(Scope mounted to my shorty Quest)
I recently had the good fortune of having my name drawn from the Cadet Rifle/Scope Raffle and am the recipient of a new REX 3-9x40AO scope graciously donated by Sniper for the raffle.
I have not had an opportunity to do any shooting with this scope over a range of 10M as I'm stuck in my basement until the warmer weather arrives. This is really just a first impression review. I hope to update it when I can shoot with it over a longer range and not just peep about the neibourhood from the warmth of my livingroom.
The very first thing I have to comment on is the speed at which Sniper sent the scope. It can't have been more than 36 hours between my giving Sniper my mailing address and my coming home from work to find it waiting for me. Not only did it come fast but it was well packaged, it actually took me a few minutes to cut the inner box free from all the cardboard and packing tape Sniper had carefully applied.
Out of the box it came and wow, it’s big. Its "good" big as in "that’s a lot of scope for the price". This is my first 40mm scope so that likely has something to do with my observations on its size. Inside the box I found the scope, rings and a bikini style lens covers in a factory heat sealed bubble wrap bag that had one of those anti-moisture pouches sealed in. There was literature on scope operation and maintenance, a lens cleaning cloth and a zip-lock bag containing three Allen keys to adjust all the hex head lock screws on this scope. The Allen keys were a really nice touch!
The size of the objective lens on this scope leads me to the only problem I have with it. When installed on an airgun with a flat top and milled scope rails (such as your average Springer) there is little to no clearance between the objective lens and the top of the main tube. Installing the bikini lens cover is nearly impossible and some airguns might have clearance issues depending on the airgun layout. If there is any part of the airgun that is taller than the top of the scope rail in the region of 3-6” from the front ring the scope will likely not fit. Taller rings would be necessary to accommodate this scope on such an airgun.
This one-piece tube scope seems well made without and visual defects and all markings are clear and legible. The objective and zoom markings are recessed and highlighted and the scope has a nice REX badge recessed in the side. There is a sticker on the bottom of the adjustment knob housing labelled as the “nitrogengas port” leading me to believe that the scope could be evacuated and recharged with dry gas should moisture ever make its way in.
The rings are substantial with four locking screws locking the scope in the two-piece rings and two locking screws per ring to clamp them to the scope rail. The rings have reasonably sharp claws that should lock solidly into all but the finest scope rails. I have been able to securely lock the rings in both my Quest and CZ 613. The 613 has wide rails for an airgun and the locking screws were not seating flat on the adjustable claws. Some small metal shims under the pivot point of the variable claws would bring them back to true and level. The locking screws are 3/4" long and there is far more screw thread available than would ever be needed to secure the rings on the widest of rails.
There is reasonable height above the claws to clear the top of a rounded scope rail. I measured this to be 0.1" from the base of the claw. The rear ring has a set screw located in it that will lock a scope in place when it is tightened with the supplied Allen key and both rings came with a thin friction material applied to the inner surfaces of the rings to help prevent scope creep in the rings.
Installed on a gun with a 3' long piece of 1" straight aluminium tube carefully clamped in place the rings show a tiny bit of upwards cant and a slight misalignment to the left. This is far better than most rings I have come across that are included with a scope and can be corrected through the adjustment knobs. I tend to be anal about alignment and I want my "zero" to be scope my scope's zero so I tend to correct these issues with a tiny amount of sanding/filling to the claw bases to remove imperfections and thin the paint where necessary. This isn’t a knock at the scope rings, far from it! These rings are better than any other "cheap" one-sided clamping rings I have owned.
The scope functions perfectly with all knobs and adjustments moving freely. The zoom is buttery smooth with my only complaint being that the toggle setting for 3X zoom is located at 6 o’clock on the scope and 9X zoom at 12 o’clock. It would be far more user friendly to have the ends of the ranges located at 9 and 3 o’clock. The AO adjustment is a bit stiff and has a slight rough feel to it as the threads of the mechanism are still seating in. I expect it to loosen up with use.
The optics are clear and sharp with a barely perceptible yellow shift in the image. No doubt a high dollar scope seems magically clear and sharp compared to a budget scope and this is in my limited experience a very nice scope for the money. The Mil-dot crosshairs are small and sharp giving no doubt as to where the intersections of lines occur without seeming vague and without blocking the target.
Range finding is difficult with a limited power of 9X but seems possible within a range of about 5 yards to a target at 30 yards and I was able to focus down to 8 yards at 9X without a problem.
The target knobs are well marked and have a solid click detent between 1/4 MOA settings with a mild creep between detents.
So far without having done any long shooting sessions at more than basement ranges I'm very happy with this scope and would recommend one to anyone looking for a good scope at a great price. I am interested in acquiring a high power target REX scope with side wheel adjustments for accurate range finding and this REX scope certainly assures me that I can proceed with confidence knowing that REX initially seems to be a quality product.
My thanks go out to Sniper for his donation of this scope to the Cadet Raffle and for his excellent service to the air gunning community.
MB
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