For all the new SWFA SS 3-9x42 owners, one minor annoyance to mention:

The band that the adjustment scale is marked on isn't real firmly glued down. My first 3-9x42 the elevation turrett band came loose after extensive use. Other folks have had this problem. It required the expensive and difficult repair that Tanner told me about - a few drops of superglue.

I prememptively glued the band on my windage turrett and both Turretts on my second 3-9x42 and have had no additional problems.


David

Pardon my cluelessness on this subject.......are you talking about the band around the turret with all the numbers on it?

Exactly. It can come loose and then it will be free to spin - kind of hard to know exactly where 0 is w/o a reference mark!

Buy some gel superglue, remove the turrett knob, put a ring of glue on top of band, wait for it to dry, re-attach turrett.

Not a big deal, but it would aggravate me if it came loose while I was out on a hunt.

David

It's the band with the "Up<---->Down" and all the revolution numbers on it...

Gotcha....thanks Canazes.

thanks C,

I just ordered a couple so will give them the treatment when they arrive. A picture tutorial would be helpful... grin

It's pretty complicated!

1) Dig around in your junk drawer till you find the right sized allen for the turrett.

2) Turn allen set screw lefty loosey to remove.

3) Remove set screw.

4) Grasp turrett firmly, pull straight up (turrett is splined, don't twist), remove turrett.

5) Glob some glue on top of the band, if you feel industrrious use a toothpick to poke a little into the tiny little gap between band and turrett. As you can tell, it's uber important to be only use the exact amount needed....



6) Glob more glue around the band in different spots till you feel like it's probably gonna hold.

7) Wait for the glue to dry.

8) Touch your finger to the glue, if your finger isn't stuck to the turrett the glue is dry.

9) Line up the mark on the turrett top to the center mark on the band and push the turrett straight down.

10) Insert set screw, turn rightey tightey...


Done.


David

In the above pic I posted there is a tiny bit of white residue at the bottom of the band. That'd be super glue. The band in question came loose, so I slid the band off the turret housing, put a couple of drops of glue on the housing, spread it around with a toothpick and quickly slid the band on, put the turret on, and aligned the band with a tick on the turret. As you can see, in this case I spent a bit too much time dinking around, and by the time I noticed the band was one click too far to the right, it was too late. Not a big deal, I just reset the turret to index zero with the band. The band and the turret line up better than it looks like in the pic, that must have been taken when the turret was between clicks, or something. Either way, now that you've heard my story you can make sure to work quickly if your band ever breaks loose, and get the lines on that band aligned correctly before the glue dries

This sounds complicated but likely better than cutting the whole works off. LOL

I wish they made this scope in a SFP I would even deal with the mil setup if they did.

Why do you want sfp? I just got through zeroing and shooting two 3-9's and love them. Reticle was plenty at dusk last night and first light this morning. Easiest scopes I've ever zeroed earlier. I have no idea how sfp would be a advantage?

ahhh we have been through this a million times. FFP does seem to be what many in particular tactical shooters want. I see where you live, the only thing I can think of is most people simply don't have public land to shoot on and are doing most of their shooting at the range rather than in a desert or wide open spaces like I do. for me a scope MUST perform on its lowest power setting. that is where ALL of my scopes spend most of their time. I only add magnification if I need it and the more I need the more time I have to adjust it.

even in a long range western style hunting situation ALOT of your shots are going to be close and quick. I don't feel FFP performs on low power in particular with a 3x9 scope. FFP does work well and I do see the advantage on scopes of very high power ala 6-24x etc. the marks simply aren't useable on most FFP scopes much below 5x anyways. a 6-24 scope to me is high power and something I personally would use as a load development scope only. my ideal is the 3-15 range for long range hunting/shooting. 2.5-10 on short to medium distance rifle. simply put if I need the features of the reticle in those power ranges I am going to be at MAX power anyways, so why give up and be stuck with a reticle that is tuff to see without illumination on low power. I don't want to use illumination, for all I know the scope could have been left on and the battery is dead. its simply not needed.

the lower power optic your using, 3x9 or even something 12x or lower makes NO sense being FFP. as always if you shooting some competition and have a special niche use, like shooting moving targets and adjusting scope power alot then of course what works in that situation is different. I don't shoot competitions and I only shoot at the range when load developing and sighting in. the rest of the time I am dealing with shots on animals that might be fast, fading light, FFP simply does not work for my application. its too bad because there is ALOT of very cool optics that are only offered in it.

