Kyle, I probably have eight or so of the SWFA scopes. Never had any problem with any of them. I put a fixed 16 power on a Remington 700 .308 Winchester. I left that rifle zeroed for 500 meters. When I left the range at RC I would go knock all the rams down before I left with it. No rams up? Yep that was me.
Aha! Busted! As long as you're not the bloke that paints 'em flat dark earth. That was hilariously difficult when all I had were iron sights and my paint can ran out.
I purchased the SWFA SS 10x42 way back in 2006, when it was marketed as Super Sniper and came in a box that said it was manufactured by Tasco. Mounted it onto a Savage Model 10. Beat that thing up, took it to Alaska, many deer hunts. Finally let it go earlier this year, just needed more magnification as I've gotten older. I'd buy that 3-15 today, but I want an illuminated reticle.
I have a 6x42 mounted on a high-end Franken-rifle 10/22. Lightweight. Great glass. And as you mentioned, the turrets track without error. Many a squirrel has tasted defeat at the hands of my system. In short, the SWFA scope performs flawlessly.
Very good young man. I have 2 of them. 10x on American rugar 22 cal & 16x on 224 valkeri AR. For the money and for hunting, (which is what I do) hard to beat. To me it is very clear and good for my 70yr old eyes. Don't need to spend all kinds of crazy money for a good scope. (I'm a blue collar retiree and a 100% disabled combat Army veteran).
I have a 3-15 SFP with the mil quad reticle that has a center dot I got for $400 4 years ago. Thing has worked flawlessly the whole time. It’s seen many PRS matches and hunts on my 300 win mag. I’ve dropped it, kicked it, and rolled it over and it always holds zero. Glass definitely isn’t the greatest, but it’s good enough to work. Used it to shoot a mule deer at dusk last year at 660 yards
I'm grateful that you shared your experiences with it. Seems like the reputation is well-earned. I've been perfectly pleased with mine; as long folks understand the weaknesses, these SWFAs are a great choice.
I think the 3-15 has HD glass. Hence the price and performance. SWFA used to offer the fixed power with HD glass. I haven't seen that in a while though. I run a 6x42 on a marlin 795 for RFKD (Rim Fire Known Distance) shoots at Appleseed. The impressive travel really helps!
Fixed scopes are first focal plane. I have been watching your videos for years what are you talking about there bro? I am sorry your channel hasn't taken off better. Thanks for the video. best of luck to you in the future. BTW for all the small Calber comments. I have a fixed 20X in my rpr in 300prc and I am smoking sub moa targets out a 1000yrds. these are the best BANG for the buck by a long shot...pun intended.
Thanks for the message! I haven't produced any content in over a year, but I'm hopeful that someday my schedule will ease up. One thing you mentioned: fixed-focal-plane scopes being first-focal-plane is incorrect, and this is mentioned on SWFA's product specs. Second-focal-plane reticles are larger and easier and cheaper to make, so most manufacturers will choose those. Sounds like you have a killer rig! I'd like to build a PRC rifle sometime.
i built my son a rifle using a Remington 700 Varmint rifle in 308 and a SWFA SS10X scope and it is a fantastic rifle. I tried the 20X SWFA SS scope and I think the 20X magnification is pushing the quality of the glass past it's sweet spot. I am going to try either the 12X or the 6X on my next build!
The SWFA classic are the best value in scopes and it's not even close. It's the only scope I can think of where I guy can justify having 4 or 5 of them. I only have two but I can see at least one or two more. I personally think the 12x42 is the honey of the lineup-- not too much magnification for the glass quality, reasonable FOV, perfect MilQuad reticle.
Love swfa scopes Both of my 3-15 have over 40 mils of adjustment and above 13x they do get a little darker. I have shot targets at over 2000yds with a 3-15 swfa. But I do prefer a $3200 night force for ELR.
@@illestdomer2005 I completely forgot about this. I’ve moved on from Arken. Too many problems. Have an Athlon Helos now. Amazing scope. I wanted an SWFA but in the end, no illumination killed it for me
I am wondering when it comes to image quality, how do the SWFA 3-15x42 would stack up against a Leupold VX5HD 3-15x44. I know, one is FFP and and the latter is an SFP but putting those features aside, is the image quality the same or relatively close?
