I want to buy a Swarovski scope for my Mauser M03 30-06. I have seen several scopes on Ebay for the Swarovski 3-10x42 AV Habicht. Some have 1" tubes, some have 30mm tube. What's the difference between the Habicht scope and the Z3. I saw a Z3 at DSC and would rather have the 1.7-10x42, but I can buy a Habicht for half the price.

Anyway, what's the difference between the two?

Habicht is the German word for "Hawk". Habicht is one of Swarovski's trademarks as in, "The Eyes of a Hawk", used on many of their products.

The AV and Z3 are both 1" tube scopes produced for the American market, the Z3 is the latest incarnation of the 1" tube scopes, the AVs are the prior line. I have 2 of the AV scopes, a 3-9x36 and a 3-10x42, they are fine scopes with a 3x magnification range. The 1.7-10x42 is a Swarovski Z6, which has a 6x magnification range and they are much more costly than either the Z3s or AVs. The AV, Z3, and the Z6 are all fine scopes with world class optics, I would be pleased with any of them. The AVs are a real bargain right now because they have been discontinued and replaced by the Z3.