GPO CENTURI 3-18X44I RIFLESCOPE

The GPO Centuri has been designed specifically to capitalise on the American market, which also aligns it directly with the habitual preferences of many UK shooters, particularly those who think and operate with ¼ MOA clicks for zeroing and longer-range shooting. GPO is a newer name in the optical world, but they have continually supplied a quality product.

Marketing spiel
There is the usual abundance of marketing spiel: “Double HD Glass Objective Lens Technology,” “PASSIONdrop hydrophobic lens coatings,” and “GPObright lens coating technology.” These are simple names that sugar-coat the optical design. No specific country of manufacture is stated on the tube, but the underside is engraved with “Designed by German Precision Optics,” which adheres to company policy.

Regardless
Regardless of this, the tube is beautifully finished with a deep, matte black anodised lustre. At 30mm in diameter, it is simple to pair with scope rings for rifle mounting. There is 50mm of free tube space to the front of the central saddle and 60mm to the rear to accommodate the 95mm of eye relief, making the scope suitable for most rifles. The overall size has been kept modest, featuring a 44mm objective lens designed for daylight sporting rifle shooters who prioritise both weight savings and improved handling. It seems modern rifles, scope mounts, and Picatinny rails, along with generally large ocular bodies, limit how close the scope can be placed to the action. This leaves the objective size somewhat inconsequential, so you may as well go bigger for improved low-light performance. This scope wouldn’t really go much lower as shown here, so why waste that space when light is key?

Adjustments
Staying in tune with the US market preferences, long-range hunting is where marketing is going, and this mandates an adjustable elevation turret for fast dialling. The 34mm diameter elevation turret lifts to unlock for turning, and there is also a zero-stop function. The turret provides 100 ¼ MOA clicks per rotation, equivalent to 25 MOA, and allows for two full rotations. There is a small tactile and visual plunger that pops up to illustrate when you have passed 25 and are on your way to 50 MOA up. All the relevant info is laser-engraved on the circumference of the turret. Effective knurling is machined into the turret, and the clicks are well-defined and audible. The windage is similarly shown on the right-side turret, with left and right markings for fast dialling. Both turrets are easily loosened and slipped to mark zero when you have mounted the scope to your rifle.

Range-range
Parallax adjustment is featured on the left-hand side turret, from 15 yards to infinity, making the scope appropriate for most rifle types. The tip of this turret offers illumination control, with an analogue dial that illustrates settings from 0 to 8, although there are no specific click intervals. There is an auto-off feature to save battery life after three hours, and when the battery capacity is seriously diminished, the dot will blink to remind you to change the CR2032 cell that fits below the end cap.
GPO’s “Micro-Dot I-Control illumination” is ideal for hunting, with fast analogue intensity control. The second focal plane reticle shows a crisp, red dot in the centre, without any light bleed. The mechanics of the scope are covered by a 10-year warranty, but it’s worth noting that most manufacturers limit this to two years for electronics, and GPO is no different.

Throw lever
A throw lever is included and attaches to a dovetail rib positioned just below the 8x magnification mark on the zoom control dial, which rotates 180 degrees clockwise to adjust magnification from 3x to 18x. The internal mechanism operates with smooth, silent precision, and there is no noticeable change to the eye relief. The exit pupil is spacious, with variation from 8 to 2.4mm through the range, with a 13.6 to 2.3m @ 100m field of view. I shot with this scope on a rifle with a very short length of pull, and still found it very visually accommodating in awkward circumstances, which is a notable benefit to comment on.

Neutrality
In use, the scope complemented the rifle well and showed no real handling or usage caveats. The clicks were precise, albeit closely spaced, but modern turrets are designed to last for years unless subjected to continuous heavy use. The reticle is in the second focal plane, so it maintains its size regardless of the magnification setting, but the windage and aim-off markers rely on an exact magnification setting, and a specific value is not quoted.
GPO advertises a 90% light transmission value, which seems entirely believable. I found the image both warm and welcoming. It seemed to amplify contrast slightly, with greens appearing more vivid than with other optics I had at the time, but this is a subjective statement as all our eyes perceive colours differently. Importantly, I found no specific steps in the light transmission through the zoom range, nor did I find that the optical capabilities dropped off suddenly in weaker light conditions. Instead, there was a gradual fade relative to the surrounding light conditions.
I would describe the scope as reliable, neutral, and excellent value for money. When I box-tested the adjustments, the click values were perfect, and this translated through all the distances you might engage a target at. The parallax and reticle control were crisp and repeatable, without unwanted backlash.

Conclusion
This scope does exactly what it promises at an attractive price. Most Centuri models come with a 44mm objective lens, but I would opt for the 2.5-15x50 model, as it is the only option with a 50mm objective that efficiently utilises the available space above the barrel. This spec makes it particularly well-suited for short-range snap shots and typical UK hunting distances for deer. If you would rather have a daylight optic tailored for small quarry, the 3-18x model might be the ideal choice.