Sightron SIII 1-7x24 Scope

There’s been a good deal of R&D put in to produce compact, double-duty optics that deliver both fast target acquisition at short range and precision performance at longer distances. Though the primary contexts for such optics are infantry combat and 3-Gun competition, they’re not without relevance to the hunter of driven or dangerous game, who may be taking a two-hundred-yard shot one minute and a 20-yarder the next. Indeed, this is a scenario with which woodland stalkers and those who call foxes will also be familiar. With this in mind, I thought I’d try out the SIII 1-7x24 IR 4 from Sightron.

Hunting Spec

Sightron are undoubtedly best known in this country for the larger, target-orientated models in their SIII range, so how does the SIII 1-7x23 fit in?

The choice of a X7 magnification factor places it between X6 scopes such as Leupold’s VX6 and Mk6 and the great Swarovski S6i range, or Bushnell’s Tactical Elite 1-6.5x24, on one hand, and super-premium X8 models such as the Schmidt & Bender 1-8x24 Zenith and PMII Short Dot, the Leupold Mk8 1.1-8x24, and PremierReticles 1.1-8x24,or even IOR’s 10X Eliminator series, on the other.

Most of these are presented as tactical scopes, whereas the Sightron shows a simpler, hunter-type build, with a second focal plane #4A Duplex reticle featuring an illuminated central dot, and low-profile windage and elevation adjustment turrets. Remove the protective aluminium caps, though, and instead of coin-slot adjusters, you get a set of easily-readable, easily-grippable dials that let you wind in your come-ups and windage DOPE in seconds. Adjustments are a European 1cm @ 100m (0.1 mil), which is perhaps a little coarse when engaging more distant targets, but entirely satisfactory for most purposes, quick to set, and easy to keep track of. You also get a handy 50cm (5 mils) per turn and a total travel of 28.5 mils of both windage and elevation: ample for a short-to-medium-range optic of this kind. Once you’re zeroed, the dials can be zeroed simply by lifting them, turning them to the desired position, and then re-seating them.

On the L/H of the saddle is a third dial that controls the illuminated reticle. I was a bit surprised at the lack of a parallax control on a scope with such a high zoom factor, but couldn’t observe any parallax error. Anyhow, in place of the usual 11-position rotary rheostat the Sightron’s brightness control is digital, operating via four buttons embossed into a rubberised disc on the face of the dial.  At 3 o’clock is the ON/OFF button. When activated, the reticle will return to the last-used position. At 9 o’clock is an R/G button that allows you to select a red or green central dot. Finally, there are +/- buttons at 12 and 6 o’clock. You can push and hold these for rapid adjustment, or blip them to fine tune the intensity of the dot.

Power comes from a CR2032 battery housed inside the parallax knob. Battery life is rated at 100-200 hours depending on use/intensity, but take care as there’s no auto shut-off.

Does Size Matter?

The Sightron is big for its class, being 12.5” end-to-end and weighing 20oz. On the plus side, the length of the Sightron means that there’s plenty of room on the tube for the mounts, and eye relief is a comfortable 3.9”- 4.8”, which suits snap-shooting situations as well as hard-recoiling DG rifles, and thanks to the unusually high zoom factor, the field-of-view runs from a broad 92’ @ 100 yards (1x) to a workable 13’ (7x).

So is the Sightron too big for the job? Well size isn’t everything. To see how handy or otherwise it would prove on a double rifle, I picked the next best thing from my armoury: an O/U combination gun (or BBF) in 222/20g by Antonio Zoli which is built like a 20g shotgun and is a delightfully-agile hunting tool. The next step was to get it zeroed in.

Field Testing

It’s always a sign of a good scope when the zeroing session goes smoothly. Ammo was Sellier & Bellot’s 50-grain JSP load, kindly supplied by York Guns, from whom I also bought the Zoli, and three shots after bore-sighting I had a confirmed zero at 100 yards. Click adjustments on the turrets are quiet and a bit mushy, but their effect is nevertheless positive and immediate. The S&B ammo also proved consistent, with three-shot groups clustering at 1.5” or so, which is more than acceptable when shooting a gun like the Zoli off sticks.

As soon as I could I headed for a high seat overlooking a stubble field, which I knew to be on a regular fox and muntjac route. A little before sunset, a fox emerged from the woods to my left and disappeared into a patch of long grass. I had to crane round and half stand on the rungs of the seat to keep it in view, and was praying that it wouldn’t head up the field and wind me, when it started to do just that.

At 1x power the Sightron produces an image that is smaller than the one perceived by the naked eye, so I had it set to match my natural vision (at about 1.3x), with the red dot turned up as bright as possible in the slanting evening sunshine. As I had the handy BBF rather than a more cumbersome moderated bolt action, I didn’t bark to stop the fox, but simply swung the rifle smoothly through its track and pressed the trigger as the red dot crossed the leading edge of its body, dropping it cleanly at 25 yards.

With one fox down I decided to wait to see what the remaining hour of twilight would bring, turning down the intensity of the reticle every so often in response to the gathering gloom. My reward was a second fox that emerged from the bottom hedgerow at 95 yards before nosing around in some nettles. I dialled up the magnification, prepared to back it off if the image was too dark, but had no problem seeing the spot I wanted behind its shoulder at 7x, and so took the shot, and again, the bullet went where I’d sent it.

A subsequent outing a week or so later gave me a chance at a muntjac buck I’d been looking to cull, and this too fell to a picture-perfect heart shot.

None of these were particularly difficult shots, but together they demonstrated the Sightron’s adaptability and its unexpected capability in low light. They also showed that its dimensions were no impediment to handling on a gun designed for moving game. There is some room for improvement as regards the reticle, however, since the dot isn’t brilliant enough in really bright conditions, or subdued enough in really dark ones.

Nevertheless, for hunters looking for a top-quality scope on a tighter budget, the Sightron SIII 1-7x24 represents a viable alternative to the 1-6x24s Leupold VX-6 and even the Swarovski Z6i or 1- 8x24 S&B Zenith, delivering many of their benefits at a fraction of the cost.

The Sightron SIII 1-7x24 IR4A retails for £690, and there is now a new version of this scope – the SIII 1-7x24 IRMOA (illuminated MOA reticle) - which will retail at the same price. For more information or to order, visit AIM Field Sports website at www.aimfieldsports.com or phone 01606 860678. GM