I’ve been thinking about the Swarovski 3.5-18x44 for my .30-06 but it doesn’t seem exceptionally durable from what I’m reading. I don’t really want a 30mm tube but I could live with it. Zeiss makes a similar scope in Japan. Leupold makes the VX5 & 6. Just a plex reticle and turrets. Not Illuminated. Are there any I’m missing
?

After doing quite a bit of research, I think I’m going with the Zeiss V4 4-16x44 in medium Warne rings.

I had a couple of Swaro scopes. A Z3 and the Z5 that you're considering. I liked the Z5 3.5-18x44, but never loved it. I'm now using a couple of Trac Torics in 3-15x42 with the T-Plex reticle. I do love these scopes so far. I haven't wrung them out really, but tracking so far has been excellent. Clarity is at least as good as the Z5 and a good bit better, to me, than the Z3.

I'd consider them before making a decision. This maintains the 1" tube as well.

Thanks so many scopes today have complicated reticle or are illuminated that don’t have many choices.

ret·i·cule
NOUN
historical
a woman's small handbag, originally netted and typically having a drawstring and decorated with embroidery or beading.


reticle
noun
Optics.
a network of fine lines, wires, or the like placed in the focus of the eyepiece of an optical instrument.

I have 2 of the Z5, they are a very good scope.

It’s never “not funny” to listen to the lack of experience that gets accepted on this site. Don’t be afraid of the Swarovski Z5 3.5-18X44 scope. I have dozens and they work…

They are mechanically compromised tender pieces of fhuqking schit. Hint………….

Spelling never was my strong suit.

I was going on the failures I’ve been reading about off this site. Fogging and failure to adjust.

I have several 30-06 rifles, all sporter weight, and for the life of me can’t understand why someone needs 18 power magnification on one. I do understand it on a colony varmint rifle but an ‘06?
Please enlighten me.
Rick

Mountains in Hawaii

I have the 3.5-18x44 on a .257 WBY. I like the clarity and it has tracked well in the 3 years I have had it. I also like the V4 I have. I don't think you can go wrong with either.

Thanks

3 of the 5 Swaro scopes I owned failed in some way. Optically beautiful and lightweight, but egg shell fragile. Thin tubes and plastic turrets. Hard pass if you value durability.

I like mine. I did have to send it back once when I broke a plastic retaining piece messing with the elevation turret.

Otherwise it's a good scope and has good glass.

This one is on a pre-64, Krieger 6.5-284 in a Jon Sundra Boyd Classic stock, Jewell trigger.

DF

DF, what is that? About a 1955 rifle with a transition style safety? Surprised you are running windage adjustable mounts on that one too..

My buddy has 2 of these scopes. Both on 300WSM's. One on a Winchester model 70 Extreme Weather, and the other on a Sako Finlight. He's been having issues with that damn Finlight though. The scope was slipping in the rings. He tried to blame it on the "slickness" of the scope tube. I think the problem is someone previously lapped the rings, and probably took out too much material. Plus the recoil of the light rifle is causing some issues. As for the scopes, he says he loves them. He claims that his eyes are "old", and they help him to see better. He said he "has to have quality glass".. A logical excuse? Maybe. Anyway, I'm always leery of Swaro because I've had one that puked on me. At the time, it was the most expensive scope I had bought. I keep an eye on my buddies Z5's, and they are still working. I had the opportunity to buy a used Z5 3.5-18x44 last year for $800.00, but passed.

My buddy bought the one with the weird ballistic turret:


He's had the scopes for about 4 years now, and the last time I asked him if he's figured out that turret, he said no. To each their own...

I love my Z5 for very early and very late deer hunting......Mine has never been a problem.

You can mark that turret with a Sharpie, erase with acetone.

I set the dots at 300, 400, 500, wrote in between numbers with the Sharpie. Zero at 200.

Works for me.

The left knob is parallax, not windage. I don’t mess with windage. Generally not real windy where I hunt.

To me drop is physics, windage clicking entails a lot more snake oil. I haven’t had enough practice to go there.