Have you ever used the 3X9X42 SWFA SS?

I'm pretty sure he's seen a video of a different FFP scope on youtube.


Why would he need to actually use the rifle scope in question in order to provide a detailed commentary on how usefull it is or isn't?

David

Holy mackerel - this 3-9 is crisp and sharp and the reticle is perfect! And I'm not even remotely tempted to take the Dremel to it!

Guys I'll admit I didnt read all his [bleep]. I was asking a serious question but after a few sentences realized he was going to be a chit head. I have so much to learn I can't screw with reading his chit.

I did see where he said ALL his scopes are used at lower setting so why the hell doesn't he just use a low power scope. He's the only damn person on here who doesn't like any scopes made.

Dare I ask what firearm he finds sufficient ?

Mine hasn't arrived yet.I'm starting to feel like a virgin on prom night.

please disregard the village idiot,especially the whole last paragraph that he wrote. If you hold for wind a ffp works on any power, unlike a sfp scope.

It is truly wondrous, if always using low power, then why, just why then buy the 20X, the dog of the entire lineup? This is all so last year.

Many folks, with many different hunting areas and shot opportunities, are saying this scope, as well as the 6X and 10X Mil Quads kick some serious ass. They work. Although I've had the 3-9 before, it's been awhile. I can not imagine it being better or wanting it thinner or thicker, and never ever would I want it SFP. These inexpensive scopes, especially the fixed powers, have opened turret twisting to me. I'd never had bought a $1800 scope just to try it and surely don't want something known NOT to work reliably. It's opened a lot of opportunity. Thanks SWFA!

This I'll agree with. And all of my FFP scopes are extremely useful on low mag, even in fading light, including 3-9's, 3-12, 5-20, etc.

I also spend a lot of my shooting time in wide open spaces, and all I can say is that I've used SFP scopes AND FFP scopes extensively, and all the SFP scopes have gone down the road. You should actually buy a few FFP scopes, instead of just passing judgement based on YouTube videos, and THEN decide what you think of them.

Am I correct that there's not an MOA version of this one yet...?

At those Black Friday prices it's a steal!

Super glue sets so fast... how about a tiny dab of 5-minute epoxy?

David, In addition to describing this process you have also provided the proper way to explain "how to" things on this forum. I was first giggling to myself. I then began to think, newbies need this type of explanation process for reloading/bedding/scope mounting/etc./etc. Absolutely perfect method of explanation.

For even more humor, ask him how many big game tags he's filled in the past decade in those deserts and mountains. I bet my fat ass, living where folks don't have his "wide open spaces", has punched more tags west of the Mississippi River than he has in that same time frame. Yet he likes to pontificate as if he's an authority...

What advantage does this 3-9 offer over the Fixed 6X...besides the higher power?

The reticle is the same subtensions as the 6x, but at 9x, it is much more visible than the 6x because the apparent size of the reticle increases with magnification.

John

Hondo thanks.

I don't have anything to add to Hondo except I like the smaller and shorter turrets better myself. I ride horses a lot and those shorter turrets will be a little better for that.

Can y'all take a guess why the 10x HD is higher priced than the 3-9?

please disregard the village idiot,especially the whole last paragraph that he wrote. If you hold for wind a ffp works on any power, unlike a sfp scope. [/quote]

umm ok someone asked a question I gave them an answer now I am the village idiot? sorry your having a bad day. I would simply say if your using wind hold offs on a 3-15x scope your going to be at MAX power anyways. especially so with the 3x9. the videos below show the very real downsides of FFP. I said where they can work and I said where they don't and why. instead of calling someone a village idiot why not learn something. again my scopes sit on lowest power and only are increased when needed.



fast forward to the 5 minute mark. I would also add I looked at this scope at a trade show (because I really really wish I could like it!) I held the scope up to a brown curtain in the trade show and the reticle washed out on the curtain in a freaking trade show!!

