Guys,

Went to Cowboy Christmas here in Vegas on Saturday. I ran into booths offering RUDOLPH and MAVEN scopes. Do you guys know anything about either brand?

Mark

quote:

MAVEN

Can't say I'd heard of Maven before but they seem to claim serious intent on their specs page and even quote twilight factors (though some smart-asses claim the concept is rubbish) and FoV in degrees as well as feet.

I am dubious about large variable ranges and power multiples, though, even on brands I know, let alone those that just pop up - but I'm glad to see they use etched-glass reticles on the 2.5-15x.

The eye relief on the 2-10x model seems a bit short, though, yet the FoV is hardly better at 2x than the bigger model is a 2.5x.

I would have a look through them and check for excess tunnel vision etc (another obscure Japanese brand I saw recently is a shocker).

As you may be aware, the whole concept of constantly centred reticles in almost all modern scopes is dodgy in my opinion. And yet it would seem that some brands may have civilised it to a point of some reliability, including the Japanese Nikon, which actually makes its scopes in the Philippines.

To trust a new brand using this design with its recoil-vulnerable articulated erector tube, including the extra-complex (and heavy?) power scroll of a high-multiple variable, is buying a pig in a poke. Maybe in 20 years the brand's trustworthiness will be known to some extent.

quote:

Originally posted by MARK H. YOUNG:
Guys,

Went to Cowboy Christmas here in Vegas on Saturday. I ran into booths offering RUDOLPH and MAVEN scopes. Do you guys know anything about either brand?

Mark

If I’m not mistaken, Rudolph was started by a South African and the scopes are made in China or Japan.

It was designed to give South Africans a more affordable option in comparison to other entry level brands. As you know with our shit economy, brands like Leupold are at the higher end of what most people would spend on scopes.

I haven’t had any experience with it, but a few friends have used them a bit.

Maven is a recent straight to consumer start up

Almost anybody can build a good, serviceable scope if it is fixed magnification of modest power.

When you start adding features like variable magnification, high magnification, wide range of variable magnification, correcting parallax, range compensation dials, lighted reticles, et. al., each "feature" makes it more vulnerable to manufacturing/design defects or breakage. If you want "fancy" features stick with proven manufacturers.