According to the Insurance Journal, “Edmondson's office, in partnership with the National Rifle Association (NRA), defended the constitutionality of two Oklahoma gun laws that prohibit businesses from forbidding their employees to store firearms in locked vehicles parked on company property. A federal lawsuit filed in 2004 claimed the statutes were unconstitutional and preempted by federal statutes. The federal district court rejected the plaintiffs' constitutional arguments but found that the statutes were preempted by the Occupational Health and Safety Act (OSHA).”
The case eventually went to the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals, which, “reversed the district court's decision regarding OSHA.”
“We will continue to vigorously defend the Second Amendment right of every American to keep and bear arms,” Edmondson said. “I am grateful to the NRA for their expertise and support in this effort.”
Currently before the House Judiciary Committee, “The Denying Firearms and Explosives to Dangerous Terrorists Act of 2009 would authorize Attorney General Eric Holder to deny the sale or transfer of firearms to known or suspected terrorists—a list that could extend beyond groups such as radical Islamists and other groups connected to international terror organizations,” Fox News reported.
Who could argue about denying arms to terrorist? No one. Yet, with this bill, the devil’s in the details.
“Critics say the names of suspected terrorists could be drawn from existing government watch lists that cover such broad categories as animal rights extremists, Christian identity extremists, black separatists, anti-abortion extremists, anti-immigration extremists and anti-technology extremists.”
In effect, any group or people who someone might want to label as “extremist” or “anti.”
“It doesn't say anything about trials and due process,” Larry Pratt, executive director of Gun Owners of America, told Fox News. “This is one of the most outrageous pieces of legislation to come along in some time. It's basically saying, ‘I suspect you, so your rights are toast.’”
The bill’s Constitutionality was a big question.
“There is a Second Amendment right to hold and bear arms,” said Robert Cottrol, a law professor at George Washington University. “That right is not absolute, for instance with convicted criminals. But there would have to be an individualized determination, as in a trial, to prove someone is guilty of something before they are deprived of such a right.”
BELLEVUE, WA – The nomination of Second Circuit Court Judge Sonia Sotomayor to replace retiring Justice David Souter on the U.S. Supreme Court is a slap at gun rights and the Second Amendment, the Second Amendment Foundation said today.
Judge Sotomayor, a New York native, ruled on a Second Circuit Appeals Court panel that the Second Amendment is not a fundamental right and does not apply to the states in the case of Maloney v. Cuomo. This ruling is in direct conflict with a Ninth Circuit Court ruling in the Nordyke v. King case in California that the Second Amendment is incorporated through the due process clause of the Fourteenth Amendment.
“While Democrats in Congress have been making great strides in the gun rights arena, refusing to consider a renewal of the Clinton gun ban, and offering overwhelming bipartisan support for legislation allowing citizens to carry firearms in national parks, President Obama just demonstrated that he prefers judges who oppose Second Amendment rights,” said SAF founder Alan M. Gottlieb.
Incorporation may be taken up by the high court during its next session beginning in October, because attorneys in the Maloney case plan to appeal in late June.
“If the Maloney appeal is accepted by the Supreme Court,” Gottlieb wondered, “would Justice Sotomayor – provided she is confirmed – recuse herself from deliberations?”
Judge Sotomayor has written an opinion that declined to order the release of certain information under the Freedom of Information Act. In one case, according to SCOTUSblog, she wrote that the “unwarranted invasion of privacy” for individuals whose names would be release under an FOIA request outweighed the public interest.
“Would a Justice Sotomayor be just as protective of the privacy rights of concealed carry permit holders if a newspaper wanted to publish that information,” Gottlieb asked. “We hope that during Senate confirmation hearings, someone asks about her positions on incorporation and the privacy rights of gun owners. The Second Amendment needs to be expanded, not eviscerated.”
You want to stay mobile. You want a solid shooting rest. You want Stoney Point Shooting Sticks.
You want to stay mobile but still have a solid shooting rest. You want to something that’s lightweight, durable and easy to use.
You want to get your hands on Stoney Point shooting sticks.
These handy little aluminum shooting sticks are everything you’d want for use in the field. The soft yet textured shooting head opens to a v-shape to cradle the forearm of the rifle and the Posi-Lock ® system means you can quickly and easily adjust the elevation with just the twist of leg.
Available in two different sizes for shooting while standing or sitting, Stoney Point shooting sticks come with a lanyard holes so you can create a quick sling and a friction lock to keep them together when you are not using them.
Best of all, they work. If you want an easy-to-use shooting platform that can go with you anywhere in the field, get your hands on a set of Stoney Point Shooting Sticks.
President Barack Obama signed the gun law Friday as part of a measure creating new rules for the credit card industry. But the Interior Department says that because the credit card law won't take effect until nine months after it is signed, the gun measure also will be delayed.
Spokeswoman Kendra Barkoff said the Interior Department will follow Congress's directive and put the new firearms law in effect in late February.
Until then, rules adopted under the Reagan administration will remain in place. The rules severely restrict guns in the national parks, generally requiring that guns be locked or stored.
Ord is challenging the dismissal in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, where the Second Amendment Foundation and the ACLU National Capital Area are participating as amicus curiae in support of Ord, saying his case against the city should move forward.
At issue on appeal is whether Ord has standing to sue the District.
For background, Ord runs a private security business, Falken Industries, and is considered a special conservator of the peace under Virginia law.
That means Ord, who is a “qualified” law enforcement officer in the eyes of Virginia, allowed to carry a gun there.
Ord thinks he should be allowed to carry a gun in D.C. for his line of work. But he’s not willing to test the authorities—not after police in April 2008 applied for and received a warrant for his arrest on the charge of possession of an unregistered firearm, a misdemeanor. Read more
Edmondson's office, in partnership with the National Rifle Association (NRA), defended the constitutionality of two Oklahoma gun laws that prohibit businesses from forbidding their employees to store firearms in locked vehicles parked on company property.
A federal lawsuit filed in 2004 claimed the statutes were unconstitutional and preempted by federal statutes. The federal district court rejected the plaintiffs' constitutional arguments but found that the statutes were preempted by the Occupational Health and Safety Act (OSHA).
Edmondson and the NRA then took the case to the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals, asking the circuit court to overturn the lower court's OSHA preemption ruling.
Earlier this year, the court granted Edmondson's request and reversed the district court's decision regarding OSHA.
The plaintiffs, Ramsey Winch Inc., Auto Crane Co., ConocoPhillips, Norris, DP Manufacturing Inc., and Tulsa Winch Inc., could have appealed the ruling to the United States Supreme Court within 90 days, but that deadline has passed. Read more
California Assembly Bill 962 and Senate Bill 585 are scheduled to be considered on Thursday, May 28.
AB962, sponsored by Assembly Member Kevin De Leon (D-45), is in the Assembly Committee on Appropriations. AB962 would make it a crime to privately transfer more than 50 rounds of ammunition per month, even between family and friends, unless you are registered as a “handgun ammunition vendor” in the Department of Justice's database. Ammunition retailers would have to be licensed and store ammunition in such a manner that it would be inaccessible to purchasers. The bill would also require purchasers submit to fingerprinting, which would be submitted to the Department of Justice. Lastly, mail order ammunition sales would be prohibited.
SB585 is currently in the Senate Appropriations Committee. Introduced by State Senator Mark Leno (D-3), SB585 would prohibit the sale of firearms and ammunition on the property or inside the buildings that comprise the Cow Palace. In short, SB585 is a stepping-stone to banning gun shows on all publicly-owned property in California.
