Project 2005 Product Review

Kalinka Veber 6-24x50 Rifle Scope

by Jody Calhoun

  For my Project 2005 rifle, Kalinka Optics sent me a scope for testing and evaluation. The scope is from their new sport optic line, Veber, and is quite indicative of most Russian optic products of its kind, clean, simple lines and built for function. Kalinka has been around for a while now, offering Russian optics for military style weapons such as AK's and Mosin Nagants. Their lenses are ground using Zeiss grinding technology obtained from East Berlin after World War Two. The particular scope they sent is the Veber series 6-24x50 illuminated reticle model

Since Kalinka uses Zeiss style equipment, the lenses are quite clear, as one would expect. There is no blurring near the edges and the focus always crisp. The lenses are multi-coated using a proprietary coating developed to have less interference with light transmission. It really does do a good job of transmitting light. At early sunrise and late sunset, seeing your target clearly isn't a problem. The 50mm objective and 30mm tube also help in this regard.

The tube is made of aircraft grade aluminum and is anodized internally for reduced glare inside the scope. This will help to keep the sight picture clear on bright days. The outside is also anodized with a flat black finish that is quite strong.  This gives the body a great resistance to scratching and also eliminates glare from the scope body. I think it also gives the scope a more professional appearance. The numbers on the adjustable objective, power ring and ocular are all marked in white. The numbers are very clean and easily visible. The scope is Nitrogen purged to help reduce fogging as well.

The scope is equipped with common style target turrets. The clicks are 1/8 MOA and are very clean. The clickers are somewhat loud and easily felt, with no mushiness in the clickers at all (unlike some target turrets). The turret knobs are marked from 0 through 11 and fairly easy to read. The barrels are unfinished aluminum with black markings. These markings are not very crisp and are difficult to read in low light conditions and when making quick elevation adjustments. The turrets are covered with a threaded metal cap that is pretty nice. Much better than the plastic covers that are being used on some scopes.

The clicks are repeatable which is very important when using a scope for different ranges. I have the scope zeroed at 600 yards and have dope for 100, 200, 300, 400, 500, and 1000 yards. There is no trouble clicking to 1000 and then down to 100 and back to 600. I can also click to any other setting and go back to my 600 yard zero and still be on target. To me repeatability is of utmost importance, I simply won't keep a scope that isn't repeatable no matter who makes it or what it cost. This has been a good scope in that regard.

Another feature of this scope is the adjustable objective and ocular. It has a standard AO marked at 25M, 50M, 100M, 200M, 300M, and infinity. If functions quite well as it easy to move without being too easy. The focus is sharp and easy to operate from any shooting position. The cool little feature on this scope that makes it great for target and position shooting is the diopter adjustable ocular (eyepiece). This allows the shooter to fine tune the focus due to varying eye relief from different positions. This has worked splendidly and I'm a great fan of this feature. I would like to see it on more scopes.

From any distance, the most noticeable feature on this scope is the illuminated reticle. It has a German #4 style reticle with a dot center. The dot is red when illuminated and black when the power is off. The illumination knob (rheostat) on top is the noticeable part. It's fairly large and has white numbers on it. It is marked from 0 (off) to 11 (full power). The knob also contains the battery. The battery is accessible through a cover on top of the rheostat.

The dot reticle can be used in on or off. When switched off, it is simply a black dot that works in the same way as a target dot. When the power is on, the intensity of the red dot is controlled by the rheostat. The markings determine how bright the dot is. The lowest setting is almost non-detectable and the highest can be seen well during daylight. I have found the red dot to work well when shooting black paper targets. It's very easy to see against the black background. I have also found that the dot is a little too big for serious long range target shooting but is great up to 600 yards. I would like a little bit smaller dot or maybe a fine duplex.

  This scope fits the long action Savage very well. It has a nice long tube that will allow a great bit of leeway on where to mount it in the rings. There are a lot of scopes on the market nowadays that have tubes that are too short to comfortably mount on a long action rifle without offsets. I'm very happy with the tube length Kalinka designed into this model.

The Kalinka Veber 6-24X50AO scope is a fantastic long range varmint/target scope for shooters on a budget. The glass is on par with scopes that are more expensive and the length is a nice change of pace from the now popular short tubes. The repeatability has proven to be reliable and that is very important in my opinion. The quality and performance of this scope is better than many scopes in the under $400 price range. This scope performs well enough to allow me to take first place in a 600/1000 yard F Class competition earlier this year. If Kalinka can improve the target turrets and reduce the dot size, or maybe even offer a fine duplex reticle, this scope will be one of the best scopes bar none on the market for varmint/target shooting.