Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Optics review of GPO Passion 6x 2.5-15x56i w/ pictures

I recently purchased a German Precision Optics (GPO) Passion 6x 2.5-15x56i scope, and Doug from CameraLand asked me to post a short review after checking it out. In between migraines and other health problems, I cobbled some thoughts together. My review is rudimentary, boring and doesn’t offer as much detail as I’d prefer, but it’s all I am up to doing right now. So here it goes:

First off, I should preface my comments by noting that – for me – performance in low light and moonlight are of paramount importance. I can’t get out and stalk game due to my health and restricted mobility, so my shot opportunities are minimal and often involve a dark target deep into the night.

Thus, I have gone through countless scopes – from middle-of-the-road to the true alphas -- in hopes of finding the perfect low-light performer for those 150-175 yard shots on hogs in moonlight. To be honest, the perfect scope does not exist, and I find fault with them all. I am not brand-loyal and do not care if my findings suit the forum cheering camp of certain manufacturers. I simply call them as I see them, so to speak. Anyway…

The scope arrived with a CR2032 battery pre-installed, as do most of the higher-end illuminated scopes today. Also included and mounted on the scope was a clear, flip-up objective lens cover; a black plastic replacement insert is also included in case you don’t like the see-through option. Oddly, there is no protective cover included for the ocular, so I located an appropriate Butler Creek flip-up to fit onto it.

I chose to mount the scope on a Contender rifle that features a 1:9/24” Match Grade Machine barrel in 6.5x30-30 Ackley Improved. With its favored hunting loads, 3-shot, 100-yard groups routinely hover around 0.55 to 0.6”. Given good conditions, groups at 200 yards seldom exceed one inch.

Mounting the scope in medium Warne Maxima rings, I bore-sighted and made the necessary adjustments to give a 100 meter zero. The 1cm clicks are crisp and precise– and you can easily feel each and every adjustment. Both the windage and elevation dials are easily resettable to zero for those who like to twist turrets. I don’t. But I still like to reset them to once I’m done. That way, I can switch loads, make the necessary changes and then return to zero once I return to my original loading.

I normally sight in at 200 yards. But at this time of year, mirage can be an issue, so I wanted to minimize variables as much as possible since my first step was to shoot “the box” to test for reliability of tracking. From bore-sighting to establishing a firm zero took only three shots as the adjustments were sufficiently precise and moved the point of aim the intended amount. The target was placed at 100 meters since the calibration of the clicks is 1 cm at 100 meters.

During the sight-in session, I also gave the side parallax adjustment – which has a range from 15 yards to infinity -- a workout and found the corresponding markings to be as close to reality as any scope out there. I’ve seen numerous expensive models have parallax correction in which the indicated ranges were nowhere near the results achieved. But at least in this particular 2.5-15x56i, it’s spot-on and features a silky-smooth dialing range.

Shooting “the box” was done over the course of an hour and in the very early morning, before temperatures began their daily ascent to that dreaded 100-degree mark. Because the accuracy of the rifle and load had been established long ago, I elected to go with 2-shot groups. This also minimized cooling time. There’s no need for unnecessary detail here as the session was quite uneventful. Every movement ended with groups in the intended location, and the final two shots literally overlapped the original two and combined to create a 4-shot group that measured 0.611”. The following day, I fired five more shots into the same target diamond, and the point of impact remained steadfast and simply turned the original group into more of a ragged hole than anything else.

The reticle used in the GPO is a near-clone of the popular Zeiss #60, and the illuminated dot does not exceed the size of the center wires and thus appears “inside” of the reticle itself (the graphic that appears on the website is incorrect). The reticle is quick to acquire, and the center wires are bold enough to easily see 30-40 minutes after sundown and even later under good conditions. I didn’t receive a subtension chart, but from my crude findings, the center wires appear to subtend approximately 0.4” on 10x at 100 yards. Unfortunately, other manufacturers often choose center wires that are too thin – in the 0.18 to 0.24” range – which results in the crosshairs fading into the background, particularly against a darker target. That’s something you won’t have to worry about with the GPO.

