I had been looking for a new optic for my Armalite carbine. The intent was a lower powered optic, 1-4x or 1-6x, a sort of GP optic that I could use from bad breath distance out to 600 or so.
Ordinarily, I would have turned up my nose at a scope that cost $100 or so. But my guy at SWFA put me onto the Optisan Mamba 1-4x24. After doing some research and asking owners what they thought of it, I went ahead and ordered it. SWFA had a package deal with optic and mount for $150.
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The scope has a built in BDC for 55 gr .223 @ 3100 FPS. Since the scope went on a .308 rifle, I really wasn't too concerned with that feature. The reticle is a circle dot, akin to an EoTech, with stadia lines at 3, 6, and 9 o'clock presumably to help establish leads. The reticle is in the second focal plane and shows to be a true 1x. The reticle has both red and green illumination.
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Adjustments are in 1/2 MOA increments for both windage and elevation. Turrets are capped and weatherproofed. Adjusting the scope is somewhat problematic due to the mushiness of the turrets. If you have ear pro and gloves on, you will NOT be able to feel/hear the adjustments you're making.
Eye relief is about 3-3 1/2 inches at 4x, at 1x the reticle is parallax free making it great for CQB work.
The mount is a pretty basic affair. It's probably going to go away and be replaced by an ADM or LaRue QD mount.
It was a blustery day at the range when we went out to zero the beast. Wind was 25 MPH gusting to 35 MPH, ESE. Ammo was 168 gr. SMK over 40 gr. IMR 4895, Federal brass and Federal primers. COL was 2.8 inches.
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Despite the mushiness of the turrets, rough zero was accomplished in 6 rounds. BZO was done at 100 yds and took 9 rounds. Overall my wife and I ran 100 rounds through it and the zero never wandered.
The most impressive thing about the scope - given it's cost - was the clarity of the glass and reticle. I was expecting some distortion or soft spots in the lenses, but there were none to speak of.
I never thought I would recommend a scope this cheap, but the quality of the glass alone makes this scope a steal. If you can deal with the mushy turrets and you don't have a lot to spend, you could do a lot worse than the Optisan Mamba.
I saved so much money on the scope that I bought a new GG&G bi-pod!
And here's a pic of the wife getting her Sig on
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