2021 BigJimFish Review/Article blog: ~$2k scopes with Minox, Sig, and more.

As with my previous 2020, 2019 and 2018 threads, the purpose of this thread is to provide a catalog of this years reviews and articles, give you a behind the scenes look at what I am working on as it is worked on, and provide a place for your input and comments. Last year ended up quite ambitious with nine reviews and/or articles. That was a bit much and so I'm planning on dialing it back a little this year. The main focus of the year will be a series of optics reviews for scopes in the ~$2k price range similar to the series I did the last two years which focused on the sub $1k range.


The first review scopes of the year arrived this week. The Minox 5-25x56 LR and ZP5 5-25x56 THLR

Minox 5-25x56 LR:
When it comes to reviews, there is typically a new product being released that gets the ball rolling on a series of reviews. The LR is that product this year. When I saw the SH thread about it's release a while back, the idea of Minox producing a lower cost alternative to the ZP5 line interested me. It also looked a little like a test balloon being that it is a single model with just one reticle between their other product lines and even lacking a proper name. The box I have actually has a hand marked X above the line that says 5-25x56 LR. I'm sure the X was put on to pull the scope from those being sent to the distributors at that time and redirect it to me, but it amuses me to imagine it as a place holder for proper model name. The information I was able to get from Minox prior to the scopes arrival is that it is not simply a ZP5 with lesser glass but a different optical design sharing more commonality with the ZE series than the ZP5 series. The coatings are the same as the ZP5, the glass is a lower grade, the turrets are the same as the ZP5, and both are made in Germany.

Minox ZP5 5-25x56 THLR:
It's probably best when taking a look at the LR model to have it's big brother the ZP5 present to compare it to as well as some competitors models. Obviously, the ZP5 is of higher cost and I'll be taking a look at it in that context as well. I will also discuss the THLR reticle which is one of the choices Minox offers in this scope. This design is from Thomas Hauglands of THLR.NO and of the same channel name on YouTube. His equipment, backdrop (mind-bendingly beautiful fjords), and even thinking is a significant departure from most of that in the U.S. and I find this quite interesting and worth the watch. I'm not sure how I'll feel about the reticle until I use it, but it is quite different than the typical .2mil Christmas tree that has become the defacto standard in the U.S.

Sig Sauer Tango6 5-30x56:
Sig entered the optics and opti-electronics business just a few years ago. At the time, I pretty much just thought this was another company with good name recognition looking to cash in on the name by branding some stuff OEM'd for them. Though, that wouldn't be the worst thing, lots of folks brand excellent stuff they have OEM'd and do a great job servicing their customers. It just isn't so interesting for me to see the 3rd or fourth scope from a different brand using the same optical design. While Sig is certainly a huge name, and most of their optics are sourced from an OEM, Sig invested a lot more in the process than a marketing team. Sig hired some optics designers away from competitors and invested quite significantly both in design and manufacturing facilities. In addition to design work on their optics, a few models are actually manufactured stateside in a new state of the art facility. The size of Sig's investment would quickly show most dramatically in their BDX (Ballistic Data Exchange) rifle scopes and laser range finders. Though the Tango6 is not one of the BDX models, it still contains some unique Sig tech elements in the form of an integrated electronic level they call the LevelPlex Digital Anti-Cant System.

Leupold Mark 5HD 5-25x56 with PR2-Mil reticle:
Leupold's Mark 5HD line has become their biggest hit in the long range shooting community in a number of years and has steadily been gaining popularity in the competitive shooting sports. I have heard good things regarding both for optical performance and reliability and the Mark 5 has been on the list of things I wanted to take a hands on look at for a while now. New for this year is a PR2 reticle which is the result of collaboration with Jon Pynch and a few other top competition shooters.

Bushnell Elite Tactical XRS3 6-36x56mm
I will be reviewing one of the updated Elite Tactical scopes from Bushnell later this year when it becomes available. Exact details and timeline are unknown to me at this point.

Sightron SIII PLR FFP 6-24X50 Zero Stop (Delayed until mid 2022 due to production delays)
This is a more full featured version of the SIIISS624X50LRFFP/MH scope a reviewed 3 years ago. This new scope has the same optical design that I have continued to appreciate even more over the past 3 years but adds 10mil / turn, a zero stop, illumination, more elevation adjustment range (29.1mil), a tree reticle, even closer focus (20M). It retains fairly light weight (28oz)

Mantis X10 Elite training system
Mantis is a smartphone based training system company. They produce a variety of Laser indicator training systems as well as an accelerometer based product. Regarding the laser systems, they have both a laser training system based on the Pink Rhino laser training bullet (a cartridge sized laser that goes where a cartridge would go), and a second system for the AR-15 that replaces the bolt carrier group and actually resets the trigger itself so you can rapid fire.