I am not generally concerned about eye relief as the calibers I use are all quite mild. GPO claims 3.74” for this model. My own measurement, which should be taken with a grain of salt as this wasn’t done with laboratory precision – indicates eye relief is closer to 3.58”, still more than adequate for even magnum calibers. Going from 2.5 to 15x, I noted only the slightest of shifts when approaching maximum magnification. It was certainly not disconcerting and likely would never be detected under field conditions.

As to overall design, the GPO rates highly as well. On a number of scopes, manufacturers have tried combining the illumination and parallax on the same rheostat knob. Some work. Some will leave you frustrated as turning one invariably moves the other. But the GPO is set up nicely and poses no such problem to the user. The magnification ring operates smoothly and is easy to grasp. Overall, it's a big scope but is user-friendly and has lines that keep it from looking overly-gaudy or cumbersome.

THE GLASS
I never make any judgments on resolution or low-light performance of an optic until after I’ve spent significant time with it – and under as many possible variations when it comes to both lighting and atmospheric conditions. A cursory look through an optic, in my opinion, is quite meaningless. Even in upper-end scopes, some that perform exceedingly well under normal circumstances can fail to impress when the sun dips well below the horizon. On the other side of the coin, certain scopes that may seem to be middle-of-the-road when it comes to image quality in daylight may knock your socks off, so to speak, in low light or moonlight. The Kahles CSX 3-12x56 is a prime example. Its coatings render a daylight image that is more neutral in terms of contrast, so it doesn’t have the vivid rendition or “pop” that other comparable scopes do. But when the light gets low, it truly comes into its own, edges ahead of numerous competitors and is only out-performed by a handful of other scopes.

Nonetheless, my initial impression of the GPO 2.5-15x56 from a purely-optical standpoint is one of awe. Observations under pre-dawn, early morning, late afternoon and 30 to 45 minutes after sunset indicated the resolution will indeed encroach upon and compete with the upper-echelon of hunting scopes.

The image field is surprisingly flat with more than adequate edge-to-edge sharpness. Typical of high-transmission scopes, there is a notable center sweet spot, but it is generous and doesn’t end nearly as abruptly as it does in scopes like the Zeiss Victory HT. And its control of stray light and glare is among the best in the recognized alpha class of optics, a characteristic particularly beneficial to top low-light performance and – believe it or not – somewhat lacking in a couple of high-dollar models.

Even though the attributes of the 2.5-15x56 were many, I remained somewhat skeptical as to how the GPO would render detail once the sun has been below the horizon for 45+ minutes or when the only illumination was from the moon. I quickly learned that my worries were unfounded: the images through the GPO in moonlight and near-dark conditions give up nothing to the top offerings from Schmidt & Bender, Zeiss and others – and does so at a price that is substantially lower as well.

Those familiar with the requirements of a low-light hunting scope understand that magnification is crucial to being able to see ample detail and binge able to make an ethical shot. Of course, one must also have ample transmission to use higher magnifications, and the scope must possess lenses of high enough quality to render usable images under tough conditions. With relatively clear skies and in the 99 percent moon phase a few days earlier, I was able to use 14x on the GPO and could easily identify small animals near midnight at a protein feeder, which is 155 yards from my bench location. On another night, when thin, wispy clouds moved in to diffuse the overhead lighting, resolution charts, inanimate objects and whitetail deer provided little challenge to the 2.5-15x56i scope, which on this night was producing images that were slightly richer and more detailed than the competitors. At this point, the GPO definitely had my attention.

Without getting into boring details, only the S&B Polar appears to have an edge in perceived brightness to my eyes, and that advantage is minimal. But there was no moonlit target I could have engaged with the Polar that I could not have successfully center-punched using the GPO as well. And for the record, to level the playing field, I did set the parallax of the GPO to the same generic 100 meters as featured in the other scopes.
ALL THAT GLITTERS IS NOT GOLD


But now comes the bad news: The illumination on this unit is daylight-only usable and simply too bright for any applications in moonlight. CEO Mike Jensen went out of his way to try and make things right, but he could not come up with a solution to make the scope workable for me. Apparently all of their available modules currently feature this level of intensity.

