SWFA 3-15

[TuckTruck]

I’m in the market for a new scope for my rifle. I’m tired of losing zero… I’ve been waiting (like everyone else) for swfa to drop some more 3-9 scopes but I’m getting a little antsy. I can buy a 3-15 right now, but it doesn’t seem to have the hype that the 3-9 has. Is the 3-15 as reliable? Is the glass not as good? Just wondering why the 3-15 isn’t as popular.

 

[redneckbmxer24]

The 3-15 is the better optic between the two, the only thing the 3-9 has is slightly smaller turrets and a little less weight. Glass is the same, it has parallax adjustment, it has turrets that you can use zero stop shims on, and have 6x more mag on the top end and same bottom end.

I’ve never understood the hype of the 3-9, I’ve had a few and thought they kind of suck. The 3-15 is a decent optic though.

 

[Balderdash]

Glass is better on all the SWFA HD scopes. However, the glass is just fine on the 3-15's, and, depending on use, I'd generally rather have PA. They're both fantastic scopes. The 3-9 going to do a little better in low light and for cases in which PA is not a deal breaker. I run several of each and haven't been disappointed. If you can get your hands on a 3-15, do it. They are easy enough to turn if you find the 3-9 better suited to your needs.

Another major difference is manufacturer: the Classics are built by Kenko - The HD are built by LOW.

 

[BjornF16]

The 3-15 is the better optic between the two, the only thing the 3-9 has is slightly smaller turrets and a little less weight. Glass is the same, it has parallax adjustment, it has turrets that you can use zero stop shims on, and have 6x more mag on the top end and same bottom end.

I’ve never understood the hype of the 3-9, I’ve had a few and thought they kind of suck. The 3-15 is a decent optic though.

The glass is definitely not the same…3-9 is HD whereas the 3-15 is not.

3-15 is plenty good glass though

 

[Choupique]

Just wondering why the 3-15 isn’t as popular.

I guess because it's a big heavy pig with worse glass than the 3-9HD. The 3-9 has a heavier reticle as well, I think.

I have a regular 3-15 and I love it. I have no complaints about it. Reticle is very usable in low light and low mag

 

[TuckTruck]

Does the 3-15 hold zero like the 3-9?

 

[Balderdash]

I guess because it's a big heavy pig with worse glass than the 3-9HD. The 3-9 has a heavier reticle as well, I think.

I have a regular 3-15 and I love it. I have no complaints about it. Reticle is very usable in low light and low mag

I think there's only 4 ounces between them. If that is a deal breaker, then go 6x or 3-9. Reticle on the 3-15 very usable throughout the X range, but on 3x it's more bracketing than direct aiming if the light is low or the target dark, etc

Another word on the glass: I have used quite a few classics through the years, and I think the glass on the current models has gotten much better. A 3-15 I picked up past year was quite a step up over an earlier one I have. Likewise with the 6x's.

 

[Balderdash]

Does the 3-15 hold zero like the 3-9?

Yes. Nothing wrong with the HD scopes; they are tough as nails. But the SWFA ultimate ruggedness reputation was established with Classics.

 

[roosiebull]

I have a 3-15x and the glass is completely fine for anything I will ever do

I do like the 3-9 better, it’s a little more forgiving throughout the upper end of the zoom range (duh) and I prefer having no paralax adjustment for my use. The 3-15 has a new role now, the optic I need now is either a 3-9x swfa, another small nightforce or something similar, because I want easy and forgiving because I am going to put together a rifle for my daughter

I may keep the 3-15 for something in the future or may sell it to fund a scope for the kid, probably something with fixed parallax and 3x zoom range for eye box forgiveness

I think overall the 3-15 is a great versatile scope, but I do appreciate the simplicity of the 3-9x and that’s plenty of magnification for me

 

[waterengineer]

I have a 3-15x and the glass is completely fine for anything I will ever do

I do like the 3-9 better, it’s a little more forgiving throughout the upper end of the zoom range (duh) and I prefer having no paralax adjustment for my use. The 3-15 has a new role now, the optic I need now is either a 3-9x swfa, another small nightforce or something similar, because I want easy and forgiving because I am going to put together a rifle for my daughter

I may keep the 3-15 for something in the future or may sell it to fund a scope for the kid, probably something with fixed parallax and 3x zoom range for eye box forgiveness

I think overall the 3-15 is a great versatile scope, but I do appreciate the simplicity of the 3-9x and that’s plenty of magnification for me

I’m also looking to pick up an optic for my kids to use soon. I’ve been waiting on the SWFA 3-9x, but have started trying to find another option.

I am considering the Trijicon Accupoint 3-9x40. All of our shots are less than 250 yards so dialing isn’t a big concern. The pros are it is readily available and 13.4 oz. The biggest con is it is SFP.

 

[Ajsomp]

I recently snagged a new 3-15 from Swfa and compared it against a 3-9 mil dot (not quad) that I have on hand. Both perfectly useable.

Things the 3-15 has going - the clicks on the turrets seem more positive. Could be the 3-9 is an older version but that’s what I noticed out the gate. The 3-15 has parallax adjustment. Can have shims added to get a useable zero stop. Has a tighter eyebox at higher powers, but again that’s the nature of what happens as you add more pieces of glass and higher zoom to a scope.

The 3-9- side by side the image seems brighter at the same powers of the 3-15 (likely due to less glass in the optic) it is lighter by about 4 oz.

Ultimately both seem to have a stellar reputation for keeping zero and being perfectly useable for aiming and killing animals. It will never be as good as a spotting scope.

Jury is still out if I “need” the 3-15 around or is the 3-9 is enough for my 300wm (I never really have found myself over 12x anyway even with ATACRs and NX8s on other guns. In all likelihood I’ll have a 22LR down the road that will be nice to have the parallax adjustment.

 

[Choupique]

The only thing I've ever used 15x for is measuring holes for zeroing. I find myself bringing the big rifle when I got to zero other stuff just because it has a nice reticle and high zoom for seeing the little holes.