walther 3-9 x 40 ir rifle scope review

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Average Ratings

Value for Money	10/10
Overall rating	10/10

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By Erebus1197 on 17th Oct 2006

Erebus1197's Ratings

Value for money	10/10
Overall value	10/10
Erebus1197's recommendation

Good Points

Compact
Solid
Very lightweight
Easy to zero in
German Construction so it will last forever!

Bad Points

The scope could jump out of zero if knocked
The mounts that came with it were 'one size fits some'. No choice in mount height was offered (that was over a year ago so this might have changed)

General Comments

I bought this Walther 3-9 X 40 IR Rifle Scope from Uttings.com (see another of my reviews) as they recommended it (along with about 5 others) and it was in a sale, so I thought "go on then".

I received it after a couple of days and installed it on to my BSA Ultra (see another of my reviews) and zero'ed it in round a friends house or back garden to be more precise.

This scope is fantastic. I had a few teething problems with it to start with (it jumped out of zero after the first couple of shots out in the field, but this was my fault by not tapping the turrets very gently to make sure they are bedded down properly after zeroing, then rechecking) but since I sorted them out, no problems at all.

I have used the scope in many different conditions from piddling down rain, cutting wind (not the best for an air rifle, it has to be said), ice cold and blazing sun, and it has never failed me. Okay, in the wind it did lose it's accuracy, but it was blowing a gale for Gawd's sake! The scope did not mist up (nitrogen filled to stop that very problem which can happen with cheaper scopes), distort the image in the heat (another problem with cheaper scopes) or let in any water (major problem with cheap, badly made scopes). The outside of the reticule and objective lenses didn't even get condensation when I first took the rifle outside, which cam happen when leaving a warm house and going into the cold. Just leave it alone for 20 minutes so the gas inside the scope can acclimatise to the ambient temperature.

Moving onto the technical side, the scope was so easy to zero in, and (unlike some more expensive scopes) it comes with turret covers, so there is no chance of losing zero by having the turrets get caught on a passing trouser leg, you may laugh but it can happen. The distance finder of the objective lens also helps you when you are after quarry that is not the set distance away from the zero. This helps no end as most rabbits are not too helpful if you ask them to move 10 yards closer! Try it and you'll see!

The Illuminated Reticule (IR) is also very helpful when hunting at dusk. There are 7 levels of illumination (all red, 1 being the lowest to 7 the highest), but you will never need more than 4 or 5. 4 gives the best level (for my eyes anyway) at dusk to full night. Any more and your eyes will lose definition due to the IR itself, so that's not good! Any less and the ambient light could make it not worthwhile (in the lighter environments). The only thing that could make this even better would be an auto-turn-off for the IR, purely as I keep forgetting to turn the thing off, but that is just me being incompetent!

And, finally, the bikini strap that goes over each end of the scope is very helpful. A clear cover for the objective lens and a slightly yellow cover for the reticule lens. These covers are optically correct, so you can keep them on the rifle to help protect the lenses themselves, and to keep the lenses dry, if you so wish.

The scope also came with a great little kit to make sure you can correctly fit it to your rifle. It always helps to have the correct sized allan key so you do not round the bolts. Try and remove them once they have been rounded down!

The only down side that I can think of is the mount selection that came with the rifle. I needed high mounts (big head and all that) but this was not an option when I bought the scope (almost a year ago, so that might have changed, speak to your gun shop for up to date information). So I had to go out and buy some high mounts. Not a major issue, but it would have been nice to have had the option.

All in all, this scope is one of the best I have had for the money. I have had much more expensive scopes that did no more than this one. If you are on a tight budget and not into the 'name game', then this is the scope for you. You can go for either the 40mm objective lens (like this one), or the massive 52mm objective lens, great for sucking all ambient light possible!

The ease of use coupled with the fantastic German construction makes this an awesome scope that will improve your accuracy at most levels.

Relatively cheap (£60-ish) and solid, you will appreciate this addition to your rifle from the outset.

Total Respect: +1