svt tactical
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Optisan Riflescopes Mamba 1-4 AR
Well I recently picked one of these up for review . It was interesting to say the least especially the combo package that comes with a SWFA SSALT mount and retails at $150. That essentially makes the scope a $100 Japan made 1-4.... to me worth the risk of trying it out.
It arrived well packaged and from the first glance it looked great. The glass was exceptionally clear and reticle nice and crisp. I had planned before seeing it putting it on my 450 bushmaster. After all I dont' shoot it near as much as any other gun simply because of the cost factor of the shells and I don't have reloading dies for it yet. That meant pulling the SWFA SS 1-4x24 off it and had all intentions of putting it on my 17HMR "trainer". Well i decided that the glass was clear enough that the Mamba would go on there instead at least for the time being.
I mounted the scope on the 17HMR in Burris Zee 30mm Rings on the weaver mounts that the gun came with. They have proven to hold up well. I had not even tested the illumination prior to mounting but once I got it mounted and reticle level I put in the supplied battery and tested the illuminaton. Both the red and green worked good. Bright enough to see in full daylight but still dim enough to use in low light without bleeding. I was liking this.
I pulled the bolt and bore sighted it the best I could for a 17HMR, after all thats a small barrel to try to center something in 50 yds away. I did the best I could and went to put some rounds downrange. I put an empty cardboard box out 50yds. Threw some red dot target stickers on it and got ready. I put the first round about 10"high and 8" right of the target I aimed at. Here is where it gets tricky. The elevation dial isn't marked what direction the turning of the turrets goes. So being the hard headed man I am i just guessed which way it was and shot again.... I guess wrong. Fixing the error i adjusted a couple more times to get the elevation on. The entire time at 50yds I could see my bullet holes in the cardboard box with the scope! Clear little buger. The result of my turning the turrets was a perfect verticle line about 18" from bull to my error correction. I then adjusted for windage which was marked which direction turning it did. That didnt take but a couple adjustments. This is when I discovered a nice surprise, a spare battery in the top of the windage cap. Pretty cool, i like good surprises. (PS I know it says it comes with this but I didn't even see that til I came in and started writing this thread, LOL)
I put a 5 shot group down range pretty quick and got a nice little group maybe .5" - .75" pretty good I thought. Now to see what I could do. I loaded up another clip and got real serious. I wanted to be proud of the group so I took my time controlled breathing, smooth trigger pull, patience. The result was 5 shots that were less than .5 " almost a 1 hole group. The scope works! I turned the illumination on and checked to make sure it had no effect on POI and also tested the POI on different mag powers, no abnormalities were discovered.
Next came a few shots after twisting the turrets. I haven't had a chance to play with shots at a distance yet but I will test the turrets soon to see how the 17HMR will match up for a turret designed for a 223 military round. Time will tell. I did run up and down the entire adjustment range and back to zero and it tracked fine. I didn't not run the windage because its simply not designed for that.
Overall I really like the scope. Its and absolute steal and I think its about the best sub $400 1-4 on the market right now. Considering you get the mount and scope for only $150. I have no ideal how long the sale will last, it been going a while but it well worth the cost.
Optisan 1-4x24 Mamba / SWFA S.A.L.T. Combo
Matte
.223 BDC for 55 gr / 3100 fps
Illuminated TRAQ (Red/Green)
30mm
Extra Battery in Windage Knob
Comes with SWFA SS S.A.L.T. 30mm/1" Scope Mount
$149.95
Well I recently picked one of these up for review . It was interesting to say the least especially the combo package that comes with a SWFA SSALT mount and retails at $150. That essentially makes the scope a $100 Japan made 1-4.... to me worth the risk of trying it out.
It arrived well packaged and from the first glance it looked great. The glass was exceptionally clear and reticle nice and crisp. I had planned before seeing it putting it on my 450 bushmaster. After all I dont' shoot it near as much as any other gun simply because of the cost factor of the shells and I don't have reloading dies for it yet. That meant pulling the SWFA SS 1-4x24 off it and had all intentions of putting it on my 17HMR "trainer". Well i decided that the glass was clear enough that the Mamba would go on there instead at least for the time being.
I mounted the scope on the 17HMR in Burris Zee 30mm Rings on the weaver mounts that the gun came with. They have proven to hold up well. I had not even tested the illumination prior to mounting but once I got it mounted and reticle level I put in the supplied battery and tested the illuminaton. Both the red and green worked good. Bright enough to see in full daylight but still dim enough to use in low light without bleeding. I was liking this.
I pulled the bolt and bore sighted it the best I could for a 17HMR, after all thats a small barrel to try to center something in 50 yds away. I did the best I could and went to put some rounds downrange. I put an empty cardboard box out 50yds. Threw some red dot target stickers on it and got ready. I put the first round about 10"high and 8" right of the target I aimed at. Here is where it gets tricky. The elevation dial isn't marked what direction the turning of the turrets goes. So being the hard headed man I am i just guessed which way it was and shot again.... I guess wrong. Fixing the error i adjusted a couple more times to get the elevation on. The entire time at 50yds I could see my bullet holes in the cardboard box with the scope! Clear little buger. The result of my turning the turrets was a perfect verticle line about 18" from bull to my error correction. I then adjusted for windage which was marked which direction turning it did. That didnt take but a couple adjustments. This is when I discovered a nice surprise, a spare battery in the top of the windage cap. Pretty cool, i like good surprises. (PS I know it says it comes with this but I didn't even see that til I came in and started writing this thread, LOL)
I put a 5 shot group down range pretty quick and got a nice little group maybe .5" - .75" pretty good I thought. Now to see what I could do. I loaded up another clip and got real serious. I wanted to be proud of the group so I took my time controlled breathing, smooth trigger pull, patience. The result was 5 shots that were less than .5 " almost a 1 hole group. The scope works! I turned the illumination on and checked to make sure it had no effect on POI and also tested the POI on different mag powers, no abnormalities were discovered.
Next came a few shots after twisting the turrets. I haven't had a chance to play with shots at a distance yet but I will test the turrets soon to see how the 17HMR will match up for a turret designed for a 223 military round. Time will tell. I did run up and down the entire adjustment range and back to zero and it tracked fine. I didn't not run the windage because its simply not designed for that.
Overall I really like the scope. Its and absolute steal and I think its about the best sub $400 1-4 on the market right now. Considering you get the mount and scope for only $150. I have no ideal how long the sale will last, it been going a while but it well worth the cost.
Optisan 1-4x24 Mamba / SWFA S.A.L.T. Combo
Matte
.223 BDC for 55 gr / 3100 fps
Illuminated TRAQ (Red/Green)
30mm
Extra Battery in Windage Knob
Comes with SWFA SS S.A.L.T. 30mm/1" Scope Mount
$149.95
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