DF

I have two Z5 3.5-18x44 scopes. Hands down my favorite, have taken them hunting everywhere and in all sorts of crazy conditions, and they have yet to let me down. I replaced the turrets with numbered MOA turrets from Swarovski, why they don’t come this way from the factory instead of the dot thing baffles me.

If you’re going off this site about buying a scope you’ll be using iron sites…..

It’s a variable powered scope.

Why someone would tolerate that silly turret that’s made of plastic, when there are soooo many better options is beyond me!

Turret is aluminum. There is a plastic retaining part that I broke, lacking finesse reassembling it. They fixed it and it's not given any trouble.

Yeah, that part wasn't too impressive, but if I wasn't forcing it, it wouldn't have broken. So, it was my fault.

Glass is great, it's not overly heavy for its level of performance and it's pretty sleek.

Overall, I like it. It would be hard to get that much optical performance in a lighter, sleeker package. To me that's it's strong point.

DF

Here are two ways you can do the turret thing. The left one is on my M-700 26 Nosler wearing a 4-12x50 Z3 As you can see, I used the Sharpie. The dots are at 400, 500 and 600 yds. I would have started the dots at 300, but the Nosler likes to go long.

The right one I pictured on the M-70, a Z5 with a dedicated turret.

Dedicated turrets are nice, but the Sharpie price is right. And I can erase those marks with acetone, do it for another load, not so much with the dedicated version.

And, BSA, you have sharp eyes, It is a '55 vintage Pre-64 with transitional safety.

DF

Ya reckon?

DF

The turret internals on a Z series scope are plastic. That’s part of the reason why it’s so light.

The tubes are paper thin. Notice the 15-17in lbs ring torque recommendation, yeah, that should tell you all you need to know.

I also want my turrets in moa or mils, not yards.

They are Frail Fogging Fickle Fhuqks in The Real World and round count do them NO favors. Hint.

Just sayin'...............

I'm sure they wouldn't stand a good breaking in, but handled gently, they seem to survive.

Agree there are tougher scopes. These are very light for the optic performance offered.

Those bull stout ones are generally going to be a good bit heavier.

So, I guess everything is a choice one way or the other.

DF

I agree with 'stick. Won't have another. I set the stupid single rev dot turrets with the zero stop at 200, triangle at 300 and the dots at 4,5,6. Trouble is, most standard cartridges can't even reach the 600, due to the 1 inch tube/single rev......

Good one!

I think a lot of the opinion differences around here result from the different expectations people have and also the way they treat their gear/luck. In sixty years, more or less, of using optics on rifles I can remember twice when I let one slide off a support, not really free-fall. One of those, a Lyman AA 8x that slid off the side of my Camaro, lost zero, made me miss a chip shot on a sitting crow. The other was a Leupy 2.5 and aside from a scuff mark, there was no trouble from that.
I’ve certainly had my share of falls, but always managed to keep the rifle ”out of it”. Hence, my scope troubles have mostly been with ones that had sloppy, inaccurate, inconsistent adjustments. I used to put up with that, as it was pretty much an accepted “feature” of the scopes I was using, but no more because it wastes my time and ammunition, and there are plenty of scopes out there that work correctly and take a beating as well. I try to buy those, but occasionally take a chance on a tender one if it otherwise meets my needs. I can’t take much of a beating myself these days, so toughness in my scopes doesn’t matter as much as I’m less likely to get myself in dicey situations.

I shoot daily. Hint.

From the hip,I've not shot out more than (7) spouts on a single receiver(7-08's all). I've only had 100's and 100's of rifles/scopes. Have NIB stuff at my feet,that recently arrived in the Mail and R&D never ends. I've simply never been in an environment,where Swaro riflescopes are "good" and they are simply fhuqking Dog Schit. Hint.

Them that "do" the least,lament them constants,to their perpetual chagrin. Velvet Gloves,Sunshine and Do Nothingness,are hardly a "test" of anything but high Estrogen Levels. THAT is where Swaro "shines". Hint.

I set here on the cusp of a 4wk tear and am picking'/choosin' gear, to bear that brunt. Might could be a pun there. Hint.

