• Redfield Revege 3-9X42mm Dial-N-Shoot Review

    When I received this scope from Redfield I was excited as I have not done a scope review in quite a while so it's a nice change of pace. Also, I had been wanting to check out the quality of the new Redfield optics since they are now a division of Leupold. This scope gave me that opportunity.

    The scope is a Redfield Revenge 3-9X42mm Dial-N-Shoot with Accu-Plex reticle. It is a product that is marketed for the ammunition specific ballistics niche. For those unaware of what that is, it is an optic that is calibrated to operate with the ballistics of a specific cartridge/load by either using a "calibrated" turret to raise the elevation or a ballistic reticle offering multiple hold points for different distances. The idea being that it will allow hunters to shoot game at longer distances without having to remember the ballistics of the cartridge thus eliminating the need to carry a rangefinder and a bullet drop card (dope card) and "click out" the elevation knob.

    This particular scope uses elevation turret for that purpose. Basically you zero the scope at 100 yards using the ammunition specified in the manual or handloads that duplicate the specified ballistics. The manual has a drop chart (shown below) that your ammo selection should mimic. Once you have zeroed the optic you replace the standard elevation knob which has graduation marks every .25 MOA with the one for your specific cartridge/load. The Accu-Plex reticle has a range finding feature for 100 to 500 yards. Once you know the distance to the animal you turn the elevation knob to the appropriate mark on the dial.

    The Accu-Plex reticle is used to determine the distance to the target by fitting the body of medium sized game (deer/antelope) in the small bracket that represents 16 inches in height or by doing the same with large game (elk) in the large bracket that represents 25 inches in height. This is done by adjusting the magnification (power) ring and reading the line on the top post of the reticle that has numbers going from 2 to 6. At 3X the line is at 200 and 9X is at 600. Now turn the elevation knob to the distance shown. The reticle features 2MOA marks on the horizontal crosshair to allow for windage hold offs. Theoretically, this will put your bullet in the kill zone at the distance chosen.

    Aside from the standard .25 MOA turret cap the Revenge Dial-N-Shoot also comes with calibrated turrets for .243 Winchester, .270 Winchester, .30-06 Springfield and .300 Win Mag. These were chosen by Redfield as being the most commonly used medium and large game hunting cartridges. The corresponding drop charts for the calibrated turrets is as follows:

    .243 Win .270 Win .30-06 Spfld .300 Win Mag
    100 Yards
    0 in. 0 in. 0 in. 0 in.
    150 Yards 1.4 in. 1.10 in. 1.4 in. 0.8 in.
    200 Yards 3.6 in. 2.93 in. 3.8 in. 2.1 in.
    250 Yards 7.6 in. 6.28 in. 8.1 in. 5.2 in.
    300 Yards 12.9 in. 10.68 in. 14.1 in. 8.8 in.
    400 Yards 29.3 in. 24.29 in. 32.2 in. 20.1 in.
    500 Yards 53.4 in. 45.02 in. 60.2 in. 36.6 in.

    So, with all that said, how did it work? Unfortunately I was unable to test the Dial-N-Shoot part of the system as the main tube tube is way too short to mount on my .30-06 or my brother's .270 rifle without using a picitinny-style scope base (which I did not have available). I don't have a .243 either so I wasn't able to verify that any of the calibrated turrets matched up with the recommended loads. The idea makes sense to me so I will give Redfield the benefit of the doubt. However, I was able to zero it and then test the basic functions and features of the scope to validate the build quality and basic functionality.

    I mounted the Revenge Dial-N-Shoot on the Model 11 in .223 Rem I recently acquired and the short length of the scope still didn't allow much room to adjust for eye relief. Redfield claims that their Revenge scopes feature long eye relief and a quick acquisition eyepiece, but I seriously question that claim given this particular example as I found it to be extremely sensitive to both eye relief and eye alignment at all magnification levels.

    The scope was easy enough to get zeroed at 100 yards and the adjustments proved to be accurate and repeatable going from a 100 to 300 yard zero and back to 100 yards again. The clicks are easy to feel and the turret knobs are large enough for big hands to manipulate. The windage knob cover is knurled metal that fits nicely, while the elevation is turret is left exposed like a target/tactical turret due to it's ballistic functionality. Both knobs knobs are black plastic with easy to see graduations.

    At the rear the magnification ring proved to be somewhat sticky at 3X but moves smoothly once you get it going. A fast-focus eye-piece with a soft rubber ring provides for optimal reticle clarity and to help guard against the the dreaded scope-eye. The finish is a very uniform satin black that looks great and matches the matte black finish found on many rifles very well. The scope also comes with the bikini style lens covers that are common to many scopes today.


    Specifications:
    Part Number = 117853
    Tube Diameter = 1 inch
    Internal Adjustment = 70 MOA windage and elevation
    Increments = .25 MOA
    Eye Relief = 3.5 in
    Field of View @ 100 Yards = 32.9 in @ 3X / 11.4 in @ 9X
    Weight = 14.8 oz
    Overall Length = 12.4 in
    Main Tube Length = 5.6 in
    Objective Bell Diameter = 2.35 in
    Country of Origin = Phillipines
    MSRP = $249.99


    Contact Information
    Redfield Optics
    P.O. Box 688
    Beaverton, OR 97075-0688
    www.redfield.com





    Comments 3 Comments
    1. Speedrat1's Avatar
      Speedrat1 -
      JC It would have been nice to know more of what you actually thought of the scope functionally. The bullet drop material you weren't able to test and verify so....... What about clarity, brightness in different lighting and at differing distances? Just my two cents.
    1. dwa's Avatar
      dwa -
      Not really understanding this review. It's incomplete and should have been finished.
    1. JCalhoun's Avatar
      JCalhoun -
      Update.

      My brother decided he was interested in trying the scope so he picked up a Leupold extended base to mount on his 110 in .270Win. With the extended base there is about 3/16 of an inch from the rings to the end of the tube making the turning of the power ring troublesome.

      He noted that the scope was bright at 3X but dim and fuzzy at 9X. He followed the instructions for sighting the scope and swapping the elevation knob to the .270 cam. While he was trying on the steel silhouettes the range has going from 200y to 500y he said it stopped adjusting. The elevation does go up or down. So he replaced it with the low buck scope that comes on the package rifles. He also noted that the optics on the factory installed Bushnell were very similar to the Redfield.

      I'm going to check it out later to see if the problem with the scope is anything obvious.