Please contact the members of the Assembly and Senate Appropriations Committees and respectfully urge them to oppose AB962 and SB585. Contact information for the committees can be found below.
ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS:
Assemblymember Kevin de Leon (D-45) – Chair (916) 319-2045
Assemblymember.deLeon@assembly.ca.gov
Assemblymember Jim Nielsen (R-2) – Vice Chair (916) 319-2002
Assemblymember.Nielsen@assembly.ca.gov
Assemblymember Tom Ammiano (D-13) (916) 319-2013
Assemblymember.Ammiano@assembly.ca.gov
Assemblymember Charles M. Calderon (D-58) (916) 319-2058
Assemblymember.Calderon@assembly.ca.gov
Assemblymember Mike Davis (D-48) (916) 319-2048
Assemblymember.Davis@assembly.ca.gov
Assemblymember Michael D. Duvall (R-72) (916) 319-2072
Assemblymember.Duvall@assembly.ca.gov
Assemblymember Felipe Fuentes (D-39) (916) 319-2039
Assemblymember.fuentes@assembly.ca.gov
Assemblymember Isadore Hall, III (D-52) (916) 319-2052
Assemblymember.Hall@assembly.ca.gov
Assemblymember Diane L. Harkey (R-73) (916) 319-2073
The Post is howling over the fact that a voting rights bill to allow District of Columbia residents full representation in the House of Representatives is being stalled by a measure that would strip the city’s vehemently anti-gun council of the authority to regulate guns.
The city council and mayor despise the ruling they got from the U.S. Supreme Court last year that struck down the long-standing handgun ban as a violation of the Second Amendment right to keep and bear arms. Since that ruling, the city has had to be dragged kicking and screaming to a point that they are now at least allowing citizens to register handguns, yet they are trying to micro-manage the program in such a manner as to discourage the greatest number of people from exercising their newly-restored Second Amendment rights.
Well, too bad for the Washington Post. While their editorial whines that “It is infuriating that this unacceptable trade-off is even on the table,” they should keep in perspective that there should not be the need for a “trade-off” in the first place. The Post needs to remember that owning a gun is just as much a right as casting a vote. Indeed, the fact that so many Americans have owned guns, and have been willing to bear them on battlefields all over the world, is what has guaranteed that voting right still exists.
The Post editorial observes, “As the first African American president, Mr. Obama is in a unique position to talk about the injustice of disenfranchising the people of the District, many of whom are African American.”
Well, let’s ignore the racial overtone of that statement and look at disenfranchisement.
On Wednesday, the House of Representatives corrected a long-standing case of “disenfranchisement” by passing a measure that will restore the Second Amendment to our national parks and wildlife refuges. Gun prohibitionists howled, engaging in over-the-top rhetoric that demonstrates how out of touch with reality some of them have become. Read more
AR-15 scopes are pretty simple; after all, you're just picking a scope for a rifle. Of course in the defensive, law-enforcement or military context, durability becomes much more important than in hunting.
Red-Dot Scopes
The Aimpoint with the twist-off 3X adapter, being used to slam LaRue targets far downrange.
The beginning of red-dot scopes in practical competition began with Jerry Barnhart in 1990. He mounted an Aimpoint on a .38 Super Open gun and proceeded to win the Nationals with it.
Later that year, Doug Koenig, having mounted a red-dot scope on his Open gun, won the World Shoot. After that, there was no going back. Well, at least not for a few years.
The original scopes were dim, had narrow tubes and were quite fragile. It was not unheard of for a competitor to have two or three pre-zeroed scopes in their gear bag. Should one decide to break, they’d unbolt the old one and install the new one.
I recall one time, at a USPSA Nationals, after a hard rain the sun came out. My extensively-modified and unsealed scope fogged up. By holding a butane lighter flame against it, I was able to dry it out. We’ve come a long way since then, and Aimpoint has done a lot to advance the field.
The method of operation of any red-dot scope is the same: you look through it, at the target. For fast, close-in shooting, you simply let the dot “float” in your field of view. Where it is, is where you hit.
Optical purists quibble about which red-dots are and are not perfectly parallax-free. Parallax is the change in point of impact from the dot (or crosshairs) of a scope, when you move the dot or crosshairs from the optical center of the scope by moving your head.
A scope with parallax will have the point of impact away from the dot or crosshairs when they are near the edge of the field of view. In a magnifying optic, parallax can be a problem.
Optically, the magnifying scope can be adjusted so it is parallax-free at a single distance. However, the effect is so small at distance that scopes can be said to be “parallax-free” at or beyond a certain distance when properly adjusted.
Target competitors fuss over it greatly. A scope adjusted to be parallax-free at fifty yards will show parallax at 100, and vice-versa. When a change of fractions of an inch can mean lost points and lost matches, target shooters get fussy. The lack of magnification and the large dot size means that even a red-dot optic that is not well-engineered and has parallax hardly matters.
At worst, the parallax in a red-dot scope is not enough to move the point of impact out of the “shadow” of the dot. As one example, if the parallax error of a Brand-X red-dot scope is three-quarters of an inch at 100 yards, and the dot itself is 2MOA, then moving your head is not going to move the point of impact off of the dot. If the dot is on the target, you get a hit. And the parallax error may well be less than the accuracy limits of the ammo being used. So, the short explanation is: don’t sweat it.
If a manufacturer tells you their red-dot is parallax free, it probably is. And even if it isn’t, you aren’t going to miss your target because of it. At least not this side of 300 yards.
How red-dot sights work is also pretty much the same, with one big exception. Basically, a low-powered laser inside of the scope body reflects off of an internal plate that is partially-mirrored. The mirrored plate does not interfere with seeing through the scope. (But does explain why red-dot optics are often a bit dimmer than outside light.)
You see the dot. You aim with the dot. At close range you use binocular vision, let the dot “float” and get your hits. At distance you mentally focus, see only the view through the scope, and put your dot on your target.
No, this isn’t a combo you’d see in Iraq. But with an accurate rifle and a solid mount, a cheap scope serves until you’re practiced or can afford the better optics. Don’t be a slave to fashion.
The ability to look through an optic without seeing it is part of the “Bindon Aiming Concept.” The late Glyn Bindon figured out that a glowing dot against a black background was as good as transparent to the human brain when viewed with binocular vision. (Actually, our mind. Our brain is simply the mechanico-chemical processor of the thought processes of our sentience. But let’s not complicate things.)
By looking “through” an otherwise solid aiming device, you could shoot quickly and still be accurate. Even though you can look through most red-dot optics, your mind is following the same pattern that Glyn figured out.
Some competition shooters use this concept with magnifying optics. If they have a scope with a battery-powered or fiber optic enhanced aiming point, they will close the front scope cover on a magnifying scope.
The result is an opaque optic they can aim “through” using the Bindon Aiming Concept. They get both a magnifying optic when they want it, and a red-dot when they need it.
Across the country, ammunition prices are soaring and many guns are in short supply as weapons fly off the shelves at stores.
This is a telling economic indicator about consumer confidence as many Americans stock up for fear that the end is nigh. It's also a logical reaction to gun-owner fears that Democrats will implement far-reaching new gun controls.
There is cause for concern. Leaders in the Obama administration and Congress have stated that they plan to limit what guns Americans can buy and that guns should be registered.
Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. said Feb. 25 that, “As President Obama indicated during the campaign, there are just a few gun-related changes that we would like to make, and among them would be to reinstitute the ban on the sale of assault weapons.”
