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LightStream 4.5-14x44

LightStream 4.5-14x44

The LightStream has a good power range from 4.5-14x mag and like the Nighteater has a length of just over 15 inches but has an inch body tube.
Overall the scope has a very tough black anodized body with 2 inches of forward mounting space and 2.5” at the rear. The objective is 44mm diameter but with the parallax ring taken into account actually maxes out at 52mm, so choose your scope rings accordingly. This is marked very clearly in gold letters in yard increments of 15, 20, 30, 50, 75, 100, 200, 300 and infinity. Again allowing precise focus right in close and then all the way out there.

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I prefer the parallax on the side of the turrets, but the LightStream’s objective mounted system was smooth and very precise and really no problem at all. There is a sunshade that extends the overall length by 3.75 inches but is well worth fitting not only to stop flare but keep the worst of the weather off the front lens. Sight adjustment is via twin target style turrets that have screw cap covers. When removed the adjustment rings show fine 1/8 inch movement per click at 100 yards and the turrets are divided from 0-5 with 8 clicks per division in an anti-clockwise direction. The click adjustment was very fine, precise and solid. Both the top elevation and windage turret had a full 9 total rotations. To re-zero the turret ring back to 0, I just needed to slacken the Allen screw in the top and rotate as necessary. The eyepiece uses a lock ring and focus system that gives good clarity to the reticule when set up to suit the user’s eyes. Just in front of this is the zoom ring that increases mag from left to right and was very smooth in operation.

Overall this is a very well made scope but the real magic is what lies within. The lenses are fully coated Japanese glass with an etched reticule that is sited in the first focal plane and not the second, as was the case with the other two scopes on test. This means that as the magnification increases, so does the reticule size, which means that at any power setting the relationship between your reticule and game will always remain the same, this is not true with second focal plane scopes. This is a massive advantage with the LightStream as far as I’m concerned, as I know that if I learn the rifles trajectory and aim off points, the LightStream will deliver that shot exactly where I aim at any magnification setting.

The reticule is an uncomplicated marriage of mil-dot and stadia, and comes with very clear instructions and range charts to map your own trajectories. It’s a fool proof system and one that really worked well in the field trails. I mounted the scope on rimfires and full-bore rifles, and found the optical quality to be superb even at low light. Clear bright contrasting images gave every advantage to the shooter, and indeed many rabbits and several foxes proved the point. For the money you are crossing over into European quality optics without the price tag, which is why I chose the LightStream for the higher end scope in the tests.

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  • LightStream 4.5-14x44 - image {image:count}

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  • LightStream 4.5-14x44 - image {image:count}

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  • LightStream 4.5-14x44 - image {image:count}

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  • LightStream 4.5-14x44 - image {image:count}

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  • LightStream 4.5-14x44 - image {image:count}

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