Telescopic magnifying sights revolutionized the use of rifles. They allow shooters to reach out and strike targets or harvest game at distances far beyond what the naked eye can see. They stretch every moment of shooting light by giving shooters a crisp sight picture up until the legal cutoff.
Optics have made such a difference in the world of rifle use. Most rifles aren’t sold with iron sights or a way to mount anything but a scope. Scope and optics are a fixture here to stay in our deer camps and shooting ranges. There is one big problem; optics are expensive.
Finding a good review of any product you plan to purchase can go a long way. Which is why we’ve brought to you a write up of out Swarovski Z3 3-10X42 review.
The Swarovski Z3 Review:
Swarovski is an interesting brand. They’re not an American company and many of their optics cater more towards the trends of European hunters and shooters rather than American preferences. This doesn’t mean they’re bad as their scopes designed for the American market are among the best scopes in the world. Swarovski is a leader in quality and usability and as in most things in life, you get what you pay for.
Pros:
Extremely High Quality
Lightweight & Compact
Crystal Clear reticle and target picture
Cons:
Expensive, premium features means premium price
A close eye relief means it can cause scope bite
Tech Specs
First things first; it’s right at 12.5 inches long and 12oz in weight with a one-inch tube. This is a great size and shape for a scope that allows for common sized rings and bases while maintaining a great balancing gun. The 42mm objective lens boasts 90% light transmission, just like lightning in a bottle, and the 90mm eye relief feels natural and works great.
Swarovski is all inclusive featuring several reticles ranging from traditional to complicated. The turrets on the scope stick out far enough to allow for easy adjustment but don’t extend too far or have too sharp edges. Mounted just forward of the eyepiece is the magnification control where you can dial in the focus and the sliding feeling of the focus knob is just as smooth as the glass in the rifle.
Adjusting all those reticles is easy. The scope is equipped with 50 MOA of adjustment with ¼ MOA clicks that make it easy to sight in the scope dead on. The reticles are darned crisp and the quality is remarkable when you look through this high end piece.
The rings and bases available for this scope are top notch. Models are available from Swarovski and from several aftermarket suppliers. lightweight aluminum bases can add to the MOA of adjustment in elevation to reach out and really use the 10x power magnification. Rings for the scope can be had in different heights, the scope it’s self is low profile making finding ring height easy. The turrets are compact but the rings need to be mounted close because the design of the eyepiece is long. Be sure the rings are tall enough to clear both the turrets and the action of your rifle, be it a charging handle or a bolt knob.
A final consideration for the scope is the eye relief. Swarovski scopes are known for a close eye relief. This makes quick shooting easy because it is non-critical but it is closer than other scopes. Cantilever mounts for rifles with heavy recoil can be a godsend for these scopes if you’re not inclined for a new scar after sighting in your gun.
The final neat offering about this scope is the aftermarket Swarovski Z3 lens cover/caps. These heavy duty covers mount on the scope and flip open easily to allow you to see debris free. These are great for backpack rifle hunts where your scope will be carried for miles and shot little. Be wary of having them on if you’re stalking; they can close at the worst possible moment.
Results
The Swarovski Z3 10×42 is designed to be a trim rifle scope for hunting. It is quite possibly the best all-around scope ever made. The design is overall compact and lightweight. It’s important to consider not only the weight but the size of a scope. The size of a scope corresponds to the balance of the weapon.
Great lengths are taken during design and manufacturing to be sure the “portability” of a firearm is true, and the fastest way to muck up the balance and handling of a weapon is to put a big honkin’ piece of glass on it and expect it to feel the same. This scope is fantastic, in that it is light and small but extremely versatile in that it can do almost anything a rifle scope can be expected.
Swarovski scopes are about as high end as it gets, after this price point you mainly pay for increased ruggedness and brand name. The glass within the Swarovski Z3 10×42 is legendary. The polishing and multi-coating process that defines this product is simply unmatched at any price and the same quality is in this scope. That quality translates into tremendous light gathering and better than HD performance for the end user.
Scopes of this price range are really in a class of their own. I urge hunters and shooters of all types to go out and hold one of these quality optics in their hands, look through the glass even if it’s just in the sporting goods store. It is hard to comprehend the unique quality of a scope of this caliber simply because most people have never stopped to evaluate high end optics.
SEE THE PRICE OF THE SWAROVSKI Z3
The Swarovski Z3 scope is an amazing optic. By far my favorite scope, it goes well for just about any rifle hunting situation. The low magnification works well for brush spot and stalk hunting and the high magnification is ideal for ambush tree stand waiting. The rugged design holds lenses few companies could beat and the whole package is about as light and small as a person would want. The scope as a whole reflects pride and thoughtful design in every detail they paid attention to. This scope really speaks for itself, a Swarovski Z3 review is largely redundant, genuine quality speaks for itself. This scope is a definite buy.