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi poured fuel on the fire five weeks later by admitting that Democrats want to register guns. “It's a Democratic president, a Democratic House,” she said on ABC's “Good Morning America.” “We don't want to take their guns away. We want them registered.” Read more
Gun rights advocates have found a sweet spot in Democratic-dominated Washington, and they are using it to aggressively push legislation.
Their latest victory came yesterday when the House passed a bill that will allow people to bring concealed and loaded guns into national parks. Advocates won with the help of moderate Democrats.
Those Democrats, many from states in the South and Midwest, joined nearly all House Republicans to back yesterday's provision, which has passed in the Senate and could become law this week. The gun bill passed 279 to 147 in the House with the help of 105 Democratic votes; 145 Democrats opposed the bill.
The legislation was the latest defeat for gun-control advocates, who had expected more success with a Democratic president and Democratic majorities in both chambers of Congress.
The bill to grant the District of Columbia a voting member in the House remains stalled after Senate Republicans attached a provision to the legislation that effectively would repeal many of Washington's gun restrictions.
Yesterday's provision, originally sponsored by Sen. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.), would allow gun owners to bring the weapons into national parks and wildlife refuges as long as they are permitted by the laws of the state in which the park is located. The bill codifies a change the Bush administration had sought in its final months, but a federal judge blocked the effort in March. Read more
The treaty was signed by former President Clinton, but never approved by Congress. It has gained approval in 29 other countries. Obama put his weight behind it during his whirlwind tour abroad late last month.
Yesterday’s passage of legislation that revoked the longstanding ban on guns in national parks proved that this treaty would probably fall by the wayside once more, said Larry Pratt, President of Gun Owners of America. But the fact that Obama voiced his support for it speaks volumes about the President’s view of the Second Amendment, after his famous claim to not “take away guns” from law-abiding Americans.
The treaty would “pretty clearly would require, without a whole lot of extrapolation, a regulation of all firearms in the United States,” said Pratt.
Called the “Inter-American Convention Against the Illicit Manufacturing of and Trafficking in Firearms, Ammunition, Explosives and Other Related Materials,” the legislation’s bans are multitudinous:
The manufacture or assembly of firearms, ammunition, explosives, and other related materials: a. from components or parts illicitly trafficked; or b. without a license from a competent governmental authority of the State Party where the manufacture or assembly takes place: or c. without marking the firearms that require marking at the time of manufacture.
LINCOLN — Two state senators hailed the signing of a new law on carrying handguns as a way to make certain law-abiding citizens aren't breaking the law.
Nebraska has had a concealed carry law for three years. More than 4,500 permits have been issued.
But State Sens. Tony Fulton of Lincoln and Mark Christensen of Imperial said passage of LB 430 this year will make sure that holders of permits will not run afoul of city ordinances that prohibit concealed carry.
Christensen cited the example of a motorist speeding down Interstate 80 through Kearney, where concealed handguns were banned.
Under LB 430, those who obtain state concealed carry permits would be exempt from any city ordinances banning such gun possession. Read more
This 4x Cabela's scope, a 9.3×62 CZ 550, and Norma ammo are an accurate, deadly combination.
Better hunting optics deliver more detail, brighter images, clearer aim and less eye-strain during long glassing sessions. Here's a look at some of the best scopes and binoculars.
The best optics available now would have astonished shooters who came of age in my youth. And while prices have climbed substantially, you don't have to pay top dollar for glass that to the unpracticed eye seems as good as any on the market. Weaver's K4, the standard by which rifle-scopes were judged half a century ago, is no longer made in the U.S. It doesn't look like an original K4 or sell as cheaply. But it is still, in my view, a terrific buy. It is much better, optically, than the original. And it costs less, relative to the competition, than it did when I shot a deer with one in 1968.
Back then, hunters didn't use laser rangefinders or illuminated reticles. They were delighted by constantly centered crosswires and nitrogen-filled tubes that didn't fog. If the adjustments worked and the occasional bump didn't affect zero, if the field and eye relief allowed for quick aim, riflemen rejoiced.
Ensuing years have brought many incremental improvements, a few which qualify as pivotal. What you consider important in a sight or a binocular depends in part on what kind of hunting you do – also on your age and personal tastes. Some shooters dote on sophistication and new features; others prefer Spartan optics with traditional lines and no more complexity than necessary.
Whatever your bent, there's plenty of interesting glass to look at. And through.
Aimpoint
A sight is useless if it isn't easy to use. While rifle-scopes have become bigger, heavier and more powerful, and are now bedecked with rangefinding reticles, resettable BDC dials, parallax adjustments and scales bearing ballistic information, shooters do have an alternative.
In 1975 Swedish inventor Gunnar Sandberg came up with what he called a single-point sight. You looked into a short tube with one eye and saw a dot superimposed on the target with the other. You couldn't look through this sight at all! But shortly Sandberg developed more advanced devices, and now, 30 years later, his Aimpoint company has become a world leader in the broad field of “red dot” sights.
On a moose hunt not long ago, an Aimpoint Model 7000, mounted on a Blaser rifle, not only gave me fast aim in dark, thick cover; it helped me shoot 1-inch groups at the range. The company's Kenneth Mardklint explained to me that an Aimpoint's front lens is a compound glass that corrects for parallax. An ordinary single lens up front still reflects the dot produced by the diode in the rear bottom of the tube. But Aimpoint's front “doublet” brings the dot to your eye in a line parallel with the sight's optical axis.
The reflective path of a single-lens sight varies with eye position. If the dot isn't centered in the sight, you get parallax error at distances other than the one for which the sight was set. With an Aimpoint, you hit where you see the dot, even when your head position puts it off-center in the field. To ensure fine accuracy, turn the brightness dial down to the lowest practical setting. In dim light, you need very little illumination to see the dot quickly; in bright daylight, you'll need more.
Aimpoint sights with no magnification boast unlimited eye relief, so there's no time lost in finding a full field of view. You can point with both eyes open as with a shotgun. Models with magnification have generous eye relief. The 2007 Aimpoints feature ACET. Advanced Circuit Efficiency Technology reduces power demand, boosting battery life on the new Aimpoint 9000s to 50,000 hours with the brightness set on 7 (the highest setting is 10). The 9000 series comprises several models, including compact Comp versions that weigh as little as 6.5 ounces. You get a choice of 2-minute or 4-minute dot (1- or 2-minute with the 2x converter). Adjustments are positive, each click moving point of impact 13mm at 100 meters.
Aimpoint supplies military sights to U.S. and French armies, and hunting models in 40 countries. Last May, the company signed a contract for 163,000 rifle sights for the U.S. military establishment. One of every 10 Swedish hunters using optical sights favors Aimpoint. See the complete line at aimpoint.com.
Alpen
A decade ago, Alpen Optics shouldered its way into a market already crowded with imported East Asian products. The company has steadily gained credibility with mid-priced rifle-scopes, binoculars and spotting scopes that deliver great value.
Alpen's 2007 offerings include a dozen rifle-scopes. The lightweight 4×32 and a 3-9×32 Kodiak perform better than their prices suggest. The superior Apex line has fully multi-coated lenses; it comprises a 3-9×42, a 3.5-10×50 and two sights with adjustable objectives: a 4-16×50 and a 6-24×50. Eight models in the Kodiak line, from 4×32 to 6-24×50, offer bright, sharp target images at modest cost. They complement a series of affordable spotting scopes (a 20-60×80 sells for less than $400!). Alpen's 12-36×50 Compact spotting scope, announced a few months ago, weighs just 20 ounces. There's also a 15-30×50, an 18x36x60 and a 15-45×60. Get all the details at alpenoutdoor.com.