@@SocialRegressive I'm just debating what I should do. I got 1300 store points from SWFA because I returned the 5-20 HD scope for warranty. I am thinking whether to get the same scope or get two scopes. The 3-15 (non HD, they don't have HD on this model) and the 3-9 HD. Two of these scopes will be for the price of their top 5-25HD.
Interesting. I think they used to have a 3-15 HD model. If you'll be using it in the day, it should be fine. It gets dim at dusk really quickly, though.
Any tips on keeping the sunshade from unscrewing? It’s kind of strange. I witness marked mine and have it cinched all the way down and after 40 rounds it started to back off. I don’t think I want to use threadlocker that close to the glass otherwise I would just hit it with loctite purple.
@@brettr6895 😂 Yeah I’m pretty much ready to do that at this point. I have super heavy duty waterproof tape that I’m probably just going to wrap it on with.
@@SocialRegressive it was nice and durable. 12x was little too much zoom for anything but open fields. I used it in combat once on a 3 man recon into no man's land as a designated marksman. I spotted a bmp with it in the treeline just after sunset in lowlight that was very hard to make out with bare eyes. Night set in as we were moving though enemy postions in the forest. I felt I had made a mistake and switched to full auto and said a prayer since it was to dark to even see the reticle. Took it off and it was stolen after that mission. Love your channel btw and long time subscriber so it made me smile to see you review a scope I loved very much.
Both track perfectly. The reticles are night and day different with the SWFA favoring simplicity. According to thr comments i received, it sounds like the Arken has spotty weatherproofing. The SWFA has a reputation for handling anything. Neither has a stellar image quality, but the Arken SH4 has the worst resolution of any scope in my collection. My friends love the EP5, though.
Kyle, I probably have eight or so of the SWFA scopes. Never had any problem with any of them. I put a fixed 16 power on a Remington 700 .308 Winchester. I left that rifle zeroed for 500 meters. When I left the range at RC I would go knock all the rams down before I left with it. No rams up? Yep that was me.
Aha! Busted! As long as you're not the bloke that paints 'em flat dark earth. That was hilariously difficult when all I had were iron sights and my paint can ran out.
@@SocialRegressive LoL
Most underrated glass for the money…. Absolute tank of a scope with high quality tracking repeatability!
I have 3 swfa ss scopes. All on my spring air rifles. Never losing the zero again. The only scope that I truly trust for a spring air rifle.
I purchased the SWFA SS 10x42 way back in 2006, when it was marketed as Super Sniper and came in a box that said it was manufactured by Tasco. Mounted it onto a Savage Model 10. Beat that thing up, took it to Alaska, many deer hunts. Finally let it go earlier this year, just needed more magnification as I've gotten older. I'd buy that 3-15 today, but I want an illuminated reticle.
Thanks for sharing your experiences!
I have a 6x42 mounted on a high-end Franken-rifle 10/22. Lightweight. Great glass. And as you mentioned, the turrets track without error. Many a squirrel has tasted defeat at the hands of my system. In short, the SWFA scope performs flawlessly.
Very good young man. I have 2 of them. 10x on American rugar 22 cal & 16x on 224 valkeri AR. For the money and for hunting, (which is what I do) hard to beat. To me it is very clear and good for my 70yr old eyes. Don't need to spend all kinds of crazy money for a good scope. (I'm a blue collar retiree and a 100% disabled combat Army veteran).
Woohoo!! Always a good day when Kyle posts!
Thanks, bro! This was a fun LONG-term test. Did you ever try mine?
I have a 3-15 SFP with the mil quad reticle that has a center dot I got for $400 4 years ago. Thing has worked flawlessly the whole time. It’s seen many PRS matches and hunts on my 300 win mag. I’ve dropped it, kicked it, and rolled it over and it always holds zero. Glass definitely isn’t the greatest, but it’s good enough to work. Used it to shoot a mule deer at dusk last year at 660 yards
I'm grateful that you shared your experiences with it. Seems like the reputation is well-earned. I've been perfectly pleased with mine; as long folks understand the weaknesses, these SWFAs are a great choice.
love love love fixed magnification optics
thanks a ton for showcasing this brand, definitely gonna pick up some fixed powers from them!
