Redfield Scopes

[Snakum]

Just put the Redfield on my 308 and got it sighted. It's too windy to do much more than a rough sight-in today as it's gusting to 25mph. Essentially, I think the Redfield is a Leupold Rifleman scope with a couple slight modifications. It looks, feels, and performs just like it, to me. And that's not a bad thing, really. The finger-twist internal turrets are a little better but they are 'soft clicks' just like my Rifleman.

Will post more tomorrow when I can wring it out. So far, for $180 I like it. Very clear (crystal clear in fact), turrets have positive feel, nice fit and finish. Sighted in pretty quickly without muss and fuss. I do wish Leupold had included caps with it. Kinda weird. But I guess they gotta cut costs somewhere. They did give me a sample of some new camo from someone, which is also a very weird thing to find in a scope box when looking for the caps.

 

[hometheaterman]

The price on these looks good and the Redfield name would normally have made me want one. However, I'm just not sure I'm going to be waiting in line to buy one of these. I have a Leupold VX-I. Actually have 2 as I bought one from a buddy a couple weeks ago I just don't have anything to put it on and it needs to be sent into Leupold to be fixed. Anyway, The one I had was a 3x9x40mm and honestly it didn't seem any clearer than the $30 Tasco's I've used and buddies said the Tasco looked clearer to them. Then in the first 2 years I had to send it in twice to Leupold for repair. Even when it does work if it takes a bump or a slight fall or anything you can expect it to be several inchs off. Like one time the scope hit me in the forehead. When I shot it I had it about 1" low and shot it once more to make sure it was still in the same spot after it hitting me in the forehead. To my surprise it didn't even hit the 8" target. I had to adjust it way back up again.

Then my buddies I bought he had on a muzzle loader and this year at muzzle loading season it started moving the poi around with each shot. Just jumping all around. That was also what my VX-I did the second time I had to send it in.

I have another friend that had one and his started moving around too doing the exact same thing. He traded his for a .22 rifle.

Having had these issues and seeing them with the VX-I I'm not so eager to buy a scope that's supposed to be a level below these.

I can honestly say that I've had better luck with both Simmons and Tasco's as have most of my buddies that with the Leupold VX-I's. I'd honestly buy a Simmons before I bought a Redfield right now just due to the fact that I'm not a Leupold fan or at least not of their cheaper scopes at all and since this is supposed to be a step below the VX-I I'm not sure how it will be at all. I'm not going to be one to find out.

If in a year or two they are still getting great reviews and I know people that have good luck with them then I might try one out. It's going to have to prove itself to me first though.

 

[redneck2]

I just looked at a couple of these today at the local shop. One thing that was quite impressive was the eye relief. They also looked quite clear compared to others in the case.

On my rifles, I currently have B&L 4000's, VX-III's, and Black Diamonds. They're pretty impressive for the money, at least at first look.

 

[peptoe]

I would have rather seen a cheaper line of fix power scopes much like the Weaver K series. It seems that the low end scopes without all the bells and whistles are ussually of better quality. I am going to try a couple out, probably the 2-7X for the kids news rifles (308 & 30-30) since they're local.

 

[hometheaterman]

So after reading that thread on the optics talk forum I'm not really sure why anyone would buy a Redfield and I doubt I will be one to buy them unless they really improve. For not at all much more you could get a Burris Fullfield II or a Vortex Diamond back. He clearly said they were clearer and did better in low light. Then he also determined that the Redfield was shifting the poi with different magnification. Isn't this something that used to be a problem with really cheap scopes? I know I wouldn't want it. I mean the review wasn't horrible but it sounds like the Burris and Vortex are much better scopes and don't cost much more. I'm not really sure what the appeal of the Redfield is here really.

 

[Snakum]

I took a chance on this one because they are American made (Jap glass) by Leupold, have a lifetime warranty that actually works, and provides all this at 12x for less than $200. I looked at the 10x Bushnell 3200 a friend has and the glass is much better in the Redfield, and the Bushnell has issues with parallax and no way adjust it out. As near as I can tell, parallax on the Redfield is minimal enough to be a nonissue. I could have also picked another Pentax Gameseeker but I don't know if the quality of the new models is the same as the older models.

I know the 4-12x model will probably be at the $150 mark in six months, but I wanted to try one now. I will find out tomorrow if it holds zero or not, and whether or not the 'soft click turrets' actually work like they're supposed to without lashing or binding. If it doesn't work 100% ... it goes back and I'll return to buying Nikon and Pentax.

 

[Tim the student]

Hometheaterman, what thread on there are you talking about? I very seldom go there, but I found this which is a pretty positive review.

Would you mind posting a link of the thread you are talking about?

Snakum, hurry up and get out and shoot mkay? I expect to see a review here before I'm done drinking coffee in the morning.

