Meopta Meopro Optika 6.5 x 30x56 Riflescope

The 5-30 Optika 6 (6x magnification range) uses a 56mm objective lens to maximise light entry to the tube’s lens packages, which advertise an overall 91% light transmission rating. The reticle is in the first focal plane, so remains in proportion with adjustment mechanics, which here use elevation and windage turrets in Minutes of Angle (MOA).

A full turn of 25 MOA is segregated into 60 clicks, anticlockwise for ‘up’ with windage marked left and right of centre. Overall elevation travel is 73 MOA, which is a significant factor for longer range shooters and effectively doubles what something like a 308 would need to reach from a 100 yard zero out to 1000 yards on target.

The facetted but overall, spherically shaped saddle features a left side parallax dial marked from 25 yards to infinity and an additional illumination control knob. This is marked with intensity settings from 1-6 with intervening off positions for the reticle’s centre dot within, so you can remain close to your preferred choices, yet switch on/off almost instantly.

Rubber teeth

Visually creative design features include wedge-shaped grips on the three main turrets, which are super tactile without any sharp edges to drag the skin from your knuckles, as is occasionally seen on other optics. I suppose an allone- piece machined turret cap is probably easier to manufacture but I like this style of rubber wrap.

The elevation dial lifts to unlock and rotates with discernible, tactile and audible detents every 6 degrees per click. Turret disassembly to mark the outer engravings for zero is tool-free. Setting the underneath zero stop requires a small, supplied Allen key and you are well served with spare grub screws in case of loss. This is a nice move by Meopta.

Subtle factors

The zoom collar also features facetted, rubberised knurling that is so well inlaid and subtle that it’s almost hard to tell it apart from the aluminium. Rotation demonstrates all Meopta mechanics are silent with smooth, well-weighted travel that doesn’t feel like you need a set of spanners to get it bedded in when brand new. Also, internal lens package motion demonstrates no backlash.

Meopta supplies a throw lever than can be positioned in any of four threaded holes on the collar, so you can locate it as you like without bolt handle snags, whether you are left or right-handed. Additional flush fit screws are provided to fill the unused location holes and prevent any debris ingress.

Lastly, at the rear, the fastfocus eyepiece for the ocular lens offers +2/-3 range for sharp reticle focus within the 9.5-1.9mm exit pupil (low to high magnification). Eye relief is 90mm, which is about perfect for low recoil cartridges and/or heavy rifles with brakes, a market to which this scope’s design specification is likely to appeal to.

Fit for purpose

At 1030-grams in weight, this 392mm long optic offers plentiful mounting space for rings and eye relief adjustment. It will complement most rifles for the capability it offers.

I was supplied with the 6.5 Creedmoor specific reticle, which carries aim over hash marks roughly appropriate to the calibre. Similar options are available for .308 as well as generic BDC (Bullet drop compensation). In a first focal plane scope, you can’t really adjust these with magnification to correspond directly to your rifle’s trajectory. It is not an exact solution but is OK for short to intermediate range hunting activities, where approximate, fast aim-offs are helpful. For serious longer-range shots with more precision, I’d go with the true mildot options and stick to dialled corrections, as most target shooters are likely to do so in competition.

Coatings

Meopta offers their MeoBright and MeoShield lens coatings to assure light transmission, colour rendition and with the latter, physical protection of the lens surfaces.

Given the high magnification specification, the image is bright and flat, with good colour balance. It is also linear in terms of image brightness relative to magnification increases. There is no awkward, ‘stepped’ degradation toward the top end, just a gentle reduction in overall brightness, as it should be. Meopta also publishes twilight transmission factors as well as overall light transmission, which I find very open and honest.

Living with it

I have been using the scope on an extremely accurate Anschutz 6.5 Creedmoor rifle and have been impressed with the capability at this price point. The optic shows all the subtle visual benefits of the elite optics it shares with the European bloodlines, yet at £1030, could too easily be judged outclassed by the asking price alone - it isn’t!

The details are the reticle focus is pin-sharp and doesn’t vary as magnification changes. You are never wasting time and energy having your eye re-focussing and chasing visual recognition. Secondly, the exit pupil and linear eye box are noticeably more versatile than some other branded optics and that very likely ties in with the fact this optic isn’t shouting about long, ‘magnum’ eye relief, which is a bit of a misconception. That long eye relief on low to mid-market optics usually leads to a very critical eyebox and regularly makes positioning awkward, as it’s physically too long to get it far enough away from your eye/head to realise a full, vignette-free field of view. Colouration is well balanced and illumination causes no sparkle or glare.

Conclusion

The critical factor people need to realise about optics is that no features ever come for free, they are traded off elsewhere and advertising will easily bombard you with what a scope features, yet discounts what it’s missing when the money was spent elsewhere. I really like the fact that Meopta has always marketed very modestly and allowed its optical performance to maintain its reputation, even as they rise to the challenge of a modern 6x erector tube and 30x magnification without compromising usability and visual comfort.