Schmidt & B reticle question, can anyone advise please?

[Topdogpippin]

Hi guys I am going to post two links from an independent review sit ( system won't let me save the post and pick up the second link.

http://precisionrifleblog.com/2015/10/1 ... -reticles/

[Topdogpippin]

This is the second.

http://precisionrifleblog.com/2015/10/1 ... -reticles/

These are very comp reviews. If you take a look overall the S & B comes out tops. Also it states that the Zeiss and S & B glass is 'head and shoulders' above the others. When you look at side by side objective reviews like these it takes away the anecdotal and subjective comments of others. Hope you boys gat a deal done on the S&B12x any more at £350 remember me ;-) however what started me on this is the quality of the Kahles ZF95 10x on my SSG which, despite being 40 odd years old is like day, I am sure you boys know that a fixed power scope is passing light through a lot less glass than a variable particularly with a bowl zoom ratio, the main reason I have never sold that gun is that out to 500 Yds I just love using the scope!

[Topdogpippin]

Sorry this is the second article it didn't paste in correctly.

http://precisionrifleblog.com/2014/10/2 ... -pros-use/

[Topdogpippin]

And this one same source.

http://precisionrifleblog.com/2014/09/1 ... s-summary/

[Topdogpippin]

And this the quote

Among the specific scopes I tested, the optical clarity of the Zeiss and the Schmidt and Bender 5-25×56 scopes were in a class above the rest (see the optical post for more details on that). It also had one of the largest field of views.

This is great site and I have subscribed to it for the reading alone. If you get a chance to read the articles would live to hear views, can't beat the science!

[ovenpaa]

Pfft, rubbish! The S&B 12x56 isn't a good scope at all. Let me do you a favour and take it off your hands, I'll give you £350 for it

I know, I know however the Viking likes it or I would happily say take it away.

(I really hope she is not reading this thread)

[Sim G]

Copied from one your links....


The other dramatic change was the decline of Schmidt & Bender’s popularity among these shooters. There are likely several things that play into that. First, a Schmidt & Bender PMII 5-25×56 costs 50% more than most of the scopes these guys are running. They start at $3750, where most of these other scopes run $2000-2500. S&B seems to have small price increases each year, and could be gradually pricing out a large part of the market. Another factor could be that S&B does virtually no advertising, marketing, or sponsorships. They just aren’t involved in the precision rifle community (at least in the U.S.’s competition world), and they don’t appear to be as interested in integrating feedback from competitors as other brands. One industry expert also mentioned that a couple prominent shooters had issues with their S&B scopes in recent years, and while that may not be representative of the majority of S&B scopes … their poor experience combined with their substantial influence could be scaring others away. Vortex, Nightforce, and Kahles had to get their increases in market share from somewhere, and it looks like S&B may have taken the brunt of that shift. Whatever the reason, the data shows 75% fewer shooters were using S&B scopes than just a year ago.


I know a few who have had issues with S&B scopes and the customer service has been appalling. S&B have been chosen by a few countries militaries and hence have priced accordingly when a tax payer is signing the cheques. As for being "head and shoulders" above the rest, no, they are not.

[ovenpaa]

I will reiterate my previous comment, the S&B is my 'Go to' 'Scope for a variety of reasons, the main one being I have a PMII that has sat on the same rifle for approaching 10 years and during that time I have fired maybe 15,000 rounds through it. The turrets are second nature and I can twist from the mechanical 100m zero to 900m and worst case be two clicks out without looking and often on the mark, I am comfortable with moving targets and translating varying wind values to cm clicks. I know it inside out. Add to this I have seen my rifle with the PMII dropped from a significant height onto a hard surface and when picked up it had held zero albeit being slightly scuffed (I was not impressed regardless!) That 'scope has enabled me to put 4 consecutive shots into an F Class bull at 1200 yards on a very still day and I have accounted for many rabbits out to 500m.

It is good, however I totally agree with SimG the S&B is not the be all and end all of telescopic sights, they are expensive, almost certainly based on their name and old reputation, these days their after sales service can be quite grim plus the warranty terms have now dropped from 30 years to 2 years (From memory)

As an alternative I watched someone shoot a 30mm ish group at 600m with an IOR albeit on a still day and I have watched a Muntjac wash herself at 250m with an alternative to the PMII from the light of a spotting lamp on a starless night. I also know someone that had his 'scope driven over by a Landrover, he scraped the parts up and had a new one free of charge same week, the alternatives are out there if you look.

As far as light gathering and optical clarity, of the GBP1500-2500 range 'Scopes we have here the PMII would possibly scrape a third or fourth. Of course these are only my views and my eyes so others will undoubtedly see different results.

[Topdogpippin]

Well they are now available and I paid £2200 for mine new so the price issue I feel has been addressed many of the other offerings are now within £2-400 pounds of the S&B price, the difference is a soon as S&B's come up second hand, if sensibly price they sell is the same true of Sightron and Vortex, also my comment I went to the shooting show and tried all the high end offerings on eith Manu stands or the large agents, the S&B parallax ex down to 10mtrs and shows little light loss through the zoom range. With my shooting I don't envisage having to pick out V Bulls 15 minutes either side of dusk. The article stated that 400 hours went into that test so Sim G if you can tell me the basis of the stron imperial evidential support for your opinion I will probably stick with the S&B whilst praying it is as well made as we hope they are because I agree on the customer service based on the response to my question that started this string!

[DOGGER2UK]

Just had a look in the instruction book that came with my S&B and the answer to your original question is shown under the diagram of your reticle (page 16 in my book) hope this helps