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Has anyone out there got any real-life feedback to offer on the new Redfield Revolution scopes?
I'm a loyal Leupold fan, and have used some Nikons with great success. I'm considering a Redfield for obvious reasons - economy.
How do they hold up to abuse? I know I mounted a Leupold on my Ruger M77 MkII 21 years ago and have only adjusted the settings once since then - and that was because I developed some loads with the Hornady 165 gr GMX. That scope has taken an awful lot of banging around with me slipping and sliding all over the gumbo hills, looking for deer and pronghorn. I'm curious if a new Redfield will hold a zero like that.
Bring on the war stories....
"Make yourself an honest man, and then you may be sure that there is one less scoundrel in the world." - Thomas Carlyle
I have a Redfield 2-7x on a Ruger .375 Alaskan, and once sighted-in, have done the "20 clicks right, shoot one round, 20 clicks up, shoot one round, 20 clicks left, shoot one round, and 20 clicks down, shoot one round" test, and at 50 yards the first and fifth shots cloverleafed the same hole. Eye relief is excellent on the .375 Ruger, which is nice.
Plus, it's Made in the USA...
Doctors for Sensible Gun Laws "first do no harm" - gun control LAWS lead to far more deaths than 'easy access' ever could.
WinM71 wrote:Leupold bought the Redfield name. The new Redfield scopes are built by Leupold in the Leupold plant and carry the same lifetime warranty.
I should have been more clear.
I'm well aware of who makes them and where they are made, otherwise I wouldn't be considering a Redfield at all.
I'm perfectly satisfied with any Leupold I've ever purchased. But the Redfield is less costly.
I want to know if they stand up to the hype. What AJMD429 said is the stuff I'm looking for. He made a pretty powerful statement.
Now I'm curious as to why all the resellers I've looked at have prices higher than MSRP!! Are they that popular that they are commanding a premium price?
"Make yourself an honest man, and then you may be sure that there is one less scoundrel in the world." - Thomas Carlyle
I spent New Years Eve afternoon looking at scopes. I am a Leupold Ultimate Outfitter, so I have a lot of loyalty to that company. I do not get anything for free from them, but I do pay factory wholesale on up to 4 optics items per year and unlimited on other products. With that in mind, I wanted a scope for an AR .223 that I use primarily for plinking and paper shooting but a few times per year on varmints including long-range prairie dogs. The default for the scope if it did not work out on the AR was for it to go on one of my pump rifles. Since the AR will be used in good daylight in good weather I was not quite as concerned about light transmission, optical edge clarity or waterproof/fogproof reputation. To keep the scope low and light a 40mm was as large an objective as I'd go. My one and only scope that is not a Leupold is a Burris and it is fantastic. Therefore, I looked at Burris 4.5-14X, 3-12X and 6-18X. I quickly ruled out anything with magnification over 14X. I looked at the Bushnell 3200 Elite and the XLT. I also looked at Nikon's various lines including the Coyote series. I will state for the record that I am not a Nikon fan due to some bad experiences and I once swore never to own another Nikon product. After a decade I was willing to look at them again. Well, I have to admit the Nikon 4.5-14X Coyote in Matte Black was the sharpest, crispest image of all of the scopes I looked at. However, I did not care for the BDC reticle for this scopes purpose, and the regular NikoPlex reticle is too thick in the center lines for good long range prairie dog acquisition. Going back to my instinct and disregarding my budget, I looked at the Leupolds. In the FX-3 they were out of stock on the 12X variables so that was the end of that. In the VR-X, the crosshairs are medium or thick so that wouldn't work. The Rifleman 4-12X and the VX-I scopes have friction adjustments and they are not finger adjustable. That is not a bad thing and I could get over it on another rifle but since this was for a specific .223 for longer ranges I wanted the ability to finger adjust if I want to. This left the FX-II scopes. The 4-12X was by far the clearest, brightest and sharpest at all power ranges, and the eye relief was less critical as the power changed. It also has an MSRP in the mid $400's. Then the nice guy assisting me said "Have you ever looked at the Redfields"? I actually have when they first came out. I reviewed a 2X7X33 and a 3X9X40. Since then they have added a 3X9X50, a 4X12X40 and a 4X12X50. Essentially, these are Leupold products and my Ultimate Outfitter deal includes Redfield branded products. I looked at the 4-12X in 40mm. The first thing that struck me was that the matte finish matches that of a standard AR matte finish almost perfectly. The second thing that stood out was the click-adjustable turrets - in this price range! The last obvious thing without looking through the scope was