Minox ZE 5i Riflescope
Minox is adding a premium, “made-in-Germany” line of ZE 5i riflescopes to its inventory. The ZE 5i riflescope is designed and engineered for serious hunting and shooting.These riflescopes feature a 30mm main tube, an illuminated reticle in the second focal plane and a 5X zoom range. Some also have side-focus adjustments. The lighted reticle delivers center-dot illumination with 11 brightness settings and an “off” position between each brightness level. The scope’s power pack uses two traditional batteries in its battery compartment, but it only feeds off one battery at a time. If or when the first battery dies, simply remove the batteries, flip them over and use the second one.The ZE 5i line is available in 2-10x50mm, 3-15x56mm and 5-25x56mm, and all use high-grade, low-dispersion glass. These premium riflescopes are priced from $1,300 to $2,000, and they’re covered by Minox’s lifetime warranty (minox.com/usa).
Zeiss Conquest HD5
The new Conquest HD5 riflescope lineup from Carl Zeiss Sports Optics replaces the long-respected Conquest riflescope of previous years. This serious upgrade still uses a 1-inch tube, but now features a 5X Super Zoom, whereas the previous Conquest had a 3X zoom. The Conquest HD5 is a compact, lightweight, versatile scope that’s ideal at tight quarters or for long-range work. Its new design also features an extremely thin ocular, so even the 5-25x50mm Conquest doesn’t interfere with the bolt throw on bolt-action rifles. It’s available in three models: 2-10x42mm, 3-15x42mm and 5-25x50mm. The Conquest HD5 lineup also features redesigned adjustment knobs, which now have a rubberized tactical feel and improved looks. The turrets are also lockable, which wasn’t a feature on previous Conquests. Further, they now rotate counter-clockwise, a feature requested for many years by previous Conquest owners. The turrets also go back to a zero stop for elevation. On windage, Zeiss split it from left and right adjustments and put an end-stop after going 180 degrees right and 180 degrees left. Inside, the Conquest now features T-Star coatings, which used to be exclusive to the Victory line. It also has LotuTec protective coatings, which were never before available. These scopes are available with redesigned Rapid-Z reticles or standard Z-Plex reticles. MSRP: $889 to $1,194 (zeiss.com).
Kahles K1050
Kahles’ new K1050 is a high end, high-magnification bench-rest and field-target riflescope—10X to 50X—that’s user-friendly at even the highest magnifications. It has a 56mm objective, 3.75 inches of eye relief and a 30mm tube; it’s 16.73 inches long and weighs 32 ounces. Its crosshair-dot and double-dot reticle is in the scope’s second focal plane. All of the K1050’s mechanical components are located in its center. Its turrets have windage and elevation adjustments of .125 MOA, and Kahles’ patent-protected parallax-adjusting wheel is located on top, along with the elevation turret. Peter Aichberger, Kahles’ sales and marketing chief, said the advantage of placing the parallax wheel on top is that it allows shooters to easily make fine-tuned adjustments while barely moving their hand. “Your hand remains in the same position, which makes these adjustment easier than ever,” he said. “Kahles has held that patent many years and has finally finished that project for this scope.” These Austrian-made scopes are 100 percent hand-crafted (kahleusa.com).