ok here is a video of the 3x9 SS talked about in this thread, fast forward to around the 2 minute mark

look your choice in optic is yours!!! my opinions are mine based on my experience. I don't shoot at a range all that much as such its either hunting or wack that rock on the side of the hill. if I am needing to be precises enough to make a wind hold that is an important one ie shot on an animal. I am going to do it on max power. keeping in mind my scopes that are NOT for load development top out at 14-16x

I think JRraider said he is buying one of these scopes, JG if your reading give us a report, I at least know he isn't such an optics snob to say something sucks even though he may have spent alot of money on it.

that is the problem people spend alot of money on something and they think they have to defend it till the cows come home. I am very much not that way. I am not a fanboy unless it really works.

I would add that the 3-9x42 has more compact turretts, the turretts are firmer and less likely to get bumped. The scope is slightly more compact than the 6x. The glass is a little better.

David

You're right some people defend their purchases. Tell me why in the hell do you think people keep buying the same stuff if they don't really like it?

It seems odd you mention making decesions on your expierence yet keep posting videos of others. I'm just a young fella from back east but even I will try something for myself. Don't be afraid to try something new you just might like it....lol

As a reminder. The reticles in SFP scopes aren't just "intelligent" at full power. At half power they are as well. On my big NF, that's 11x. So if I'm having mirage or low-light issues I can turn it to 11x and now my 2 MOA hashes (MOAR reticle) are 4 MOA. Still easy. I've yet to see a mirage problem that doesn't clear up at 11x.

Further, it gets mentioned that a FFP scope's reticle can function as a ruler. So can a SFP scope, on full power or 1/2 power. So a guy could, for instance, use the scope on full power to measure out what say a 3 MOA wind hold looks like relative to the target. Then put it on ANY power setting and just hold to that POA.

In these discussions guys tend to default to absolutes, a fault of the Internet in general I suppose, but in reality a SFP scope can do the things a FFP scope can. Might just be a bit slower, or take a skootch more thought, which granted aren't positives. But it's all perfectly doable.

Just sayin'.

Lower power, for more field of view. Plus it is more compact.

I like John's explanation too. I just got a 3-9 in and have been comparing it to the 6x. The 6x reticle is kick ass but gotta say the 3-9's is really super duper kick ass!

Just a reminder, SFP sucks balls. LOL

I can buy that. But if time matters, I personally like to stack the odds in front of me. I would hate to have to jump through all of those hoops looking at a trophy of a lifetime hoping it doesn't move/run.

umm ok someone asked a question I gave them an answer now I am the village idiot? sorry your having a bad day. I would simply say if your using wind hold offs on a 3-15x scope your going to be at MAX power anyways. especially so with the 3x9. the videos below show the very real downsides of FFP. I said where they can work and I said where they don't and why. instead of calling someone a village idiot why not learn something. again my scopes sit on lowest power and only are increased when needed.



fast forward to the 5 minute mark. I would also add I looked at this scope at a trade show (because I really really wish I could like it!) I held the scope up to a brown curtain in the trade show and the reticle washed out on the curtain in a freaking trade show!!

ok here is a video of the 3x9 SS talked about in this thread, fast forward to around the 2 minute mark

look your choice in optic is yours!!! my opinions are mine based on my experience. I don't shoot at a range all that much as such its either hunting or wack that rock on the side of the hill. if I am needing to be precises enough to make a wind hold that is an important one ie shot on an animal. I am going to do it on max power. keeping in mind my scopes that are NOT for load development top out at 14-16x

I think JRraider said he is buying one of these scopes, JG if your reading give us a report, I at least know he isn't such an optics snob to say something sucks even though he may have spent alot of money on it.

that is the problem people spend alot of money on something and they think they have to defend it till the cows come home. I am very much not that way. I am not a fanboy unless it really works.



[/quote]






I too like a reticle I can see on low power. That's why I asked you if you had actually tried the 3X9 SWFA SS. I ordered one because several people told me it is perfectly fine in low light.

What I saw from the video was the thicker outer portions of the reticle being very visible on low power and very possibly being close enough to the center to use them to bracket an animal at close range. If that's the case it's perfectly usable for me since I will zoom if shooting long range.

