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TEST OF NEW REDFIELD AND S&B SUMMIT

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John Barsness View Drop Down
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    Posted: December/07/2009 at 11:40

This is the 10th in a series of articles written for Opticstalk.com by John Barsness, co-author the quarterly on-line magazine Rifle Loony News (www.riflesandrecipes.com)

 

            Recently I’ve been testing a couple of new scopes, one much anticipated and the other something of a surprise, a Schmidt & Bender Summit 2.5-10x40 and a new Redfield 3-9x40. Let’s look at the Redfield first.

            Leupold bought the Redfield name a year or so ago, and there was much speculation about what would happen. Some people guessed Leupold might just let the name die, but instead they started another company, also in Oregon, to make new Redfields (www.redfield.com). The scopes are designed to sell for prices between $130 and $180, which would certainly be a bargain if they work well, especially since the new Redfields are made in America. (At least mostly; I would strongly suspect the lenses are out-sourced.)

            At first glance the new Redfield 3-9x40 appeared pretty conventional, a matte finished scope with the typical American lock-ring for focusing on the rear bell.  (Also available are a 2-7x33, a 3-9x50 and a 4-12x40.) There are two choices in reticles, a typical plex called the 4-Plex, and the Accu-Range reticle, which came in the test scope. This is a plex reticle with a circle around the intersection of the crosshairs, with a dot below the bottom of the circle on the vertical crosshair. It’s fairly simple, but provides some ranging capability, plus several aiming points that can’t be confused with each other.

            First some basic indoor tests were made. An electronic scale confirmed the specification weight of 12.7 ounces. Next the scope was mounted on a semi-custom Winchester Model 70, rebarreled to .300 H&H with a cut-rifled, hand-lapped barrel by Arizona riflesmith Dan Pedersen (www.cutrifle.com). This is a very accurate rifle, essential when range-testing scopes, but I also like to test new big game scopes on at least a .300 magnum. Over the years I’ve found many scopes will last a long time on a 7mm magnum or .30-06, but if there’s anything slightly wrong a .300 magnum or larger cartridge will often reveal any incipient problems. Even quite a few expensive scopes have gone sproing after 20-40 rounds from a .300, .338 or .375 magnum.

            The eye relief is listed as 4.0” at 3x and 3.7” at 9x. Using a flashlight shining into the objective lens, the eye relief on the test scope measured 3.9” at 3x and 3.4” at 9x, a little less than the specs but still probably within manufacturing tolerances.

            Next I stuck a collimator in the muzzle and looked for any trace of “runout”—reticle shift between 3x and 9x. There wasn’t any, and in the final bench test the 1/4” adjustments also checked out. The reticle moved with each click and, as far as could be told on the collimator grid, accurately. The turrets are finger-adjustable, with ¼” markings on top, and the clicks easily felt.

            However, it’s one thing to check out adjustments inside, with no rounds fired, and another on the range. Range day proved to be about the nicest day of the first week of December in my part of Montana, just under 30 degrees and calm. Cool weather actually helps when testing a scope, because adjustments that work fine at 70 sometimes get a little erratic when it’s colder. (Also, the chilly air cools down the barrel faster, so speeds up the test.)

            After a couple of shots at 25 yards to get basically zeroed with some Winchester Silvertip 180-grain ammo, the first 3-shot group at 100 yards measured slightly over an inch, but was several inches high and to the right. I wanted to sight-in the rifle 2” high at 100, so made the appropriate number of clicks and fired another 3-shot group that again measured just over an inch. The center of the three shots was 2.25” high, and right on horizontally.

            The next test was a version of shooting the square. First I clicked 5 inches up and shot one round, then clicked 5 inches right and shot another, then clicked 5 inches down and shot another, and finally clicked 5 inches left and shot a final round. The first three shots all landed within less than ¾” of where they theoretically should have, the second shot landing within ¼”. The final shot landed within ¼” of the lowest shot in the initial group.

            This may not seem very impressive—after all, that’s what a scope should do—but I have tested a p

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Smokey53119 View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Smokey53119 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: December/07/2009 at 12:19
Nice review John, as usual
 
Is there a place where you show the optical quality results for all the scopes you have tested?
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koshkin View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote koshkin Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: December/07/2009 at 13:01
Nice review, John.

ILya
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote 338LAPUASLAP Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: December/07/2009 at 13:03

Thank you...

Redfield keeping the bar high hopefully...
No one
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote John Barsness Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: December/07/2009 at 13:20
Smokey,
 
I'll post one here after I test a few more.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Dale Clifford Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: December/07/2009 at 14:48
Thanks for the review, was wondering how the Summit would come out.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote tahqua Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: December/07/2009 at 16:05
Nice review and thanks John. I was wondering about the Summit, too. It's nice to see they have a good one in a 1".

Doug
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Average Joe Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: December/07/2009 at 16:56
Well written review, thanks.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote RifleDude Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: December/07/2009 at 17:33
Good review, John!  Thanks for the info!  From what little I've seen of the Summit, it looks to me to be a 1" version of the Zenith.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Ed Connelly Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: December/07/2009 at 18:31
How much are the Summits.....or shouldn't I ask.......? 
 
                   [ "....if you have to ask..." ]     Bucky
 
 
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote John Barsness Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: December/07/2009 at 18:45
Ed,
 
I included that info toward the end of the article: $1500.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Al Nyhus Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: December/07/2009 at 19:05
    John:    Thanks for the review.     -Al
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Ed Connelly Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: December/07/2009 at 21:21
Originally posted by John Barsness John Barsness wrote:

Ed,
 
I included that info toward the end of the article: $1500.
 
 
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Kickboxer Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: December/07/2009 at 21:24
Great article, John.  I like your "eye chart"...
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote helo18 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: December/07/2009 at 21:50
Great article as usual.  I like you eye chart as well.  Might have to adopt that chart for my uses.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote John Barsness Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: December/07/2009 at 22:03
It's easy to reproduce. I just copy a bunch off on my computer printer., from the original.
 
The lines (both black and white) are, from top to bottom:
 
1"
3/4"
5/8"
1/2"
3/8"
1/4"
3/16"
1/8"
3/32"
1/16"
 
They're pretty easy to draw with black Magic Markers.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote helo18 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: December/07/2009 at 22:17
Thanks John!  Will get one drawn up.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote koshkin Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: December/07/2009 at 23:23
I use a somewhat similar chart except I have both vertical and horizontal lines on mine.  Vertical and horizantal resolutions is not always the same.

ILya
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote John Barsness Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: December/08/2009 at 09:47
ILya,
 
That thought occurred to me after I had already pretty well gotten my chart where it needed to be. As a result I just turn the scope 90 degrees after looking at the chart in the "normal" position. This works whether the scope is on a rifle or not. Haven't found any meaningful differences yet, but there have been some slight ones.
 
Eye fatigue can also be a factor, the reason I don't normally test more than 4-5 scopes at one session. Of course, it's also critical to have them focused perfectly. They can appear to be focused when they're really not quite there....
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote brodeur272 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: December/08/2009 at 12:01
Thanks John!  The Redfield sounds like a good deal on a good scope...
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