Brunton
A 32-ounce, waterproof 8-15×35 Brunton Zoom binocular garnered a “Gear of the Year” award from Outside magazine in 2006. Its roof prism design, magnesium alloy frame and lockable twist-out eyecups appeared first in Brunton's top-of-the-line Epoch 10×42. The Brunton Zoom's 273-foot field of view at 8x helps you spot game quickly. Crank it to 15x, and you have a spotting scope. Priced at $1,899, the Brunton Zoom complements a line of binoculars that includes three 43mm Epochs, in 7.5x, 8.5x and 10.5x magnification. An available doubler boosts magnification. The Eterna and Echo lines are less costly but deliver fine images. So to the Eterna spotting scopes: a 24-ounce Eterna Compact 18-38×50 and a full-size 20-60×80. Both feature fully multi-coated lenses with ED (extra-low dispersion) fluorite glass. Just 8 inches long, the Compact lists for $599 and should appeal to the hunter with long miles to hike. Even easier to pack is the new (for 2007) Echo Compact spotting scope, a 1236×50 that weighs only 21 ounces.
Brunton's optics line includes rifle-scopes wearing the licensed NRA label. Fixed-power 4×32 and 6×42 hunting scopes sell for $109 and $119. A 6-24×50 target scope with adjustable objective lists for just $149 – a bargain, given its fully multi-coated optics, one-piece tube and mil-dot reticle. Affordability is the hallmark of NRA hunting variables too, with the 1.5-6×40 and 3.5-9×40 retailing for only $99. There's a new “fast focus” series, with eyepieces on helical threads. Four variables, from 1.5-5x to 3.5-10x, cost from $129 to $169. There's also a fast-focus 624×50 at $199. You'll find binoculars and spotting scopes under the NRA banner as well. Find out more at brunton.com and nrasportsoptics.com.
Burris
“There's not a lot new at Burris,” said Pat Beckett at the 2007 SHOT Show. Patrick is among my favorite people, partly because he tells the story straight. “But,” he added, “that's because we have to catch up with orders for all the new products from last year and before! Besides, we've extended our scope lines to the point that we're looking hard to find slots we haven't filled!”
This Burris sight is among the best of many now designed for turkey hunters' shotguns.
It's all true. The company's Short Mag scopes – 1x, 4x, 2-7x, 3-9x and 4.5-14x – made headlines in 2006. Short-coupled, with 3x- to 5-inch eye relief and resettable adjustment dials, they list for $316 to $581. Burris Signature Select scopes are an upgrade from the flagship Signature line, with more convenient turret location, index-matched lenses, rubber grips on power and AO rings. LRS versions (1.5-6x, 3-10x and 416x) offer resettable windage and elevation dials and lighted reticles. Both Short Mag and Signature Select scopes have 1-inch tubes, as does the fine 2-7×35 Full field II sight for shotguns and muzzleloading rifles. If you're a handgunner, consider the Burris 2-7×32 EER scope with illuminated reticle.
Like other manufacturers, Burris is turning out more tactical scopes, for those who need them and those who pretend they do. The XTR (Xtreme Tactical Rifle) variables come in 1.5-6x, 10x, 3-12x and now 6-24x configurations. Their 30mm tubes have side-mounted parallax dials, steel-on-steel adjustments and illuminated reticles. The Fullfield II stable also has a tactical corner now, with a 3-9×40, a 4.5-14×42 and a 6.5-20×50. All have TAC-2 adjustments and AO collars up front. Burris tactical accoutrements include the SpeedDot sight and Laser flashlight that fit on Picatinny rails.
In 2006 Burris started shipping the LaserScope, a sight with a laser-rangefinding unit built in. It's a 26-ounce 4-12×42 with ranging capabilities to 800 yards on reflective targets. I've shot with it and think it will appeal to some riflemen. More to my liking were Burris' three new 30mm Euro Diamond scopes with a 3P#4 E-Dot reticle. The 1-4×24, 2.5-10×50 and 3-12×56 feature eight light settings on a turret-mounted dial. For more information on 2007 products, key up burrisoptics.com.
Bushnell
Bushnell could make money selling its catalogs by the pound. The 2007 book is chock full of useful glass for hunters. Some of it is new. Bushnell's top-end Elite binocular series comprises four models: 10×50 and 12×50, 8×43 and 10×43. All accept Bushnell's 2.5x doubler. A new Elite e2 binocular (8×42 and 10×42) also has the magnesium frame and XTR lenses of the Elite, but at less than $650 costs about half as much. The 8x5x45 and 10.5×45 Infinity binoculars also debut this year. Like the costlier Elites and less expensive Legend binoculars, they feature Rainguard lens coatings to shed rain.
This Bushnell 3200 Elite variable has extended eye relief for use on handguns like this S&W 22.
Bushnell's long list of rifle-scopes has few new entries. A 30mm 624×50 in the Elite 4200 line and a 5-15×40 Tactical 3200 expand the top-end offerings. There's also a 3-10×50 in the 3200 stable, and a 39×50 with illuminated reticle in the affordable Sportsman group. The biggest news for shooters is still the 4-12×42 rifle-scope with a built-in laser rangefinder. Announced last year, this 24-ounce sight delivers accurate range figures with the touch of a button out to over 500 yards. You get up to 8,000 ranges on its single 3-volt lithium battery, partly because the switch is programmed to shut down automatically after 30 seconds of non-use. This scope comes with a mil dot reticle and five dials to match the arc of your specific bullet and eliminate the need for holdover. The Yardage Pro laser range-finding scope has a magnesium body and lists for about $900.
For quick shooting up close, consider smaller options like the Trophy MP 1×32 red dot sight and Bushnell's latest HoloSight. The MP boasts unlimited eye relief, an integral Weaver-style mount, quarter-minute clicks. It sells for $229. The new HoloSight now uses AAA batteries. Lighter in weight and lower in profile than previous models, it costs $300 less!
There's little new in Bushnell's rangefinder line for 2007 – though the company still leads the industry in this field, both in numbers sold and models available. It now has an Elite 1500 with an “ARC” feature, which compensates for vertical angle. So you'll know not only actual distance, but the effective shot distance. If you shoot horizontally at a target 300 yards away, the actual and effective ranges are the same. But if the target is 300 yards away at a 45-degree vertical angle, the rifle will have to be aimed at a different place. Gravity affects only the horizontal component of the bullet's flight, which is shorter than 300 yards. Bushnell's Elite 1500 has an effective range of up to 1,600 yards on reflective targets, over 500 yards for big game animals. It features 7x magnification and a 26mm objective, lists for $499.
Bill Booth shoots while guide Pete Dube glasses. The revolver: a Bushnell-scoped S&W 500.
Bushnell's spotting scope line is essentially unchanged. The Image View 15-45×50 announced last year still qualifies as news, though. It features a digital camera with VGA resolution and 16 MB of internal memory. It comes with a shutter cable and tripod, a hard case and PhotoSuite software, and a modest $240 price tag. For a long evening's read on other Bushnell items, get a 2007 catalog or key up bushnell.com.
Elcan
Elcan is an acronym, from Ernst Leitz, Canada – the Leitz optical firm dating to 1849 in Germany. Elcan is also a subsidiary of Raytheon, one of those hulking companies with tall buildings but no human face, whose offices control the production of obscure hardware in far-flung factories with no signs on them. It's the kind of company favored by middle-age Republicans, a firm with substantial military contracts and executives in foreign countries.