The Mantis system I will be reviewing is the Mantis X10 Elite. This is an accelerometer based training system that attaches to the pic rail on you firearm and records its movement throughout the shot process. It can be used for both dry fire and live fire and can be used with various adapters for firearms not possessing a pic rail. The MantisX is also a software product. You interface with it through a smartphone app which automates and archives your training and provides tips for improvement. In addition to the base unit, I have obtained a few adapters for the mantis to try it out on various different platforms such as handgun, shotgun, and precision rifle. My initial thought it that it is probably most useful in the context of handgun but I'll be interested to see what else it can do.

How to quantify precision
Last year I intended to do an article on how to quantify precision. I have never been satisfied with how precision is quantified within the precision rifle world. The general ideas of a half MOA rifle or MOA rifle are neither sufficiently defined nor particularly statistically meaningful. When we quantify the degree of precision in our velocity using standard deviation we have a good statistical tool and this greatly aids us. Measuring the 2 furthest out rounds in a 5rd group to quantify precision is not sufficient. I think that an important step the shooting process is to more meaningfully determine the precision of a particular platform. An article on why this is so and what ways are better suited (such as circular error probability CEP or distance root mean square DRMS) will be forthcoming as soon as I am happy with the tools easily and cheaply available for folks to use and I have the time to mess with it.

Update 2-22-2021

The Minox 5-25x56 LR and ZP5 5-25x56 THLR scopes have arrived. I have laid out the dimensions on the image above. You can see from the dimensions as well as the images slight differences both in styling and layout of the optical design.


Minox 5-25x56 LR and ZP5 5-25x56 THLR scopes side by side comparing their dimensions and styling.

I also have the 5-25 LR and an looking forward to what you say. So far I am very pleased with purchase. I’ll wait for your review before giving further input here...

Update 3-4-2021

The Sig Tango6 5-30x56mm arrived today looking all shiny in it's boutique whiskey style magnetic close box. For those who are asking, this scope is not discontinued it is just currently tough to find because demand is significantly exceeding production. In fact, the one I have here for testing is actually from a run with the Tremor3 reticle that are sort of prototypes. These scopes are the same as any of the production versions except for the reticle and one was what was immediately available for review. Availability is a general problem across the gun industry right now and though not as acute in optics as in primers, it's still a problem and has made arranging this years reviews interesting.


Sig Tango6 5-30x56mm unboxing

It looks like the final two scopes for this years reviews will probably be a Leupold and a Bushnell. I do not yet have a firm arrival time on these so I expect that I will do the mechanical and field testing on the Sig and Minox products first and then hopefully have a few weeks with all four products on hand to do the comparative optical evaluations. I may also burrow a buddies Razor HD II to include in the optical comparison though I will not review the Razor HDII 4.5-27x56 again as I did that back when it was released in 2015.  

Update 3-22-2021

I thought I would put up some photos from a recent range day with the test scopes that have arrived so far. It was a beautiful day and we had a great time using the two Minox scopes and the Sig. Takeaways so far are that the Sig's electronic level function is quite precise, fast, and useful. I do think it makes a better alternative to a bubble level. I spotted a good bit of the day on the ZP5. I made out every shot (both ones I fired and those I only spotted for) well though it and read the corrections easily and accurately. I have a long way to go before I'm sure how I feel about this very unconventional reticle but it is not non-functional for long range shooting in the way that most "hunting" reticles are.


Minox ZP5 5-25x56mm with THLR reticle @600yds

Having two of the scopes on rimfires for the range day got me thinking that, with the growing popularity of shooting rimfire long ranges, a lot of folks are probably trying to mount quality optics to a rimfire for the first time. Since many quality rimfires feature an 11mm rail, this can be difficult. Most of the U.S. based ring makers popular SnipersHide do not make products for the 11mm rail either with the domed top like an Anschutz or with a flat top and the first time I looked for 30mm rings for an Anschutz it took me a while. I ended up finding them in my own back yard from the guys at Kelbly's who I didn't know at that time. Anyhow, Kelbly's makes very precise rings for 30 and 34mm scopes that fit both domed and flat top 11mm rails. This gives you a solid mounting solution that easily removes if you also want to use a diopter sight. I have found the Kelbly rings to be high quality and remarkably precise. Alternately, if you need to add MOA as well to get you out further, the easiest solution is to probably add a picitinny rail. I have not tried any of those conversions though.


Sig Tango6 5-30x55mm scope mounted to a Kimber 82g with 11mm Anschutz rail using Kelbly's 34mm dovetail rings.

