SCOPE REVIEW: A CLEAR WINNER

Created on 19th May 2009

TIM FINLEY tests Leupold's Mark IV 2.5-8x36 TMR scope

If you're seeking a clear future winner in the world of HFT a Leupold MKIV could be the one for you. HFT scopes have changed dramatically over the past four years. This change has been driven by the arrival of smaller and smaller kill zones, increasing the need for half mil-dot spacings for rangefinding and aiming. After looking at more scopes than I care to name my choice for a new HFT scope is a Leupold Mark IV 2.5-8x36 TMR Illuminated model (60220).

When first designed this was a 3-9X magnification scope. However, after a while the designers realised it had come out of production slightly differently. It was in fact an 8.7X magnification, so in order to keep the lawyers happy it was renamed and re-launched as the 2.5-8x36. What really attracted me to the scope for HFT use was its small exit pupil. This number is worked out by dividing the objective lens size in mm by the magnification. In this case 36 divided by 8.7, which gives 4.1mm. The smaller the exit pupil, the smaller the potential parallax error the shooter will experience. In HFT we cannot alter our parallax at all once we start shooting the course. Parallax error occurs when the scope is not perfectly focused on the object you are looking at. With targets from 8 to 45 yards and no way of fine-tuning the parallax - or indeed altering it at all - a small exit pupil cuts down on any potential error. With a P/A set at 23 yards it makes a 40-yard target appear pin sharp, while the 45 maximum range target should look marginally blurred.

The Mark IV is a dedicated firearms scope. This means it has to be adjusted to the aforementioned 23-yard P/A. The scope does not have any parallax adjustment, the objective lens being factory-fixed at 100 yards. The objective lens carrier needs to be screwed out to reset the distance to the shorter one needed in HFT. This is not the onerous task it might at first appear: there is a locking/protecting ring at the objective end of the scope which is easily unscrewed by applying gentle pressure from a rubber band-type car oil filter wrench like the well-known Baby Boa. Unscrew the locking ring to reveal the threaded lens carrier, which is taken off in turn to lessen the parallax distance. Don't go mad, as only 3-5mm of movement will be needed: do not, I repeat not, screw the lens out of the scope body as you will lose all the antifogging gas inside! To set it correctly a zero card marked with a fine black cross is set at a measured 23-yard distance from the shooter. The reticle is lined up with the reference cross and the lens carrier screwed out while moving the eye position from side to side behind the scope. When the reticle does not move from the reference cross at all then the P/A is set at that distance. The scope should really be held in a frame or, ideally, cradled if mounted on a rifle and due to the cheekpiece you may not have enough room to move your head/eye around. Also, holding the rifle steady on the reference cross can be a problem. I use a purpose-built scope cradle held on a camera tripod. Once the P/A has been set, the locking ring can be screwed back into place and tightened up.

Lens covers

The scope comes complete with Leupold-badged flip-up plastic lens covers front and rear, plus an Allen key to adjust the M1 windage and elevation turrets and a lens cloth. I replaced the plastic lens covers with dedicated aluminium metal flip-up lens versions, to lessen the overall outside diameter of the scope so I could mount it as close to the barrel as possible. As my scope came directly from Leupold I was able to specify the add-on covers and a dedicated RainCote lens protection kit for the 36mm front lens (a set not on gunshop shelves in the UK for the 36mm front lens, as far as I know). This kit has a water repellent lens for the objective and eyepiece lenses for use in harsh weather conditions. I see this add-on system as vital for the UK climate: the scope will remain usable no matter how hard it rains. Rain droplets or moisture will not stick to the lens due to its special coating.

The M1 target turrets have ½ MOA at 100-yard adjustments for windage and elevation. Once the rifle has been zeroed (35 yards for HFT) these will not be moved, but it pays to use the Allen key to set them to zero in case the turrets have been accidentally rotated by removing the scope from a gun bag or on the way round the course.

Reticle design has become more important and a basic Mil-Dot reticle is no longer sufficient for the top shots. Additional ½mm aiming/rangefinding marks are needed to cope with disc sizes down to 15mm. The TMR (Tactical Milling Reticle) has lines at mil spacings and smaller lines in between at ½mm increments. This allows precise aiming on those difficult tiny target kill zones. With HFT course designers hiding targets in or under bushes or even inside barrels, an illuminated reticle is a must in my opinion. This one has 11 brightness settings on the control turret, which is set at a jaunty angle on the rear eye bell. It is offset to the left and has been designed this way so as not to mask the shooters' view of the elevation turret markings. When set at five it does not show up in normal daylight but does show a dull brown/red when the lack of light becomes a problem. When looking at a very dark target, like the ones set deep inside barrels, the reticle shows up clear and red. I know it will gain me targets over those shooters who do not have an illuminated reticle. The rear eye bell is fitted with a very smooth quick-adjustment fast focus. The aluminium cover screws flush into the rear as opposed to the plastic cover, which overhangs the outside diameter of the eye bell.

Setting up

I set the scope to a 23-yard parallax at the range, not mounted on a gun but in my cradle. With zero test cards at 15, 25, 40 and 45 yards I could see the optical quality was above most of the HFT scopes I have tested. The 45-yarder was only a tiny bit blurred, but more and more top shooters are seeing the benefit of better optical quality rather than the really blurred sight pictures at 45yd obtained with some Chinese-built scopes. I mounted the Leupold on my Air Arms MPR HFT rifle and it was soon clear I had made an excellent choice for my new dedicated HFT scope. It is not cheap; however, its build and optical quality absolutely justify the price. More and more HFT shooters are going for Leupold scopes. The fixed 10X by 40mm objective front end Mark Four model is a popular choice as its facility for sidewheel adjustment down to 10 yards means it does not need re-parallaxing. I went for the smaller objective lens scope as I wanted to be able to mount the 36mm diameter front lens scope housing as close to the barrel as possible.

The lack of parallax adjustment on the 2.5-8 is not a handicap, as you cannot adjust parallax on an HFT course anyway. I am having some special 30mm mounts made to flatten out short-range trajectory for HFT.

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