But Raytheon is also a down-home company, with an office in Richardson, Texas. Rusty Maulden works there. I met him last year at the SHOT show, where he tried to explain the Elcan scope. While Elcan has been building infrared scopes for U.S. military units since the 1980s, it is just now tapping the civilian market with what it calls the DigitalHunter. The Elcan scope is just a year old at this writing, and already its price has been trimmed by roughly 25 percent, to less than $1,200 for 2007.
The price reflects a sophistication you won't see in ordinary optical sights. DigitalHunter shares a couple of features with most rifle-scopes: a stout alloy tube and multi-coated optics fore and aft. It mounts on a Picatinny rail or Weaver bases (you can't use rings because the body is not round). A magnification range of 2.5x to 13.5x is broader than normal, and you change power with a button, not a ring. There's no turret. A flat panel studded with buttons sits where you'd expect to find an elevation dial. That panel serves as a control center.
The Elcan DigitalHunter can be used as a variable rifle-scope and a video camera.
One of DigitalHunter's most intriguing features is its ability to record up to five seconds of video during a shooting sequence. So you can see the immediate result of your bullet strike – or why you missed! The scope operates as a still camera too. A port allows you to attach a remote screen. If you're spotting for a hunter or coaching a shooter, you see exactly what he or she sees in the sight picture. Or you can switch on the video and get up to seven five-second clips on a standard 64-mb SD card. A small monitor atop the eyepiece shows you the images after you record them.
“Before zeroing,” said Rusty, “you install software – ballistic data specific to your load. For each shot, then, you need only key in the range on the control panel and hold center. The scope self-adjusts for bullet drop.” I tested the scope's compensating capability with a 30-06 to ranges beyond 400 yards. Groups were perfectly centered. No holdover. Because the target image and reticle share a common plane, there's no parallax at any range.
I didn't destroy one to test DigitalHunter's durability, but Rusty assures me it will take as much of a bruising as most scopes. In Elcan's trials, it has survived the repeated recoil of a 375 H&H.
Rusty told me that many people have asked for an integral laser range-finder – a device that would seem particularly suited to this scope. “We certainly have the means to engineer it into DigitalHunter. But a rangefinder would add weight and cost. Maybe later.” I'll bet Elcan adds a rangefinder option soon.
Elcan's new sight is certainly unconventional. At 28 ounces, it's heavier than most scopes. And at dawn and dusk you'll wish for brighter images. But DigitalHunter does allow you to photograph and video during or absent a shot. It's a marvelous instrument, parallax-free and with reticle and range-compensating options unmatched in optical sights. It's a pioneer in a field that will surely see more activity. Learn more at elcansportingoptics.com.
Leica
A few years ago, Leica announced a line of rifle-scopes manufactured to its rigid specifications by a competitor. Not surprisingly, the arrangement didn't work well, and the German firm went back to doing what it has done superbly since 1907. On May 14 of that year, a century ago, the first binocular designed by Ernst Leitz (a 6×18) went into production. Since then the company has tried hard to manufacture the best binoculars in the world. In my view, there is no better glass for hunting than those in the current Ultravid line.
After 100 years, with hunting glass that continues to set the bar for its competition, Leica certainly merits the attention of hunters and shooters who want the best optics in 2007. Visit leica-camera.com. And don't assume you've seen the last Leica rifle-scope.
Leupold & Stevens
In business now for 100 years, Leupold & Stevens has been making rifle-scopes for 50. While the latest Leupolds are nothing like the early postwar sights, some hunters, like rifle-maker Jerry Fisher, think there's nothing wrong with the 4x Pioneer. “I just recently traded up to an M8 4x. That old Pioneer helped me shoot a lot of game. Used it 40 years.”
Wayne prefers small, low-power hunting scopes like this Leupold 2 1/2x on a Kimber M84.
Leupold starts its second century with a new variable scope. Appropriately, the name reflects the year. VX-7 scopes feature European-styleeyepieces and new “lift and lock” windage and elevation dials. The power selector ring is matched to a “Ballistic Aiming System” so you can tailor magnification and reticle to the target and distance. Like other new Leupold scopes, this series has the matched-lens system that delivers extra-sharp images. Argon/Krypton gas has replaced nitrogen in the tube, to better prevent fogging. Leupold's lifetime warranty comes with every VX-7.
The FX-III 1x14mm Prismatic sight that debuts this year should appeal to deer hunters and tactical shooters who must get on target fast. Its long eye relief, wide field and compact profile make it ideal for shotguns, carbines and AR15-style rifles. It's a natural pick for muzzleloading rifles. The FX-III1x14mm Prismatic has fully multi-coated optics and a bold circle-dot reticle with illumination module. It's rugged too. This sight survived a ride on a test machine pounding it with the recoil of a 375 H&H – 28,000 times!
Binoculars are getting more and more attention from the Beaverton, Oregon firm. Leupold's top-rung Golden Ring Binocular has new HD objective lenses for 2007. Expect even brighter, sharper images from the HD (high definition, ED, extra-low dispersion, fluorite) glass. Phase-corrected prisms ensure true, crisp colors. The Golden Ring binocular comes in 8×32, 10×32, 8×42 and 10×42 configurations.
Shooters are asking for more and more magnification. This Nightforce scope dials up to 22x.
A close relationship with the Boone and Crockett Club inspired the new Pinnacles binoculars, with phase-corrected prisms and “L-coat” to reduce light loss on lenses and prism faces. These roof-prism 10×50 and 12×50 glasses come with flip-backframes and a neck strap, in a carrying case. The new Yosemite is an 8×30 that joins a 6×30 of the same model name. Its wide interpupillary adjustment range suits it to a variety of faces. Like the 6x, this glass has a slender profile and weighs less than lunch. It carries easily on a neck strap but gives you nearly 4mm of exit pupil.
For its 100th year, Leupold is marketing Cascades, Olympic and Pinnacles roof-prism binoculars in what it calls a Natural finish. It's a tan hue that should appeal to hunters wearied by green, black and camo binocular jackets. The company also offers 8×30 Yosemite and 10×42 Cascades glasses in Shadow Brown, with a laser-engraved logo of the National Wild Turkey Federation. Visit leupold.com.
Millett
Known more for its rings and bases than its scopes, Millett has been trundling along with a modest line of serviceable scopes that won't strain your budget. This year it has substantially expanded the line to include new Target and Varmint models. They wear side-mounted parallax dials and target knobs. Optional illuminated reticles include a mil dot. Like the Buck Gold and Buck Silver hunting sights, new 416x and 6-25x Target and Varmint scopes have 1-inch tubes. The Tactical series, augmented this year by a new 10x and a 1-4×24 variable, feature 30mm tubes. Lighted reticles for these and Millett's 4-16x Tactical include a Donut-Dot. There's also a Zoom Dot red-dot sight in the 2007 lineup, proofed on the S&W 500 revolver. Consistent with a trend to mounting scopes on Picatinny rails, Millett now offers its own rails for popular centerfire rifles. The company still markets a wide variety of iron sights for handguns. Go to millettsights.com.
NXS rifle-scopes cost a lot, and the Nightforce people make no apologies. Their aim is to produce the best sights possible for both sportsmen and tactical applications. So the best materials come together in scopes designed to endure more abuse than any shooter could imagine imposing on a rifle-scope. Tests at the north-central Idaho firm include submersion in 100 feet of water for 24 hours, freezing in a box cooled to a minus 80 degrees F, then heating within an hour to 250 degrees F. Every scope is slammed in a recoil device delivering 1,250 Gs – both ways. Life is tough for scopes at Nightforce!
Wayne adjusts a Nightforce scope on a super-accurate Dakota Predator rifle in 20 Tactical.
