Junior Shooters

Posted by Junior Shooters

By: Terry Bowers

Swarovski Optik is a name that makes any serious shooter or hunter sigh like an expectant mother looking at a new baby.

(Right: Closeup of Swarovski Z61 1-6×24 scope mounted on a LAR Manufacturing upper with an ATI Stocks forearm, a WARNE mount, a Viking Tactics sling and lower parts kit from Brownells, and a Cavalry Arms lower (lower is no longer made.)

The Swarovski Z6i 1-6×24 caught my attention last year at the Shot Show. This compact power house of optical bliss was mounted on a stock so it could be shouldered and appreciated. I was looking for a small, low to medium power scope for the upcoming MGM Ironman. In this match, where I know speed and accuracy are very important, I wanted something with a good field of view, meaning very low power.
(Above: Corey Shaw (17) practicing for the 2010 MGM Ironman shooting a FNH SCAR with a Swarovski Z6i mounted on top.)

However, I wanted to be able to engage targets at greater distances as well, say out to 200 to 500 yards. With that in mind, I was looking for between one and two power on the low end to as much as I could get on the high end without extra bulk or complex controls that were difficult to operate.

(Above: Terry’s custom AR-15 with Cavalry Arms Cav-15 MKII lower with Brownells lower parts kit and Viking Tactics sling, LAR Grizzly OPS-4 upper, Krieger 20-inch 1-7.7 twist match barrel, ATI Stocks forearm with a Warne RAMP mount make the perfect platform for the Swarovski Z6i.)

What I chose was the Swarovski Z6i 1-6×24 with the CD reticle. The rifle I wanted to put this scope on would be a custom AR built on a Cavalry Arms (now Cavalry manufacturing) Cav-15 MKII lower with a Brownells lower parts kit. The upper would be an LAR Grizzly OPS-4 with a fully chromed bolt carrier and to top off this package a Krieger 20-inch 1-7.7 twist barrel with a satin bead blast exterior finish. Wow, and the Swarovski became the crown jewel for this custom package set perfectly in the Warne RAMP (Rapid Acquisition Multisight Platform) mount.

Technical information about the Z6i: I consider the fine center crosshairs and center dot of the CD reticle to be better that any of the other reticles offered. The dot isn’t too large to obscure the targets I would be shooting, and the fine crosshairs naturally bring your eye to the center of the field of view. As well, the circle can be used for some on-the-fly range finding. I found with simply shooting a group at 100 yards and using the outside edge to the circle that I was four MOA in any direction. Using SMOA or shooters minute of angle, I could quickly adjust for wind and distance effects during the MGM Ironman.

(Right: Reticle of Z6i scope.)

I didn’t see myself needing the reticle illumination prior to the MGM, so I didn’t spend much time learning how to use it. I was wrong – I needed it.

It is, however, very well-designed and straightforward in its function. For instance,  the three-position switch with off in the center, day to the right and night to the left switch allows the user to choose brightness with preset user settings using the plus + minus – buttons on either side of the on/off switch. Any additional change to either setting is easily done with the plus of minus buttons. The scope is also designed with an automatic off after three hours of on time with on brightness adjustment for daytime operation and five hours with no adjustment for nighttime operation.

(Above: Notice the illumination control on the top of the scope to the rear. This time it was mounted on a AR with a .22 LR conversion kit from Brownells.)

During the MGM, I did find myself on two stages where I was very happy that I had this illumination feature. The first time was on the surprise stage. This stage began with the shooter breaching a door with his shotgun and entering a blacked-out shoot-house. We were allowed to carry any SureFire light that was brought with us or one that SureFire provided. What I found very quickly was that the illuminated reticle found the “bad guys” targets fast and accurately. Luckily I had set the twilight illumination at a level that didn’t wash out the targets and the daytime setting to about the same level, each being fully adjustable with a soft push pad (-) minus or (+) plus on each side of the three-position switch which selects day to the right center off and night to the left. This made it bright enough, but not too bright, for the extreme lowlight the shoot-house put me in. But before the stage was over, we transitioned to an outside scenario where the lighted reticle wasn’t needed. The reticle was illuminated but not overly bright. Swarovski’s two-brightness, fully adjustable reticle illumination made the dark shoot-house easier by far for me.