If you like lower magnification, you should check out my review on the Simmons 4x. It's much better than it had any right to be.
I think the 3-15 has HD glass. Hence the price and performance. SWFA used to offer the fixed power with HD glass. I haven't seen that in a while though. I run a 6x42 on a marlin 795 for RFKD (Rim Fire Known Distance) shoots at Appleseed. The impressive travel really helps!
Fixed scopes are first focal plane. I have been watching your videos for years what are you talking about there bro? I am sorry your channel hasn't taken off better. Thanks for the video. best of luck to you in the future. BTW for all the small Calber comments. I have a fixed 20X in my rpr in 300prc and I am smoking sub moa targets out a 1000yrds. these are the best BANG for the buck by a long shot...pun intended.
Thanks for the message! I haven't produced any content in over a year, but I'm hopeful that someday my schedule will ease up. One thing you mentioned: fixed-focal-plane scopes being first-focal-plane is incorrect, and this is mentioned on SWFA's product specs. Second-focal-plane reticles are larger and easier and cheaper to make, so most manufacturers will choose those.
Sounds like you have a killer rig! I'd like to build a PRC rifle sometime.
Now we're talking! Could a resurgence of the fixed-power scope be not too far away?!
Would love to see a nice fixed four power.
You might like the Simmons 4x models. I've tested mine for years, and it's MUCH better than its price tag indicates.
i built my son a rifle using a Remington 700 Varmint rifle in 308 and a SWFA SS10X scope and it is a fantastic rifle. I tried the 20X SWFA SS scope and I think the 20X magnification is pushing the quality of the glass past it's sweet spot. I am going to try either the 12X or the 6X on my next build!
That makes sense. I'll bet it got dark quickly at dusk, too.
The SWFA classic are the best value in scopes and it's not even close. It's the only scope I can think of where I guy can justify having 4 or 5 of them. I only have two but I can see at least one or two more. I personally think the 12x42 is the honey of the lineup-- not too much magnification for the glass quality, reasonable FOV, perfect MilQuad reticle.
I have the 16x MOA quad on my .50cal and I love it.
What rifle are you running? Bolt? Or Semiauto?
Love these scopes. I have the 10x and 12x models.
They are AMAZING scopes! The 6x super sniper is quite bright….. brightest of the bunch I believe. Nice watch 🍻 Explorer if I’m not mistaken? 🍻🍻
This one's a Seiko 375 Titanium. I LOVE their titanium series.
@@SocialRegressive Interesting 💯🍻 I’ll check that out 👍🏻
Love swfa scopes Both of my 3-15 have over 40 mils of adjustment and above 13x they do get a little darker. I have shot targets at over 2000yds with a 3-15 swfa. But I do prefer a $3200 night force for ELR.
What cartridges are you taking out to 2k yards?
I put the 6x on my 350 legend ar. Fits nicely for a hunting rifle.
Oooh, great choice!
Got the 12x standard on sale $199. I like the moa version because of the open center dot. 1000 yds all day long, .308, .223! Nice vid, ty!
THe one change I would make to the Mil Quad is interrupting the center hairs and using a floating dot.
@@G5Hohn Yes! The 12x has that.
@@farmerwayne1404 mine doesn’t. My 10x is moa and has the tiny floating dot, however my 12x is MIL and all the mil-quads have no floating dot.
@G5Hohn Ive come to like the dot, myself.
Have a fixed 12 which works great for targets
I have the 10x. My first thought out of the box was if it sucked, I have a spare hammer.
Hey I’m actually looking at the 10x. What is wrong with it? I have an Arken EPL-4 that I’m thinking about selling for the swfa 6x or 10x
@@joshuatriggs2941he said IF it sucked. Basically, built like it could be a hammer. Also happens to be a nice scope.