Details matter, too. The firm installs dissimilar alloys in the erector assembly to ensure repeatable movement. Lens coatings weather mil-spec abrasion tests. The 3.5-15×50 and 3.5-15×56 are typical – big 30mm scopes, and brilliant, with signature Nightforce reticles that appear only in the field's center. You'll find four-times magnification in other models as well: 5.5-22×50, 5.5-22×56 and 8-32×56. There's a super-high-power 12-43×56 – but also hunting-size compacts: a 1-4×24 and a 2.5-10×24 (that's right, a straight front end on a 2.5-10!) Nightforce sights have turret-mounted parallax knobs (except two benchrest scopes, an 8-32×56 and a 12-42×56, which wear front-sleeve parallax adjustments). The Precision Benchrest scopes feature resettable ? minute windage and elevation dials.
The company also supplies machined rings and Picatinny rails for mounting, and mil-radian knobs for NXS scopes so you can adjust in mils (.1 mil per click, 5 per revolution). There's even ballistic software so you can get the most out of your scope at long range. Visit NightforceOptics.com.
Nikon
At 26 ounces, the new Nikon IRT 4-12×42 is half a pound heavier than many scopes of its power range. But then, it incorporates a laser rangefinder that delivers 1-yard accuracy to 400 steps – and reads almost that accurately out to 800. The rangefinder, operated by the touch of a button accessible as you aim the rifle, gives you continuous readouts on moving game. A Ballistic Drop Compensating reticle helps with holdover. The IRT mounts low on most hunting rifles, is fog-proof and gives you 3 inches of eye relief.
For 2007, Nikon has overhauled its flagship Monarch rifle-scope line. Each scope has a four-times power range and 4 inches of eye relief. From the 2.5-10×42 to the 6-24×50, all scopes have one-piece main tubes and accept Nikon sunshades. Quarter-minute clicks are standard on four models, eighth-minute on the 5-20×44 and 6-24×50. Sunshades and target-style adjustments come on these two models, as does a turret-mounted parallax knob, also standard on 3-12×42 and 4-16×42 versions. The BDC reticle is available on all six. In addition, Nikon offers a new Monarch X series with 30mm tubes. The 2.5-10x and 4-16x come with either Nikoplex or mil dot reticles, both etched. The 2.5-10x is also available with an illuminated mil dot. A turret-mounted parallax knob is standard on Nikon Monarch X scopes.
To learn more about these scopes, the Nikon Buckmaster line and a new Slughunter 3-9×40 scope with a “BDC 200” reticle (rangefinders, spotting scopes and binoculars too), go to nikonsportoptics.com.
Pentax
Having spent a couple of seasons afield with the Pentax 8×32 DCF, I'm impressed by its sharp and bright images. The DCF roof prism series comes in 8x and 10x magnification, with objectives of 32mm to 50mm in diameter (you'll also find a 12.5×50 and 8×25 and 10×25 compacts). DCFs offer phase-corrected prisms in aluminum and polycarbonate shells. PCF Porro prism glasses in 8×40, 10×50, 12×50 and 20×60 versions remain in the line – a concession to those of us who prefer them to the more popular roof prisms. XCF Porros in 8×40, 10×50, 12×50 and 16×50 carry most PCF features at lower cost.
The Lightseeker rifle-scope series grew last year with the addition of a top-end Lightseeker 3-9×40 XL, and a compact Lightseeker 3-9×32 SL. The Gameseeker stable also appeared; for 2007 it has expanded to include eight 1-inch variable models and 4×32 and 6×42 fixed-power sights. A Whitetails Unlimited line offers mid-priced scopes from 3-9x to 6.5-20x. The big Lightseeker 30 series includes a 3-10×40, 4-16×50, 6-24×50 and 8.5-32×50. The Pioneer label covers affordable 3-9×40 and 4.5-14×42 scopes. Pentax has also developed a 2.5xSG Plus scope for slug guns and woods rifles.
Pentax's PF-65ED, which just finished its first season afield, is a top-quality spotting scope with straight and angled eyepieces. Waterproof and lightweight, it accepts 32x, 46x and 20-60x eyepieces. The 37ounce scope is compatible with XW telescope eyepieces and the PF-CA35 camera adapter for 35mm SLRs. It joins the excellent PF-80ED and PF-100ED spotting scopes with interchangeable eyepieces, and the more compact PF-63Zoom with fixed 20-50x eyepiece. For more details, go to pentaxsportoptics.com.
Schmidt & Bender
Two superb 30mm hunting variables on Remington rifles: Schmidt & Bender (top) and Kahles.
It's been fifty years since a couple of German instrument-makers collaborated to produce hunting sights. Since then, Schmidt & Bender optics have become renowned for their high quality, the company for its innovation. No, it's not a big firm. My first visit to the plant in northern Germany conjured images of a rural veterinary clinic or college chemistry lab. The modest building lacked any industrial aspect. White-frocked technicians ghosted through spotless rooms. Scopes were tended individually, not in big batches.
Schmidt & Bender's flagship line is the Zenith, with 30mm variables in power ranges 1.1-4×24, 1.5-6×42, 2.5-6×56 and 3-12×50. Resettable windage and elevation knobs have gauges on the dial faces to show where in the span of adjustment you are. So you can use the mount to center the optical axis in the physical axis of the scope, maximizing adjustment range. A ring under the dial face allows you to record several zeros, for quick return when shooting different loads or at various ranges. Zenith scopes come with a hollow mounting rail or, consistent with American tastes, configured for rings.
S&B's Zenith line offers illuminated reticles. My favorite is the FlashDot, which disappears from your field of view when you choose to use a black reticle. In dark conditions, switch on the Flash Dot and adjust brightness with the rheostat. A beam splitter puts the dot in the very center of the field. An automatic switch kills the dot after six hours to save battery. S&B offers traditional illuminated reticles in the Classic 30mm series 2.5-10×56, 312×50 and 3-12×42, and in the 8×56. The 4-16×50, 6×42 and 10×42 come with a selection of standard reticles. Depending on the model, Schmidt & Bender variables and fixed-power sights have reticles installed in the first or second focal plane. All are mechanical, save for the #9, which is etched onto the glass. Parallax is zeroed at 109 yards. S&B can retrofit illuminated reticles on some of its earlier and current-production scopes.
If you're a traditionalist, you might agree with me that Schmidt & Bender offers some of the most appealing fixed-power scopes available. Long ago I snared a 4×36; the 6×42 and 10×42 are next on my list. If you prefer tactical sights, S&B's 34mm 3-12×50 and a new 4-16×42 merit a close look. The 3-12x was recently adopted by the U.S. Marine Corps for all its 30- and 50-caliber sniper rifles. Schmidt & Bender's entire PMII (Police Marksman) line, and its hunting scopes, can be viewed at schmidt-bender. de or on the web site of its U.S. importer: scopes@cyberportal.net.
Shepherd
The 3-10×40 and 6-18×40 scopes from the Shepherd shop in Waterloo, Nebraska afford you long-range capabilities not shared by any other scopes. Shepherd sights have two reticles, one in the front focal plane and one in the rear. Superimposed, they appear as one. You get an aiming reticle that doesn't change size with power changes, but a rangefinding reticle that varies in dimension as you turn the magnification ring. The rangefinding reticle comprises a series of circles spaced on a vertical stem. Top to bottom, they're of decreasing diameter to match the diminishing apparent size of a deer as distance increases. To determine the distance, just fit a deer-size target into a circle. Correct holdover has already been factored in because no matter what the scope power, the 18-inch circle (in the front plane) appears the same size in relation to the target. Choose from three rangefinding reticles calibrated to match the trajectories of popular big game cartridges. Vertical and horizontal scales are marked in minutes of angle so you can compensate for wind as well as gravity. The company also sells binoculars, but the scopes are truly remarkable. A friend whines that coyotes between 400 and 500 yards are no challenge for his Remington 25-06 and a 6-18x Shepherd. Some people just like to complain. Shepherdscopes.com.
