Kahles Scope

[beanieboy]

I posted recently about a Kahles Helia 8x50 scope I purchased on Ebay. An email to Kahles quoting the serial number confirmed that the scope was manufactured in May 1999. I am amazed at just how good an almost twenty year old scope is. Condition wise, the scope is practically as new, having had little use, but it is the clarity of the optic that amazes me. I have always been quite satisfied with scopes from Nikko, Hawke etc....considering them good value for money, but the Kahles scope is in a totally different league. The greatest difference of all is the view when daylight fades. I have never looked through a better optic at dusk....the light gathering is oceans apart from what I am used to. Problem is, these high quality optics make a fella want one for every rifle!

 

[steve_b_wales]

Kahles (pronounced Kah Les) I've been informed, are one of the worlds oldest scope manufacturers. They offer a 30yr guarantee on their products. Mine was serviced free of charge by Kahles Austria after I had owned it for 14yrs.

[beanieboy]

Alas, I am not the original owner Steve, however, the scope has seen little or no use, so servicing shouldn't be needed for some time.

 

[Wb123]

I bought an old S&B and had the same experience. For me I think the future is used high end fixed magnification scopes. I can't see myself buying a lower end scope again or forking out mega bucks for a high end variable. 

[beanieboy]

My views exactly Wb123....makes one wonder how much really good optics have actually improved over the years given the stunning performance of my twenty year old scope. Also begs the question regarding the progress, or lack of it, when it comes to the optics on scopes in the lower price ranges.

[Savhmr]

I have a 40 year old Bisley Sterling De-lux 4 x 44 and it betters any 4 to 6x scope, optically, that I have ever looked through.  I really don't think that fixed mag scopes have come on that much tbh, and yes, there was a backwards step not that many years ago when the EU banned the use of lead in optics.  I remember some of the first "lead free" optics that came out shortly afterwards (in the camera scene) and they weren't a patch on the older ones.

Things have moved on these days, despite the rose tinted glasses, in lens coatings and polishing...that's indisputable really, but to get the best, you pay a lot.  I can't think of many budget (or what we laughably call "budget" these days, meaning I guess sub £700-ish scopes)scopes that have raised the bar at all.  At the higher end, materials technology and improvements in manufacturing techniques have allowed for I think better mechanicals, and there's no denying the pedegree and excellence of scopes such as the Nightforce ATACR, S&B PMII and others (Kahles included) when it comes to the tactical scope scene.

There are new scopes though that do offer great vfm and great optics, from the likes of Steiner, Bushnell (Elite Tactical), Vortex Gen2 PST, and Delta.  They all sit neatly in the mid priced category and if you've never looked through one, it might be an interesting comparison, espeically in difficult lightling conditions, to compare them to older scopes.

Personally, the best scope I've ever owned at least as an all rounder, is the PMII. 

[beanieboy]

Yes, it would seem the variable type scope has seen more in terms of product development, than the fixed. This is my first fixed mag scope and I must say, I'm enjoying the simplicity of it.