@@illestdomer2005 I completely forgot about this. I’ve moved on from Arken. Too many problems. Have an Athlon Helos now. Amazing scope. I wanted an SWFA but in the end, no illumination killed it for me
Got 3+ of these. Nothing fancy, but they work and are tough as hell
Thanks for sharing your experience with them.
I've learned a lot from you. I appreciate it ❤
Well, thanks!
I do nothing but target shoot. I have these scopes on my 22lr, 17hmr,17Hornet, 204 Ruger, and 243. They are the best $300 scope out there. Jack
Reliable and unstoppable.
Thank you 😊
Good to hear from you, Robert!
I am wondering when it comes to image quality, how do the SWFA 3-15x42 would stack up against a Leupold VX5HD 3-15x44. I know, one is FFP and and the latter is an SFP but putting those features aside, is the image quality the same or relatively close?
Not even close. The Leupold is vastly superior.
@@SocialRegressive Thank you for your input.
Do you think if the 3-15 had their HD glass, would it be better? Basically, is their HD glass night and day difference compared to their non HD?
I haven't tried it personally, but I imagine it's a big step up.
@@SocialRegressive I'm just debating what I should do. I got 1300 store points from SWFA because I returned the 5-20 HD scope for warranty. I am thinking whether to get the same scope or get two scopes. The 3-15 (non HD, they don't have HD on this model) and the 3-9 HD. Two of these scopes will be for the price of their top 5-25HD.
Interesting. I think they used to have a 3-15 HD model. If you'll be using it in the day, it should be fine. It gets dim at dusk really quickly, though.
Any current deals?
Any tips on keeping the sunshade from unscrewing? It’s kind of strange. I witness marked mine and have it cinched all the way down and after 40 rounds it started to back off.
I don’t think I want to use threadlocker that close to the glass otherwise I would just hit it with loctite purple.
I have the opposite problem lol. I put mine on years ago and now its seized on. I would just tape it in place on the outside.
@@brettr6895 😂
Yeah I’m pretty much ready to do that at this point. I have super heavy duty waterproof tape that I’m probably just going to wrap it on with.
I am searching for at least 1 of the ss 10x42 fixed 10 power ,with the moa dot and adjustments..
Are the SWFA out of business?
1.8.2024
Visit swfa.com. I can see that model for $299.95.
Are you aware of the shim kit to get a sorta zero stop?
I forgot about those! I remember seeing them 'way back in the day. I think I need a couple.
I used an SWFA SS 12X scope on my very first mission in Ukraine. Mounted on an AK74 with Texas weapon systems top rail.
No way! How did it perform for you?
@@SocialRegressive it was nice and durable. 12x was little too much zoom for anything but open fields. I used it in combat once on a 3 man recon into no man's land as a designated marksman. I spotted a bmp with it in the treeline just after sunset in lowlight that was very hard to make out with bare eyes. Night set in as we were moving though enemy postions in the forest. I felt I had made a mistake and switched to full auto and said a prayer since it was to dark to even see the reticle. Took it off and it was stolen after that mission. Love your channel btw and long time subscriber so it made me smile to see you review a scope I loved very much.
Thanks for sharing your story! We all appreciate it. Glad you stayed safe, buddy.
Ah you need a black box SWFA
I've heard the image quality is wonderful. Yeah, I'd like to play with one.
How does it compare to Arken?
Both track perfectly. The reticles are night and day different with the SWFA favoring simplicity. According to thr comments i received, it sounds like the Arken has spotty weatherproofing. The SWFA has a reputation for handling anything. Neither has a stellar image quality, but the Arken SH4 has the worst resolution of any scope in my collection. My friends love the EP5, though.
SWFA 3-15 vs Falcon Endura 3.5-25x56mm?
Endura all the way unless weight is an issue. It's a cut above just about everything else in its price category.
You talked me into it. Ordering one now based on your review and comments. I appreciate your honest advice. @@SocialRegressive
Too bad it's a scumbag company. I don't care if their scopes were the best in the world, SWFA would never get another dime from me.
What happened?
Great video to the pointttttttttttttttttttttttt