I don’t drop my rifles from 3’ multiple times and then don’t confirm zero before taking an important shot, so…
I know everyone on here loves this test/list but it’s merely a curiosity as far as I’m concerned. It’s unscientific and doesn’t apply to me and how I use optics. If you like any model of SWFA more than the Vortex FFP LHT simply because of this “test,” more power to you.
The fact that one is far more expensive than the other doesn’t concern you?
I bought my first SWFA scopes long before I came to RokSlide. I wanted a scope I could reliably dial and the Leupold I had wasn’t it. I didn’t want to spend big money on a scope until I learned more and I didn’t want something made in China. It seemed worth my money to take a gamble on them. Mounting it on a .308 and clicking the turret to reliably move the point of impact was a novel experience for me after years of doing the Leupold two step. After that, I bought several more. I currently own five of them and sold one to each of my brothers.
Only later did I join RokSlide and hear about the drop test.
I can understand being a bit skeptical about the utility of the drop test. I treat my rifles well. A lot of folks would say that I baby them. But stuff happens if you use them. I messed up and left my rifle sideways on the bag the other day. My rifle fell off the bench while I was changing targets. It fell three feet and landed on concrete. Based on the marks, the rifle rolled off the bag, hit the concrete table, bounced, hit the ground first with the suppressor, then the windage turret, then rolled on the ground. I picked up the rifle and put five more bullets into the same spot as the previous ten shot group. Then I made the planned corrections and finished sighting it in. That was reassuring to me.
Scientific? Not at all. But in a small sample size, no other scope I have ever owned was that reliable. I remember a Redfield that bounced off the rifle rack in the truck when my brother hit a hole. It didn’t even fall hard. It just hit the back of the seat and slid behind the seat. But it had to be sighted in again. Same for my dad’s Leupold when he slipped in the mud and fell with his rifle over his shoulder.
Of course, if you prefer a different reticle or need more magnification, that’s another matter. I’m not suggesting that everyone has to love every aspect of SWFA.
But for me, I want to get something objectively better if I am going to spend more money. So I use SWFA as my primary scope and Trijicon if i want something extra (like illumination). Good luck with your search!
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