Opinions on the Falcon Menace 4-14-44

[youngtrout]

Okay, jury is still out on my scope for my 280 AI project. After a bit of reading I came across the falcon line. The other scope BTW is the 4-16 nikon monarch, I realize these are 2 different scope in terms of the FFP and the RFP, and I'm trying to educate myself on the two to make a informed decision.

I was just seeking some feedback on the scope, really both scopes to try to figure out which one to focus on, looking for a scope to 600, maybe more as I hone my skills, deer sized game, but mainly paper punching.

 

[semo97]

I checked them out and backed off. I emailed the four dealers and could not get a true answer about what the gears were made of. SC told me to email the manufacture, one thought they were brass& alum. another never heard back from the manufacture. There warranty is not what I like. One yr. or you can buy 5 yr. for $25. I check out Pride & Fowler and talked to one of the owners and he could not remember what there light transmission was or what there gears were made of. I sure like there reticle but at 595 I will buy a 3.5-10x44 rapid Z Zeiss for 600. I asked if there glass was as good as Zeiss he was honest and said no. I have looked at that same nikon but then looked thru a Kahles the same day and the Kahles is twice the glass but 270 more. I don't know your budget but mine getts raised every time I look for a scope.I will not buy if the store will not let me take outside and look thru them. I will get one in the next week or so. It comes down to a Euro Diamond burris, bushnell 6500,Zeiss rapid z 1000 .There is a considerable improvement in the glass going up about $150 it seems to me
Paul

 

[learjet]

link to the snipershide $340 shipped group buy on the falcon:

G.B. on Falcon Optics 4-14 FFP **OPEN!!** - Sniper's Hide Forums

i ordered one, fig'd for that price they could be the next super sniper, ie great bang for the buck. i want a FFP / mildot / tgt turret, and for under a grand this is the only thing i have been able to find. 2 reticles to choose from btw.

lear

 

[Jon A]

I've got one on order, I'll let you all know what I think when it gets here (sometime in May I believe). When the next cheapest FFP scope with a Mil reticle (or any tactical style reticle) costs nearly three times as much, it could be one hell of a bargain.

For those who might do some low power/closer range hunting with it as well I suggest the SLR reticle (basically a copy of the Gen II) for visibility as the others have hollowed out posts. It and the MP-8 copy are very nice reticles for a scope in this price range.

 

[youngtrout]

Thanks guys, although now I have a decision to make, I do agree thouh for the price it seems like a good deal, I need to do some reseach of the FFP to see if thats what fits me best,

 

[E.Precision]

I have read reviews from people at Sniper Central, plus the website's review. Have heard good things about them. A couple of places I know besides SC have them for a little less than 400. I was wanting to get one, but they sold out so fast a couple of places I looked at. Im waiting though

Erik

 

[sniperVLS]

I'd be interested in any member reviews as well.

 

[Catfish]

Years ago I had a scope from about every manufacture out there. As time went on I started getting rid of a bunch of them that I didn`t like or gave me problems. Today I have around 30 Leupold scopes. I have them on everything for .22 rimfire to 500 S&W on handguns and from .22 rimfire to a .411 Hawk in rifles. I also have them on muzzle loaders and shotguns.

 

[Jon A]

Well, it finally got here. I haven't shot it yet but can offer some initial impressions:

It's big. It pretty much dwarfs the 3-18 IOR (though it's noticeably lighter):

Mounted:

Though unless I break another IOR this is where it will live:

The turrets are a bit mushy if you're used to high end stuff, but they seem quite usable:

I opted for the SLR reticle, which is basically a copy of the famous Premier Gen II:

As a big fan of the MP-8, I think I would have liked their copy of that (MP-20) better in the middle with the long-short lines instead of dots, but they decided to skeletonize the posts on that reticle for this model for some reason. Being a FFP, you need something you can see at low power. I was afraid if I ever found myself walking through the woods with it on 4X that reticle would be nearly invisible. I think I can like the SLR just fine too.

 

[Jon A]

A 4X shot:

14X:

In the end, it's a Mil reticle with 1/2 Mil marks. Personal likes/preferences aside, if you know one of them you know them all. They all work the same way so if you're familiar you can use any with about zero learning curve, be it a MLR, TMR, GenII, GAP, P4, MP-8, P4F, MP-20, etc. And many prefer the dot style of the Gen II anyway. It should be really familiar to many of the Military guys.

I spend much time yesterday (nice gloomy day that shows differences in glass better than a nice sunny day) comparing it to a Burris FFII 3-9, which I've felt has better glass than low end Leupolds and great for its price range, and with the IOR 3-18. It did quite well, both in daylight and dusk to dark. It was a good step optically above the FFII, but naturally the IOR was about 1.5 steps above it, depending upon power.

I'll know more after shooting it (seeing bullet holes vs. range, etc) and over the next month or so I'll compare it to many others. Side by side with a Leupold VXIII 4.5-14 will be a good test and probably more useful than against the IOR--that's just not fair. But initially I'm satisfied with the glass--especially given its price other features which simply aren't available on any other scope short of an IOR.

I'll have to live with the turrets, etc, for a while to see how I like them over the long haul. But as of now, everything seems quite usable and functional. I won't be too picky on a $320 scope.

 

[Forrest Ebert]

Falcon Menace 4-14x44

Jon,

While I'm no expert by far I read another clubs forum on this scope and the mushy turning knobs was one of the things they were looking out for on the recall of those scopes I'm not trying to jinx you in anyway but just for a heads up.

Forrest

gun)

 

[Jon A]

Thanks. I don't think there's anything wrong with them, they work just fine. I'm just spoiled by other scopes, especially older IORs, the clicks are like breaking glass. It won't affect their repeatability or anything.

As far as I know, the only reason for the canceled orders was some scopes getting lower grade glass, they just weren't up to snuff optically.

 

[Jon A]

Did some shooting with it, it worked well.

That's actually a best ever for that rifle (the skinny barrel, lightweight factory 7-08 A-Bolt). Turrets were repeatable and solid. Their "softness" in no way affects their function. The sidefocus worked very well; set it and forget it and the target stays sharp and without parallax until you change ranges. The view through the glass was decent.... Pretty much a solid thumbs up.

I did confirm my only real complaint so far: The click value of the turrets is off ever so slightly. About 3%. It takes only 97 clicks to go 10 Mils.

It's a small enough error 99.9% of users would never notice; as much as I and others tell people they should always measure to be sure I know very few ever actually do. This is why you do.

So that's the only actual disappointment I've noticed so far. It's no problem if only used on one rifle, a couple strokes in the ballistic program will correct for it and it's close enough to the reticle that it can be ignored for anything I use the reticle for (wind holds, hold over/under modest amounts, etc).

 

[jwp475]

Excellent review as always..