Introduction
I have been looking for a new small caliber rifle for quite some time. Limited budget meant limited options. I had a free slot on my FAC for a .223 Rem, but would have gone for 1:1 variation if any interesting .222 or .22-250 appeared. I had my heart set on CZ 527 Ebony Edition for not a lot of money and local, but it was threaded in M14 thread not matching my moderator. Then I spotted a nice Tikka M595 for even less available with a moderator and Optilocks, plus some ammo and gun case. The guy dropped the price even more and agreed to deliver it to me from Wales 😯 So I became a proud owner of my first Tikka rifle. I just had to figure out what to put on top of it…
Minox
I am a big fan of European optics. However, when money is an issue one cannot always afford latest Zeiss or Swarovski… Minox is still a new brand on the market, and I have been interested in their offer since they came on US market. It was still not well known in Europe when I got a set of Minox 8.5×42 binoculars from the US. They were much cheaper and all I could afford at the time. I was really impressed with the quality and for the money I got them there was nothing near that price range on the market at that time. So since I found out they started a range of rifle scopes I wanted to get one. I was looking for something lightweight and 40-42mm objective size. I got a good deal on ZA5 2-10×40 riflescope and bought it, again from the US…
Minox ZA5 rifle scopes
Minox offers two lines of rifle scopes at the moment: ZA3 and ZA5. They differ mainly in magnification range ZA3 being x3 and ZA5 using x5 magnification. Three scopes matched my requirements of being lightweight, 40-42mm objective and x10-14 magnification. I had to choose between ZA3 3-9×40, and ZA5 2-10×40 and 3-15×42. I quite fancied 3-15×42, but I got really good deal on 2-10×40 so that was it.
Minox ZA5 2-10×40 is one of the lightest on the market at only 400g (14oz). At the time when I was doing my research no other company offered something as light and x5 magnification range, maybe only new Swarovski Z6 1.7-10×42, but still 100g heavier and x6 times more expensive…
All Minox riflescopes are assembled in the US with German components. Minox uses Schott glass in their optics and it is a good quality glass, people say the same as Zeiss uses in their products.
Unboxing
When I finally laid my hands on the scope I knew it was a good decision. Nice high quality scope with bright optics. Magnification ring is nice and rubberized giving a good grip and it is low, so should let be mounted even lower if bolt lift is an issue (e.g. CZ 527…). The box contains usual leaflet/manual with all the info how to zero rifle scope, warranty card (Minox gives worldwide lifetime warranty, something not available from top four manufacturers anymore…), Allen key for resetting turrets, cleaning cloth and nice neoprene cover (Something I do not use, but probably should…)
On top of Tikka
I used low Optilock rings to mount Minox scope. I probably could go for Extra Low rings, but could not get any… I put magnification ring up to x10 to set eye relief and leveled the scope. I also bore sighted it to get the reticule on the target. It was all nice and easy and reticule was on the target with its settings out the box. I had to do nothing to put it on the target.
Minox riflescope made very positive initial impression. Turrets had very positive clicks and could be reset after zeroing. Magnification ring worked well and the scope had good field of view at low ranges with no “tunnel effect” quite common even on more expensive scopes. At x10 eye box was not an issue and looked liked I could also live without parallax adjustments.
Zeroing
Zeroing session could not be more straightforward. First shot was on paper and I only needed some minor adjustment. These were also first shots from the new rifle so I was even more pleased.
Conclusion
I currently do not have any other similar riflescopes to do side by side comparison, so I could only compare Minox ZA5 2-10×40 to Zeiss Conquest 4.5-14×50 I have on top of my .308Win.
I must say they are quite close. Zeiss is slightly better in low light only because it has 50mm objective and thicker reticule. However, I could easily shoot roe deer at ow light when I set magnification to x6 when I could barely sex roe deer with my 8×56 Zeiss binoculars. I think it is good for typical deer stalking conditions. However it is not a scope for night wild boar shooting.
In my opinion there is nothing close to Minox riflescopes at this price range at the moment (US prices). They are still quite new on the market, but I think it will change and the prices will go up (They are already quite expensive in the UK…). So if you are looking for a nice good low light scope that will not ruin you, Minox riflescopes seem to be a good choice.
