Swfa 3-15 is legit

[JustSomeGuy35]

I just want to let people know, if you've been on the fence about getting a swfa 3-15, don't hesitate any longer!

Like many people, I've been waiting a loooong time for my backordered 3-9's to come in. I had researched the 3-15 to see if it would be a suitable replacement but a number of people think the reticle is too fine for hunting. Because of those reviews, I passed on the 3-15 and bought an Athlon Helos 2-12 instead.

Wondering if it was a worthy substitute, I sent the Athlon to sndmn11 for drop testing. It failed miserably and is now broken. Based on that, I don't think the Helos is a good choice for a hard use rifle.

Thus, needing a new and more durable scope, I decided it was finally time to check out the swfa 3-15. Luckily, my need coincided with their Black Friday sale and bought one for less than $500. It arrived today and I've been playing around with it since.

My thoughts so far:

- Windage and elevation turrets click loudly and firm.

- Parallax adjustment is tough to move but that doesn't bother me. It'll probably get easier once broken in anyways. The knob doesn't protrude much (unlike the windage), which is nice.

- Magnification ring turns easily.

- Glass is clear, bright, etc. I'm not the greatest judge on glass quality but the swfa's seems plenty good for the price point.

- Reticle design and size seems more than adequate for normal hunting hours. I'll play around with it once the sun goes down though, just to be sure.

- The eyebox gets kind of tight once you get past 10x.

That's all I have for now. Just wanted to let you all know that, as far as I can tell, the Swfa 3-15 is definitely a worthy substitute for the 3-9 and is a great value if you catch it now while it's on sale. I don't think I'd want it at it's normal price though. So don't wait!

SWFA 3-15x42 SS 30mm Riflescope

SWFA 3-15x42 SS 30mm Riflescope Details SKU: SS315X42MQ Finish: Matte Reticle: MIL-Quad Tube Diameter (mm): 30 Elevation Knob: Exposed Target (.1 MIL) Windage Knob: Exposed Target (.1 MIL) Parallax Setting: Side Focus Focal Plane: First

www.swfa.com

 

[JustSomeGuy35]

Earlier this evening, I did a low light test of the 3-15's reticle and compared it to a few other Swfa models.


From left to right:
- Tikka w/ 10x MQ
- Remington w/ 3-9x MD (set at 9x for test)
- Aero Precision w/ 6x MOA

The view of my back pasture has me facing West and the ground slopes upwards. The sun sets behind the furthest hill I can see (600ish yds away) so my property gets dark fast. The pasture is surrounded by trees and hills.

Official sunset was at 4:32 pm and I began my evaluation at 4:51 pm. The 3-15x was tested at 6x, 9x, 10x, and 15x.

4:51 - 4:55 All scopes were usable to 400ish yds in the pasture and woods.

5:01 - All scopes still usable but 15x no longer provides good image.

5:03 - Naked eye visibility only out to 150 or so yds. Scopes still good.

5:07 pm - the 3-15x still usable at 9x out to 300ish yds. The 6x, 3-9x and 10x still usable in the pasture but only the 3-9x works in the forest.

5:09 - None of the reticles are usable in the forest. Can still use posts to bracket an animal though. The 10x is no longer usable in the pasture.

5:11 - All scopes only usable out to 200 yds max.

5:15 - The 3-9x is barely usable at 100 to 150 yds. The 3-15x no longer usable. The 6x had an issue with light flare and was unusable.

So there you have it, the swfa 3-15x made it about 45 mins past sunset before it was completely unusable. The swfa 3-9x, set at 9x, was the overall winner but only by a few minutes.

I hope this is helpful to any of you that are on the fence about buying one the 3-15's.

 

[ETtikka]

Thanks for the review, it’s good to see some real world low light test results as well

 

[Choupique]

ive made a few hunts with mine now and really hate myself for not buying one a long time ago. The reticle is plenty good enough up to the end of legal shooting light. After that, who cares?

MAYBE in the thick stuff it might give up a minute or two of legal shooting light to a good leupold. I'll take the trade for the dead nuts reliability. I swapped from a MK3HD to a 3-15 SWFA and my groups shrunk. I'll take the reliability over the glass any day

 

[westsloper]

Did you drop test this one in a similar way?

