5th Gen. 3-9x50mm Red/Green illuminated reticle scope - ArniesAirsoft

Author

Bldr.dh

Registered: May 2006
Posts: 157

Review Date: 1/2/08

Would you recommend the product? Yes | Price you paid?: �25.00 | Rating: 9

Positive aspects of the product (pros):	Cheap, functions beautifully, excellent quality, clear/crisp image
Cons:	Large for some people's tastes, possibly heavy.

<a href="http://modernairsoftwarrior.wordpress.com/files/2007/11/scopea.jpg" title="scopea.jpg"><img src="http://modernairsoftwarrior.wordpress.com/files/2007/11/scopea.thumbnail.jpg" alt="scopea.jpg" align="left" hspace="5" /></a>I've noticed that there aren't too many in-depth reviews of various rifle optics, so I figure I'll do what I can to change that. Since airsoft guns don't get the nearly the range compared to a real steel, or even an air rifle, the need for a high-powered scope isn't entirely necessary. I know that my mentality while I was shopping for a scope was something like this: "I don't need a high-end piece of glass. I just need something that will put BBs downrange with reasonable accuracy and something that looks good too." That said, I came upon the Leapers 5th Gen 3-9x50mm scope with an illuminated reticle. This scope retails anywhere between $50 and $80. Okay, on with the review. Here's the basic table of contents:
<ul>
<li>Initial Impressions</li>
<li>Appearance/Feel/Build Quality</li>
<li>Performance</li>
<li>Pros/Cons</li>
<li>The Bottom Line</li>
</ul>
Initial Impressions

Okay, here's what comes in the box:
<ul>
<li>Scope</li>
<li>Sunshade</li>
<li>Flip-up lens covers</li>
<li>Two (yes, two) batteries for the illumination function</li>
<li>Lens cleaning cloth</li>
<li>Allen wrenches for windage/elevation adjustment.</li>
<li>User manual</li>
</ul>
The first thing you will say when you open up the box is, "Holy crap, this thing is mahoosive!" The scope itself is 13.5" long and with the included sunshade and lens covers it is nearly 17.5" long!

Appearance/Feel/Build Quality

Don't let the low price tag fool you. I was pleasantly surprised with its quality. Something that I was not aware of until recently, this scope is advertised as a law enforcement grade optic which describes exactly what it looks like. This is absolutely not a toy. It is a precision machined piece of glass. The finish is of excellent quality and is very durable. Obviously the most important part of a scope is the optical element. Leapers absolutely did not skimp in this department. Looking through the scope gives you an incredibly clear view of the battlefield without any distortion. The emerald green coating on the objective lens certainly looks cool, and is claimed to help in low-light conditions. I cannot say it makes night turn to day, however the looking through the scope at dusk is no different than looking around with your own eyeballs. Which is to say, the scope does not darken the image in the least. Good stuff.

<a href="http://modernairsoftwarrior.wordpress.com/files/2007/11/greenreticle.jpg" title="greenreticle.jpg"><img src="http://modernairsoftwarrior.wordpress.com/files/2007/11/greenreticle.thumbnail.jpg" alt="greenreticle.jpg" align="right" /></a><a href="http://modernairsoftwarrior.wordpress.com/files/2007/11/redreticle.jpg" title="redreticle.jpg"><img src="http://modernairsoftwarrior.wordpress.com/files/2007/11/redreticle.thumbnail.jpg" alt="redreticle.jpg" align="right" hspace="5" /></a>The next most important bit is the actual aiming device -- the crosshairs. This scope has a standard mildot reticle which comes in handy for range estimation if you choose to use it. The illumination works the way it is supposed to and is probably the coolest feature of this scope. There are five brightness levels for both the red and green light which gives an adequate range of adjustment for the various light levels you may encounter while playing. I prefer the green illumination for day and red for night.

Performance

I think the best part about this scope is the huge number of adjustments. This, along with the way each adjustment is executed makes this scope well worth the purchase. Here are the different adjustments:
<ul>
<li>Objective focus</li>
<li>Illumination intensity</li>
<li>Windage</li>
<li>Elevation</li>
<li>Dioptric focus (located at the eyepiece to get the crosshairs in focus)</li>
</ul>
The objective focus is definitely what drew me to this scope -- I love having the ability to focus on what I choose, unlike some scopes, which have a preset focus on average real-steel engagement distances.

<a href="http://modernairsoftwarrior.wordpress.com/files/2007/11/scopeknobs.jpg" title="scopeknobs.jpg"><img src="http://modernairsoftwarrior.wordpress.com/files/2007/11/scopeknobs.thumbnail.jpg" alt="scopeknobs.jpg" align="left" hspace="5" /></a>Another place where this scope shines is the way you adjust windage and elevation. Leapers hit the nail on the head with the adjustment knobs. Instead of making you fiddle with protector caps and screwdrivers to make adjustments, everything is contained in the two knobs. Using the included allen wrench, you can loosen the bolt on each adjustment knob partially. This will allow you to turn the knob and make adjustments to the point of impact. Loosen the bolt more, and you can turn the knob without throwing off your zero. This allows you to return the knob to zero which in turn makes later adjustments easier. To lock the knobs down simply tighten the bolt and you won't have any trouble with your adjustments getting changed. Leapers calls the features Zero Resetting and Zero Locking respectively. I should also add that there is a very large range of adjustment for both windage and elevation. Everything about this scope works the way it is supposed to and it does it well.

Pros
<ul>
<li>Law enforcement grade quality</li>
<li>Clear optics</li>
<li>Fantastic adjustments</li>
<li>Great features</li>
<li>Looks totally sweet</li>
<li>Relatively cheap</li>
</ul>
Cons
<ul>
<li>For some people the scope may be too big. The objective lens is 50mm (almost 2") which increases the chances of a BB striking it. I'm happy to take my chances with it, but some people may prefer to use a smaller scope.</li>
<li>Some people may find it too heavy for their weapon.</li>
</ul>
The Bottom Line

<a href="http://modernairsoftwarrior.wordpress.com/files/2007/11/scope.jpg" title="scope.jpg"><img src="http://modernairsoftwarrior.wordpress.com/files/2007/11/scope.thumbnail.jpg" alt="scope.jpg" align="right" hspace="5" /></a>This scope rocks. Plain and simple. It's cheap, its quality is wonderful, the adjustments work well, and it looks great. It is incredibly large, which may be a problem for some people, but I prefer the look. It's also pretty hefty -- to me that says it's durable, however it might be a task for someone to carry around all day. It has been designed for a real-steel firearm which tells me that under no circumstances will this scope fail you whilst airsofting. I'm definitely happy with it and for the price, I don't think I would even begin to consider anything else.