that it is the shortest length 12X scope of all I had looked at. I just about started my comparison all over including the Redfield this time. I had the Leupold VX-II, Burris, Bushnell and Nikon along with the Redfield mounted in scope-stocks. I used each of them inside and outside. I tried the lowest power setting, 6X and the highest power setting as well as each on the exact same 3 settings, usually 5X, 8X and 12X. The retail store price on the Redfield 4-12X40 was $219. Considering I needed the one-piece extended saddle mount for the AR, I'd be spending another $80 over the price of whatever scope I picked. I must have spent over an hour messing with the different scopes and specifically focusing the Redfield on small, distant objects as well as adjusting the power ring for different scenarios. My final conclusion was that the Leupold FX-II and Nikon Coyote were the clearest and brightest under all conditions both inside and out. However, the Redfield was as good in all respects and in most specifics better than the Burris and Bushnell as well as the lesser Nikons like the Buckmasters and Pro lines. Add in Leupolds outstanding Lifetime Warranty and my discount as well as my sense of loyalty due to the Ultimate Outfitter program and it became obvious that the Redfield exceeded my needs and expectation for this particular application. It mounted easily and works as it should. It matches the rifle too. I must add that the Redfields come with a wide Duplex reticle that is too big for varmint hunting, however and option is offered. The Accu-Range reticle is a circles intersection with two reference points on the bottom wire. The crosshairs are much thinnner than the standard thin wire on the Duplex. Also, I spoke to several folks about how to use the size of a prairie dog to estimate range based on how it fits in the circle. I use a rangefinder anyway but it is a useful feature for point of aim instead of just blind hold-over. I think the AR likes it so I'll have to consider another one for whatever rifle wants optics on it! I've now reviewed the new Redfield Revenge line that has a 2-7X36 with a regular or new Accu-Ranger reticle (built in range-finding). They are great and a bargain!
Joe, if I buy a Redfield it will most likely go on my coyote rifle, whether it be an Encore .243 or a Rem 700 mountain rifle in .280 Rem.
I considered the Nikon Coyote but don't like the reticle. I also am leery of the large amount of Nikons that are "refurbished." Why? Does than mean if i buy one it will have to be refurbished soon? I only have one Nikon now and it's a 6x18 SF Buckmaster on my p-dawg rifle.
I generally sight my scoped rifles in for maximum point blank range, so I don't care for any reticle other than a fine or heavy duplex. On game animals, my personal philosophy is that if it's so far I feel like I have to hold over, then it's too far to make a clean shot so I pass and try to get closer. On coyotes, I'm not so concerned with ethics and tend to take any safe shot. (last October I shot one running straight away at 338 yards [Leupold range finder verified] No, i wouldn't take bets on repeating that shot). On prairie dog, I use a 2" MPBR and simply aim at the feet or the head, depending on the range, to hedge my bets.
I'm interested in a 3x9x50 or a 4x12x40. All the prices I am finding are 20 to 40 dollars higher than MSRP?!?!?
"Make yourself an honest man, and then you may be sure that there is one less scoundrel in the world." - Thomas Carlyle
Both my revolutions were new this last year so as of yet I have limited experience on their durability. But glass is crystal clear, adjustments seem a little soft in the "click" department (only complaint), tracked well when sighting in and they don't weigh much compared to some others. Over all if I had it to do over again I'd do the exact same thing.
86er, wish I had know you could deal em. Would of ordered from you in a hearbeat.
Looks like Redfield may have upped the prices on their scopes and the website hasn't caught up, yet. The MSRP on Redfield's site is the cheapest I could find. I ended up ordering a 3x9x50 from Sinclair at the old price. I'll put it on my coyote/white tail rifle and see how I like it. I've been using iron sight so much lately I'll have to re-learn optics.
"Make yourself an honest man, and then you may be sure that there is one less scoundrel in the world." - Thomas Carlyle
I have 2 of the new Redfield's. I put one on my Marlin 1895 and one on a Remington 700 in .300 Win Mag. So far they have held up to the recoil of these stouter cal. and I am happy with them. God Bless.
Member : NRA
Oklahoma Rifle Assoc.
NPPAS
TRUISM: if guns are outlawed, only outlaws will have guns. So, my advice is: Buy more guns!
I'm interested in information about Redfield's Revenge scopes and Accu-Ranger. (Be sure and play the demo.) It seems that a varmint reticle and a 6x18x44 on a .223 Savage with Accutrigger would be a great p-dog shooter. Anyone have any info?
Steve Retired and Living the Good Life No Matter Where You Go, There You Are
