I need a new scope for a lighter weight rifle; most of my current hunting rifles wear either Leupold 2.5-8's or the Conquest 3-9s. Reckon the leupold wins out in size and weight the Zeiss in optics and reticle.
I've never owned a Kahles but the CL 2-7x36 on paper looks like it might have the right combination of size and optics a reasonable price. ($550)
Has anyone had experience with Kahles especially the 2-7

Yes sir. The Kahles 2x7 rocks. I found the eye relief to be a wee more critical than the VXIII but as far as I'm concerned, you'll not find a nicer combination of wonderful glass, sleekness and refined looks in 2x7 than the Kahles.

The only thing I'd consider is what to do if it needs service. Perhaps someone could chime in here and put your mind at ease.

I recently bought a Kahles CT 3x9x42,and I couldn't be more pleased.It is clear and bright and tracks perfectly.I am in Canada,and we still have the same people handling warranty and service here in Canada.

I own the Kahles AH 2-7X36 and 3-9X42. They are fantastic scopes and IMO are a notch above the VXIII's for clarity and brightness. That said, I'm not so sure I have any warranty coverage at this time on either scope because of the split between Kahles and Swarovski. They're both nice scopes but so is the Leupold 2.5-8X36. It's as nice as it needs to be for all my hunting needs.

At this point in time I would buy the Leupold.

Terry

I have a Kahles Helia CL 2-7x36mm. A very nice scope with superb optics.... however, I have one gripe. The ocular is too BIG.

Couldn't mount it on most of my rifles without utilizing higher rings as the fat ocular interferes with cycling the bolt.

Personally, I'd stick with the VX3 2.5-8x36

A few years back I settled on Kahles as my favorite scope maker because I thought they produced the highest value scope for the money, then the Swarovski family went bonkers and split off Kahles. I still have my Kahles scopes, but I don't know what I would do for service in the US. I recently added a new scope, and that was a Leup. VX3 2.5-8X36 -- I know what will happen if I need support.

jim

Here's the scoop:

Kahles has been and continues to be wholly owned by Swarovski.

Swarovski announced last year that they were going to sell Kahles,... but did not. This caused a market ripple, the US importer (Legacy Sports) decided not to continue with Kahles, so Kahles currently has no importer.

Any Kahles optic is fully warrantied and if repairs are required, ship the optic to:

Kahles Repair
P.O. Box 21004
Cranston, RI 02920-1004

It will then be shipped to Austria for repairs, and you will get it back... eventually.

This is straight from Hermann Kloetzer (hkloetzercomcast.net) 866-606-8779 the US Rep. for Kahles.

I would suggest calling or emailing Hermann before sending any optics to the address provided.

Thanks for the info FOsteology. I'm going to bookmark this thread. It may come in handy one day.

Terry

I prefer Leupold because the customer service has always been excellent!

Have both, prefer Leupold. jorge

Have owned and used both. Currently own 2 kahles 2-7 scopes. A cl and an ah model. Rate them pretty dam high....If your hunting involves dusk and dawn low light conditions,you will love the kahles!!

Thank you for your replies, purchased the Kahles.
Worse case can always send back to Austria if it needs repairs.
Cheers