SWFA Super Sniper 5-20X50HD

[Scot E]

I agree far too much money for a Super Sniper when you can be buying ,Zeiss,nightforce,swarovski,Kahles,Leica for that money.These guys have been building scopes a long time and are proven.

Sure not trying to talk anyone in to anything but there are differences that should be pointed out compared to many of the brands you listed.

SS scopes are FFP. That is always a more expensive option and if done well a considerable upgrade in price. Only NF really compares here IMO and at twice the price of the SS

SS scopes offer true MIL-Hash ranging reticles. Again only NF here.

Finally, SS offers superb durability and turret tracking performance. This is really what their whole line is based on. If you are one that buys into brand recognition automatically means quality and superiority then you likely won't be aware but I would take SS over Swarovski and Leica for sure in this category and wouldn't hesitate to put it up against an NF.

For the unaware this line and specifically this new scope deserves a hard look. For the price offered with the current promotion anyone should strongly considering a new scope purchase owes it to themselves to take a look at these.

And no, I am in no way affiliated with SWFA, SS or anything else related.

 

[cummins cowboy]

add a zero stop, keep the price at a grand and if it tracks as well as a nightforce, it would be a scope without pier in the market place. I would buy one.

everyone goes ga ga over vortex for some reason and all vortex products are is optics made to vortex spec by SOMEONE else and then vortex name is slapped on, no different than the super sniper.

 

[lsm62]

the selling point for me is this

i want an FFP scope withe an IOR MP-8 dot style reticle that has a low power of 8 or less and a high power of 20 or more. i want a 30mm tube or greater and an objective lens 42mm or greater. i want 100MOA or 29mil of overall elivation adjustment and dont really care if it is illuminated or not.

for these specifications i need to buy Vortex Razor 5-20HD ,US Optics SN-3 3.8-22 ,US Optics SN-3 5-25 , Premier Heritage 5-25, Leupold Mark 4 FFP in a 6.5-20, S&B 5-25x56, March 3-24x42, S&B 3-20x50

there are only 2 of these less than 2000$. nun of them are less than 1500$

with this group buy going on i am in, all that for 1000. good deal. at full price it might be another story though.

 

[Jon A]

everyone goes ga ga over vortex for some reason and all vortex products are is optics made to vortex spec by SOMEONE else and then vortex name is slapped on, no different than the super sniper.

What makes you think it's any different for most Nightforce scopes?

 

[cummins cowboy]

I believe nightforce is assembled in idaho, which is in the united states last I remember. with nightforce you are dealing with the actual manufacturer. this allows the company to have tighter quailty control over another company that mearly labels products as their own made by someone else.

whats to say that over time the supplier starts putting in cheaper parts here and there. this happens all the time with chinese products and pretty soon you are left with garbage hence why electronics pretty much suck these days and are disposable, a far cry from the 80's when stuff was alot more durable.

I am not saying the SS scope is a bad product, I personally with like to see a 3-15 model and a zero stop, make it under 1k and I would buy one.

 

[Pdvdh]

Very nice write up and photos Jon. It looks like the Snipers Hide Group Buy has reached the point where this scope could be purchased for ~$1000, IF I understand their 'Group Buy' correctly.

Seems like a bargain at that price, for those content with a +30 ounce scope. That's on the heavy side for backpacking where and how I typically hunt. But I'm still tempted, nonetheless.

 

[Jon A]

I believe nightforce is assembled in idaho, which is in the united states last I remember.

The F1 FFP and the compacts are assembled in Idaho. The others (the 3-15 and 5.5-22 SFP's which are by far the most popular here) roll off an assembly line of a factory in Japan, just like the SS.

 

[jonoMT]

While I would have preferred a 3-12 or 4-16 version (maybe someday), I'm hard-pressed to see what there is to criticize about this scope. People with far more experience with optics, long range shooting and that are hard on equipment day in and day out have stated publicly that it would be a good buy at $2K:

"I consider NF to be the dollar for dollar best scope on the market, but the SWFA SS-HD in 5-20X takes it for a FFP. It's that good...

You get more choices with NF, it satisfies a lot of different people and requirements, definitely bulletproof, but for a Mil / Mil FFP scopes in 5-20X the SWFA SSHD has the best bang for the buck top billing, at $1500. This scope easily could have sold for $2k and still would have been worth it." - Lowlight, Snipers Hide

I wouldn't mind if the SS had zero-stop, but the only scope I've found that absolutely required it was my NF 2.5-10X32. The Compact NXS turrets have no turn indicators. The SS 3-9X42, a scope which I reviewed a couple of years ago, had almost as good glass side-by-side as my NF. The fit and finish were not as good (although the scope tracked just as well). But what do you expect for a scope that sells for $600 vs. $1400 or more?