 

[hometheaterman]

http://www.opticstalk.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=21176

That link. I didn't have it in my post because it was on the first page in this thread so I assumed others had seen it. Sorry about that. Honestly, he said he found the other scopes to be clearer and better. Not only that he also found the Redfield to change the POI on different power magnification. Who the heck wants a scope that shoots to a different POI on 3x than on 9x? Even the $30 Tasco's I've used don't do that. This seems to be typical of what I've come to expect from Leupold on their reasonably priced scopes.

 

[Maverick223]

Who the heck wants a scope that shoots to a different POI on 3x than on 9x? Even the $30 Tasco's I've used don't do that.

I had a Barska that did that...I tactically placed it on a rifle that I was selling like a ninja to rid myself of it. No more cheapies for me, should have a new Kahles Helia CL
2-7x36mm coming in on Friday (though I don't have the rifle to put it on yet).

 

[Tim the student]

I didn't have it in my post because it was on the first page in this thread so I assumed others had seen it.

I must have missed it. My bad. Thanks for putting it up for me again though.

 

[Snakum]

Found out last night that the Redfield is, indeed, the Rifleman scope with different turrets and a matte paint job. I have a Rifleman on a gorgeous old Remington Model 700 30-06 and I have never had a problem with it. Clear as a bell and holds zero. So I anticipate the Redfield will exhibit the same reliability.

Will be out shooting the Redfield on a Marlin XS7 and a Nikon Pro Staff on a 7600 later this morning. Will post results.

 

[thomis]

For not at all much more you could get a Burris Fullfield II or a Vortex Diamond back.

is the Burris USA made?
and this is the first I heard of the Vortex? Anyone know where they are made?

It would be cool if Redfield would make a widefield model. Wonder why they don't offer one... yet.

 

[hometheaterman]

Seems like a lot of Burris's are made in the Phillipines now. I'm not sure if any are still made in the US or not.

Having something made in the US or not isn't something that I've always worried about. I'd prefer it to be made in the US but if I can get a far superior product that's made in another country that's what I'm going to do. I'm not going to pay a ton extra or get a far less superior product just to say it was made in the US. That's just how I am though and I know a lot of guys are different than I am about it. I've been reading a lot about Vortex scopes over on Optics Planet. These things appear to be loved very much. I don't think I've seen a single bad review of them yet. I will look and see if I can find where they are made.

 

[hometheaterman]

Says on their site that they are a US company.
http://www.vortexoptics.com/content/about_you

 

[Snakum]

The lower-priced Burris and Nikon scopes are made in the Philippines. I have one and it says so on the tube bottom. They're good scopes, but they're not made by Americans, which is another reason I took a chance on a Redfield.

 

[Snakum]

The Redfield worked flawlessly today. Just like using my old Rifleman, only with better turrets. There is, however, a POI change when changing magnification. I'll be using primarily 12x so that's not an issue. I still like it.

 

[hometheaterman]

So it seems like the POI change with the magnification change is going to be a problem then and not just on the one tested in that review.

 

[G27RR]

How big a shift was the POI? Was it just in elevation?

 

[Snakum]

If you're going to use the full range of magnification the Redfield won't work for you, definitely. I bought a Nikon Pro Staff 2-7x for my brush gun because it'll stay on 2x in the woods but may be taken to 7x shooting over a beanfield. The Nikon exhibited no POI shift. But I don't know if the higher powered Pro Staff models shift or not. And I don't know if the lower powered Redfields shift much.

I remember reading an article last year where mid-priced scopes ($300 - $600) from the big names were tested, and all of them shifted to a degree. Some more than others. In my own experience the Bushnell Banner, Redfield Rev, Leupy Rifleman, and Pentax Gameseeker all shift if going from the lowest to the highest setting. But I only do that with the Pro Staff on the 7600 so clear glass, minimum parallax, and good turrets are more important to me on my bolt guns.

 

[Tim the student]

So it seems like the POI change with the magnification change is going to be a problem then and not just on the one tested in that review.

Yup, it does look that way. Too bad, too. I'd love to get one, but it will go on a rifle I would like to hunt deer with some day, so I'll pass for now.

I'm interested in hearing how big the shift was, and if it was vertical, or horizontal.

 

[Offfhand]

Quote from above post:

"There is, however, a POI change when changing magnification."

Have to wonder, how much change? And how do you know? This is important to many of us considering buying the new Redfield. I already have the 3-9X but haven't tested it.

 

[Snakum]

Ummm ... I know because I zeroed at 4x then again at 12x.

I didn't measure it, or pay very close attention since I'm using it essentially at fixed power, but I believe going from 4x to 12x it moved up and right 1 - 2 inches. It was still pretty windy and I'm not shooting the best ammo, but a 2 inch up and right shift was likely the absolute max. For whitetail or hog hunting in the woods you could probably go between 6 x and 12x and still be fine. But setting up a 4x for heavy brush and then stalking into a 400 yard wide bean field ... ehhh ... not so much.