Swarovski Z5 Turrets ?

[secondtry]

Does anyone know how well made these are, and how accurate and repeatable they are ?

They are not a massively expensive option, and I wonder if they are up to the task.

Maybe, given the price point of the Z5s, the elevation turret is simply a straight lift from the Z3 parts bin.

Given the target market for the higher magnification Z5s, I would like to think that Swaro are fitting turrets up to the scope's potential (Sheep Hunter ?)

Any thoughts or experiences ?

[cljordan]

Ive got the Z5 5-25 on my 300 win barrel and the Z3 3.3-18 on my 308 barrel. Both are spot on with the Swarovski turrets with factory ammo.

[Robert.M]

I used a Z5 5-25 last winter. Took about 15 shots in temperatures between -10 to -30 deg C & all hit were they were supposed to. The optical quality is really, really good and about as good as it gets.I have used & owned about about 10 different PM2´s, a Z8, a V8 and some other premium scopes but the Z5 will stay. In my opinion a very good scope.

[LAairhunter]

We have ballistic turrets on our Z5s, and I can't say that I've ever done that exercise where you "walk" the scope around a square to see how "true" the turrets are. However, my wife dropped a gun with a Z5 and BT about 8 feet on to some rocks. The gun and scope had some pretty nice battle scars owing to that fall, and myself and the guide felt the need to subsequently test the scope to see if it was still aimed OK, and (miraculously) it was.

As I get older, I really like an illuminated reticle, a more low-power scope, and a scope with a big objective lens. So, I haven't purchased a Z5 in quite some time (and haven't tried the new Z5i scopes). However, we've used the older Z5 (non-illuminated) scopes extensively in the past, and we've beaten them up in the process of traveling with them. The Z5, IMHO, seems to be a solid / robust tool that is well priced for what it is.

M

[secondtry]

Thanks for the feedback.

Following my initial post, I made up a wood clamp to attach my Z5 to a heavy piece of laminated timber. This worked well to keep the scope still while twirling the elevation turret, but was extremely difficult to precisely align with my target before actually making any adjustments.

I made a simple white A5 "target" with a black "T" approx 12'' high on the target.

At 100 yards, I wound the crosshair down the target to my first index mark at 4" (16 clicks). I then wound it down another 4" for a total of 32 clicks.

I then wound off the 32 clicks and the crosshair was back where it started from.

The Swaro blurb suggests that clicks are 1/4", so although my test could have been better, it has confirmed that the adjustments are plenty precise enough for my intended use, which is the occasional 300/450 yard shot when I want to be more precise than simply holding over. Holdover at 400/450 with the likes of the 308 and the 30.06 can get pretty sketchy.

This scope would not be my choice for regular dialling at extended ranges, but it should be fine for me.

And LAairhunter, it sounds like you may not be aware of the Z5 2.4/12/50 with illuminated reticle. That scope perfectly fits your description of desirable.

I'll be interested to see if Swaro's assessment of the magnification crazed scope market is such that we may see a Z5 in something like 1.2 to 6. That would loosen my wallet.