Delta Titanium HD 2.5-15x56

When it comes to quality optics, the line between high end and affordable have become more blurred of late. That’s because more and more affordable scopes are available that offer very good optical and mechanical quality.

One such is the new Delta Optical Titanium HD, which is priced at an agreeable £699.95, so in the mid ground. It is made in the Light Optical Factory in Japan! Optical quality is still excellent compared to other Far Eastern countries, and secondly, this is the same factory that produces the Lightstream scopes, which I rate very highly.

You also have a useful six power magnification of 2.5x to 15x, so a good, versatile range for close or long range work and a side-mounted parallax adjustment to make use of the higher mags. Finally, an illuminated reticule and you have a high spec-d scope for a sensible price that will appeal to vermin, fox, stalker and airgun user alike.

Spec

At 650 grams and 366 mm long, when mounted to your rifle it balances well. For those who like to mount their scope close to the barrel, then a 50mm objective is available. I used Warne 30mm, high, quick-release mounts for my Tikka custom .35 Whelen AK Improved and the Delta sat perfectly with the 56mm objective lens that has a 64mm outer diameter. The eye piece is 40mm wide and so gives a better field of view and gives enough clearance for the bolt handle, even with a gloved hand. The one piece, 30mm body offers plenty of adjustment range for the erector tube and the overall finish is a nice, satin black anodising.
The eyepiece has a rubber edged lip to avoid the dreaded ‘sniper eye’ and is the fast focus diopter type, so perfectly sharp reticules and image can be set for any eye differences. The front lens is quite close to the end of the scope body but it does come with see-through covers, but no sunshade!

The zoom range is very useable; at 2.5x mag it’s wide enough for close work in the woods and maximum light gathering. Up at 15x it’s great for viewing and precise shot placement at longer ranges. The zoom ring has an elevated spur with serrated ring to facilitate a good hold and adjusts clockwise smoothly.

On the side

Pleasingly, the parallax drum is on the left of the saddle, which is combined with the rheostat for the illuminated reticle; just where I like it! A CR 2032 battery powers it, which is a pretty standard 4a-type, but fine with a wide spread inner section and illuminated central dot. It gives 11 positions - 1-4 is ideal for low light to avoid flare, 5-8 gives good visibility without dazzling and 9-11 are maximum for use in bright light or moving targets.

With a reasonably high mag range, parallax adjustment is essential, otherwise on 15x power at close range it would be difficult to focus correctly. It focuses down to 10m, which is superb and then all the way up to infinity. In that way, you can focus perfectly at 15x at 10m, which will keep Field Target air rifle shooters happy and out at further range you are assured of a parallax free image for perfect shot placement. Clever move, as it broadens the appeal!

The turrets are low and un-capped with lift to unlock drums, so quick and easy adjustment in the field. Markings are interesting- 1 click equals 7mm at 100m or ¼” and thus 0.25 MOA near as damn it. Both elevation and windage offer 50 MOA total movement, with 11 MOA per rotation. The windage is the same but should be split with 0 in the middle and 5 MOA each side making it more instinctive to adjust.

In the field

First impressions were good, it feels solid without being overweight and all the adjustments are positive and smooth. I fitted the Delta to a few rifles, a .35 Whelen AK Improved, as well as a new Mossberg MVP Tactical in .308 Win and a .22 Satan Wildcat RPA for use in Scotland against Roe, where it’s legal, and we had my son’s first Roe doe.

The image is very good; in fact, excellent, to be honest. The fully coated HD lenses certainly have high definition, as the whole image was pin sharp and flat. This was at all magnifications. Some cheaper scopes are bright but lack definition, The Delta Titanium performed more like a high-end European model.

Depth and contrast

You also have a good depth of view, with vivid contrasting images, further enhancing the detection and observing of game in the natural environment. The 56mm objective certainly helps in light gathering too, and in Scotland over Christmas, I was shooting several rifles with German and Austrian optics and I did not feel compromised by the Delta at all!

With the eye piece being 40mm wide, you have a good field of view and your eye position is less sensitive at the higher magnifications. This all means it is easier, faster and more precise to get a shot off quickly and accurately if necessary. The parallax was smooth and precise and on a .22 Venom air rifle I could zoom up to 15 x mag and still be in focus at 10m, to see the pellets land on top of each other.

The illumination showed little bleed until you reached past the 8 intensity marking. I would like to see more of a choice of reticles i.e. perhaps a few extra stadia for bullet drop compensating would be nice.

Conclusions

To say I was impressed was an understatement but then again, it was an HD lensed scope from the Light Optical Factory in Japan, so no surprises really. Priced to be competitive and give superior optics to higher priced scopes, I would have to say they have succeeded. Relaibilty, function, features and pure optical quality makes it a winner in this midpoint price scope bracket.