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Negative. All the fixed powers are made in one plant in Japan and the variables are made in another, also in Japan.

Are the fixed-powers still Kenkos?

Sorry RD, but this is wrong.

The classic fixed powers are made in one plant. The 3-15x is made in the same plant.

The HD scopes, 10x HD, and 3-9 are made in another.

Easiest way to tell is to look at the turrets. Each plant has its own design. The 3-15x has the same turrets as the classic fixed scopes. The 10x HD and 3-9x have the same turrets as the other HD scopes.

Its been discussed and confirmed several times by SWFA at OpticsTalk.

Jason

I thought all Kenko scopes were made in the Philippines?

Ok, this is all I will say and that is " all the "classic" fixed power scopes come from one plant and all the new variables come from a different plant". As I said earlier, I am friends with Chris Farris. Sorry I can't say anything further.

I only know what Kenko put on my 'classic' 10X, before they shipped it across the sea to SWFA.

Does this mean you don't think that an assembly facility can mix and match parts from different suppliers?

MZ5,

If you have info on this parts swapping, please spill the beans. Otherwise, what's your point?

Swapping of parts is possible but unlikely. More importantly SWFA has confirmed that the 3-15x is made on the same chassis and the same plant as the fixed power scopes. You can find this info with some interweb digging but I suspect that you already know this.

No sense arguing or speculating. Contact SWFA for yourself and please post the findings. Get the info from them, the most reliable source not me or anyone else.

I don't want to get in an endless debate over this. Or get into your "Weaver is better than SS" debate Is this where we are headed? The 50mm Weaver being superior? If so, let's start another thread because I'd be interested in that discussion.

Where the Classics and HD scopes are made really doesn't make any difference in the end. As long as they do what they are supposed to, and the cost is acceptable.

J

What I said wasn't speculation or rumor. Small parts, such as turrets, could be used on 100 different scopes. Funny, Chris and I were chatting about "google commando's" thinking they know where/who makes his scopes. In the end it wouldn't make any difference if I told you exactly who makes each model because all that matters is they perform as expected.

Thanks for beating me to the appropriate reply, RDFinn.

A good example of what I said as irrelevant information would be Bushnell's high end tactical scopes and the recognition they are getting among serious competition shooters such as Formidilosus . Before he started posting here everyone thought Bushnell Elites were a small jump up from snail chitt. Now, George Gardner and Pat Sinclair come along and folks start listening. If you were armed with the information that these scopes (and Nightforce scopes) were made by Light Optical Works, would that make any difference to anyone what so ever ? Of course not.

RD,

When was this conversation? After the 3-15x42 came out, or before?

The Classic fixed powers were made in one plant and the HD variables were made in another, until this year. Your statement was 100% correct, last year. The 3-15x came out this year. The 3-15x is made in the non-HD plant per SWFA.

I just want to make sure you knew this and we are talking about the same timeframe as things have changed.

If you're saying that the 3-15x42 is in fact made in the HD factory, per Chris, then I retract all I have said and will forward this on since it contradicts what I've been told. And no, my info did not come from Google or the internet (hint), but good guess!

Jason

I had this conversation (via email) at 1554 this afternoon with Chris. I didn't ask him specifically about fixed, fixed HD, original 3-9 or so on and so forth. He said, once again, " all fixed power "classic" come from one plant and the newer variables come from another. Whether fixed HD's and variables are made together I don't know cause I didn't ask. Maybe that's where some of the confusion lies.

RD,

I appreciate the clarification. Would you feel comfortable confirming that the 3-15x42 is made in the Classic factory with Chris?

In the end, as long as the scopes perform that is all that matters. But when we say that the 3-15x42 is made in the HD plant, everyone assumes it has HD glass. This just adds to the confusion, speculation, and unfortunate comparison to other scopes with HD. I think this just takes away from a great scope.

SWFA has said that this is not the case... it is not HD but its still a great scope. Other people here and elsewhere have stated that the 3-15x out-resolves the 3-9x which is supposed to be HD. I don't know this from firsthand since I don't have a 3-9x but the other posters have proven to be reliable and credible.

What I don't want to do is put SWFA or those that helped with the SS scopes on the spot and ask for "what is the name of the factory". I think that simply stating that the 3-15x is based on the Classic chassis and made in the same plant clears the matter up, if that is the case as I believe. They have stated so in the past so I don't think its a big deal for them. But since Chris is your friend it would be nice to get the confirmation from him.

I think the 3-15x is a killer scope no matter where its made, but I don't expect it to be HD or made in the same plant as the HD plants scopes. I just wish I ordered 2 or 3 on Black Friday instead of 1!

Jason

Wow,

The Leupold Delusional Syndrome runs strong in this thread.

I get that the SS is cheap but it hardly ranks with the VX-3 in terms of, well anything.

Heavy with sub par resolution is not really a wining proposition until you figure in price (it is a Tasco, guys, Oops not suppose to say that).

an honest question is "how SWFA SS and NF build their variable scope such that they never loses zero, and the clicks are 100% right on".

How is it they do it right but a $3000 S&B or $2500 Zeiss or $fill in the blank Swaro cannot figure it out? Beats the hell out of me.

Might the answer be:
They're not focusing on the same areas of 'performance'
?

That's an extremely foolish assumption, as far as I'm concerned. Assembly plants can mix and match parts and meet various specs at will, or else they're not very useful as contract manufacturers/assemblers.

Form., the examples you cite are from hunting scopes of uncertain age. None of which were designed from the ground up as tactical scopes. Anybody can take an old VariXII, which has been around since the 70's, add an M1 turret and call it good for tactical matches. Your 6-18X scope has always been either that or a VXII. The 6.5-20 has also been around a long time as a hunting scope. I know because I had one over 20 yrs. ago. in the VariX III model. The 3-9X you cite might be a new model, but it may not.
I have seen no controlled testing, only impressions that do not take into account the ages of the tested scopes, their costs, the VariX/VXII's were alot cheaper than the SWFA scopes, or their design features. If you want to claim the SWFA scopes are better than the current VX3 Leupolds, you need to buy 6 new ones and run them with the same round counts on the same rifles. Just like you did with the 6 new SWFA scopes. You haven't done that.
Nor have you done that with the Nightfoirce, S&B and Leupold top of the line tactical scopes. Yet you insist that the Nightforce and S&B scopes are significantly better than the comparable Leupolds.
And you keep insisting that in any given tactical match, 30% of the Leupolds will fail. Maybe so. But no where do you do any controlled testing or comparisons of new, not used, scopes.
You could easily say that you are very impressed with the SWFA scopes and cite their track record. But when you say they are better than anything else out there in their price range, you are going too far. E

One actual owner/user being told they don't know anything, by some folks that actually don't know anything.
Classic.
Next thing you know, everyone's Swaro binos will be fogged up too.