(Above: This time we mounted the Z6i on a Tactical Solutions AR-22 dedicated upper using the WARNE RAMP mount, Brownells lower parts kit, and a Cavalry Arms lower. This becomes a great combination for practice, plinking, and varmints.)

The second time I was happy to have the illuminated reticle was a stage we shot very late the same day. The sun had already set off behind our right shoulder, and the twilight hue made the steel targets more difficult to see with the dark Parma moondust behind them. In case you have never heard about Parma moondust, it is the fine talcum powder dirt found in everything that shoots on the Parma, Idaho, range. With the reticle illumination on the Twilight mode and all the adjustment a piano tuner could ever want, I was able to see my sights and center on my target just fine, allbeit that in my rush from the transition from rifle to shotgun, I ran so fast that I left my shotgun sitting on the staging table. Other than that, everything else went just fine.

Swarovski has provided the scope some great extras. The see-through protective lens caps were practical and easy to remove. They stay in place when casing and uncasing the rifle. Also, since they are clear, the rifle can be shot with the caps on if needed. This is a plus to a guy like me that likes to protect my equipment as much as possible. I really like the extended eye relief. The light transferred on the Z6i is 90%, and on the Z6i EE, it is 91%, which is outstanding. (Above right: Terry’s custom AR also had a Trijicon RMR dot mounted next to the Swarovski Z6i.)

(Above: One of the other Swarovski scopes we received is the Z5 5-24×52 which is an outstanding long-range scope for hunting or precision shooting. Corey Shaw (17) has it mounted on a FNH SPR ,308 which makes for an outstanding combination of long-range accuracy. Bipod provided by Brownells. More information on the Z5 is forthcoming. Shown with Black Hills Ammunition match grade .308.)

Although I had plans to use the Z6 for hunting this year, I was not able to. As usual, my expectations run into the reality of other more important issues. However, as you can see in some of the photos, I did manage to dress up my rifle and the Swarovski for a coyote hunt. So, my opinion is that this scope is a winner on the range or in the field.

One thing that I am sure of: If you can’t see the target, you can’t reliably and accurately hit it. Everything else is just the diligent work one must do to get to that point when you pull the trigger so you know that your bullet will hit the center of your target. That is the first and the last thing that you will see in this scope – maybe all that you’ve been missing in scopes that can’t transfer that much light. The Swarovski OPTIK motto is “See the unseen.” That sums it up for me. Boy, do I like this scope.

• Swarovski: www.swarovskioptik.com
• ATI Stocks: www.atigunstocks.com
• Black Hills Ammunition: www.black-hills.com
• Brownells: www.brownells.com
• Cavalry Arms (Cavalry Manufacturing): www.cavalrymanufacturing.com
• FNH: www.fnhusa.com
• Krieger Barrels: www.kriegerbarrels.com
• LAR Grizzly: www.largrizzly.com
• MGM Ironman: www.mgmtargets.com
• Tactical Solutions: www.tacticalsol.com
• Trijicon: www.trijicon.com
• Warne mounts: www.warnescopemounts.com

Categories: Guns & Acc., High Power, Hunting, Modern 3 Gun, precision shooting, Rifle
Tags: 3 gun, 4-gun, competitive shooting, ironman, jr shooter, jr shooters, junior, junior camps, junior shooter, junior shooters, junior shooting camps, junior writers, juniors, kids, learn to shoot, learning to shoot, MGM Ironman, Modern 3 Gun, multi-gun, Olympics, plinking, rifle scopes, scopes, shooting, shooting sports, three gun, usa shooting, youth shooting