Clear, bright, easy to align to the eye.

Posted by Mark on 8th Aug 2017

I was looking for a scope that would work well in low light, for 12ga slug hog hunting ranging from 15-120yards. I tested Leupold, Redfield, and Tasco 3-9x50, Bushnell, Swift, Redfield and Nikon 3-9x40, Vortex 2.5-10x56, Leupold 4x33, Swift 2-7x40 and Bushnell 2-7x32 and an a couple others. I did low light testing both for brightness and crispness of the image as well as considering the size and weight of the scope. I also tested how easily the scope aligned to the eye.

After all the testing, this Swift 4x40 scope is the scope that I ended up mounting on the gun. It its clear and bright and easy to align to the eye (some other scopes I felt like I had to force my eye to focus through the optic). It is light weight yet feels sufficiently strong. The windage and elevation adjustments are good...nothing fancy, but simple and functional.

Fixed power scopes are more simple with fewer lenses, and as such, this scope was as sharp and bright as the Leupold/Redfield zoom scopes but with less weight. The 40mm objective on this swift gave a nicer image than the 33mm objective on the Leupold strait 4x in my tests.
I have not had it long enough to determine if it will hold zero well, or if the coatings will will work well in harsh weather. 12ga slugs have strong recoil, so it wont take long to figure out if it will hold up.

I dinged one start because all swift scopes are assembled in Korea (with USA glass). The eye relief is ~OK, but not as nice as the Redfield scopes. Other than that, I applaud Swift for making a good scope with a larger than standard objective. I dont know the difference between this line an their premier line.