Huskemaw ballistic specific optics

[bullfisher]

Anyone have experience with this brand? I dig the simple concept, just wondering of their quality.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yvCva8H9x3E

 

[BruceB]

My brother in northern Alberta has a Huskemaw mounted on his full-custom long-range .300 RUM..... think $7000 for the outfit.

He went through all the steps to get the custom turrets cut, and when we visited him he gave us an opportunity to try the rifle out.
.
He has a benchrest on his deck overlooking over 1000 yards of open ground, and orange steel discs at various ranges on the far treeline. The discs are 8" in diameter.

He adjusted the scope, and handed me the rifle for a poke at the 650-yard target. Holding dead-on, my first shot hit that disc about 1" from dead-center.

I'd say the system works, and he's a very happy customer.

 

[bullfisher]

That seems to be the resounding response from what I've read as well, good accuracy. I've seen a few rugged sheep hunts with them but still wonder about their resilience.

 

[chaser_2332]

without going into the downside of a an ballistic calibrated scope i will say that most people are not happy with the glass quality for the cost of the scopes. for what they cost you could have much better glass, and overall better quality scope.

 

[esheato]

I wasn't going to respond to this, but I can't let you do it man...

MSRP for the 5-20 is $1349. You're easily in Leupold territory and getting close to Nightforce pricing. Save yourself the hassle and the pile of money and buy quality (with the corresponding quality customer service).

Using MOA or mils is much simpler than you would think too....these guys are preying on people by mentioning "conversions" and how many inches it covers at 1000 yards....the thought of trying to calculate all that junk in the field scares most people off of a true MOA/mil optic and, amazingly, leads you right to their product...ohh, which costs only slightly less.

Did you know, when you change loads (bullet weight or BC, velocity, trajectory, elevation, etc), with a real MOA/mil optic all you have to do is re-zero your gun and then zero out the knobs, re-print your chart (at home, for free, anytime you want). With the Huskemaw, you have to dump your data into their program and have them engrave some new knobs.....you think that's free? Ha! Yeah right. You also have to wait for them to ship.

Using MOA/mil, there are no conversions. I never use, talk, or reference in inches, feet or meters. I range the target, reference my chart, dial the number, pull the trigger. If I miss, I measure using my reticle, adjust the amount I missed by, and pull the trigger again.

Speaking of reticles, did you plan on buying that Huskemaw without knowing what the reticle even looks like? I perused their site and didn't see one image of what the reticle looked like. Reticle choice is fairly personal and your type of shooting should weigh heavily on your choice.

What I'm getting at, through numerous angles, is there are much better choices for that amount of cash.

Ed

 

[bullfisher]

Good info here. However, how long would it take you to figure, adjust, and impact an animal if your range finder told you 417yds or 627yds? How fast and accurate could you do it under stress? Why refer to a reference card? If a better system for this situation exists, wouldn't you try it? I dont know about the glass quality or the reticule, but the system has proven itself in the field so far. I've never owned a mil or moa turret scope, but know people who do. And when shooting with them it seems like a heck of a math problem before they shoot.

 

[esheato]

...and they're doing it wrong if it's a math problem.

Buy mil/mil or MOA/MOA, as in MOA knobs and MOA reticle or mil knobs and mil reticle and there is no math to be done. Do not mix, as in the old days, mil-dot reticle and MOA knobs...then you will have some math to do.

Ref the chart, dial, pull the trigger.

With the Huskemaw, you dial the distance on the knob and pull the trigger.

The real benefit comes when you change loads....if you're the type of guy that only hunts once/twice a year, buys factory ammo (same weight all the time), and hunts the same spots all the time, then by all means buy the Huskemaw...what the Huskemaw lacks is flexibility.

It's up to you man...doesn't matter one bit to me, as I've already spoken with my dollars and it's both mil and MOA, mostly Nightforce, a sprinkle of Leupold and one S&B.

Best of luck....

 

[chaser_2332]

Is the scope carried any weight in the long range shooting world it would have showed up at atleast a match or two but so far havnt seen anyone shooting one. Shooting sub moa targets at 1000+ yards at multiple ranges under times stress seams like that would warrant the best system available. There is a reason the shooters choose the scopes they do, simplicity and versatility. Given even the same gun/ammo combo what are you gonna do with the huskamaw when the DA is diffent for what the dial is setup for? With regular scope it's no problem pull out that DA card dial and shoot.

 

[WNTFW]

DOPE is Data Off Previous Engagement.
In post 2 the guy was shooting at KD Known Distance. Huskemaw, another BDC or any other system is still garbage in garbage out.
Step 1 know the distance.
Step 2 would be know the wind value across the whole bullet flight.
Step 3 have some data in a chart that is accurate.

In the Huskemaw system you are supposedly bypassing the chart. The chart is on the knob.
Step 1 - lase it but you may still have error
Step 2 - Well wind is still the hard part.
Step 3 - Change anything that would affect the data in the chart and the chart would need to be redone. The new dial is $50. You could do the same thing on your own with ballistic software. IE a new bullet may need a new knob

How does is handle up hill/downhill compensations? What about severe atmospheric changes. I admire the simplicity though. I just think it is better to have a skill that transfers to other rifles. If you only have one rifle then the trigger time won't hurt getting to know it.

I am not a fan of BDCs. It makes sense in some instances where sample size is there and has been proven.

 

[olliver]

I saw this on a different site.

I have some experience with the Huskemaw scopes, durability and hunting use so thought I would share it.
Last November during a Bull Elk hunt I strapped my gun and Huskemaw scope in the rack on the 4-wheeler and started down a muddy rocky trail. Apparently I didn't get one of the straps on the rack in the notch and it popped loose. The muzzle of my gun jumped out of the rack and hit the ground. Before I got the 4-wheeler stopped the butt came loose of the rack and I ran the gun over. I was horrified, thinking that my brand new gun and huskemaw scope were ruined. The muzzle was plugged with mud, the huskemaw scope caps popped open and were packed full of mud, the scope turret cover was smashed and there was a nick on one of the scope rings. After a thorough cleaning I check my scope zero at 100 yards and the gun was dead on. I then found a rock to shoot at 885 yard and again the gun was dead on. I've had my Leupold scope loose it's zero after a much lighter fall walking through dense downfall. The huskemaw scope is crystal clear, the huskemaw optics are better than my Leupold VX-III scope , I don't have much experience with higher end rifle scopes so I can't make a comparison there. The elevation and windage adjustments on the huskemaw scope have been 100% repeatable and the scope reticle is great, I think these two items are more important than optical clarity on a rifle scope anyways. Everybody who looks through my huskemaw scope wants one, with those owning Swarovski's saying it rivals their scopes for optics. I love it, just wish I could afford another huskemaw scope so I didn't have to swap it between guns.