Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Optics Swaro Ballistic Turret's

I'm looking for some of you guy's opnion's on the Swaro BT. I'm thinking of getting a 3.5x18x44 Z5 with the ballistic turret. I've watched the video on them and they seem simple to set up but I'm worndering if some of you that own the scopes are happy with them and would buy them again. Thanks, Elk

Elkhunter49,

I would use almost any other scope before a Swarovski. I have a Bushnell 6500 4 1/-30X50 that weighs 22 1/2 ounces. I wanted something better and lighter. I purchased a z5 5-25X52. Using an eye chart I discovered the z5 needed one more magnification for me to discern the same detail. I paid $750 for the Bushnell and $1,675 for the z5. I returned it. I purchased two more that were worse than the first. The forth one was barely behind the 6500 in normal daylight, but kicked it butt in low light. Something #2 and #3 could not do.

I mounted it. I read here that when you get a new scope to twist the windage and elevation a few times before sighting it in. I did that. When I went to sight it in the windage did not move at all for the first two tries to get it to move 3" at 300 yards. When it did move it went way too far. Finally it was sighted in at 300 yards. I dialed the green, yellow and red spots for ranges and practiced a lot.

The day before I was going on a sheep hunt the 500 yard setting was hitting at 400 yards. I resighted it for 300 and figured I would not dial on the hunt.

I sent it in for warranty. They replace an erector spring. Oh yea, the hawk came off somewhere along the way and they put a new one on.

Again I sighted in at 300 yards. I dialed the green, yellow and red spots for ranges and practiced a lot. The day before going to Alaska the 500 yard sight was again perfect for 400 yards. I resighted it for 300 and figured I would not dial on the hunt.

I used it like that for the season and sent it in for warranty. Again they repaired it but this time they charged me $30! Since it was like new, I sold it as used in the box with all the papers except the warranty.

Even on the sale, that thing got me. I listed it for $1,450. Somehow the sight listed it for $1,250. I told the guy he was getting a very good price since I listed it for $1,450 but would honor the price.

A little side stuff. I purchased a Leupold VX-6 4-24X52. No problems for the first year. So far I have not found any Vortex at the range as nice as the 6500. They are just not as clear. I had a chance to compare the VX-6 and the z5 with a Swarovski z6 3-18X at the range. The image in the z6 was no better than that in the z5. The owner allowed me to make any adjustment I wanted.

I love them. I have five rifles with them on. Three Z5's and 2 Z6's. I don't use the turret that comes with them I use a replacement turret from the Outdoorsmans. This past weekend was shooting with a friend of mine that had a new VX 6 3-18x44. Side by side I could see very little difference between his scope and my Z5. As far as repeatability I have had 0 issues so far.

Thanks for the responses guys, all good points. Elk

I found on my Z5 5-25X52 BT that the factory turret would only adjust to a 500 yard shot and it was maxed out. I do not know if the after market turrets have more range. It was mounted on a Ruger 7WSM using their factory rings so I didn't have the option of a ramped base to get more adjustment.

The scope itself I really enjoyed the view and the low light vision was excellent. Traded it off and went back to the TDS reticle.

Hope this helps.

I'm a Swarovski fan and run a lot of BRH/TDS reticles. The advantage of the BT over the BRH/TDS is that once sighted in, your yardage markers are good at any magnification. Not so with the BRH/TDS.

This is good to know as well, thank you sir!

To quote Mule Deer from February of last year.

"My wife and I and some companions used several Swarovski scopes, mostly Z5 3.5-18's, for some long-range and other practice over a couple of days last June, with no malfunctions that I can recall. Eileen was so impressed she got one for her favorite .243 Winchester."

It sounds to me like your ballistic info was wrong, Did you chorongraph your rounds, input the proper elevation, etc prior to setting up your turret. I've delt with it a few times, the typical problem is people don't have the right info input.

WRO,

Welcome to the 'fire. I hope you enjoy yourself here. There are some really good guys to learn from. I certainly have. I am glad you apparently had good experiences with the Swarovski z5. I sure wanted the z5 at a cost of $1,675 to be better than the Bushnell 6500 and the Nightforce 12-42X56 I compared them to. After all the Nightforce at the time were selling for $1,440 and the 6500 were going for $750.



Is the wrong loading info why they had to replace the spring twice and why the windage didn't move twice the first time I tried to move it?



Choreographing is part of my shooting fun. I almost never shoot without the Oehler 33.




I set the turret based on the impact of the bullets.



I was practicing a lot in preparation for the hunt. The zero stop allowed the bullets to hit a few inches low at 300 when it started acting up. Is that why it worked so many times before? Why did it need to resighted in at 300 yards if there was no problem?

While we're at it, my gunsmith got to look through them. He was disgusted with their lack of quality control from one to the next. The first and the forth were definitely better than the 6500 in low light. Number two and three were positively not.

I'm sorry you have a dud, I've to 2 and in our group we have 7 of them. Never had an issue..

I have a z5 5-25x50 BT 4W on a 22-250 and I love it. No problems so far, but I have less than 300 rounds through it.

I'm sorry to hear Ringman's troubles with his.

Well guys in a few weeks I'll give you a report on this scope (3.5x18x44 BT Plex). If I don't find a good deal on a lightly used one I've got a decent deal on a new one that I'll pull the trigger on this Friday. Thanks for all the reply's folks!

Elk hunter,

How'd you make out?

I should be able to get out to the range this weekend so I'll post up. My first chance to take it out past 100 yards will be the second week of May.