Tag

Update 3-23-2021

Three years ago one of the first reviews I did in the Sub $1k long range precision rifle scope series was on an Sightron SIII 6-24x50mm FFP. The optics of that scope were excellent but it's feature set was lacking many of the features we have become accustomed to that make long range shooting much easier. Still, I liked it and continued to like it more as I used it the next few years because the optics were just so unflappable regardless of the conditions. It also had the rare virtue of being pretty light weight. A few days ago I saw a press release from Sightron that caught my eye for a new scope they were calling the SIII PLR FFP 6-24x50 zero stop. This looked a lot like the same optical system that I reviewed but with the feature set I wished that first scope had so I contacted them to find out more details.

What I found is that this new SIII PLR is, in fact, the same optical system as the SIII 6-24x50mm and is also made in Japan. Furthermore, the elevation travel has been increased to 29.1mils and the specs on deviation in adjustment magnitude have been tightened. The original allowed for quite a few percent deviation. For instance, my example had 3% deviation. This was a common practice in the past when knobs were mostly used for zeroing but is less acceptable today.

Anyhow, I'll be taking a look at one of the new FFP SIII PLR's later this summer. I think it will be an interesting offering with particular appeal to those doing long range .22lr who don't want a 35+ oz 56mm scope as it weighs in at 28oz. Sightron has yet to set the final MAP on these. In the past, they went in some circles on the SIII pricing so hopefully this one lands at the correct point and sticks.

Update 4-21-2021

Time is ticking towards the first review of the year and I have a number of updates for you all.

First off, the Leupold Mark 5 5-25x56 arrived today. I had not previously mentioned this scope because I was not sure if, given the supply and demand imbalance, they would be able to get me one in a time frame wherein it would coincide with the other relevant review scopes. This was my fault as I did not give them enough lead time. They were able to come though and I than them for both that and for including rings. I had forgotten to ask. It didn't even dawn on me that I don't have any 35mm rings at all not that I have any spare rings of any size left given the number of review scopes I have mounted up for review at the moment. The test scope is also equipped with the new PR2-Mil reticle Jon Pynch and a few other PRS shooters designed for them. I really wanted to try out what a few of the top dog PRS guys are using as I don't do a lot of positional or highly restricted time limit shooting myself and so wanted to sort of look though that window into their current thinking. I'm excited to start testing it all out with the other scopes.


Leupold Mark 5HD 5-25x56 with PR2-Mil reticle unboxing

Another scope I will be reviewing this summer that I had not previously mentioned will be the new Bushnell elite tactical when it comes out later this year. I had not mentioned this before because there has been no official press release and I figured it was not public knowledge that Bushnell plans on releasing an update of that product this year. I have since seen the official Bushnell forum account mention the new product though so I'll go ahead and put it on the list though I do not yet know any details such as the exact power range, reticle, or even if they are changing anything in the product naming scheme. I also don't have a firm ETA so be thinking more like fall on the Bushnell review.

I expect that will round out the reviews for the year. I think it is a pretty good lineup. You should see the first one (the Minox 5-25x56 LR) posted in less than a month.

Updates?

I’m truly interested in your thoughts.

Keep it coming!

@BigJimFish

I finished both the Minox 5-25x56 LR and ZP5 reviews a while ago. Both of these have a good deal of comparison between the two models. Both reviews are at Minox awaiting comment. My standard procedure is to send a draft of all reviews to manufacturers prior to publication for comment. This is taking a while with Minox probably partially because of the time required in dealing with chaos arising from supply and shipping issues resulting from the exceptional demand post Covid coupled with the breakdown of the global JiT supply chain and partially because of the bilingual and bicontinant nature of Minox. In any case, it's been a while. On the bright side, I still have the scopes so might still have them around to be comparisons when the scopes coming later this year for review arrive.

In the meantime, I finished the Sig Tango6 review which has also been none too quick returning from Sig and I am just about done with the Leupold Mark5 HD review. I should have that one back to Leupold this week.

Sorry about the delays. This year it just seems that things are what they are.

Update 7-19-2021

The Leupold Mark 5HD 5-25x56mm with PR2-MIL reticle review is up.

I'm sure you guys have gathered by the months that have gone by since my last post, and the fact that post anticipated the Minox LR review dropping shortly, that things have not gone to schedule. You might have thought that last year, with COVID raging would have seen bigger delays. Not so. Last year, I had most of the review products before Wuhan fluhan and the folks I had to correspond with throughout the process were only marginally busier than normal. This year, global shortages of everything, shipping delays, customs issues, and huge consumer demand have made coordinating reviews a mess because most of the folks I am coordinating with are swamped. The Leupold review just posted is actually the most recently finished. The others are all at the companies awaiting comment, in the case of Minox, comment from Germany. They will be posted in the order that I get them back.

As for the two scopes not yet available, the Bushnell Elite Tactical 3 and Sightron SIII PLR FFP, the Sightron has been delayed again so expect that to be fall or winter and I don't have any updates on the ETA for my turn with a Bushy sample. Here is to hoping things click along a little more smoothly for the second half of the year than they have so far the first half.


