I am thinking in getting one,a 4x16x44 tactical with the z-plex rectical anyone have experience with these scopes?
Elmer

They are one big plus as far as scopes go. Their only drawback is eye relief or lack of it. Otherwise a lot of bang for the buck.

put a brand new Meopta 1.5 -6 on the 338win mag at xmas time after firing it was like looking thru a kladeioscope paint flecks floating around inside,so be careful

quote:

Originally posted by elmerdeer:
I am thinking in getting one,a 4x16x44 tactical with the z-plex rectical anyone have experience with these scopes?
Elmer

I have one and opticaly it is a very nice scope the turrets turn much easier than my Nightforce and they could probable be moved umintentionaly if not careful..........

quote:

put a brand new Meopta 1.5 -6 on the 338win mag at xmas time after firing it was like looking thru a kladeioscope paint flecks floating around inside,so be careful

Looked at a Kahles at a shop nearby and it had a fleck internally. I gave it back to the Clerk and picked up one without that "Feature" . That's why it pays to buy optics that have a good warranty.

I dont recomend you the meoptas , i see a lot of destroyed by a 300 w.m. recoil, and with adjustments turrets and paralax troubles, depens your $$$ try choose from leupold, zeiss conquest, kahles, gerhar (Nickel),swarovski, Smith & Bender to zeiss victory.
A friends Ruger M77 300 win.mag. with Meopta shot 3" at 100 yards, the same rifle, same ammo and shooter but with a new zeiss conquest = .87" a 100 yards. He was close to sell a very accurate rifle.Good Luck!!! Regards

quote:

Originally posted by elmerdeer:
I am thinking in getting one,a 4x16x44 tactical with the z-plex rectical anyone have experience with these scopes?
Elmer

Not a bad scope, but not the best.

If possible, I'll try to stretch the budget and get a Leupold, Zeiss or IOR

regards, Gus

I have a meopta 7 x 50 mounted on a 30-06 Tikka. Whilst hunting Mouflon in Sweden, I had a bad fall. The rifle stock snapped clean in half, and the rifle and scope received one hell of a bang.

When I returned to the UK I had the stock repaired. I remounted the scope and went to the range. The scope had not even moved off Zero! I still have this rifle and scope today, and I can still shoot sub 1 inch groups at 100 yards.

Meoptas in my opinion are very robust, very reliable and extremely good value for money. It is also a very good low light scope.

I have a 3-12x56mm and have not had any problems out of it. I got a really good deal on it when Meopta first came to the market here in my area. If I had to pay the current price for one I think I would go with the Zeiss Conquest.

Some of these opinions I have heard are pretty funny. FWIW Meopta is an OEM manufacturer for many of the makes that have been mentioned as alternates.

"Some of these opinions I have heard are pretty funny. FWIW Meopta is an OEM manufacturer for many of the makes that have been mentioned as alternates."
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Meopta is a Czech manufacturer of sports and military optics, proyectors, photo enlargers and other optical products. The company, originally called Optotechnica, was established in Pretov in 1933. In the early 1930s, it produced photo enlargers and other darkroom equipment, as well as optical lenses. By 1939, it was producing consumer cameras for the domestic market.During World War ll, the company produced a broad selection of optical equipment for the German military. In 1946, it was nationalized by Czechoslovakia communist authorities and renamed Meopta. The company was privitized in 1992.

Schmidt & Bender's current headquarters in is Biebertal, Germany, for centuries the home of Germany's precision optics industry.

IOR VALDADA Born in 1936 in the southeastern part of Romania, Industry Optic Romania was the creation of three prominent European corporations: Malaxa-Carp, Optique De Le Vollois, and Bernard-Turnne. These three companies begot what was to become one of the largest producers of military optics in the world.After WWII, I.O.R. found itself trapped in the Soviet sphere of influence

LEUPOLD:Leupold & Stevens, Inc., is an American, family-owned, fifth-generation company that has been designing, machining, and assembling precision optical instruments and other products for 100 years. Founded in 1907 by a young German immigrant named Fred Leupold set up a one man shop at 5th and Oak Streets in Portland, Oregon, repairing optics for surveying equipment. Leupold & Stevens is still family owned, though our focus has turned from surveying to helping people all across the globe survey their environments with the innovative, high-performance sports optics and accessories.

