40% off SWFA SS Super Sale — tough-as-nails scopes

[muleystalker]

5-20hd and 10xhd are 40% off. Good deals on those scopes. 30% is very good on the other scopes. Haven't been able to get a 3-9 in over 2 years.

Their 3-15 is a very nice scope, it's not the hd glass but it is way clearer than any of the vortex glass and a lot of other glass out there.

 

[muleystalker]

They need to revamp some things to stay relevant. Maybe make the 5-20 34mm with more wind holds on the reticle. If they'd make a 10x 34mm with tree reticle they might bring me back. Make the 3-15 into a 3-18 and all of them need 10 mil turrets and zero stop. If not, companies like Arken are slowly taking the market share at that price point.

Just a quick question what is the 34mm tube going to do for you on on the 5-20x 50? As far as the reticle on the 5-20x50 I have to say it's one of my most favorite reticle out there and I have quite a few Nightforce in different flavors and reticles along with ZCO, a Tangent,Kahles, and a couple others. The one thing they could do on it is put a floating dot like the 2fp 3-15 they used to make. The diamonds with the dot inside work great, it's uncluttered and quick and intuitive to use. The other place that could be improved is to put a zero stop on them. The glass is great and as good or better than NF NXS glass. It's a bullet proof scope that just keeps working and a lot of scope for the money. It would be nice if they didn't put that logo on the parallax knob, SWFA would suffice. The 34mm tube will add nothing to the scope except more range on the turrets and this scope is not lacking in that regard . It might hook more people to buy it that don't know how that works and think it helps with light and such but that's just not the case.

 

[Zen Archery]

They're down the street from me Covid killed retail side. I still get mailers from them weekly. I just sent an email. Stay tuned for reply.

 

[DWier]

Their 3-15 is a very nice scope, it's not the hd glass but it is way clearer than any of the vortex glass and a lot of other glass out there.

Better than vortex razor hd gen 2? Guess they're better than s&b as well. Really? I doubt that.

 

[muleystalker]

Better than vortex razor hd gen 2? Guess they're better than s&b as well. Really? I doubt that.

I guess I should have clarified that, I have looked through a RAZOR GEN2, and I didn't get a chance to run them side by side with the First Gen RAZOR but to me from memory it was better than the First Gen, but all the rest yes.

 

[gohring3006]

Just a quick question what is the 34mm tube going to do for you on on the 5-20x 50? As far as the reticle on the 5-20x50 I have to say it's one of my most favorite reticle out there and I have quite a few Nightforce in different flavors and reticles along with ZCO, a Tangent,Kahles, and a couple others. The one thing they could do on it is put a floating dot like the 2fp 3-15 they used to make. The diamonds with the dot inside work great, it's uncluttered and quick and intuitive to use. The other place that could be improved is to put a zero stop on them. The glass is great and as good or better than NF NXS glass. It's a bullet proof scope that just keeps working and a lot of scope for the money. It would be nice if they didn't put that logo on the parallax knob, SWFA would suffice. The 34mm tube will add nothing to the scope except more range on the turrets and this scope is not lacking in that regard . It might hook more people to buy it that don't know how that works and think it helps with light and such but that's just not the case.

I like 34mm scopes on my tac guns.
I just like the way they look, my money, I want it to look how I want.
I like more wind holds in my reticle.
Again, my money, I want 10 mil turrets.

Others may not like those features, but that's what I'm after in rifle scopes and I searched elsewhere and found them. I went from 5 SS's to zero. Sold them all when the parallax adjustment started showing up sloppy on their 2018ish year scopes. (Rear focus models)
As you can see, without updating SWFA scopes are dying a slow death. It's not just me, no one is buying them. You can get a variable Arken for 299$. Same warranty, same basic tracking guarantee and 50 cal rated.
Arken has better turrets, better glass, and illumination.
The funny thing is, I've had Arken scopes since they came out, never had a warranty return after several years. I had one with a issue out of he box. But nothing failed from use. I've returned several 10x SS thru the years for various reasons. So I'm not real sure about the durability anymore, the scopes coming out of the 2018 year were the worst. QC has slipped or materials have changed internally to try and keep the cost of the scope the same. I bring up Arken, because it and a few others are the scopes responsible for killing the SS. Arken is the major player though.
If they want to bring me back, they better make updated rugged tactical scopes. I know they can with the price point because other companies are doing it with same quality glass and even using stainless steel turret internals and not the old outdated brass stuff like swfa uses.

 

[Mrvmax]

Thank you for this reply. Right now I am having some bad misgivings about Arkin. I ordered a scope for my son in November, Arkin hit my credit card for the full amount of the scope. People do not answer the telephone there and "when" someone finally responded to my email they asked me to be patient. Well it is now February and I am still being "patient", however...still do not have the scope that I ordered and paid for nearly three-months ago. When I saw this post I immediately picked up on it as I am pretty much disappointed with Arken, figured I would ask for a refund and buy one of these scopes instead. We like Arken scopes, it is just that I am not happy with the performance of the customer service and how they have handled my transaction with them. So again that you for the heads up with this company.

FYI most credit card processors require that credit card payment cannot be processed if the product is not delivered in 30 days from the charge. I don't think they are supposed to charge you then wait months to ship. They can preauthorize then charge when it's shipping.

 

[Fishermen0105]

I like 34mm scopes on my tac guns.
I just like the way they look, my money, I want it to look how I want.
I like more wind holds in my reticle.
Again, my money, I want 10 mil turrets.

