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Nikko Stirling Panamax 6-18x50 AO IR Half Mil Dot

Nikko Stirling Panamax 6-18x50 AO IR Half Mil Dot

I first became aware of the Panamax range from Nikko Stirling, when a member of my shooting club brought down his new purchase to show off. It was a more compact, lower spec model, but the combination of features, including a super precise reticle, wide image, and great clarity, drew my attention. He just happened to be right place/ right time as the sales rep visited the local dealer, but I could see his point; smug grin or not!

Long range

On test here, is one of the latest, larger specified models from the same range, and I have to say, it’s another great buy for the money. It’s the Panamax 6-18x50 AO IR Half Mil Dot, dubbed a ‘Long Range’ model by Nikko, given the higher mag range, and it has plenty to offer. Let’s start by nailing the basics; the 6-18x is the variable magnification, ‘50’ relates to the front objective lens in mm, ‘AO’ denotes adjustable objective, and ‘IR’ refers to the on-board illuminated reticle; the Half Mil Dot design in this case. Built around a one-inch body tube, the Panamax range comes with a smart, matt black, non-reflective finish, and highly practical, low profile turrets. From an airgun shooters point of view, unless you’re an FT shooter, where you need to dial the turret for each shot, (and you’d be using a huge magnification in any case) we just don’t need huge tactical turrets. Okay, whinge offloaded!

Selling point

One of the big selling points with the Panamax range of scopes, is the extra wide field of view; hence the name of the range. The manufacturers claim a 20% advantage over standard comparable one-inch scopes, and whilst I normally take a cynical view with much of the marketing blurb, a quick check with an identical specification i.e. 6-18x50, from a major big name rival, sure enough revealed a much greater FOV with the Panamax–claim confirmed.

Get away from the point scoring though, and what really impresses, is the combination of that super precise, highly usable Half Mil reticle, and the edge-to-edge brightness and sharpness of the image.

Spec check

The usual fast focus ring sits at the back of the ocular lens. Magnification is dialled using the back collar, and here, movement is fairly easy, given the raised control bar. Adjusting the front parallax ring proved a little irritating to turn at times however, since there is a fair bit of resistance, yet very little grip afforded by the fairly smooth collar. A subtle application of rubber wouldn’t go amiss here.

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The manufacturers claim a minimum focus of 10-yards with this model, although the turret’s markings start at 15-yards. On the lowest 6x magnification, 10-yards is almost clear, and with the mag dialled up to the full 18x, I found sharp clarity started around 13-yards – more a technicality, in real world usage I have to say. It’s extremely common for officially printed range markings to not tally up completely, but with my test model overall, focus came in pretty well bang-on the right distance marker. Parallax markings are 15-, 20-, 25-, 30-, then 50-yards onwards, but for the uses this scope will see, that’s fine in my book.

Turrets are clearly marked, but whilst the internal spindle is metal, there was a small amount of play in the elevation turret itself, which was slightly disconcerting. Again, with zero set, it’s not a major issue, but an observation nonetheless. Click values are marked in ¼ MOA, which equates to 10mm at 100-yards/2.5mm at 25-yards.

On the range

My usual grid check, tracking from zero, up, right, down, and left proved the internal mechanism was up to scratch, and with that ascertained, I could get down to appreciating what was on offer. The Half Mil Dot reticle has very usable reference points for Hunter Field Target for example, and here, this scope would typically be set to between 7x and 10x magnification, in order to gain a reasonable level of clarity through the different target distances, without adjusting the parallax setting (as per HFT rules). I chose 10x mag, and a front parallax setting of around 24-yards, and here, whilst ten yards was a little blurred, as you’d expect, 35- and 45-yards were all very clear indeed. The addition of a couple of low and wide windage markers set into the reticle, would be beneficial, but otherwise, it’s difficult to criticise what is a satisfyingly precise, and highly versatile reticle design.

Image quality, as mentioned, is excellent, with sharpness and clarity to the edge. Favour an illuminated reticle (I’ve never quite got around to using one, but I know several shooters who swear by them), then this Panamax comes with that facility. The subtle low-profile third turret on the left, is the rheostat control, and offers five brightness levels, in either green or red. The central fine section of reticle then lights up, and all works extremely well. A positive off position sits in the middle.

Conclusion

All the usual guarantees are here; waterproof, shockproof, nitrogen filled, multi-coated lenses, and this model comes with its own elasticated lens covers. There’s also a Lifetime Warranty that relates to the original owner only.

In an increasingly crowded market, Nikko Stirling continue to impress. This Panamax model combines an excellent Half Mil Dot Reticle, with truly impressive image quality–and all for an RRP currently £231.99. Great value in anyone’s book.

  • Nikko Stirling Panamax 6-18x50 AO IR Half Mil Dot - image {image:count}

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  • Nikko Stirling Panamax 6-18x50 AO IR Half Mil Dot - image {image:count}

    click on image to enlarge

  • Nikko Stirling Panamax 6-18x50 AO IR Half Mil Dot - image {image:count}

    click on image to enlarge

  • Nikko Stirling Panamax 6-18x50 AO IR Half Mil Dot - image {image:count}

    click on image to enlarge

  • Nikko Stirling Panamax 6-18x50 AO IR Half Mil Dot - image {image:count}

    click on image to enlarge

  • Nikko Stirling Panamax 6-18x50 AO IR Half Mil Dot - image {image:count}

    click on image to enlarge

gun
features

  • Model: Panamax 6-18x50 AO IR Half Mil Dot
  • Manufacturer: Nikko Stirling
  • Country of Origin: China
  • Magnification: Variable 6-18x
  • Objective Lens Diameter: 50mm
  • Length: 14.25-inches
  • Weight: 22.9oz
  • Reticle: Half Mil Dot
  • Click Values: ¼ MOA / 10mm @100-yards
  • No. of Turret Rotations: 4.5 full rotations of elevation and windage
  • Clicks Per Turret Rotation: 60
  • Field of View: 2.4 - 7.3-m @100-metres
  • Eye Relief: 3.25-inches, approx.
  • Body Tube: One-inch
  • Minim. Focus: 15-yards
  • Turret Type: Standard low screw cap, finger adjustable
  • Reticle Illumination: 5 step rheostat, red or green
  • Price: RRP £231.99
  • UK Distributor: Highland Outdoors
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