Swarovski 1.25-4x24 Z4i

Build quality aside, which is never in question, Swarovski’s Z4i range seeks to offer an alternative to their Z6 series should you want illumination and a more conventional zoom range. In the May edition I tested the Z4i 2.5-10x56 and found the spec good for general use and the rheostat system in some ways better than the Z6i’s. What I have here is far more dedicated and something your average Brit hunter would probably not consider unless they do a lot of driven or dangerous/large game work, as it’s a 1.25-4x24.

In the UK the maximum magnification of x4 is usually considered far too low for most deer shooting though you can push it to 200-yards + and still achieve good bullet placement, given the right reticule. Practically we are talking from near the muzzle to perhaps 75/100-yards and this is very much the sort of scope I would pick for boar and buffalo. Here you don’t need the mag, but a decent reticule and quality glass in a tough package.

30mm All The Way

The body tube is a straight 30mm so can be fitted close to the bore line. At the back is a fast focus eyepiece and the power ring is heavily ribbed with a raised fin, both aid dialling in any weather. What dominates the Z4i is the big rheostat drum that screws down over the elevation adjuster, which has to be removed for zeroing. Swarovski also includes a simple cover should you not want to have the illumination fitted. On this scope unlikely, but on a higher spec useful at times!

Operation is simple, grip the drum and pull it up to turn it on (orange ring exposed around the base). To adjust brightness rotate the drum anti-clockwise to reduce and clockwise to increase. What I like is there’s nothing separate to do with no extra levers or pressure pads. Power is supplied by a coin-type battery located in the top of the drum.

.54 @ 100-Yards

Click values are as expected on a model like this – 1.5cms @ 100m or .54” @ 100-yards, which suits it’s role well. With 68 per turn (36.72”) and three full rotations (110.6”) the movement is generous. As usual Swarovski fit their lift to zero drums, which are marked in increments of five, however and as always they do not mark them all the way round, nor does Zeiss. I have always wondered why!

The Z4i has a CD-I reticule, which consists of a #4-type grid with a large central aiming dot surrounded by a circle, both these being lit. A good design for dangerous game (DG) as acquisition and central placement is fast with a positive lead off for moving targets. At 100-yards the dot subtends two inches so is no precision shooting pattern, but for its primary purpose I don’t think there is much that can better it. Plus the illumination is powerful and even in bright sunlight the dot and circle stand out in sharp contrast in a crisp and un-blurred orange, which I found better than red.

PRICE: £1,250

FOR - Excellent short range hunting scope
AGAINST - Mission specific
VERDICT - Great driven and DG optic and good illumination system