Swarovski PHSR Rail Scope

SWAROVSKI'S RAIL SCOPE
Rings mar a scope. They can't always be located where you'd prefer. They don't index the tube, so it's hard to ensure that the reticle is plumb. Rings can allow a scope to slip during recoil, and the inertia of heavy variables pulls mightily against them.

"Swarovski's SR rail scopes eliminate the problems caused by rings," says Jim Morey, president of Swarovski of North America. The toothed rail on new PH 1.25x24, PH 1-6x42 and PH 3-12x50 models does away with the ring/tube juncture that can fail during stiff recoil. With these scopes you'll have no ring scars and no internal damage from tight rings. The tubes are machined from bar stock, so the rail is integral and actually strengthens the tube while ensuring that it will never slip. The scope tube looks sleek without rings. European hunters have long recognized the advantages of rail-equipped scopes, many of which are imported to the U.S. without rails only in deference to the American market.

Until now there's been a dearth of rail mounts stateside. Those designed for European rifles cost a lot, and few are available to fit rifles popular with American shooters. So Swarovski has advanced the prospects of rail scopes hugely with its recent mount. It's a stout, simple, inexpensive device that's easy to install on a rail scope and clamps to any Picatinny- or Weaver-style base. It looks good, too. The front attachment mates with the rail teeth; the rear clamp is allowed to float so you can position it just where you want it. Another trend?

www.swarovskioptik.com

BEST TASCOS SURVIVE
Bushnell brought Tasco into its fold with the idea not of absorbing the line of popularly priced sporting optics, but of trimming it. "We wanted Tasco optics to complement the Bushnell line," says Chris Lalik, "so we started a selective culling." The 2005 catalog still has many entries. But they're well organized and tastefully displayed. According to Chris, "They represent the better side of Tasco. We think the current offerings deliver great value." He emphasizes that, though it gets less ink in the sporting press than do companies with carriage-class optics, Tasco products sell in huge volumes to U.S. hunters. Indeed, a Tasco 6X scope I got in a rifle trade years ago has become a workhorse on test rifles. This $50 scope gives me a sharp sight picture and holds zero under brutal recoil.

Tasco's line of riflescopes spans fixed and variable power, in magnifications from 1.5X to 40X. Red-dot sights include the ProPoint series with 30mm tubes and the Red Dot series with 38mm tubes. All are 1X (no magnification). Scopes for rimfire rifles include versions with one-inch and 3/4-inch tubes. There are four spotting scopes in the new, leaner Tasco line. For these and Tasco's several binocular series, the prices are still low. Bushnell is just making sure only the best of the company's optics make the catalog.

www.tascosales.com

TRIJICON ILLUMINATES WITHOUT BATTERIES
The company known for tritium-illuminated iron sights and scopes that use both tritium and fiber optic strands to brighten reticles has announced several new items for 2005. TR22 2.5-10x56 AccuPoint is a battery-free illuminated scope with a 30mm tube and a delta-shaped, tritium-lit reticle. Fiber optic assist is adjustable. Trijicon will also bring to civilian shooters its ACOG (Advanced Combat Optical Gunsight). Developed for military use, the compact, rail-mounted ACOG has been adopted by the USMC.

www.trijicon-inc.com

ZEISS' AFFORDABLE CONQUEST LINE
The news at Zeiss this year focuses on FL binoculars, brilliant glasses designed to compete with the Leica Ultravid and Swarovski EL series. Hunters owe themselves a look when they seek out Zeiss riflescopes.

Zeiss Conquest 40

The debut of affordable Zeiss Conquest riflescopes a few years ago marked the beginning of the German company's accelerated push for more U.S. market share. Now it offers 10 scopes, with the rear-plane reticles preferred in the U.S.

Conquests are selling briskly. But Zeiss hasn't abandoned the front-plane design, which, while it makes the reticle shrink and grow with power changes, guarantees against any shift in point of impact. POI shift can be minimized in second-plane scopes, but to guarantee no shift, a maker must put the reticle up front.

Another advantage is that front-plane reticles stay the same size relative to target images throughout the power range, so when estimating yardage, you needn't know the magnification.

Zeiss accommodates both European and American tastes in reticle types, too, with range-finding and illuminated versions. Zeiss currently offers the popular Conquest in 3-9X, 3.5-10X, 4.5-14X and 6.5-20X models, all with one-inch tubes. The firm also catalogs the 30mm Diavari VM/V series, costly sights so good that in my last survey of high-power scopes they beat all comers optically and mechanically.

www.zeiss.com