Others may not like those features, but that's what I'm after in rifle scopes and I searched elsewhere and found them. I went from 5 SS's to zero. Sold them all when the parallax adjustment started showing up sloppy on their 2018ish year scopes. (Rear focus models)
As you can see, without updating SWFA scopes are dying a slow death. It's not just me, no one is buying them. You can get a variable Arken for 299$. Same warranty, same basic tracking guarantee and 50 cal rated.
Arken has better turrets, better glass, and illumination.
The funny thing is, I've had Arken scopes since they came out, never had a warranty return after several years. I had one with a issue out of he box. But nothing failed from use. I've returned several 10x SS thru the years for various reasons. So I'm not real sure about the durability anymore, the scopes coming out of the 2018 year were the worst. QC has slipped or materials have changed internally to try and keep the cost of the scope the same. I bring up Arken, because it and a few others are the scopes responsible for killing the SS. Arken is the major player though.
If they want to bring me back, they better make updated rugged tactical scopes. I know they can with the price point because other companies are doing it with same quality glass and even using stainless steel turret internals and not the old outdated brass stuff like swfa uses.

Swfa can't keep up with the demand for their 3-9 and 6x so that's not true. Seem to be plenty of people still wanting a rugged no frills scope for dialing. The 5-20 has been out of stock til recently. 3-9s were selling used for as much as $700 until they came back in stock. SWFA even honored the current sales price for old back orders.

 

[gohring3006]

Swfa can't keep up with the demand for their 3-9 and 6x so that's not true. Seem to be plenty of people still wanting a rugged no frills scope for dialing. The 5-20 has been out of stock til recently. 3-9s were selling used for as much as $700 until they came back in stock. SWFA even honored the current sales price for old back orders.

Not keeping up with demand doesn't necessarily mean it's popular. It's also can mean that demand is so low, that they won't make a run of them until they get sufficient orders. The Bushnell elite LRTS comes to mind, they would pop up every so often because the demand justified a small run, small run not full on production. Everyone seemed liked they were going crazy because GA got some in and the flood gates opened. In reality it was like 10 people that were excited about it. Lol The internet can make you believe something is extremely popular just because you see 10 people reply to a thread exited about something.
And the 3-9 is a variable scope so it could be more sought after, it fills a couple roles better than the fixed power stuff. SWFA is going to tell you it's because it's so popular and it's the best scope out there. In reality supply chain issues and other brands stepping up with more modern designs is probably the culprit.

 

[Fishermen0105]

That's the beauty of most Swfa scopes. Proven rugged, simple design that appeals to a niche group of hunters and target shooters. Most people are content with leupold and vortex where you send your scope in for repair several times a year.

I've thought about trying a trying Arkin but as I understand it they are built in China but do use Japan glass?

 

[muleystalker]

I like 34mm scopes on my tac guns.
I just like the way they look, my money, I want it to look how I want.
I like more wind holds in my reticle.
Again, my money, I want 10 mil turrets.

Others may not like those features, but that's what I'm after in rifle scopes and I searched elsewhere and found them. I went from 5 SS's to zero. Sold them all when the parallax adjustment started showing up sloppy on their 2018ish year scopes. (Rear focus models)
As you can see, without updating SWFA scopes are dying a slow death. It's not just me, no one is buying them. You can get a variable Arken for 299$. Same warranty, same basic tracking guarantee and 50 cal rated.
Arken has better turrets, better glass, and illumination.
The funny thing is, I've had Arken scopes since they came out, never had a warranty return after several years. I had one with a issue out of he box. But nothing failed from use. I've returned several 10x SS thru the years for various reasons. So I'm not real sure about the durability anymore, the scopes coming out of the 2018 year were the worst. QC has slipped or materials have changed internally to try and keep the cost of the scope the same. I bring up Arken, because it and a few others are the scopes responsible for killing the SS. Arken is the major player though.
If they want to bring me back, they better make updated rugged tactical scopes. I know they can with the price point because other companies are doing it with same quality glass and even using stainless steel turret internals and not the old outdated brass stuff like swfa uses.

As far as wanting 34mm on your "tac guns" because you like the way they look and its your money thats fine as you say its your money. What I was stating is most people don't even know what a 34mm tube does for a scope. As far as 10 mil turrets the 5-20x50 HD has 10 mill turrets and when I stated the 34mm tube adds range to the turrets I was talking total range from top to bottom (the max mils available), not what's on 1 revolution. All these scopes will get you beyond a mile with most cartridges they will be used on. So my statement was just a clarification for people in general so they wouldn't be misinformed.

As far as your reasoning for a 34mm tube, for LOOKS, thats fine as you said its your money. Obviously you and I are in different camps on our criteria, for me looks don't matter, Quality and performance matter first and foremost, Looks don't win matches or get other jobs done..

 

[gohring3006]

As far as your reasoning for a 34mm tube, for LOOKS, thats fine as you said its your money. Obviously you and I are in different camps on our criteria, for me looks don't matter, Quality and performance matter first and foremost, Looks don't win matches or get other jobs done..

Exactly, SWFA SS was a contract scope for the navy put into trials in the mid 80s I believe. It's 35 year old technology. You don't see SS winning matches either. I don't want to get people all worked up, I know there's a super sniper fan base. They're just not needed like they used to be. Back in the day you either had a SS or a 2000$ scope that you could rely on. We don't need to settle for fixed power no illumination anymore.

 

[Boss Hoss]

Did business with them 30 years ago even been to the house they operated from before the retail building off the highway-----the last "years" they are not price competitive and have finally thrown in the towel so to speak. It was inevitable.

 

[willfrye027]

They have a pretty loyal following. There's only a few scopes that exist out there in FFP, MIL, tracks correctly, with a reticle that's usuable at low power, and holds zero through some abuse. For guys who care about the above in a hunting scope they're hard to beat, especially for the price. Some updated features would be nice but reliable trumps everything else