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Help selecting scope: Kahles v Swaro v Zeiss

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wadeocu View Drop Down
Optics GrassHopper
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote wadeocu Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Topic: Help selecting scope: Kahles v Swaro v Zeiss
    Posted: January/28/2008 at 11:30
I am looking into the following second hand scopes to go on my deer rifle (30-06 Paul Jaeger built on a Mauser FN action):
 
Kahles 2-7 x 36 American for $450
Swarovski 3-9 x 36 American for $650
Zeiss Diavari-C 3-9 x 36 (older model with "West Germany" stamped on it) for $575
 
I really like the 2x option on the Khales because I hunt Whitetails in the thick stuff east of the Mississippi and close encounters within 50 yds. are much more common than 200+ yd. bean field shots.  It is cheaper too.  Are their any real quality/performance issues that should drive me to spend the extra money on one of the other two more prolific top name brands?  Reading through some of the other posts comparing this Swaro line to the Kahles line seem to lean to the Kahles, but I thought I would present the specific models I'm looking at with the prices for your review and input.  Thanks for the advice - Jack
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RifleDude View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote RifleDude Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: January/28/2008 at 17:05
Welcome, wadeocu!
 
All 3 are great scopes!  I own the first 2, and they are pretty equivalent optically.  The Swaro is lighter.  I would lean toward the Kahles 2-7X as well, as much as anything because of the price.  My second choice would probably be the Zeiss.  I have a Diavari V, but not C, so I don't know for certain how this particular 3-9X36 model would compare to the others.  I suspect since it is from the Diavari series it would probably be a premier scope optically.
Ted


Money can't buy happiness... but it's much more comfortable to cry in a Porsche than on a bicycle.
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wadeocu View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote wadeocu Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: February/06/2008 at 10:52
Thanks for the input Rifledude.  I bought the Kahles 2-7 x 36.  I took it out for a field test with my old but trusty Redfield 3-9, my Dad's Swarovski 4x and a really old Redfield Bearcub 4x (just for giggles).  I set them all side by side (unmounted) on a table focused on a tree in the woods about 100 yds away.  I set the variables to 4x and watched as the sun went down.  Needless to say, the Redfields were outclassed.  The field of view on the Kahles was best by several feet.  Clarity was a tie b/w the Swaro and the Kahles.  The Kahles had more of a blueish hue and the Swaro was somewhat greenish - a difference in coatings perhaps?  The were both nice sharp views though.  The Kahles seemed to be brighter to my eye during the very last 5-10 minutes of my comparison.  This I attribute to the Swaro's 32mm objective compared to the 36mm Kahles, but this is an uneducated guess.   In the end I feel that I got equal quality for significantly less cost;  at worst it is substantially similar quality.  I am happy with my purchase and am looking forward to putting it to the real test!
 
By the way, while on my shopping spree I picked up a Zeiss Diavari 1.5-6 x42.  Its an older model with West Germany stamped on it.  The lenses are pristine, but the tube has a ding on the bottom side near the occular bell.  I paid $550 for it and felt it was too good a deal to pass up.  The specs are exactly what I wanted with the low magnification range (part of why the 2-7 appealed to me more so than the 3-9).  It has a 30mm tube though and I have a Jaeger QD side mount with 1 inch rings that I love and don't want to give up.  I thought I may be able to find some 30mm rings for it, but this has proved to be difficult and likely not cost effective.  Its a brilliant scope but I did not include it in my field test because it would likely only have served to frustrate me becuase I can't mount it.  I will set it aside for a while in the event I get another rifle to put it on or find a good deal on rings that will work with my QD mount.  I may end up selling but I really like the thing and would like to mount it someday.  Give me a shout if you ever see some rings that I can use on my Jaeger mount!
 
Thanks for the help, Jack
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