I just like the simplicity of the Rapid Z. I bought one out of curiosity and continue to be amazed by how simple and easy, yet effective it is. So much so that I bought another.
Believe me, if at any time I feel the setup has failed me and I miss a shot on a deer I feel confident I would have made if dialing the LRHS, I will post it right here for everyone to see.
In a lengthy thread here discussing dialing vs. Ballistic Reticles, I went into great detail about the effectiveness of the Zeiss Rapid Z reticles in hunting situations.
I STILL love the reticle� But not the scope�
My good friend CTSmith was out here this week for some hunting and shooting. Hunting was wound up so we decided to play on the steel a little bit. Put my rifle in a padded case, set it in the truck bed and drove to my shooting lane. The route there is about a mile of dirt road and another 1/2 or so mile through the pasture.
We started at 316 yards. 1st shot was a hit on my 12" plate, albeit a little more off center than I could account for. No more than a 2.5 mph wind. Hmmm� Made an adjustment to the windage on the scope and that's where things really began to unravel. Could not hit the 12" plate� At all� So, I shifted the rifle to a 100 yard 8" plate and tried it again. Was on the plate but off in windage. Made the adjustment, but what should have been the required number of clicks was not having the advertised effect. Got it centered up at 100 and shifted fire back to my 300 yard plate. Miss after miss after miss, left, right, up and down.
I was so amazed and frustrated that Clint and I made the 30 mile round trip to the house and I grabbed the Bushnell LRHS. Took only a few minutes to switch out to the Bushy. Got the Bushy on steel at 50 yards, fine tuned at 100 and moved out to three hundred. By this time the wind had picked up to a full value 10mph. Dialed 1.1 mils elevation and held .5 mils left for wind. I fired three shots, absolutely center punching the plate. Clint then got down behind my rig and fired another three landing in the same group. When we went down to look at the plate we found all six shots perfectly centered on the plate spanning no more than 1 3/4 inches.
Apparently the truck bed ride in a padded case was too much for the Conquest HD5. The ride was not at all what I would have considered to be abusing a scope. I was not hauling butt and the rifle was in a padded case. I was absolutely amazed that ANY scope, would give up the ghost after that.
Anyway, I said I'd let everybody know if the Zeiss failed me, so here it is. I STILL think very highly of the Rapid Z reticle, but what good is it in a scope that won't hold Zero? So, for now, the LRHS will stay aboard my .308 and the HD5 will be sent back to Zeiss for an overhaul.
Not having to guess can sure be humbling at times...
John