Living Walnut,CM steel,schit glass and schitty mounts ain't able to connect a single fhuqking dot. There will be wear and tear,all things WILL be saturated and trends revisited in their mechanical sanctity. Hint.



There's multiple new NightFarces in the larder,fhuqking Trijicon and fhuqking Reupold too,so the laughs will be plenty! Hint.

Lotsa new rifles and more on order/transit,so as to keep schit "fair". Hint.

I reckon 200+ Steelhead and a couple Boomers. Hint.

Just sayin'................

Stick, are you into the steelheads yet? You obviously live in steelhead heaven.

Winter run is over and Spring is here. I strive to keep a balance and land 250 of each, but this 4wk window will certainly skew that "average". Hint.

I just got home today(2hrs ago) and am depositing bonus checks,opening mail and loading my crummy up. So I'm sorting wares,from blades,rods,terminal tackle,new rifles,new scopes,mounting systems,NightVision and a plethora of goodness. It's rough. Hint.(grin)

Had Sister loan a pard some of my wares and he hit me with Chrome pics an hour ago. Tides are modest, rainfall nil(until tomorrow),so it will be Turn & Burn,covering drifts of repute. It will be minimal sleep and LOTSA wader miles to tune in, but Good Rifles don't fret such things. Hint.

I'll be plum fhuqking AMAZED,if I don't land a couple 20-pounders. 40" specimens abound and this early start retains girth. There's some BIG Bitches that lay in wait. Hint.

One of my guys is arriving for a week and he's been "telling" me ALL about Steelheading for months. I'll CRUSH his Dreams and then get serious. Hint.(grin)

I reckon it'll be a NightFarce Spring with the Montucky 7" Speedmire wearing a 2.5-10x SFP and I'm thinking I'll slide an extra NX8 1-8x DM-X capped/Lit Bitch to a CA 7-08,for giggles. Hint.

Film at 11:00.............

I won’t ever shoot to 600 around here, half that is about it, but those skinny tubes also run out at much shorter distances I do shoot at with my .22s, hence the Super Chicken on my Ruger CSC. The accurate clicks don’t hurt any either…

Wonder when they’re going to get some more?

Well everything is a compromise.

You have tough and heavy vs sleek and light. Maybe some in between.

So, application seems the biggest criteria.

DF

Function is bigger. To me.....

Try it on something a little flatter shooting than a 45-70…

Stick, I envy you and your steelhead opportunities. From years of fishing in the rivers on the Kenai and northward I have huge respect for 'bows. They can teach every other fresh water fish how to fight. Steelhead on the other hand, having only caught a few in my years, can teach 'bows how to fight. It's hard to imagine how much of a tussle a 40" steelhead puts up.

For several years my buddies and I fished up the northern tributaries of Lake Iliamna for spawning rainbows in October (when the ferrules freeze shut from the cold) and any 'bow over 30" we "counted".

Please take a breath of God's air for the rest of us no longer there and enjoy the thrill of catching those magnificent fish for those of us who can appreciate them.

The only Z5 3.5-18×44 I worked with was fairly unimpressive. On my static tester, the 1/4" elevation adjustment was in excess of 3/8". The windage was closer to 1/2" than 1/4". Three shot groups from a very accurate 300WSM on the gridded test target comfirmed this. It held POI fine over 50 rounds, optics were decent but no more than you'd expect from a scope in that price range.

In the end, the owner had me put the 4-12 Nikon back on that he had me swap out for the Z5. -Al

I think they're 1/3 moa......

Agree with Shrapnel. I have several of these and they work just fine.

I think swaro needs to update the z5 its been out for a very long time. to pay new full retail, umm thats quite a bit for the just the name in my view. I think you will be fine with them as a set and forget scope. if you like euro optics for the same money. I think I would look at leica scopes.

This one was marked as 1/4". It had the elevation turret with the three rings you can set individually...the Ballistic Turret model. -Al

I have 3, 2on 20 VarTargs and 1 on a 17 Hornet all Cooper 38s. BRX reticle. They make great P-Dog scopes IMO. These get shot thousands of times a year.

Schmidt & Bender Klassik.....👍

Zeiss came in today. I like it.