 

[JustSomeGuy35]

Did you drop test this one in a similar way?

I just got it in the mail today and haven't mounted it yet. I probably won't ever drop test it because the rifle it's going on is a discontinued/ short run model that I don't think I can get parts for. I'm just going to rely on swfa's bombproof reputation and call it good.

 

[TX_Diver]

They are on sale for like $450 right now. Haven’t seen that price in a long time…

 

[Iizjawshh]

Appreciate this thread. Same as you, I've been on the fence with the 3-15 and have been scouring the forum to help with my decision. This is definitely a push that I needed.

 

[fwafwow]

You are killing me. I’ve been on the fence about the SWFA scopes, and thinking long and hard about 3-9, 6x or other. I’ve got the 3-15 in my cart and I’m not even sure what rifle I’d mount it on.

 

[BLJ]

@Choupique. What's your opinion of the glass between the MK3HD and the 3-15? Thanks.

 

[Choupique]

The leupold is probably better, but I haven't had them side by side outside to study on it. Its not a great huge difference as far as i can tell. I haven't had the swfa in the woods and said "damn I wish I had my leupold."

 

[BLJ]

The leupold is probably better, but I haven't had them side by side outside to study on it. Its not a great huge difference as far as i can tell. I haven't had the swfa in the woods and said "damn I wish I had my leupold."

Right. That’s seems to be the consensus. What little it may give up in glass it greatly makes up for everywhere else. Thanks.

 

[sndmn11]

Right. That’s seems to be the consensus. What little it may give up in glass it greatly makes up for everywhere else. Thanks.

I don't think it is the clarity that people are objecting to, I think they have a slightly yellower tint that make people think it is darker. It doesn't bother me, but the 3-15 we do have was sold because that person disliked the "shot glass" hue.

 

[Choupique]

I don't really notice any darkness or yellow color to it but I'm no scope expert and have only about a dozen hunts on mine so far. From the reviews I read I figured it was going to literally be like looking through an old dirty shot glass. I personally don't notice it at all. Aiming at deer late in the evening does have me wanting my SFP reticle back, but only for those few minutes. The 3-15 is still usable, just not optimal. It's plenty good enough.

 

[sndmn11]

I don't really notice any darkness or yellow color to it but I'm no scope expert and have only about a dozen hunts on mine so far. From the reviews I read I figured it was going to literally be like looking through an old dirty shot glass. I personally don't notice it at all. Aiming at deer late in the evening does have me wanting my SFP reticle back, but only for those few minutes. The 3-15 is still usable, just not optimal. It's plenty good enough.

I think it's only apparent if you were to set a few different brand scopes next to each other and immediately go back and forth.

 

[JustSomeGuy35]

I think the yellowish hue isn't noticeable to me because I'm surrounded by pasture full of yellow grass. The trees have all dropped their leaves too so the ground is carpeted with dead, yellow leaves. Not a lot of color variation in my environment this time of year.

 

[clperry]

I ordered 2 yesterday…. I’m use to looking through pretty nice glass, and having locking turrets and what not. But one of the other ones lost zero Thursday. Time to purge, glass and features be damned. If I had NF mo eh to replace everything I would… but if the 3-15 will be reliable, it’s just hard to argue at $460 a pop. Time will tell.


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[fwafwow]

Purchased. I think I will swap it for my Swaro Z5 3.5-18x44 BT and sell the latter.

 

[JustSomeGuy35]

You really can't lose at these prices. Even if you end up not liking it or finding something better, you can still sell it with no loss of money at a later date.

 

[fwafwow]

You really can't lose at these prices. Even if you end up not liking it or finding something better, you can still sell it with no loss of money at a later date.

Yep. I figured that, and even though I will sell my Swaro for less than what I paid, I should still end up ahead. Although that is before I look into the requisite additional add-ons - better rings, and a rail. I had already upgraded those components (Hawkins low and Murphy Precision, respectively) for my other Cooper. Anyone aware of Black Friday deals on rings and rails?

EDITED - I wasn't paying attention and see that the SWFA site has the Seekins rings on sale.