Also taking into account that the reviewer said twice the reticle looks better in person,and so many positive reviews by actual hunters,I decided to reserve judgement against the reticle until I actually have a chance to use it.

Thanks for the reasonable reply.

It's not a lot of hoops, and at least for this lunk, a LR shot on game (where this stuff would even matter) isn't a rushed affair anyway. There's a bunch of stuff to do in terms of getting in a solid position and it's not difficult to multitask a bit and, say, determine that your wind hold is "1/3,l of a deer body" as you are getting set. Once you know that, it doesn't matter where your power ring is set.

Also, it's not hard to project an approximate idea of say "one MOA" onto say a deer. Pretend it's at 602 yards (my longest kill). An MOA is ~ 6" and 2 MOA is 12". I know what a dinner plate looks like on a deer body. Know what I mean? That's not hard... And finally wind calls are such a judgement thing anyway. In competition, sure, as you move through the course of fire you might determine that to keep it in the X ring your call is 2.3 MOA or whatever it is. In HUNTING, you look at the vegetation, mirage, ideally any condensate (clouds) that are relevant, try to combine everything you are seeing into a number... a wind about 8-10 mph coming from over my right shoulder, with terrain features that might induce a bit of an updraft, but the grass moving where the DEER is shows some gusty stuff from the LEFT! So what's the call there, and how does a FFP scope really matter? You gotta make the call for your one shot, you gotta get really set positionally, and in the case of SFP you need to crank it up all the way, or halfway, and get a read on what your call looks like in terms of POA.

All that takes some time anyway and personally I have not found SFP to be much, if any, of a handicap.

I'm not dissing FFP. All I'm doing is mildly and hopefully politely contesting the notion that SFP is a big handicap in real life big game hunting situations.

The only 2 FFP scopes I've played with, the reticles were useless at minimum power. However, I'm prepared to believe my friends that the 3-9 SS and 3-12 LRHS have solved that.

It can def be done, no doubt. If it works for you, go for it. I just prefer simple. If you can avoid the e yea step, as easy as it is, I'll eliminate it.

Huh....I didn't know that it was more compact. Interesting.

The reticle is not the same as the 6X MQ, correct?

With a Creedmoor how far can you shoot on the reticle?

Sorry for dumb questions but these scopes have a learning curve.

I may sell my NF and get one of these for my Creedmoor.

Bob,

The reticle on the 6x MQ and 3-9 MQ are exactly the same, the only difference being that when the 3-9 is turned up to 9x, it looks 1.5 times bigger than it does in the 6x. The subtensions are the same. Have a look here:

http://www.opticstalk.com/swfa-ss-reticle-subtensions_topic32312.html


John

RH Clark,You are not the village idiot I was referring to. Cummins cowboy is. He is forever talking about the poor qualities of a ffp scope for hunting. He is a dim wit. Sorry for the mix up. As to one of your points about always being on max power for wind hold, I disagree. I have the 3x15 and most of my "long range" shooting is from 500 to 600yds. I rarely go over 10x, even on coyotes. I use my wind holds a lot though. Again, sorry for the mix up.

I knew who you were referring to my friend. It was also CC who was talking about holding for wind at max power. In my last post somehow my quote of him didn't appear in the quote box ,so it looked like I was talking. I don't know how all that happened. Sorry I got everyone so confused. No worries about it all on my part though.

Man if a Leupy needed gluing straight from the factory it'd be the end of the world!!!!

Bob,

As mentioned earlier, the image is better. The 6x is still fine for aiming, but the 3-9x has the edge. Whether or not it matters is up to the buyer/user. On 3x, however, there is tunneling so it's really a 4-9x to me.

The coatings, at least on the ocular, also seem better on the 3-9x than the 6x. I get fewer reflections from light sources to the side and rear. Not a huge deal, but I'm sure you've experienced situations where you may need to shade an optic due to oblique light sources.

I've had the 6x, 10x, 20x, 3-9x, and 3-15x. The 6x and 3-9x are my favorites for all-purpose use, while the 10x is great for a rifle dedicated to mid-to-long range or small targets. I sold the 3-15x to a friend and don't miss it one bit. He likes that scope though.

