Optisan EVE 3-12x44 Pi

It was good to meet up with representatives from Optisan Optics at this year’s Northern Shooting Show, as I’ve always liked their scopes and they have recently launched quite a few new models. The staff were all being kept very busy on their trade stand near the HFT Masters competition course and the range is varied, with plenty on offer for all sorts of shooters, as all Optisan scopes are built tough!

A couple of scopes really caught my eye; the first, was the compact CX6 1-6X24 that has been designed specifically for 3-Gun competitions. This aircraft-grade, 30mm-bodied optic has a nice wide angle field of view on 1 power (120-feet) and can be used like a Red Dot for fast target acquisition but is still capable of being used out to 600-yards on 6-mag. This is the sort of spec scope that I use in Civilian Service Rifle (CSR) competitions and I can’t wait to try one! The reticle features an upside down ‘horseshoe’ that can be illuminated and also has markings that can be used at long range, or the scope can be dialled for distances using the ‘push/pull’ locking turrets. All this for £346.

Bigger brother

A larger optic all round was the EVX 6-12X50F1i, available for £459. This Gen II scope has a 30mm scope body tube as before and has an optical system that has a 25% larger field of view compared to previous models and a generous eyebox. The eye relief is a very useful 3.7-inches, which is just as well, because this scope can cope with rifles firing .308 and .300 WM! You don’t want ‘scope bight’ from one of those… It is available in first and second focal plane options, so there’s plenty of choice.

There were loads more scopes on the stand and Optisan are clearly a force to be reckoned with. I recently received an EVE 3-12X44 Pi to review and straight out of the box I was impressed! The hunting/target scope comes well protected in a foamlined box, complete with a 3-inch screw-on sunshade.

The EVE has a one-piece, 30mm body tube that is 13.3-inches/338mm long and the overall weight is 23.28oz/660g. The serrated magnification adjuster operates smoothly from minimum to maximum power and there’s a handy (literally) raised ‘bump’ to aid grip; it’s at the 4 o’clock position on 3X, 12 o’clock at 6X and moves around to 8 o’clock on 12X. This is really handy, as it’s possible to tell what mag you’re on by feel in the dark and I think this is going to come in very useful in the future.

A fast-focus reticle adjuster is mounted on the ocular bell and I soon had the second focal plane MIL-G4Ai reticle perfectly clear; long gone are the days when I could leave the eyebell of a scope screwed all the way in! The ret is quite a traditional ‘German-style’ affair with thick post at 3, 6 and 9 o’clock, merging into fine stadia towards the centre. The top portion however is thin from the top to the centre. At the centre, is a small dot that can be illuminated, if required, by using the dial on the far-left side of the saddle. The dial goes from 1-6 and 1 and 2 are quite faint but this preferable to them all being too bright. There are OFF positions between each ON setting, so you don’t have to dial all the way up from OFF, which makes life so much easier and far quicker when in the field.

In focus

Variable scopes without any form of parallax/focus adjustment can be rather frustrating to use, as you have to compromise at various ranges, with the ret and target not always in correct focus. No such problem here though, as the adjuster goes from 10-yards to infinity. The image is crystal-clear at all ranges and everything is nice and sharp, even to the edge of the lens, which isn’t always the case with optics. The focus dial works very smoothly, with no rough patches and is grooved for added grip.

Flip-up lens caps are fitted front and rear to prevent damage and to keep rain and dust off the lenses when the scope is not being used. The low-profile elevation and windage adjusters are protected by screw-on caps and are .1mrad per click, with 6-mils per rotation. You don’t need to undo tiny grubscrews to re-set the dials to zero with this scope, you just lift them up against spring pressure and let them go when the required position is reached. The EVE is very well made and is finished in a nice matte black anodised coating.

Range session

I mounted the EVE on a Walther LGV rifle using a set of Sportsmatch mounts and soon had it zeroed and used the sprung turrets to re-set them both to zero. I always initially start zeroing sessions quite close and set out a large target card at 10-yards and then work my way out further. As there’s only one actual aim point to use, I dialled for ranges and a simply made a note of the settings from 5-55-yards. If I’d had the version with the NMH-SFPNMHH10X reticle, I could have used one of the many aimpoints. After using this classy scope on the Walther (which it suited perfectly by the way) I mounted it on my Anschutz .22 Hornet foxing rifle and it served me well but more of that in a later article.

Conclusion

Well, another great scope from Optisan and it’s packed with useful features at a very good price and I look forward to seeing more optics from this go-head company.