Can you all list the different high quality European optics manufacturers of rifle scopes?

I onces owned an excellent scope that sold with a rifle and cannot remember its name. It was obscure, but they still make scopes.....Any ideas?????? Lets just see how obscure we can get with current manufactured scopes....

Pecar
Kahles
Swarovski
Zeiss
Jenna
Schmidt & Bender
Some of my favorites, will this do to start ?
Pete

quote:

Originally posted by Foxhunter223:
Pecar
Kahles
Swarovski
Zeiss
Jenna
Schmidt & Bender
Some of my favorites, will this do to start ?
Pete

Karl Kaps
Docter- really good optics not the best all over.
IOR- to some extent
Nickel
Helia- Is one of my abolute favorites I own a 8x56 Super Helia with flawless lenses and I do tell you guys that at 100 meters I can see the dust in the pelt of a rabbit, it´s uncanningly clear and sharp optics.
Meopta- sort of OK I guess
Wetzlar- old school
Hensoldts- The military version of Ziess

/Best regards Chris

quote:

Karl Kaps

Husqvarna M98------------That was it!!!!!!!!!!

Anyone know anything about the quality of these scopes? I had a little 2.5X one a rifle that was very nice, but i know nothing about the company.

Karl Kaps is an small optical firm in Germany.
Among dentists and others in the medical profession they are very well known for their to end quality optical equipment.
Their riflescopes are high-end. They lenses come from the same manufacturor as the ones Schmidt&Bender uses.

To list them in my high-end scale:

1. Schmidt&Bender, because they only produce the very best scopes money can buy.
2. Zeiss, still very good and comparable to S&B, but Zeiss is too expensive.
3. Kahles. Their new line of CBS and CBX scopes is breathtaking. Expensive though!
4. Swarovski.IMHO very little behind Zeiss and Kahles, but very expensive.
5. Kaps, Top optical and mechanical performance, a bit heavy, but excellent money for value
6. Pecar Berlin. Good scopes, bit old fashioned models, but sturdy
7. Docter. Simply good performance for reasonable prices
8. Frankonia. Built by Docter, so equal; to Docter
9. Meopta, Good value for money, but in the dark they are second to the others

My rank, 10 best, would be:

Group 1
a.Zeiss
b.Swarovski

Group 2
a.Schmidt & Bender
b.Kahles Helia
c.Nickel (Gerhard Optik)

Group 3
a.Docter
b.Meopta
c.Karl Kaps
d.Pecar

338 OKH,

Kaps makes outstanding riflescopes.

It seems like they sorta went off the air for a couple of years.

I was pleasantly surpised to see their stand at the Salzburg Hunt Convention; as I walked by and did a double-take, started a conversation with the two gentlemen at the booth. Great guys with a great product. They were pleased to hear that I have also had some inquiries regarding their product line from others in North America.

Here their website, in English.

http://www.kaps-optik.de/english/index.htm

There is little uses in discussing the ranking of Zeiss, Swaro or S&B in the top 3. They are all top scopes and me putting S&B above Zeiss is nothing more than a personal preference.

Top products are expensive, not only because they are good products, but also because a significant part of the costs to put these scopes on the market goes to marketing!
So you do not only pay for the quality but for the name aswell.

This is where scope makers as Kaps and Pecar make the difference. They produce limited numbers of scopes for well established markets and don't spend big amounts of money on advertising.

I had the opportunity to compare Kaps scopes to Zeiss and S&B classic line scopes and I could not notice a difference. Very well designed and built, Top mechanical and optical performance for less than two/third of Zeiss and S$B prices.

Very nice to know. I am enjoying this information. What other makers that are not mentioned should we look at?

I do not believe Docter is selling rifle scopes anymore, at least not in the USA. Their website does not even show them, it only shows red-dots.

I have a 3-9x40 and really like it.

333,

I think reindeer's & Glep's lists are pretty comprehensive and sorta reflect pretty much what's available today.

Funny, no one's mentioned NightForce which are certainly getting some rave reviews and are being seen in the field here in Europe. While not European, apparently able to hold their own with the older, more established brands.

Like reindeer said, when you get to this level of optical quality among the established top 3; Zeiss, S&B & Swarovski it sorta boils down to a matter of personal prefernece. I go hunting with a group of 10 guys to Eastern Germany once a year and ALL shoot Blaser R93 rifles, mounted on every rifle is either a Ziess, S&B or Swarovski variable 56mm objective lens scope and that pretty much sums it up today in Germany for both Day time & Night time scope use.

As an aside, of the ten; 8 shoot .30/06 Sprg.'s, 1 .300 Win. Mag. and an 8x57.

A while back one of the major German hunting magazines did a full-blown scope review and Nickel not only got top honors but was first in every comparison catagory.

I was told that when Germany was divided after WWII, the Zeiss Jena factory continued to produce under the Zeiss name even though it was in East Germany. When Germany was reunited, Zeiss Jena became Doctor as it was a separate company from Zeiss and couldn't continue using the name. I also heard that they use glass made by Meopta.