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Field Ethos
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By Keith Wood
The shot wasn’t particularly difficult, but you never know that until the time comes. I was in northwest Texas where a buck might appear at 5 yards or 500. As it turned out, he was 60 or so yards from me when I sent a 25 Creedmoor bullet through his left shoulder. We found him in the brush, lying next to a pair of old dead heads that had locked together in a hormone-fueled death match.
I’d put the rifle together myself, so I knew it was probably good to go, but scopes are always guilty until proven innocent. I’ve never broken a Trijicon, which is saying something—I can be tough on gear. The Tenmile has built a reputation for being more or less bulletproof but, for me, most of the models have a bit too much magnification for my hunting needs. The 3-18x44mm, though, is perfect.
Locking MRAD turrets, check. Useful magnification range, check. Reasonably compact size, check. Shooter-friendly illuminated reticle, yep. During my pre-hunt prep, the scope tracked perfectly which isn’t as common as the internet would suggest. Then the rifle got banged around in my pickup, two airplanes, and a rental car before it was time to check my zero at the Lowrance.
Other than the fact that I’d lazily left my elevation turret 2.5 MILs high for the last shot I’d sent at a 500-yrad target back home, the zero was perfect. Two days later the deer went into the cooler and, later that morning, I drilled a coyote with it at 300 or so yards. Then the abuse began. The next two days were spent in what Texans call a high rack, which is basically a truck with a homemade shooting platform built on top. The rack allows the shooters to see over much of the brush that covers the dusty landscape.
In the course of cruising the sprawling ranch for hogs and coyotes, the rifle and scope saw some rough treatment. At one point, the rifle broke loose from the rack and fell completely over. Side impacts can be really hard on scopes’ erector systems, but the Tenmile shook it off and kept playing.
I had to jet off to Germany before the hunt was over, which meant that my rifle arrived home via UPS. Based on the condition of my case and the missing Master Lock, I would say that the trip home had its share of bumps. The Alabama deer season was just getting hot, so I wanted to check my zero before heading into the woods. I slapped an Armageddon Gear Game Changer bag on my truck bed and dialed for 500 yards. Ping … Ping … Ping …
The Trijicon Tenmile has a ton going for it in terms of user-friendly features but, what I love most about it is its real-world durability. UPS and I did our very best to beat the hell out of it, but we couldn’t make it miss.
Cost: $2,462.
Pros: Great magnification range for all-around use, incredible durability.
Cons: Pricey.
The post Racked! Trijicon Tenmile 3-18x44mm appeared first on Field Ethos.
Continue reading...
The shot wasn’t particularly difficult, but you never know that until the time comes. I was in northwest Texas where a buck might appear at 5 yards or 500. As it turned out, he was 60 or so yards from me when I sent a 25 Creedmoor bullet through his left shoulder. We found him in the brush, lying next to a pair of old dead heads that had locked together in a hormone-fueled death match.
I’d put the rifle together myself, so I knew it was probably good to go, but scopes are always guilty until proven innocent. I’ve never broken a Trijicon, which is saying something—I can be tough on gear. The Tenmile has built a reputation for being more or less bulletproof but, for me, most of the models have a bit too much magnification for my hunting needs. The 3-18x44mm, though, is perfect.
Locking MRAD turrets, check. Useful magnification range, check. Reasonably compact size, check. Shooter-friendly illuminated reticle, yep. During my pre-hunt prep, the scope tracked perfectly which isn’t as common as the internet would suggest. Then the rifle got banged around in my pickup, two airplanes, and a rental car before it was time to check my zero at the Lowrance.
Into the Rack
Other than the fact that I’d lazily left my elevation turret 2.5 MILs high for the last shot I’d sent at a 500-yrad target back home, the zero was perfect. Two days later the deer went into the cooler and, later that morning, I drilled a coyote with it at 300 or so yards. Then the abuse began. The next two days were spent in what Texans call a high rack, which is basically a truck with a homemade shooting platform built on top. The rack allows the shooters to see over much of the brush that covers the dusty landscape.
In the course of cruising the sprawling ranch for hogs and coyotes, the rifle and scope saw some rough treatment. At one point, the rifle broke loose from the rack and fell completely over. Side impacts can be really hard on scopes’ erector systems, but the Tenmile shook it off and kept playing.
I had to jet off to Germany before the hunt was over, which meant that my rifle arrived home via UPS. Based on the condition of my case and the missing Master Lock, I would say that the trip home had its share of bumps. The Alabama deer season was just getting hot, so I wanted to check my zero before heading into the woods. I slapped an Armageddon Gear Game Changer bag on my truck bed and dialed for 500 yards. Ping … Ping … Ping …
The Trijicon Tenmile has a ton going for it in terms of user-friendly features but, what I love most about it is its real-world durability. UPS and I did our very best to beat the hell out of it, but we couldn’t make it miss.
Cost: $2,462.
Pros: Great magnification range for all-around use, incredible durability.
Cons: Pricey.
The post Racked! Trijicon Tenmile 3-18x44mm appeared first on Field Ethos.
Continue reading...