CARL ZEISS company is a German manufacturer of optical systems, industrial measurements and medical devices originally founded in Jena in 1846 by Carl Zeiss, Ernst Abbe and Otto Schott. Due to the results of World War II there are currently two parts, the Carl Zeiss AG located in Oberkochen with important subsidiaries in Aalen, Göttingen and Hallbergmoos (near Munich) and Carl Zeiss GmbH located in the foundation city Jena. The Zeiss Gruppe is located in Heidenheim and Jena.The other division of the Carl Zeiss Foundation, the glass manufacturer Schott AG and Jenaer Glaswerk, is located in Mainz and Jena.

SWAROVSKI COMPANY In 1935, Wilhelm Swarovski, son of the original founder, was a mere 17 years of age.Wilhelm went on to found Swarovski Optik KG in Absam, Tyrol (Austria), in 1949. His company’s first serial product, the Habicht 7 x 42, is still an industry standard in the field of hunting optics. Already an avid hobby astronomer, Wilhelm’s passion "to be closer to the stars," as he himself described it, awakened his ambition to build his own, improved binocular. With access to the specialized glass production and finishing technologies already used to manufacture jewelry stones in his father’s factory,

Gerhardt Optik und Feinmechanik GmbH, [Hertel & Reuss], Naumburg, Germany ... gerhardt germany gmbh

Wow!

- mike

quote:

"Some of these opinions I have heard are pretty funny. FWIW Meopta is an OEM manufacturer for many of the makes that have been mentioned as alternates."
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Don Guillermo, Meopta runs the factory that builds Zeiss Conquest scopes in the US. They also have a Zplex reticle..DO you see the connection?

DON SEMPREELK

WHEN THE CONQUEST LINE APPEARED IN THE MARKET I PHONED TO THE ZEISS GROUP REPRESENTANT IN ARGENTINA, AND HE EXPLAINED ME THAT THE CONQUEST SERIES WAS ASEMBLED IN USA (THIS SAID THE FIRST SCOPES ON THE OCULAR CAP) WITH GERMANS COMPONENTS.
LATER THEY MADE THE MAIN TUBES IN USA, (SO THE RIFLESCOPES WAS NAMED CONQUEST AND SAID "MADE IN USA"). BESIDES THE TUBE SIZE (1" INCH AND THE RETICLES TYPES) THEY HAVE ONLY TWO MAYOR DIFERENCES REGARDING THEIR GERMAN COUNTERPARTS. THE ANODIZED TREATMENT (THE GERMAN FINISH HAS BETTER QUALITY, MORE DURABLE, HARD AND THE CONQUEST SCOPES HAS LESS OPTICAL COATS TREATMENT ON LENTS) MEOPTA DONT MAKE ZEISS CONQUEST RIFLESCOPES NEITHER CARL ZEISS DONT MAKE MEOPTAS. CARL ZEISS GROUP DONT NEED HELP FROM MEOPTA TO MAKE HIS OWN LENSES OR SCOPES MEOPTA IS NOT A CONQUEST AND VICEVERSA. MAYBE MEOPTA BUY ZEISS UNCOATED SCHOTT LENSES, BUT THIS IS TOTALLY DIFFERENT TO A ZEISS CONQUEST MADE BY MEOPTA.

A PLEX RETICLE CONNECTION?

TAKE A LOOK TO THIS ARTICLE FROM AN AMERICAN SPECIALIZED WRITER. REGARDS.

By Randy Wakeman

Carl Zeiss

Perhaps no current scope maker is carving up the deluxe scope market like Zeiss and their "made in USA" Conquest line of scopes. People seem confused about them.