Sightron
A relative newcomer to the hunting optics industry, Sightron was incorporated in Florida in 1993. Two years later it moved to North Carolina and opened its first distribution center. Its initial products were red-dotsights; a year later it announced a line of 1-inch rifle-scopes. A year after that, binoculars appeared in the Sightron stable. Spotting scopes followed shortly. In 1999 CEO Scott Helmer hired Alan Orr as the company's product manager. I've known Alan since 30mm scopes were added in 2000. Line extensions thereafter include Premium binoculars and S1 scopes, and in 2007, SII Big Sky scopes and binoculars.
The Big Sky series comprises 15 offerings, from fixed-power 4x and 6x glass to variables 16x at the top end. They're fully multi-coated. External lenses are all treated with “Zact-7,” a seven-layer coating to transmit the most light possible. They also get a hydrophobic wash to disperse moisture when you're out in the rain. Adjustment dials are finger-friendly and resettable. Eye relief is a generous 3.8 inches. Retail prices start at $420. In addition to the 15 hunting scopes, Sightron catalogs a pair of new varmint sights in its Big Sky line. They're 6-24x42s, identical save for the finishes (stainless and black). Both feature target knobs, adjustable objectives and plex reticles. A late addition under the Big Sky umbrella is a Dangerous Game 1.25-5×20 sight with over 6 inches of “clear tube” for mounting. Like the other sights in the line, it has a one-piece tube and comes with a lifetime replacement warranty.
There's a new target scope in Sightron's 2007 catalog, a 36×42 with ?-minute adjustments and ? minute dot. Adjustable objective, too.
Sam Shaw finds that a Sightron scope helps him shoot this S&W 460 as accurately as a rifle.
Sightron's 30mm S III-series includes a 3.5-10×44 scope, plus three 6-24×50 models. Choose a Plex, Dot or Mil Dot reticle. Fixed-power aficionados will appreciate the modestly priced SII 4×32. Deer and turkey hunters can well use the broad field and 4 inches of eye relief in the newest shotgun scope, the 2.5x32SG. Two lightweight red-dot sights feature 1x magnification and 33mm tubes.
The Big Sky moniker has been applied to Sightron's newest binoculars, all Porro-prism. The 7x, 10x and 12x have 50mm objectives. So does the new SI 18-36 spotting scope, a lightweight (20-ounce) and field-worthy glass that comes in a kit with aluminum hard case and swivel pan-lever tripod. Sightron.com.
Swarovski
“We don't want to shoot a bull near cover, or stretch the reach of that ought six.” Fred obviously didn't approve of my rifle, a new Remington 700 Alaskan Ti. But I had fallen for it. On the range it drove 180-grain Swift Sciroccos from Remington loads into 1x-inch groups with comforting consistency. Well balanced and with a sleek, open-gripped stock, it handled beautifully. I had scoped it with a new Swarovski Z6, a scope whose top magnification was fully six times its low power!
The new scope nestled tight to the Remington in Leupold rings. In shooting I'd done to ready this outfit for Texas, I'd been impressed by the scope's flat field and crisp, brilliant images. Optically, it was indeed top-drawer. The adjustments tracked true as well. Shooting “around the square,” I got predictable movement grabbing 20 clicks to a shift. The last group trampled the first.
The nilgai was alone, tucked into a protected slot in the mesquite. I slipped alongside the thicket crosswind, probing for a shot alley. At just 35 yards, an opening appeared. I knelt and pressed the trigger. As intended, the Scirocco severed the spine between the scapulae, dropping the bull instantly.
He rose 80 steps away, almost too far. Brush took my first bullet, and the second. I caught a bigger alley with the third and dropped him with a Hornady bullet to the shoulder.
My scope that day was a Trijicon variable, with a lighted reticle. The red tip of the post, lit not by batteries but by tritium and a fiber-optic coil, was easy to find against the mottled background, and quick to find again as I recovered from each shot. The fiber-optic coil, by the way, was exposed in a window atop the eyepiece. Adjusting reticle brightness was a simple matter of rotating the window cover open or closed.
Trijicon is a relatively new company. Even the technology is recent. Not until 1983 did the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission approve a tritium-illuminated gunsight for sale. Two years later the first rifle-scope with a tritium reticle appeared. In 1987 Trijicon introduced the ACOG (Advanced Combat Optical Gunsight) to the U.S. armed forces. The next year, the FBI adopted its tritium sights for handguns.
Trijicon's ACOG is the only sight of its type, and very popular on M16 and AR-15 rifles.
In 1995, after many sales of tactical sights, Trijicon's 4×32 ACOG was selected by our Special Forces for the M-4 carbine. Now Trijicon optics appear on many military and police weapons. Glock, Smith & Wesson and Springfield offer Trijicon iron sights as standard equipment on their handguns.
The company's optical sights for hunting rifles use both tritium and fiber optic strands to brighten the reticle. The 30mm TR22 2.510×56 AccuPoint I carried on the Colorado elk hunt is one such sight. The AccuPoint scope series comprises 1.25-4×24, 3-9×40 and 2.5-10×56 models, with red or yellow illuminated pyramid-on-post reticles. The Trijicon TriPower relies as well on a fluorescent collector. Like the ACOG, it has the profile of a red-dot sight. You can also get a compact Trijicon Reflex sight that hugs a handgun. For 2007 the Wixom, Michigan company has announced two new ACOGs and a parallax-free red-dot sight that should complement any short-range firearm. Go to trijicon.com for more information. TruGlo
A year ago in Utah I had no luck finding a buck to match the one I'd shot the year before with an iron-sighted muzzleloader. That buck had jumped in cover that swallowed him up before I could get into action. I'd followed his tracks in the snow, through impossibly thick oak-brush. By great good fortune, he paused in an opening 100 yards ahead, and I managed to slide a sabot bullet between the limbs. He dashed off but collapsed in a flurry of snow at the top of a nearby hill.
My TruGlo sights, so effective at milking more minutes of hunting at day's end, had given me the definition I needed for a quick shot in sunshine too bright for ordinary sights.
TruGlo's fiber-optic bars concentrate light to give you a bright red or green dot that grabs your eye. Available for most rifles, pistols and shotguns, the firm's iron sights were recently joined by four rifle-scopes – a 4×32 and three variables – with illuminated reticles. There are red-dot sights on 25-, 30, 36-, 40- and 45mm tubes. The most recent: a 2x30mm that features an 11-position rheostat. There's more on 2007 products at truglo.com.
Vortex
Still new to the shooting public, Vortex optics comprise a broad selection of binoculars and two lines of rifle-scopes. The 2007 Viper series includes six variable sights, from 2-7×32 to 6.5-20×50. High-powered models include turret-mounted parallax adjustments and target knobs. All Vipers feature argon gas, fully multi-coated lenses, resettable windage and elevation dials, a fast-focuseyepiece and one-piece tube. The five offerings in the less costly Diamondback series range from a 1.75-5×32 to a 4-12×40. They too are fog-proofed with argon gas. You also get helical eyepieces, resettable dials and fully multi-coated lenses. Find out more at vortexoptics.com.
