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Kahles CL vs. Zeiss VM/V

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ceylonc View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote ceylonc Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Topic: Kahles CL vs. Zeiss VM/V
    Posted: October/27/2006 at 17:49

Went to the range today to put some holes in some paper.  Deer season is coming up in a little less than a month and I wanted to practice with some reloads that I've worked up.  This is the first year that I'm going to hunt 100% of the time with a load customized for a particular rifle and I want to know where point of impact is from 50yds to 300yds.

 

The rifles I'll be using this year are both Browning A-Bolts.  Calibers are .260 Remington and .308 Winchester.  The Kahles CL 4x12 52mm sits atop the .308 and the Zeiss VM/V 4x12 56mm on the .260.  The loads are as follows:

260 Remington

--129gr. Hornady SST;

--Remington brass;

--Federal GMM 210M primers;

--Varget 37.1gr.

 

308 Winchester

--168gr. Hornady AMAX

--Lapua brass;

--Federal GMM 210M primers;

--Varget 43gr.

 

Well, I've testified before to the quality of the CL and it's ability to gather a ton of light.  The Zeiss brings a lot to the table in this respect, too.  Today I was shooting @ 100yds (too windy to go to 200 & 300 unfortunately) and the switching back & forth between rifles gave me the opportunity to compare the two scope from a clarity & resolution standpoint.  For testing sake, I set both scopes @ 10x.  Both scopes are extremely sharp and bring in a vivid spectrum of colors but the clear winner between the two was the Zeiss.  This really shouldn't be a surprise as it is quite a bit more expensive but I was a tad surprised at just how good it is.  It was very easy to read the lettering on the target (manufacturer info, shooting hints, etc.)and finding the .260 bullet holes was a breeze even when two shots pretty much shared one hole.  It was almost like the 10x setting on the Zeiss was more powerful than the 10x on the Kahles.  It's hard to describe the difference but it is evident. 

 

This is not to say that the Kahles is subpar.  I still believe that the glass is superb and a 2nd place scope to just a few hunting scopes.  The field of view is massive, an edge it does have over the Zeiss.  I also prefer it's duplex reticle over that used in the Zeiss.  It's finer in size, making it possible for a finer point of aim than the thicker crosshairs of the Zeiss.  This may or may not be a positive in low light conditions as it may be easier to see the thicker Zeiss reticles.  I've hunted one season with the Kahles and finding the reticle in low light wasn't a problem.  This will be the first hunting season with the Zeiss so I'll have to see if "thicker is better" in low light or not.

 

From a reliability standpoint, both have been second to none.  They even track accurately even though I prefer the 1/4" adjustments of the Kahles over the metric (cm) adjustments of the Zeiss (three clicks pretty much equal an inch).

 

Sorry for the long post.  Thanks for reading and listening to my opinions. 

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cheaptrick View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote cheaptrick Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: October/27/2006 at 18:05

Thank you for your review, C!!

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Trinidad View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Trinidad Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: October/27/2006 at 18:59

Great review Ceylonc. I like the 1CM adjustments and I do not mind the thickness of the the cross hairs at 10x

for hunting. I think you are really going to like the Zeiss ounce you have your game in your crosshairs in low light.

I set my S&B to 2.5x or  8x and I have not needed to set it to 10x yet. These scopes are so clear that is why things look bigger, it is not that it really is bigger it is that you can see it better. My fixed 8x my cousin claims looks more magnified than his 12x Black Diamond but this is not the case everything is just much more clear. The Kahles CL

is a great scope but IMO I truly feel you have upgrated for your purpose with the VM/V. Let us know how you do.

 

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