Minox ZP8 1-8x24

You may or may not know this, but Minox scopes are now distributed to the trade by Blaser Sporting Ltd. I have not had a lot to do with this brand, but that changed at this year’s IWA show, where I had a meeting with Dominik Rangk of Minox and he showed me the range of optics available, which is comprehensive! We agreed on a rolling testing policy and as an AR15 shooter, we kicked off with an interesting, mid-range, compact well suited to that sort of practical/action-style shooting – the ZP8 1-8x24.

The advent of improved zoom ranges, as originally fielded by Swarovski, offers optics that can handle a number of tasks, from close in to longer ranges. Such is the 1-8x zoom of this ZP8. At x1 it’s up close and personal or instinctive up to 100/200-metres, then winding it up past the more accepted x4 and x6 up to x8 allows you to reach out. All in a reasonably compact packaged, well suited to this sort of work and with the exception of its tactical turrets, would make a great driven game and midrange hunting scope too!

The design also offers a couple of surprises and also demanded some answers to certain features, as we shall see. Most noticeable is the larger, 34mm body tube, which necessitates larger mounting rings over the standard 30mm. However, Minox have stuck with a 24mm objective and really use the big body, doubtless to allow more adjustment. Luckily I had a pair of old 34mm SGC med/ high units, which did the trick.

FFP reticule & dustbins

The reticule is in the first focal plane (FFP) and offers three options, my tester had the MR10+, which is like a No4- type, with an inner crucifix cross with lead and range hash marks and divisions in Milradian (mrad). It also has three rangefinding grids in the lower left quadrant that allow you too quickly and without calculation, range targets 50cms wide of 30cm, 70cm and 1m heights. Simpler is the M10, which has no peripheral markings and finally the A8- D, which is a Dual-X type with a simple, inner dot/cross. Illumination is smart too and keyed into the +/- points of this FFP system, as when switched on, the ret is lit in the normal manner. However, when the magnification is wound down below x1.5, the illumination switches to a second focal plane (SFP) red dot that gives a solid aim point as the reticule, though crisp, is very small.

The turrets are of the tactical-type with large, easy to turn drums and unusually both windage and elevation come with zero stop function, normally it’s just the latter.

These are divided into 1 mrad and then sub-divided into 0.1 mrad; so you get 10 clicks per mrad, which roughly translates into 1-click = 1cm or 1/3 MOA @ 100-metres. Elevation offers 10 mrad, with windage being split 0 - 5 in either direction.

Total, overall movement is 5.5-rotations in both planes, so pretty generous! Turret drums pull up to unlock/turn and push down to lock. When up, a white line can be seen around the base with a white triangle (tip up) indicating the 0 mark. Windage is also marked with an R & L to indicate right and left direction, but elevation does not show up or down markings; you just go up and down the numbers instead!

Single position

What struck me as very unusual was the fact that the turrets will only lock at their 0 position. So for instance, once you want to shoot past your zero position and wind in a correction, you lift the drum, rotate accordingly then it just sits there, as it cannot be pushed back down to lock the new setting. This is unlike any lockable turret system I have encountered before!

Illumination is of the pullout to unlock type, but can be pushed back to lock in any of the nine settings. It also has OFF points between the numbers, which is very useful. The first three levels are intended for use with night vision devices, so do not show in normal lighting.

The eyepiece bell is conventional, with a fast focus system but shows a large, raised fin, which allows fast magnification selection, which I found very useful. The scope is parallax-free to 200-metres. Solid, flip up, ‘Tactical Tough’ lens covers are provided by Tenebraax with plenty of room in the rear unit for a drop and wind data disc. They screw directly into the ends of the scope and can be easily positioned to flip where you want them to.

Conclusion

Most FFP systems offer a compromise on reticule size and the ZP8 is no different. At x1 you have a very fine but working cross hair but no other details, which I found easy to place on a six-inch plate at 100-metres, even without illumination. Obviously at this power, the SFP red dot is an asset! At x3 you can see and use the main hash marks in the cross but it’s not until x4 you can start to use all the detail of the pattern. Up at x8 everything is easily visible but not too gross as others can be. Overall, a flexible magnification range.

Zeroing is a bit fiddly; as if you remove the turret drum there’s no screwdriver slot to turn the inner. So if you run out of movement you have to loosen the two screws in the drum, so that you can freewheel it backwards to gain more adjustment. But the generous, 5.5 rotations are to be appreciated! I fitted the ZP8 to my SGC Speedmaster AR running Hornady, 75-grain BTHP Match ammo at 2690 FPS. Zeroing proved easy and I was on in a few clicks with the rifle shooting an easy ¾-inch @ 100-metres at x8. The scope was bright and clear, giving a crisp image and with enough reference points on the reticule for any amount of hold over or ranging potential. Overall and with just a few minor exceptions; a really nice optic for the more tactically-minded shooter!