Bless me Father, for I have sinned...I bought Sako Quick-detachable rings & bases...
- Thread starter The Kurgan
- Start date
- Location
- Steel Town and The Peg
Nice, but this thread was never intended to be a "what's better" debate 
bearkilr
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Nowhere, ......just past the middle
Bless me Father, for I have sinned...I bought Sako Quick-detachable rings & bases...
Funny how everyone whines about the price of a $400 Sako, Blaser, EAW, etc. quick detach base yet if you mention a $400+ Near Mfg. base made here in Canada they say it's worth every penny, and it's not a QD type.
Nice, but this thread was never intended to be a "what's better" debate
Funny how everyone whines about the price of a $400 Sako, Blaser, EAW, etc. quick detach base yet if you mention a $400+ Near Mfg. base made here in Canada they say it's worth every penny, and it's not a QD type.
- Location
- Steel Town and The Peg
Just an FYI to those that are interested... after an exhaustive search, I found a very nice middle ground scope that meets my reticle, magnification, looks, and optical quality needs: Zeiss Conquest 3.5-10x44 with that sweet Z-600 reticle. It looks perfect for the rifle, and my brief low light test yielded a crisp, correct colour image. I think I will be happy with it.
It's matte black with classy white calibration marks. A nice overall design. German glass.
It's matte black with classy white calibration marks. A nice overall design. German glass.
You were on right track with Swarovski Z5.
Look up Z5 3.5-18x44 with BT and 4W reticle.
They were first to have this combination now many Z6 are sold with BT an 4W and 4Wi i stands for illuminated.
You tube Ballistic Turret. You can order Turret for your cartridge.
I've tried Christmas tree reticles and they are to busy for me ( still getting major Buck Fever )
I've got mine from site sponsor plainSight Solutions.
Look up Z5 3.5-18x44 with BT and 4W reticle.
They were first to have this combination now many Z6 are sold with BT an 4W and 4Wi i stands for illuminated.
You tube Ballistic Turret. You can order Turret for your cartridge.
I've tried Christmas tree reticles and they are to busy for me ( still getting major Buck Fever )
I've got mine from site sponsor plainSight Solutions.
- Location
- Steel Town and The Peg
Here she be... I wish the QD mounts came in "extra low", as there's still approx. 5 mm of clearance between the objective lens (44mm) and the base of the barrel. The cheek weld is still good with the Bavarian comb (aka. hogsback). The iron sights don't interfere with the scope's line of sight. Perhaps if the mounts were lower, you'd run into problems. I trust Sako's engineers on this one.
The QD mounts are dead simple, on/off in seconds. Well made kit. I will find out how well they hold zero as I have a range day planned.
Using the Zeiss Rapid-Z online calculator, I've determined the "optimum power" setting for 6 different factory loads that I'm going test.
Glass clarity with the 44mm lens is outstanding, as well as the colour.
The QD mounts are dead simple, on/off in seconds. Well made kit. I will find out how well they hold zero as I have a range day planned.
Using the Zeiss Rapid-Z online calculator, I've determined the "optimum power" setting for 6 different factory loads that I'm going test.
Glass clarity with the 44mm lens is outstanding, as well as the colour.
Last edited:
- Location
- Steel Town and The Peg
Thanks, I am really digging this rifle now that it has removeable glass. I just bore-sighted it and am ready for range time. The "Rapid-Z" reticle is really addictive to understand and use. I might get another Zeiss for my Mauser 98 small-ring sporter.
Last edited:
- Location
- Steel Town and The Peg
I pulled my Sako Bavarian out of the safe today, as the wood was looking a little dry/dull... a good coat of lemon oil and dear God, I am in love all over again! I normally use Hawe's, but today I used Weiman brand... highly recommended! Crappy Tire sells it.
I normally use Hawe's, but today I used Weiman brand... highly recommended! Crappy Tire sells it.nice choice, I put EAW quick release mounts on my sauer that were $600 so don't feel so bad. They were for a zeiss diavari with the integral rail so scope rings are eliminated.
Hopefully you got a good deal on the USA conquest as they are now discontinued, the new series that replaces them is made in Japan with zeiss components called the Terra series, the new conquest HD5 is fully made in germany, and the victory diavari is their top made in germany line as always
- Location
- Steel Town and The Peg
Well Brian, nothing is always as simple as they appear with Zeiss scopes. For instance, the earlier "USA Conquest" line, DEPENDING ON MAGNIFICATION, are made with different parts from different factories. This was confirmed by a Zeiss employee very recently.
