the engineers released it before final tuning. "Windage and elevation dials have been refined," Simmons product manager Everett Jones assures me. He says the lens coatings were tweaked, too, though I was very pleased with the scope's optical performance. "We're installing a plex reticle with a finer middle wire and a cleaner step. Adjustment knobs are getting more surface for easier grip."

But innovation on Master Series sights is mostly where you can't see it. A slotted beryllium and copper ring fitted to the rear of the erector assembly holds the scope's internal lenses. The new biasing ring pre-loads the tube so it bears hard against the windage and elevation pegs, eliminating the need for biasing springs and solving several technical problems. Result: smoother, more predictable point-of-impact shift as you turn the dials and no drag from the customary forward springs.

Though the company lists eye relief as 3.75 inches, I found the actual "sweet spot" about four inches from the lens. There is a bigger eyebox. You can move your eye forward and back, even slightly off-axis, without instant blackout. That means faster aim and quicker second shots. Eye relief is often sacrificed for high magnification or a wider field. Somehow, engineers Mark Thomas and Forrest Babcock have delivered long eye relief without noticeable compromise. Another worthwhile feature of the Simmons Master is constant eye relief. It stays the same as you change power.

Simmons Master Series 3-9x40

The 3-9x40 Simmons Master lists for $150, much less than I'd expected. "Meade has succeeded in keeping sticker price low," says Sherry Kerr, whose public relations firm has long represented Simmons. "That's what hunters have come to look for in Simmons scopes. But here they'll get extraordinary quality for the dollar. This is truly a new scope, with improvements that will be implemented on other Simmons sights, including the Aetec." Only entry-level 8-Point scopes remain essentially unchanged. "They will be renamed Blazer," adds Sherry.

Steve Murdock emphasizes that Meade is already working on more improvements in riflescope design. At the 2005 SHOT Show, the company revealed a new Redfield scope, a notch up in price from the Simmons but with the same biasing ring. It will be available later in the year.

Unlike stablemates Redfield and Simmons, which have been overhauled by their new California owner, Meade Optical, Weaver shows little in the way of change. The sale of all three companies by ATK left many of us wondering if Weaver and Simmons would be sustained and if Redfield would be revived. Weaver's 2005 catalog again lists Grand Slam, T-Series and Classic scopes. To my delight, the K models remain as well. The only notable change has been the addition of ETX spotting scopes, 48x90 and 73x125. These look a lot like Meade telescopes. They're relatively short and are camera-adaptable. Magnification is right for long-range target shooting.

Weaver ETX 90 Spot

Want traditional lines? Weaver offers Classic 20x50 and 15-40x60 spotting scopes. With Meade's commitment to innovation, it wouldn't surprise me to see refinements in the Weaver line. Not that change is needed.

www.simmonsoptics.com