Parallax is minimal on the 6x, as one would expect, and there is the rear parallax adjustment. On my 3-9x, parallax is also minimal but there is no adjustment. On a few 10x, I noticed that the indicated distances didn't jive with actual distances but it was easy to re-label the scale to make it work correctly.

Jason

The free 10 Mils will take it to about 1000y.

A few crude measurements 3-9 vs 6x

Turrets, about .15" shorter, depending on the adjustment of course. More reasonable.
Knob diameter, .18" smaller. Again more reasonable.
Length, about 1.15" Shorter. She said.
Ocular tube diameter, about .17" smaller.
Seemingly minor but all combined it takes up less real-estate.

They sound like killer scopes. Wish I could've swung one last weekend, but I've got two rifle builds in process that are bleeding me dry.

It's just a label on the outside. Fill the inside of that Leupy up with glue and it might hold zero as well.

RH is bringing the HEAT!


Good one- that made me chuckle.

I can relate. I just bought a new scope and Forbes rifle. I had to sell a scope to fund my 3X9 SS


FYI there will be another sale on tax day. I'm not sure if the discounts are as good.

Just a little good natured ribbing. I own several Leupolds but I honestly don't think they are made as durable the last few years.

I've given up on them. Once I bought my first Conquest and took it to the range to zero it up, and the impacts moved like they were supposed to, it was the beginning of the end. Now I'm buying Nightforce scopes and there's no going backward <g>.

I'd like to try one of the 3-9's on my 7-08 Mountain Rifle, and depending on how I liked the eye relief, perhaps my .338. I'm pretty happy with the NF SHV on my Kimber, though ironically (in the context of the FFP/reticle discussion) the MOAR reticle is a little thin in low light.

I'll be spending in the realm of $3k-5k on scopes in '17 for the rifles I'm building, depending on how I go..... Holy crap. I gave myself a mini panic attack just typing that <g>!

umm ok someone asked a question I gave them an answer now I am the village idiot? sorry your having a bad day. I would simply say if your using wind hold offs on a 3-15x scope your going to be at MAX power anyways. especially so with the 3x9. the videos below show the very real downsides of FFP. I said where they can work and I said where they don't and why. instead of calling someone a village idiot why not learn something. again my scopes sit on lowest power and only are increased when needed.



fast forward to the 5 minute mark. I would also add I looked at this scope at a trade show (because I really really wish I could like it!) I held the scope up to a brown curtain in the trade show and the reticle washed out on the curtain in a freaking trade show!!

ok here is a video of the 3x9 SS talked about in this thread, fast forward to around the 2 minute mark

look your choice in optic is yours!!! my opinions are mine based on my experience. I don't shoot at a range all that much as such its either hunting or wack that rock on the side of the hill. if I am needing to be precises enough to make a wind hold that is an important one ie shot on an animal. I am going to do it on max power. keeping in mind my scopes that are NOT for load development top out at 14-16x

I think JRraider said he is buying one of these scopes, JG if your reading give us a report, I at least know he isn't such an optics snob to say something sucks even though he may have spent alot of money on it.

that is the problem people spend alot of money on something and they think they have to defend it till the cows come home. I am very much not that way. I am not a fanboy unless it really works.



[/quote]

$450 is a lot of money for a scope?? You're delusional!

4th Point/ Boomer: Thanks!

Completely agree with cumminscowboy about FFP scopes for hunting in heavy timber at low power without a lit reticle.
Not sure why the FFP fanboys get bent out of shape about it. Just buy the one you want and we will buy what we want, but if they don't make it we can't buy it. So no 3-9 super chicken for me, but that's OK, plenty more SFPs out there.

Have you tried a SWFA SS 3X9X42?

Thank god for youtube or some here wouldn't have a clue...

Bet you know where I'd suggest you spend that $3-5K and to include the $$ on the rifles they are going on...

You should notice this is a discussion about a scope that everyone likes except cummins and now you. No one is bent out of shape except him. We have tried and like the scope(the scope this thread is about).....hes the one upset about focal planes not anyone else.

Agreed. WYcoyote's statement should read "I'm not sure why the SFP fanboys get bent out of shape and reply to FFP threads simply to antagonize the FFP fans". WYcoyote and cummins should heed their own advice: Just buy what you want. and we'll buy what we want.