Those who have been keeping tabs on this scope's development can tell you that SWFA has put a lot of thought, time and testing into the entire SS line. They are made in Japan, as are many of the NF scopes and SWFA will stand behind them as they always have. For that matter, I would consider a Vortex based on their products and reputation...not on whether or not they built it themselves. That is just the reality of the business now.

The SS 5-20 is the first scope I've felt like shelling out for in over two years. I'm looking forward to comparing it to my Premier and NF scopes.

 

[Jon A]

I like the scope more every time I use it. Shooting it yesterday next to my 3-24 March I couldn't get over how friendly and enjoyable the SS was to use compared with a scope costing nearly three times as much (for a little while anyway). The March will win a pure resolution contest, but by such a small amount you really need to look hard to see it. The SS being brighter with much friendlier eye relief and easier focus made it actually more fun to use under those conditions.

Don't get me wrong, there are things the March will do better but for the SS to be so impressive when used side by side would shock the heck out of a lot of people.

 

[Jon A]

Oh, I should mention all the pics in the first post are back up. Sorry about my site crashing. Here are a couple more so people can see what it looks like on a hunting rifle:

 

[Jon A]

Just a reminder if anybody else is sitting on the fence--today is the last day for the $500 off.




For those who would like more comments on the glass, etc, here's a note from somebody else:

SWFA SS 5-20x50 HD - AAR and review

I know that many of you have ordered the new SS 5-20x50 and are awaiting a shipping confirmation, for those of you who are on the fence about the scope I suggest you hurry up and order on before the $500 off hide special expires on Friday. I'm happy to report that at less than $1,000 this is a steal of a deal on the scope.

There have been a couple of reviews from Jon A and Lowlight here, I've also chimed in as well about my initial impressions. I don't need to restate the same stuff we've all read several times, but a few highlights of all three reviewers are that the scope has nice clicks, great eye box, very bright and clear too. Many people have asked for some more comparison reviews and some real world feedback so I'll try to provide it here.

I had the opportunity to compare the SS 5-20x50 side by side with an NXS 3-15 and 5-22, both of those were also 50mm objectives as well. The thing that immediately jumped out at me was the brightness of the SWFA SS scope. It was hands down brighter in low light, hands down. I don't mean look through one, back to the other, back and forth and deciding.....I mean it was like a WOW moment. The clicks were similar, no complaints about any of the three there, solid and easy to know where you were. The clarity was good too, the SS appeared to be more clear but that could have been the brightness too, but all 3 were plenty clear for tactical rifle work. The illumination win goes to the SS because of it easily being variable, the NXS is variable too but it takes some work to change the brightness. All 3 scopes felt solid, well built. Some low end to mid-range tactical scopes feel like a hunting scope with exposed knobs, the SWFA SS felt like a tactical scope should, sturdy and well built without being huge and clunky. The one thing I can't speak to quite yet is the toughness of the scope, the SWFA SS is the new kid on the block and the NXS is obviously a proven performer, but I have no doubt that given what I've seen that the SWFA SS 5-20x50 HD will hold up very well to years of use.

Now the AAR on my shooting the scope in the Oregon Snipers Challenge. The scope shot just fine, first stage we had to place some precision shots on some small and weird shapes, slightly larger than moa targets. 2 shots per target 100 yards, with the clear glass and 20X I was easily able to pick out the correct shape (don't shoot the wrong shape!) and placed 2 shots basically touching in each. Hammered that stage like it was a walk in the park. Next stage was weak side, this is my weakness, I'm very right eye dominant and have issues with shooting on my left side. Weak side shooting was one of the reasons that I gravitated to the Hensoldt scopes, the great eye box made weak side shooting possible for me. Now I wasn't happy with my weak side barricade shooting, but I can say that it wasn't the scopes fault, I was able to get a good sight picture for every shot but just couldn't get stable on the barricades. I'm hesitant to say that the SWFA SS has as good of an eye box as the Hensoldt, but I will say that it's pretty **** close. All other stages the scope and rifle preformed as they should, I had my share of hiccups this match but none of them could be blamed on the scope.

I can recommend the SWFA SS 5-20x50 HD as a great buy at $1,500 and a MUST BUY at the current hide special of $999.99! It has the glass, the features and usability of a much more expensive scope.

 

[Pdvdh]

Jon,
How does this work? Do we go to SWFA and find a coupon link to 'click' on during the checkout process in order to receive the $500? Is everything we need to get the $500.00 discount located on the SWFA website? Thanks,

 

[Jon A]

When you order there should be a place to put a "promo code." Use HIDE500 .

 

[Pdvdh]

Perfect! Thanks.