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Posted By: dukxdog Swarovski Optik X5i 3-18x50 - 05/18/19
Does anyone here have any experience with one?
Got 3 of them.. What do you want to know?
PM sent.
Must be top secret.
I have had one for a couple years. Sent it back to Austria when the housing around the battery broke loose inside the parallax tube.Had been mounted on a 300 WSM.
It has always dialed right on and optically, it is brilliant.Thought about getting rid of it after the warranty repair but decided to try it again and it has worked fine.
Originally Posted by warpig602
Must be top secret.


A glimpse of what I PMed dukxdog . . . . .

"Yes, I do like them. One is on a 22-250, another on a 6mm Creedmoor and the other on a 6.5 Creedmoor. I also have a X5i 5-25 that is sitting waiting for the 300PRC build that it'll be going on. All have the 4WX-I reticle.

As far as what I don't like about them - very little. The sub-zero function (if you choose to use it) is a little tricky at first. Needing the 'special' tool to make adjustments on the elevation turret, is kind of a pain, but I always make sure I have one with me. It's become a part of my pack, just like a rangefinder or binoculars.

Is it the best scope I've ever owned - very close. I bought them for a purpose - long range. The X5i is overkill on the 22-250, but it's damn fine glass, has all the elevation and windage that I want for a prairie dog gun. But when I take the 3 guns with me, I never have to worry about the idiosyncrasies of different scopes. I've shot 1200yds with the 6mm and 6.5mm and had lots of elevation left in the turret. The turrets are rugged and repeatability is not an issue. I do wish there was a zero stop on the windage turret. Do I need the illumination? Not really, but at the time the $200 difference between illuminated and non-illuminated was a no brainer. I believe Swarovski discontinued the non-illuminated X5s.

The best scope that I own or have owned is probably the Swarovski Z8i 2-16. It has fantastic clarity and brightness, a magnification range that suits about every scenario, is lighter than the X5i, and I can a 1000yds out of the dial. I have it mounted on a Christensen Arms Ridgeline in 28 Nosler. With 162gr Hornady ELD-Xs, I can dial it to 1000yds and still have a handful of clicks left on the turret. I considered the Z6i 3-18 (I own one as well) but in the end opted for the Z8i and the BTF on the 28 Nosler. The Z8i has more elevation adjustment than the Z6(i). My Z6i 3-18 is also on a Ridgeline - a 280AI."
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