1) Neither Leupold nor anyone else makes scopes for Zeiss. Other scope manufacturers do buy uncoated glass from Zeiss for their own product. Zeiss coatings are proprietary, however. No coated scope lenses are sold.
2) Zeiss Conquest tubes are made in Long Island, NY, at Zeiss' own facility.
3) Zeiss power ranges are as stated.
4) The optics in Zeiss scopes are made by Zeiss, imported from Germany.
5) Zeiss conducts sporadic destructive recoil testing; however, it is a small percentage of their production. None of these scopes are sold; they are destroyed after testing.
6) Light transmission through Zeiss Conquest tubes is approx. 93%. Zeiss was quick to point out that what degrades image quality is the grade of glass. Lead and arsenic content is destructive to scope images; that is why Zeiss is quite proud of their lead-arsenic free glass. Production of optical glass requires analysis and variation of the refraction factor, etc., so that the best possible combination and compounding ratio can be selected. To eliminate the use of lead (lead oxide), it was discovered that titanium oxide compares well with lead. Titanium oxide does no harm to the human body; it also renders a high refraction factor and is chemically stable. A big plus for scope use is more lightweight lenses, as titanium oxide is very light.

The 93% light transmission seems a bit light compared to other claims. Zeiss explained that they don't measure "light transmission" like other manufacturers, they go "air to air" not "lens-to-lens." The lead-free arsenic-free glass allows for non-distorted light, which is allegedly more perceptible and usable by the human eye, along with their own coatings, which they feel are generations ahead of the many scope gluers.

Naturally, I also asked why they felt they were "ahead?" The answer was, as they actually make their own glass (Schott), they should know a little bit more about it than people who just buy it.

http://www.chuckhawks.com/scoping_out.htm

Meopta contracts to do the conquest lenses for zeiss. Zeiss provides them the raw schott glass lenses as they sell to many other euro scope companies, and meopta grinds - polishes - and coats the lenses to zeiss specs. Meopta does not run any zeiss US operations .....or any other zeiss holdings, or their schott glass factory in dureya pa, or any schott glass factories abroad. The erectors are made and assembled in Germany....the lenses are finished from the raw glass in the Chech Republic, and both shipped to the US where they, and other remaining componets are assembled in NY state and distributed out of Va.

Randys first statement is incorrect.....schott is one of the largest suppliers of lenses in the world. Go to their web site in Pa. and see that they offer all types of lenses for sale...raw and ground and polished to customers specs. His forth statement is correct in regards to the rest of the zeiss scope line but in the case of conquests the lenses go from Germany to Chech Republic and than to US where the optics are assembled stateside.

I enjoy and shoot conquests quite a lot....but don't understand the facination with where something is made in this global economy. Several optics companies are currently in or locating to ......gasp.....China. Give it another couple years and they will take over pacific rim optics operations with countries like Japan "farming out" the work and manufacturing and than "assembling" the scopes in another country. Leupold - Burris - and Conquests are only assembled in the US....not enough internal parts are made in the US to say they are made here....only assembled.

On one last note......Four new reticle patterns in select Victory, Victory Diarange and Conquest riflescopes. Designed for Zeiss in cooperation with Pride Fowler Industries, Inc., the new Rapid-Z reticles allow for quick and easy target holdover in an uncomplicated, user-friendly format and also provide a simple to use range-estimation feature. Reticles will be available in the standard Rapid-Z 600, Rapid-Z Varmint and Rapid-Z 800 formats for common rifle calibers and the Rapid-Z 1000 for longer-range shooting styles. Just in case the rumor gets started that Pride/Fowler has now taken over conquest operations........

Thats the real story......


woods

Ok then one of Zeiss's biggest dealers gave me a line of BS at a huge outdoor show if what you say is true.

Woodseye I have 2 questions for you.
1) Why in the world would Meopta buy lenses from Schott when they make their own lenses
2) unlike Dot,Duplex or other reticle names which are universal Z Plex is a Zeiss reticle just like B&C is a Leupie Reticle. Why would Meopta use that name ?

meopta link

Don Guillermo, Randy Wakeman has zero credibity, I take anything he writes with a large grain of salt. Just look at what he writes about Swarovski scopes. No one can be that stupid or gullible as to believe that a Swarovski is an inferior product [/QUOTE]

