Kahles K624i vs... everything else

Though I am no optics physicist (lucky for us, we do have one of those around), I have sent many, many rounds down range, sometimes from the comfort of a bench, sometimes in far, far less hospitable circumstances and environments.

In that time, I have had the privilege to use some of the very best rifle scopes yet made and fielded, whether civilian or military.  Below are a few thoughts of the scopes pictured.  As specified, I am no optics PhD, I do have 20/20 vision, and I do understand the effective and efficient use of all optics pictured.

Starting at the end closest to my face, I am OK with "rapid focus" eye pieces, but am perfectly happy with non-rapid (or "traditional") eye pieces.   I would contend that anyone frequently messing with the focus is doing something wrong.

So, on the eye piece, the 3 on the right are rapid-set, the Premier is not.

To take a quick step back, from left to right:

Premier Heritage 3-15X

Kahles K624i (6-24X)

Zeiss Diavari FL 6-24X T

Hensoldt 3-12X

Obviously, all are not equal scopes in most capacities.  All have been box tested (the Premier and the Hensoldt have short more than a few of my beloved box test: 20+ rounds, dope change between each shot, with at least 3 rounds in each of 4 corners, and at least 5 in the center.)

All have external, "target" knobs, all have illuminated reticles, all but the Zeiss are FFP, all are 34mm tubes and 50+ mm objectives.

Eye Box (exit pupil)

"Eye box" or exit pupil is the ease of getting behind the scope and getting a good sight picture.  This is a function of many variables, few of which I can do justice to here, but a good eye box is quite easy to appreciate, especially if you shoot from irregular positions.

On eye box, Hensoldt has long been my favorite.  By "favorite", I mean it is genuinely difficult to get behind the scope and not have a very clear, crisp image that almost seems to extend beyond the limits of the tube.  When an image is perfectly presented with very little effort, that allows me to concentrate on the shot and not the sight picture, that is a good thing.

Of the scopes in the line-up, Hensoldt and Kahles are by far the best.  The Zeiss and Premier are no slouch, far from it; but the image doesn't seem to float exactly where it should be.  The Premier takes a bit of thought, the Zeiss less so, but the Kahles and Hensoldt take no perceptible effort: get on the gun, look through the scope, beautiful every time.

So, of the Hensoldt and Kahles: I can't call it.  Both are astounding in their forgiveness.  The Hensoldt might beat by the slimmest of margins, or it could be that I have a bias, having put many rounds down range under the Henny and just a few under the Kahles.

Turrets:

The USO EREK (not pictured) has been my favorite elevation turret since my first click on one, that remains true to this day.  On the EREK, the spacing is perfect, the resistance is perfect, the view from the scope is very clear and very logical.

So, second place now goes to the Kahles.  The clicks are very clear, very well defined, and the zero stop is very easy to set and use.  The turret does what it should, without reinventing the proverbial wheel.

Additionally, in the conversation of turrets: the parallax setting of the Kahles is by far the best system, a second drum under the elevation turret rather than a separate turret on the left side of the saddle.  As an ambi- shooter, shooting a standard scope (parallax on the left) left-handed sucks. Hard.  The Kahles setup is ideal, offering very positive use without contorting or coming off the scope.

My singular complaint on the parallax turret is the detent at each yardage marking (which didn't align well with actual yardage.)  It is a minor gripe, but if Kahles wants to improve their setup a bit, I'd recommend removing the detents and going to a smooth run from top to bottom.

Also concerning turrets (Zeiss', specifically), I am still no fan of the locking turrets.  I've tried to like them, maybe I'd like other maker's version, but Zeiss' locking turrets are not my friend.  Perhaps if this were the only scope I used, I'd fall in, but it ain't, I don't.

Lastly for now, the Kahles reticle.  This scope has the following reticle

I like the reticle. Allot.  Figuring out the center took a few minutes to really "get" the subtentions, but it makes sense with a little thought.  

Stupid as it might sound, I like numbers on the vertical mil markings.  Some "christmas tree" reticles lack this, and counting can be error-prone under pressure.  

Reticle illumination is another matter.  Though low light illumination was good, only the horizontal subtensions illuminate.  I've always been okay with just a center illumination, or with whole reticle illumination, but am somewhat confused by this setup.  I guess the thought is that low light shots won't be taken with dope on the reticle.

Lastly on turrets, the mechanical indicator of second rev is a great thing.  My Premier doesn't need it (it only has one rev) the Hensoldt has lines (which suck) but the Kahles has a mechanical "nipple" that pops out on the second elevation revolution.  I like it.  (In stark contrast to the Premier LT window showing a "1" or "2" which works fine - but only if you can see the numbers.)

Final thoughts on the Kahles: new favorite scope.  The turrets are great, the parallax is great, the view is fantastic, and aside from the unusual illumination setup - the reticle is very, very usable and clear.

In the field in 2 weeks, more to follow.

 

 Whuutt...

Thank you for sharing this.

Ken

My wife and I run Khaybes together and we are both avid shooters/ hunters etc. Any questions or comments, maybe something you would like to see in the Kahles line never hesitate to contact us.

Thanks again!

Ken