Weaver
Meade Optical, a California-based maker of telescopes, got into the rifle-scope trade a few years ago with the purchase of the Weaver, Redfield and Simmons brands. Meade chose to upgrade the Simmons line first. The Simmons overhaul went well. Engineers Mark Thomas and Forrest Babcock reconfigured the innards of the best models and renamed them. Then the design was applied to other Simmons scopes. As I understand it, these sights have sold well. Meade's next target was Redfield, a brand with a rich history and enviable reputation. A Redfield scope with five-times magnification appeared in prototype form a couple of years ago. But not everything in this new sight turned out as the Meade group (or shooters who examined the scope) desired. Since then, progress toward commercial production has been slow.
Improving Weaver scopes would entail less engineering – but even more risk. The name survives as an American institution, dating to early Depression times, when a clever young Bill Weaver fashioned a rifle-scopefor the masses. His Weaver 330 seems primitive now, but it beat its competition at market. In short order Weaver built a successful company in Texas. In my youth, 30 years later, the Weaver K4 still loomed as the standard by which other scopes were judged. It retailed for $45.
You can still buy a K4, though Bill Weaver is gone and scope production was long ago moved to Japan. Weaver scopes still deliver good value. Classic K- and V-series sights, and Classic Handgun scopes, round out a selection of hunting optics anchored now by the Grand Slam series, with models from 1.5-5×32 to 6-20×40 that cover any field application. T-series target scopes rank among the most popular Weaver (or its competition) has ever produced. Two recent T-24s are identical save for reticles: a x- minute dot and a x-minute dot. Their x-minute windage and elevation target-style adjustments allow for fast zeroing or compensating for wind and range. Dual-spring adjustment mechanisms ensure repeatability. New T-series scopes come with extra oversized adjustment knobs, a sunshade and screw-in steel lens caps.
For 2007 Weaver has introduced a new Extreme line of top-quality rifle-scopes. Functionally and cosmetically, they offer many upgrades. The 1.54.5 x 24, 2.5-10 x 50 and 2.5-10 x 56 feature 30mm tubes, fast-focus eyepieces, an illuminated dot in plex and German #4 reticles. They have resettable windage and elevation dials, a full 4 inches of eye relief. The 2.5-10x models carry turret-mounted parallax dials. Go to weaveroptics.com for a complete product tour. Williams
As a youngster growing up in Michigan, I knew the Williams clan – the generations of shooters and hunters who'd established a gun-sight company in Davison. Now, 81 years after its founding, I'm very pleased to see the firm still catalogs an extensive array of iron sights. You can fit your rifle or slug gun with a 5D receiver sight (though, alas, they no longer cost $5). The FP (foolproof) series comes with sleek screw adjustments or target knobs. WGRS sights fit receiver dovetails and topside factory-tapped holes. I killed my first deer with a Williams “African” open sight. Its shallow V-notch cradled a gold bead on a Williams front ramp. Very fast!
Those items are all available in 2007, with new fiber-optic sights for pistols and long guns. Williams also makes scope mounts and gunsmithing tools, and accessories like full-moon clips for revolvers, Garand clips and barrel slot blanks. Visit Williams on the range or at williamsgunsight.com. XS goes Tritium
More than a decade ago, when I equipped woods rifles with Ashley sights, I thought them among the best I'd ever used. Simple, strong, clean-looking and compact, with clever adjustments, they seemed the perfect complement to slug guns and muzzleloaders as well. Since then, the company has changed its name a couple of times. But as XS Sights, it still makes some of the best irons out there. The line has expanded to include open sights for rifles and pistols. The shallow V rear notch with white center-line is ideal for game in thickets, where shooting is fast and close. The receiver-sight line has grown to include ghost-ring models for most popular long guns. Tritium inserts in beads and open rear sights speed shooting in dim light. This “glow-in-the-dark” option appears under the “24/7” heading in the XS catalog and at xssights.com.
Zeiss
The slim, optically superb Zeiss 2.5-8?32 Conquest here compliments a Browning T-Bolt 22.
Five years ago, Zeiss courted hunters Stateside with a new line of 1-inch rifle-scopes. Conquest scopes in 3-9x, 3.5-10x, 4.5-14x and 6.5-20x came first. In 2006 4 x 32, 2.5-8 x 32 and l.8-5.5 x 38 appeared. The 4x and 2.5-8x weigh less than 14 ounces, and both boast 4 inches of eye relief. The 4 x 32 is one of my favorite big game scopes, the 2.5-8x as trim and even more versatile.
The company's Diavari scopes were recently brought under the “Victory” moniker to match that of top-ranked Zeiss binoculars. The Varipoint is optically equal but features an illuminated reticle. Recent 2.5-10 x 42 and 6-24 x 72 scopes have 30mm and 34mm tubes, respectively (there are five Varipoint and six Diavari sights). An illuminated reticle is standard on the big 6-24 x 72, as is a turret-mounted parallax dial. The mil dot reticle option is calibrated at 12x. The Zeiss Varipoint reticle is also available in the 2.5-10x; so is a rail-equipped tube. Incidentally, Zeiss also lists a Classic Diavari/ Diatal series (variable/fixed-power) that can cause some confusion if you're trying to track name changes. These scopes are marketed in Europe but not in the U.S.
Late in 2006 Zeiss started releasing its Diarange scope, a 30mm Victory-series 3-12 x 56 with laser rangefinder built in. This scope weighs 35 ounces, is optically superb and as cosmetically appealing as any sight of its type can be. The rangefinder reads reflective objects to 1,000 yards a half-second after you press a button. Now the Diarange also comes in a 2.5-10 x 50 version that scales 32 ounces. Both sights operate on a single 3-volt battery and feature a choice of seven reticles, including several rangefinding configurations. In 2007 Diarange and other Victory products (binoculars too) will carry hydrophobic LotuTec lens coating, a treatment that beads water for a clear view in rain.
As a follow-up to the compact red-dot Z-Point sight, Zeiss has just introduced a version that affixes to a bow for archers. Another one-of-a-kinditem this year is the Zeiss DC4 camera-eyepiece you can attach to a Diascope spotting scope. The device allows you to photograph directly through the scope. It features a bayonet mount, operates on two 1.2volt AA batteries and has a 2-inch display screen. You can trigger the 4-megapixel camera with a remote control. Visit Zeiss.com/sports.
Editor’s Note: This article appeared in the 2008 edition of Gun Digest annual book.
After eight years of clashing with anti-gun bureaucrats and congressional leadership hostile to gun rights, we have never been closer to victory in the battle to repeal the National Park Service (NPS) gun ban.
As you are by now undoubtedly aware, NPS land is subject to a blanket gun ban. A Bush administration regulation partially reversing the ban was singlehandedly negated recently by an activist judge in Washington, D.C.
Gun Owners of America reported last week about an amendment to repeal the gun ban, sponsored by Senator Tom Coburn (R-OK), that passed by an overwhelming 67-29 vote. Senator Coburn attached his amendment to a fast-moving “must pass bill,” H.R. 627, dealing with credit card industry reform.
The Coburn amendment simply allows for state law — not unelected bureaucrats and activist judges — to govern the carrying of firearms on NPS land.
“Visitors to national parks also should have the right to defend themselves in accordance with the laws of their states,” Sen. Coburn said.
The Senate wrapped up business on the underlying bill today, while the House passed its version of the bill several weeks ago. The measure now heads back to the House to be “reconciled” with the Senate bill. Read more
Looking to go armed, but are stuck in the weeds as to what to arm yourself with? Here are 20 excellent concealed carry gun options that will keep you on the defensive.
You want to stay mobile but still have a solid shooting rest. You want to something that’s lightweight, durable and easy to use.