A plate rack at ~650yds though the Leupold Mark 5HD 5-25x56mm with PR2-MIL reticle

As for the scopes themselves, it has been a really interesting year. I sort of expected the ~$2k scopes to be between the ~$1k scopes and full on alpha stuff more or less evenly in each dimension of optical performance. They have proven more interesting, and less straightforward than this. In some dimensions, eg. resolution, they have all performed quite well and much closer to alpha than  ~$1k scopes. In other dimensions, eg. depth of field and field of view, they have been very different from each other and sometimes closer to ~$1k scopes than alpha. The takeway is that each of the three ~$2k scopes tested so far has had something different going for it and some folks for whom it would fit the bill best but there are major differences between each in what they do well in terms of both feature set and optical performance. It's been a fun study. I hope you all enjoy the read.

Update 8-30-2021

The Sig Tango6 5-30x56mm rifle scope with LevelPlex anti-cant system review is now live. The uniqueness of this scope is certainly it's digital level system. The LevelPlex stytem works well and is a pretty interesting feature for a long range scope to incorporate.


Sig Tango6 5-30x56mm Unboxing from its fancy Magnetic Close Artisan Whiskey style box

Next up will be the now long delayed Minox LR review. I also expect it shouldn't be too long before the Bushy shows up for me to begin testing with it.

Update 10-2-2021

The review of the Minox 5-25x56 LR rifle scope is now live. This was the most alpha scope looking and feeling of the ~$2k scopes reviewed this year but it was also the one that was the most idiosyncrasies it's mechanical function. Check out the review for the details on it's mechanical and optical performance.

Any $2k scope reviews has to have both NF NX8's.

Any $2k scope reviews has to have both NF NX8's.

Update 10-22-2021

Yesterday I communicated with both the Bushnell folks and the Sightron folks. The Bushy XRS3 should be headed my way next week so work on that review will be starting soon. Those who are watching for the Sightron SIII PLR may have noticed that the second focal plane versions of this scope are now in stock at some retailers and that all mention of the first focal plane version has disappeared. The reason for this is that parts shortages have delayed the first focal plane version until mid year next year. The review should likewise be expected to be delayed until that time. On the bright side, the 2fp version looks to have a street price of $1,150. If the ffp lands at that price I think it will be a pretty compelling product.

In case I haven't mentioned it before, the Minox ZP5 5-25x65 scope review and associated THLR reticle review have been done for a bit now and will be posted first thing next month.

On a totally different front, the folks at Mantis have asked me to review their new MantisX training system. This is a training system based on a tiny accelerometer that attaches to the pic rail on you firearm and records its movement throughout the shot process. It can be used for both dry fire and live fire and can be used with various adapters for firearms not possessing a pic rail. The MantisX is also a software product. You interface with it through a smartphone app which automates and archives your training and provides tips for improvement. In addition to the base unit, I have obtained a few adapters for the mantis to try it out on various different platforms such as handgun, shotgun, and precision rifle. My initial thought it that it is probably most useful in the context of handgun but I'll be interested to see what else it can do.

That's why I haven't seen one.  Been waiting for that Sightron since they announced it earlier this year and have been confused as their website has said Summer 2021 and now they don't even list them.

Yea, not sure why they have not made any formal statements on this and why they have removed reference to the FFP model on their website. I did recently speak the rep though and he said the FFP is still in the pipeline just delayed do to parts difficulties stemming from the mess that global capitalism and universal just in time shipping have made. he says mid next year for the FFP version. Personally I would have done the FFP version first as I expect that will be what is popular but it has taken years for Sightron to do anything FFP so doing the 2fp stuff first really isn't surprising.

Update 11-3-2021

Today the Bushnell Elite Tactical XRS3 6-36x56mm with G4P reticle arrived. The first thing to strike me about this optic is how relatively short it is for a scope with a 36x top magnification. It is a couple inches shorter than many 25x scopes.

Update 11-4-2021

The Review of the Minox ZP5 5-25x56 rifle scope and THLR reticle is now live.


Spotting targets at 600 yds using the Minox ZP5 5-25x56 with THLR reticle

Update 12/16/2021

Bushnell Elite Tactical XRS3 6-36x56mm review is now up.


Bushnell Elite Tactical XRS3 6-36x56mm in Bobro mount on Vudoo V-22 with Proof Carbon Barrel in Grayboe Phoenix Stock

Update 4/6/2022

It's 2022 and thus I have created the 2022 BigJimFish Review/Article blog: Leica Geovid Pro, Mantis X10 Elite, Sightron PLR FFP new reviews and those in process at this time will be discussed on that new thread.