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We need a 1-5x or a 1-6x for that price...

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Is the illuminated donut reticle daylight visible?

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Does it even matter?  Do you really think you're going to have trouble seeing that donut?

The best reticles are the ones that still work, even with a dead battery . . . .

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Sure, why not.  This was the first question that came to my mind as well.

A "Bright as !@#$" reticle is definitely a feature in low powered variable scopes and certainly worth asking before ponying up this much cheddar on an optic.

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Bitch, bitch, bitch . . .

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U stupid or something boy.. All I'm saying is that there are to many 1-4x scope's out on the market. I dont see what makes this one any better than the other's. Its not the price.

That is All...

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Let's wait before someone actually has one of these scopes before we start bickering....  

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We need a 1-5x or a 1-6x for that price...

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Do you know the exit pupil size? It would be nice to get it before the next time I update my table.

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So the circle reticule is approx 14moa at 1X based on milrad to moa conversion?

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I'm curious as to why SS didn't go with a BDC type reticule, as it looks like the .mil will be looking for just such an optic in the recent future, thus driving the market in that same direction?    The mil dot reticule seems odd for the role of this type of optic.

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Interesting, where are they made?

This comes up all the time and I don't understand why.

I think that people think that companies like Bushnell, Night Force, Simmons, Millett, etc. all have their own factories and that they build scopes for smaller companies in their factories.  This is not the case.  The only companies that have their own manufacturing facilities reside in Germany and Austria with a few other exceptions.  Everything else comes from factories scattered all over the orient that are not owned by any name brand.  The days of a company actually producing their own products in house is long gone.

Another common misconception is relating one name brand to another.  For instance the guy asking was probably looking to get an answer like, Bushnell.  Then he would assume that our scope is the same as a particular Bushnell scope.  Most of these factories are capable of producing extremely high end scope all the way down to Barfska type scopes.  You supply them with the specs and they build it.  You supply them with a budget and they'll hit it.

Even if we told you the name of the factory you would not know any more than you do right now because it is not relevant and has no bearing for comparison sake.  For instance if I told you that our scopes are made in The Ping Pang Chow factory in Japan, what would you have learned about our products?

With a large pile of money you could travel the orient and come to market with The Ranger007 scope line and it could be whatever you want it to be from NightForce quality to BSA quality and there are many factories that could do it.  They have "house" scopes already designed that they can just glue your logo on if you like.  That is why you see so many scopes that look alike with different names on them because these smaller companies did not design anything, they just wanted a scope line with their name on it.  These off the shelf scopes are typically mass produced low budget scopes.

We have taken a completely different approach with our products.  They are not off the shelf, they are all custom, proprietary designs built to our specifications and our specifications are strict and tight with no compromises in regards to final product integrity.  We keep the bean counter out of all design meetings (sorry Mom).  If we can save 50 cents by making something out of plastic instead of an alloy we typically opt to spend an extra 50 cents and make it out of hardened steel.  Same with our glass and coatings recipes.

This business model would not work if our products had to go through the normal channels of distribution because the mark up and overhead would have them prices way out of the market.

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Interesting, where are they made?

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The best guess I've heard is in Japan.  However, only SWFA knows for sure, and they aren't telling.

http://www.opticstalk.com/who-manufactors-the-super-sniper-scopes_topic27596.html

(Chris Farris of SWFA)

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Here is a link to some real life reticle images and comparisons to other 1-4x reticles at different yardages and lighting conditions on 1x and 4x.

http://www.opticstalk.com/swfa-14x-ss_topic22981_post356967.html#356967

...

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Yes, Where are they made?







I want to know what I am buying & where it is from, If they can't/won't answer, then they can look for customers who won't care.

There are certainly enough so called "Americans" who won't care one way or another.

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I'm curious as to why SS didn't go with a BDC type reticule, as it looks like the .mil will be looking for just such an optic in the recent future, thus driving the market in that same direction?    The mil dot reticule seems odd for the role of this type of optic.

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From the looks of the ocular bell, it appears to rotate with magnification changes.  That means your flip up cap would also rotate.

Can someone confirm?