For example, my Zeiss Conquest 3.5-10x44 (not to be confused with some of their smaller and larger magnification units) and the Meopta Meostar are essentially the same scopes! Meopta, a Czech company, manufactured the high quality glass and MOST of the larger parts for the early Zeiss Conquest 3.5-10x44 (and maybe other types?) and shipped it to the US for final assembly and distribution to the North American market. The only part of the "USA Conquest" line that is made in Germany (at least as it pertains to my scope) is the erector system (which may or may not be a good thing!). The rest is made by Meopta. US assembly and distribution simply ensure competitive prices for US and Canadian consumers, without sacrificing quality.
Is Meopta glass any good? Well, Meopta produces their high quality glass for other European manufacturers, including Swarovski! Swarovski and Zeiss put their own proprietary coatings on their lenses.
I can tell you that I have put my Conquest through its paces and it has been superb. I liked it so much, I purchased an identical unit (for half the price) recently!
So, the question is, how much of each scope is made in Germany or Czech Republic or Japan or China for that matter? I suspect in this global market place, that it will always be a mixture. I used to brag about my BMW K1200RS being "made in Germany" and I couldn't wait to get rid of it in favour of a cheaper and better built Honda! In the end, country of origin doesn't mean much any more.
Last edited:
I know about meopta making the glass for the conquest/were contracted by zeiss to supply parts for the US line, one more thing to note is that the meostar series is a 30mm tube and made in Czech Republic, they have a cheaper model made in their USA factory as well that has 1" tubes. Zeiss has also used Schott glass and it appears that Schott has been bought by Zeiss at some point from what I can find on the internet.
I just bought a Zeiss Terra actually to see the quality and IMO it is up from the conquest line from the USA it replaces. Price has also dropped a fair amount to make it more competetive. The Victory series scopes however still win on clarity but the gap is closing (or my eyes are fading).I even have a 4-16x44 Meostar on the way too that I just ordered in case anyone is interested in a side by side review.
I just bought a Zeiss Terra actually to see the quality and IMO it is up from the conquest line from the USA it replaces. Price has also dropped a fair amount to make it more competetive. The Victory series scopes however still win on clarity but the gap is closing (or my eyes are fading).I even have a 4-16x44 Meostar on the way too that I just ordered in case anyone is interested in a side by side review.
Last edited:
- Location
- Steel Town and The Peg
Your eyes are fading
. I have a Terra, and while pretty darn good, it's not the same as the earlier Conquest in terms of clarity. But, again, it depends on which earlier Conquest you're talking about (Meopta vs. ?)... as they were made by different parts suppliers and merely assembled in the US. If you can find an earlier Conquest left on the shelves, especially the 3.5-10x44, you're buying a Meopta Meostar with a German-Zeiss erector system -- it doesn't get much better than that!
- Location
- Steel Town and The Peg
Looking forward to a review... they are apparently top quality and well rated! I might order one myself. I have a custom Mauser chambered in 7x57 that would love a Meostar to keep it company!
- Location
- Steel Town and The Peg
Your friend is right. Did your friend also say "and your wife doesn't need to know all the details?"
Yeah, It is obvious that there has been issues for the conquest series as of late or they would not have killed off the line and moved manufacturing, they obviously want to cut ties with that lineage.Your eyes are fading
It wasn't too long ago someone was posting on this forum about their conquest falling apart right after they got it and I have heard similar stories elsewhere.
I only have the Victory series to compare the terra series to currently, When I originally bought the victory I held both a conquest and the meostar next to it, The victory is the clear winner but the meopta was not far behind, The victory and Meostar both have 30mm tubes and the conquest is 1". I even have an older Victory diavari with the 1" tube (no longer made) and the clarity was stll above the Meostar ( I suspect the new HD5 conquests from germany with the 1" tube are just the old 1" Victory series with a new name). As for the conquest at the time, I found it similar in clarity to the older Leupold VXIII's that I have from the late 80's/early 90's that I still have today. But those older Leupolds are far better in clarity than a current VXIII or any other Leupold currently made for that matter. The terra is in line with my older Leupolds, I would say a touch better and my old Leupolds are about as far as I will go down the scale of optics before I will say no thanks (rimfires excluded)
This is all from memory as this was a few years ago, all kinds of things have probably changed with production other than maybe the top of the line models from each manufacturer.
Last edited:
