GPO Spectra 4-16x50

German Precision Optics are a brand I hadn’t come across until recently, but a discussion with UK distributor, Raytrade, certainly got my interest. As the name suggests, these scopes are designed and engineered in Germany, and the smart understated protective carton, bearing the GPO eagle emblem, is how these scopes come supplied.

What’s included

Open the well-padded box and there’s a comprehensive instruction booklet, a technical specification booklet covering each GPO model, a microfibre lens cloth and elasticated lens covers. The Spectra 4-16x50i is built from black anodized aluminium, and with a 30mm body tube, coupled with the large 50mm objective lens, light-gathering properties are at a premium. As you would expect, GPO incorporates some state of the art processes during manufacturing, and that includes optical lenses, fully multicoated with GPO Bright Lens coating technology, along with Double HD objective lens technology.

Set-up

At the rear, there is the usual fast-focus ocular dioptre, rubber protected, and this can be adjusted to get things started. Get the reticle and subject in focus and you’re in business. Helpful graduated markings are here too. With the Spectra mounted in 30mm clamps, it was time to get zeroing. Both windage and elevation are low profile turrets, with neat aluminium screw caps to keep everything snug. Yet the profile of this model overall is quite wide courtesy of the proud left turret, which doubles as the rheostat and parallax dial. Moving the dial has just the right amount of resistance so as not to move too easily accidentally, from the selection. The minimum focus range is 15m, and then markings move through 20, 30, 50, 75, 100, 200, 300, 500 and infinity.

Elevation and windage turrets are very clearly marked up and have click values of 0.1 MRAD or .36” at 100 yards. Yet whilst zeroing the Spectra, something suddenly occurred to me. Curiously, the turrets twist in the opposite direction to that which you would expect. Logically, screwing down the turret clockwise would normally be shifting the point of impact (POI) down. With this GPO, ‘Down’is actually anti-clockwise. Likewise, with the windage turret, where winding clockwise would normally be moving POI to the left. Not so with the Spectra. I haven’t noticed this on other scopes and it’s counterintuitive. Get past that irritation, and the turrets can be set to the 0 marker once zeroed, by simply unscrewing the cap and lifting and twisting the dial ring to the desired point. Replace the cap and screw closed. Job done. Altering zero and re-tracking all worked perfectly on test, and the positive clicks are very reassuring.

Typical reticle

As a huge fan of my old Zeiss, I have come to appreciate the classic German-style reticle, whereby thick outer posts bracket the central crosshair. This basic inclusion means the central image isn’t easily lost in foliage. This GPO model came supplied with the G4i reticle, which features a vertical central thin line, and then equidistant left, right and lower lines, bracketed by equidistant outer thick posts. It’s a bold image, but here, perhaps a few more graduations would be useful as reference points. However, the benefit of the quality glass can be fully appreciated. GPO does have the option, it should be said, of a G4i Drop reticle, which has many more graduations.

For my test model, the G4i reticle features what GPO term ‘iControl Illumination’, and that takes the form of a central illumination dot, which is very fine. In fact, the dot isn’t discernable until the system is on. Illumination is in red and offers a smooth progression through the 8 stages of brightness. It automatically turns off after 3 hours, and in addition, there is a low battery indicator, which blinks the dot when the remaining power is down to 15%. The CR2032 disc-style battery is concealed inside the rheostat left side turret, in the usual manner. Just unscrew the very top rim, and the battery sits inside. Very tight to open on my scope, I should add. But this would hopefully ease with use.

Image quality

The field of view is impressively wide and above average with this model, and the clarity and sharpness of the image edge to edge, is difficult to fault. Zooming in with the magnification ring is made easier with the raised control bar. As mentioned, this is a hunting scope, and dialling up to the full 16x magnification brings everything into closer reference inside the reticle. All my hunting of late has been in conjunction with a laser range finding device, and this means that we can be sure of our trajectory and be far more confident of a clinical shot. Adjusting the side parallax ring seemed to suggest that marked distances did actually correspond with reality, but at such relatively low magnification (when compared to FT style optics), the parallax facility here, is for error correction purposes in the shot, rather than actually determining the range.

Clues in the name

Shouldering the Spectra brings confidence and everything feels nicely made and robust in use. Maybe not the most technical spec on test here, but this solid performer offers renowned German quality and excellent image quality, for what has to be seen as a reasonable outlay.