I don't see a tab to help with quick magnification changes either.

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Interesting.

Edit:  +1 for what batteries it takes.  Can not find it on the website.

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The diagram states all measurements are in mils.



1 mil = 3.438 MOA



The circle's inside diameter is 13.5 mils, or 46.4 MOA



The circle's outside diameter is 16.5 mils, or 56.7 MOA



Since the scope is first focal plane, the circle is this size at any power

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In viewing reticule pictures on sites such as Snipershide, the circle appeared to become vey small at 1x and larger at 4x. Perhaps this was a camera issue? If I understand you correctly, 1st focal plane reticules stay the same size thru out the zoom range while 2nd focal plane reticules change size thru out the zoom range?

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In viewing reticule pictures on sites such as Snipershide, the circle appeared to become vey small at 1x and larger at 4x. Perhaps this was a camera issue? If I understand you correctly, 1st focal plane reticules stay the same size thru out the zoom range while 2nd focal plane reticules change size thru out the zoom range?

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Last year there were pictures posted of the original reticle as a BDC design. They were looking for feedback and got it. I did one of the above linked reviews. I fired about 600 rounds on several different rifles from 25 yards out to 800 yards and I firmly believe that SWFA got it right. The FFP feature "switches" the reticule from a "red dot" to a mildot. At 1X both designs are bright and bold enough that the Circle or Tee automatically centers you attention on your target much like an aperture rear sight centers the front post on an AR. If more precision is required there is a small "ghost" crosshair visible at the center. I tested both reticles against an Aimpoint and they were pretty close up close when I went out to 100 yards the SS 1-4 HD scored better. At longer range I was shooting sub moa at 500 yards, near moa at 700 yards and getting 80% hit on a 14" steel disc at 800 yards.
The quality of the scope and the reticle deign are what sets this scope apart. I think, by thinking outside the box that SWFA got it right.

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No camera tricks. What you saw was reality. The reticle of any first focal plane scope will always stay the correct size in relationship to the actual size of the target. Read that again, and repeat it to yourself. That is the important detail.



NOW . . . in order for a reticle to remain accurate in relationship to the actual size of a target, it must change size whenever the target changes size. Since a target always changes size whenever a scope's magnification is changed, so must the reticle. This is why some people say FFP reticles grow and shrink. Yes, that is what it appears to be doing, but understand the important detail behind it. (Read my first paragraph again and again )



It is a second focal plane reticle that appears to stay the same size no matter the magnification. Unfortunately it is in this case that your eyes are fooling you. Whenever magnification changes in a SFP scope, the reticle size is NOT changing while the target size IS changing. Read that statement again and again also.



Because of this, with any SFP reticle, the size of the reticle is only accurate to the actual size of the target at one specific magnification, usually the highest magnification. For example, if the circle we've been discussing was in the 2nd focal plane, at 1x, the outside diameter would really be 226.8 MOA! It would be only at 4x that the circle would be the correct size of 56.7 MOA.

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Thanks! That is what I was trying to say but just didn't word it correctly. The reticule stays the same size in relationship to the target. I was trying to determine if at 1x, the reticule was so small that it appeared as a solid dot.

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No it appears as a circle with fine cross hairs.

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Yes, the reticles are daylight visible. However, I don't like the term "day light visible" and prefer the term daylight practical. It is one thing to be able to see the reticle if you go looking for it. It is quite another to have a reticle that is bright and bold enough to grab you eye and center it. Some reticles are "Daylight Visible" the SWFA SS 1-4 HD reticles are both daylight visible and day light praticle. The link below has photos that do an excellent job of comparing the new SWFA designs to a Schmidt & Bender short dot and a Night Force, you will see what I mean. You have to scroll down a bit. When you look at the photos ask yourself which one you would want when the battery fails.



http://www.opticstalk.com/swfa-14x-ss_topic22981_page16.html

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Objective diameter / magnification = exit pupil @ magnification

24mm / 1x = 24mm @ 1x

24mm / 4x = 6mm @ 4x

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Not sure that is always true. Example: Leatherwood CMR 1-4x Exit Pupil (mm): 11.1 - 6.