SempreElk:
The truth about this we will never know (Only the executive and enginers know the true) but shurelly as I said, Meopta dont make the Conquest riflescopes or the conquest glasses for Zeiss, Schott AG make the glases for Zeiss and other scope manufacturers.
Schott, along with sister company Carl Zeiss, is owned by Carl-Zeiss-Stiftung, an independent foundation based in Germany.
I dont think that Carl Zeiss destroy his name and reputation buying from Meopta inferior quality lents or installing on Zeiss Conquest Scopes Schott AG lents "coated" by Meopta ???, being Carl Zeiss the best coatings treatments propietary and having trought Schott AG better lents.
Regarding woodseye says about "Made in", long time ago (Before the globalization) this was very important, but now, only the comercial trayectory , quality, guarantee and repair services count.
Norinco (China) has a Germany division that make riflescopes in Germany, called NORCONIA and say "Made in Germany" and are a real piece of shit Made in Germany !!! as some Winchester Spotting Scopes Made in China , etc..... if you dont want to commit a mistake, as USMCR Colonel Craig Boddintong says, look at the price, you will obtain for what you will pay!!!
Surely the Zeiss's dealer gave you a line of BS at the outdoor show, sales arguments,I dont trust in "salesman words" sometimes "some of them" we called "Phoenicians" jejeje. Mr.Wakeman, I dont meet him.
Atention: I must be responsible, I dont used the new ones Meoptas( I have all Swarovsky and Zeiss ) but the 15 years old models, for own experience are good .22 to .308 W. riflescopes, put one of these old models in a .300 or 338 Magnum and after 50 or 100 rounds you will have a nice Czech caleidoscope OR YOUR GUN WILL NOT MORE ACCURATE!!! (Maybe second hand, reject merchandise or refurbished Meoptas was imported to my country and marketed like "news" in those days. I think we make a good contribution to this forum, was a pleasure to try fix the optic world with you, anytime, RegardsGuillermo.

quote:

as USMCR Colonel Craig Boddintong says, look at the price, you will obtain for what you will pay!!!
Surely the Zeiss's dealer gave you a line of BS at the outdoor show, sales arguments,I dont trust in "salesman words" sometimes "some of them" we called "Phoenicians"

Yes total agreement, Great Optics are a thing of beauty and once you experience them everything looks like the bottom of a Coke bottle.

I'm sorry SempreElk....Bad choice of words when I said that.....They send meopta the lenses and have them grind, polish, and coat them, no doubt due to their lower labor rates and ability to do them to zeiss specs. They sell lenses to anyone in the market but of course they wouldn't sell them a product that was going into their own scopes ultimately, they would only pay for the labor functions preformed.....my bad.

The term z-plex I assume is a zeiss term and I'm not able to tell you how or why meopta is able to use it, unless like duplex it only describes a style of reticle. Perhaps since they seem to share business dealings they might be using zeiss etched reticle technology or even buying the lens with the zeiss etched reticle on it to save their own production costs. Who knows as it would take a factory insider to probably shed light on this matter. I just know that zeiss is still assembling conquests in NY state and that would be the logical place as most are being distributed in the US to compete directly with leupold.

woods

Seems like as with most products, you hear good and bad. My experince with Meopta products has been very good.

Woods,

You sure have come a long way from the "Why are the caps plastic" days.

Yes.....He He its changed a lot hasn't it? I remember when daring to say you used and liked conquests brought the biggest you could imagine. I saw a great video on the plastic cap debates......guy wails a conquest cap with a mallet and it flies across the room, goes and gets it and screws it back on a scope, it never collapses or breaks. Takes the same mallet and wails an aluminum cap.......smashes flat as a pancake. I keep trying to find a better scope in the conquests price range, sightron was the latest attempt, it just didn't do it. Someday when the $ is more plentiful I would like to get a kahles and swaro in 1" tubes....probably the best.... but for now my old conquests will have to do. Just picked up a 4.5x14x44 from Jon at the optics zone, great price and the scope is super, not to mention they are simply the best to deal with. Conquests aren't perfect, they could use a rainguard coating, stand to be a couple oz's lighter, and send me a new scope once and a while to "test" Good talking to ya as always.

woods