Video
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Very good info and instruction. We have Bushnell on our rifles. I have CarlGustaf 2000 and my man has Sauer, kaliber 6,5×55. We hunt roes with our dachshunds but the season is over end Jan. Now we have to wait to 1st Oct.
Hi there,
Thanks for your comment.
In terms of hunting seasons we cannot complain here as we can shoot roe all year, as when bucks are not in season does are and vice versa. I am not a fan of shooting does in March or bucks still in velvet in April, but it is possible here.
All the best and good hunting,
Greg
Greg,
I just posted a comment/question for that youtube video (JohnnyCabot on youtube)…
As I stated there, I’m looking for a good all around scope (e.g., anywhere between 100 and 400 yards) for a .308…and one of my concerns is how “forgiving” the scope is with respect to eye relief/position. I own a Leupold Mark AR 3-9x (mil-dot)…which has decent glass (well, for what I paid for it…$200 (U.S.) with Leupold steel rings and flip covers)…but one of the things I really like about it is that it is pretty forgiving regarding eye relief/position. I use it on a .223…
Anyway, for the .308, I think I want to step it up in terms of glass quality…and I’ll need a slightly longer eye relief (which this Minox seems to have) because of a longer stock on my .308 (it’s an FNAR).
I think my “ideal” scope would be a Leupold VX-6 2-12x42mm…but they will cost me about twice as much as this Minox would…and the Minox has a longer eye relief…and weighs about 25% less…
Anyway, could you comment further on the “eye box”/eye relief forgiveness of this Minox? By any chance do you have any idea how it would compare to a Leupold (e.g., VX-3)?
Any other thoughts/comments you have about the Minox would be appreciated.
Thank you,
Rick
Rick,
In my experience higher magnification (x5 such as Minox ZA5 or x6 such as Swaro Z6) worse eye box. Traditional x3 or x4 scopes seem to be much better and forgiving with respect to eye position and mount. I do not have any problems with my Minox, but I use it as deer stalking rifle shooting off sticks and high seats, I guess it could be a problem with quick shots freehand or to a moving target. I never owned any Leupold, I looked through VX3, but cant remember how it was, sorry…
I can only compare it to Zeiss Conquest 4.5-14×50. Zeiss is better, especially when set to mid range, but when it is set to x14 mag, it is more or less the same as Minox set to x10 mag.
I hope it helps, but if you can have a look through both in your local gunshop it might be better than any advice found on the web.
My local stores do not have VX-6, seems to be a nice scope.
Regards,
Greg
Thanks for the reply, Greg.
Yeah, in the end, I just have to try to get my hands on some of these scopes in person – that’s the only way to tell.
Re the Leupold VX-6 – like I said before, I really want that 2-12x, but it literally costs twice what your Minox did…and it PROBABLY isn’t worth it. That being said, I’m hearing that it’s an almost “freakish” combination of field of view, eye relief/forgiveness, and magnification range. IF I get a chance to handle one in person, I’ll let you know.
Thanks again for your time.
-Rick
I hope everyone else has had a better experience than I have with Minox. I purchased the ZA5 2×10 as I liked the range of magnification and heard good things about the quality of the glass. The glass was fine, but certainly no better than my Ziess or Leupold scopes. However, neither of these two brands failed as miserably as this scope has. My first day on a Newfoundland moose hunt the scope leaked and fogged badly. It was completely unusable. OK, that was a problem, but it is understood that issues occur with mechanical tools. However, Minox’s customer service was the bigger issue. First, they have no telephone # to call for service, only an e-mail option. That already makes them low on the service scale for me. Second, no one replies to the e-mail option. I’m now sitting here with a useless scope and no customer service on a scope that has a ‘lifetime warranty’. Honestly, if they do reply, I don’t want them to fix or replace it. I have ZERO faith in their products. I’d prefer a refund so I can go purchase from a vendor that understands customer service
Sorry to hear that. I got two Minox scopes and binoculars and they are spot on. Significantly cheaper and good quality products. Never had any problems with them, I have been using their binos for the last 5 years. I never had to speak to their customer service though… Thanks for posting this comment.