The news was disappointing to me. Aside from the illumination issue, this particular GPO has already positioned itself as one of the top low-light performers in the industry. With a darker illumination curve, it would be even better.

But even with this situation, it remains an incredible optic – just not suited to my personal needs. If you hunt whitetail deer, elk or bear 30 minutes before sunrise to 30 minutes after sunset or in the dark forests, the GPO is an exceptional choice – trust me on that. It’ll provide you both fine detail and eye-pleasing images – not to mention a precise aiming point. It will both please and amaze those who purchase one for such applications.

But if you plan on using it to snipe a hog or predator in moonlight, you’re out of luck as the lowest power setting overwhelms the target and creates flare spillage even in strong moonlight. One solution to the illumination issue would be for GPO to introduce a heavy , non-illuminated reticle similar to a Zeiss #4, but GPO made no mention of plans for such an offering.

Sadly, the scope has been returned to GPO as we couldn’t come up with a viable solution. I hope Mike and his crew eventually decide to address the illumination. In my opinion, they are only one minor issue away from having an incredible – and affordable – low-light optic that can perform in the worst of lighting scenarios. And if they do, rest assured that I’ll be on the phone to order one. Electronics aside, there is no other scope in the $1500-and-under price range that I have tried that matches the pure low-light optical performance of the GPO 2.5-15x56i.

Nice review Bobby, thanks for taking the time.
Shame that didn't work out for you but it sure sounds like they got a lot of things right with that one.

Yes, they really did. There is a lot to like about this one.

Well done Bobby. I could understand every written word, and that's saying something! (for me). I know you know your way around high class glass, and it's too bad the reticle didn't work for you. Thanks for the effort.

Appreciate the review Bobby. I hope you get to feeling better soon.

Thanks. I had someone ask about illumination in daylight. Well, in a brightly-lit room, you can see the dot on the 2nd setting. In bright daylight and looking into a distant treeline, you can see it fine on #4. On the 5th setting, I could easily see it against a light-colored field in the middle of the day in which the skies were perfectly clear. So you'd have no trouble picking it up against any sort of paper or steel target -- even those that are bright white -- during daylight hours. It is quite intense.

Bobby, Did you ever find yourself wishing it would go dimmer at 30 min after sunset(most legal hunting limit)?

I understand the difference of what is required at midnight.

At 30 to 40 minutes after legal sundown on a clear day, it was still fine on the lowest setting. Plus, at that time, you can still see the crosshairs very well. Like I noted, for someone who does not need twilight or moonlight performance from the illumination, this is a HECK of a scope and fully comparable to the recognized alpha names. Unless you hit a whale of a sale, you really can't buy more scope for the money.

Thanks Bobby. Your review was excellent. Thanks for taking the time to do this. I know its not easy.

Thanks for taking the time to write and post this Bobby.

To show our appreciation anyone who calls in to purchase any GPO product we will take extra special care of.

I agree and I expect another review from Bobby pretty quick.

We are running a special on the
GPO Passion 4X 6-24x50 MOA Riflescope Outfit only $999.99
Including, at no extra cost:
A certificate in the box for a free customized Kenton Turret.
A 3" sunshade
A bubble level

That's a heck of a deal, Doug! I hope some of these guys take you up on that opportunity.

I think those that do will be very happy they did

So.......Passion vs Ares......which one do you buy?

Looking at GPO’s website and trying to discern the differences beyond zoom levels, do they all have the same glass/coatings?

The 2.5-15x56, the 2.5-15x50 and the 1" 4-12x50 do, according to Mike Jensen. I can't speak about the others because we did not specifically discuss those. Mike is quick to answer e-mails, though, if you want to drop GPO a line. The e-mail addy is infogpo-usa.com

No problem. I feel this scope would be especially useful in the type of terrain you hunt. They offer the same in a 50mm objective as well. The reticle itself is great, and so is the illumination for typical deer hunting, including both early morning and late evening. The illumination was just too bright for my particular needs.

Also, for sake of comparison, the image through the GPO I had was probably most similar overall to that of a Zeiss Victory/Lotutec vintage.