Optics Schmidt&Bender

When it comes to high-end optical sights, the Schmidt & Bender brand is one of the first to be remembered. This enterprise is a little less than half a century old - a fairly short time in such a conservative environment as hunting equipment. Nevertheless, German engineers managed to push out firms with ancient traditions and make surnames their symbols of luxury optics.

You can’t do something for passionate people without sharing their passions. Specialists in technical mechanics Helmut Schmidt and Helmut Bender did not refute this thesis back in 1957. Passionate hunters themselves, they certainly knew what they could give to their hobby colleagues. And even now, when two generations have already been replaced in the company, there is no connection with the hunters. It is Schmidt & Bender brand sights that are considered the most practical, and combine both the highest technology and time-tested production traditions.

The fact that the company's developments often anticipate the wishes of hunters is simply explained - most of its employees themselves spend the weekend with a gun in their hands. Their experience in evaluating with peers around the world leads them to apparently simple but very handy improvements, like supposedly auto-off reticle illumination. But how much game was lost due to inopportunely released batteries!

The location of the reticle optical sights can be divided into two types. In the first design, the reticle is mounted in a focal opposite lens and shrinks or shrinks when using magnification. This is very convenient for long-range shooting by the number of objects - you can estimate the distance by the size of the grid, at the same time, the shift of the aiming point is excluded.

But for smaller game, the second type of optics is more suitable, in which the reticle is located in the focal side of the eyepiece. It does not change its size, so it will not block the silhouette of the prey. This design requires the accuracy to be specified by the manufacturer, since no matter how the ratio of the target image to the reticle varies, the aiming point must remain the same.

Perhaps a few words about the line of the company under the name "Zenith". The line "Zenith" is easily recognizable by the part of the hull and structure. Such a sight will decorate even the most sophisticated firearms. However, good design is not the only standout trend. It is possible to convert the multiplicity into the maximum possible movement in a circle with one roller. In this case, intermediate values can be set with a fairly high opinion. The distance from the eyepiece to the shooter's eye is increased to 90 mm, which is very unlikely. Even such a trifle as a device for adjusting the battery reserve in the backlit adjustment, hidden in the lid, convenient and pleasant, showed concern for the hunter.

Distinctive features of the Posicon reticle position indication system. As long as the indicator needle is in the green state, the shooter can freely adjust the position of the reticle. But the red part of the indicator scale is found in the collection of extreme reserves, while the adjustment in one supplement limits the possibilities of setting the other type. With the help of a silver ring with marks, you can fix the position after zeroing. In addition, the shooter himself can determine the adjustment marks, sometimes occurring cases and shooting conditions.

The convenience of the illuminated aiming point is undeniable. Even in the daytime, when observed phenomena occur, a significant amount of moving particles are observed (for example, during driven hunting for a wild boar), the illuminated dot sight helps to aim much faster, almost offhand. With a long-range, "sniper" shot, the backlight turns off and does not cover part of the target. Thus, the advantages of a calibration sight and classic optics are combined in one.

One of the features of Schmidt & Bender's FlashDot technology is the built-in beam splitter, which allows excellent aiming even at dusk. Plus, as is already noticeable, a significant shutdown of the backlight, which allows you to save battery power until the required moment.

Mounting the scope to the firearm is a particularly important moment. After all, even the most perfect optics and the best carabiner does not give results without a reliable connection between them. Mounting rail Convex is located inside the body of the sight, which allows the use of a wide range of mounting elements and does not completely spoil the appearance of the firearm. In addition, the design of the tire requires a trouble-free installation of the sight and the ability to quickly reinstall it from one gun to another. Plus, the additional ability to adjust the position of the sight up to one degree to the left and right.

All sights of the Zenith model line can be implemented in various versions - with and without a fastening rail, with the presence of aiming marks or with the FlashDot aiming dot illuminated. So you can choose not only a specific model, but also its optimal configuration.

The choice of the type of reticle is the area to which the expression “there is no arguing about tastes” is best suited. But here, too, design improvements have made their changes. For example, thick lateral lines used to be needed to determine the aiming point at dusk. With the development of the illumination of the aiming dot or crosshair, these lines have remained more like a tribute to tradition. But there are subtleties in the illumination of the sight - being too bright, it can “hide” the silhouette of an animal or simply blind the hunter. Given that each person's eye sensitivity to light is individual, Schmidt & Bender specialists have developed backlighting with eleven intensity levels for classic models. At the same time, in the intermediate positions of the regulator, the backlight turns off, which allows you to pre-configure, and turn it on at the right time with one movement. By the way, the capacity of a standard “tablet” battery is enough for 100 hours of backlight operation.

Schmidt&Bender service support is no less reliable than the sights themselves. The warranty period is 10 years, but even after that the client is not left without attention. By the way, Schmidt & Bender service departments are much more likely to deal with the modernization of old models than with the correction of defects under warranty. One of the most requested services is the installation of an illuminated grid, which can be installed on any model with a serial number over 10.000 (the exception is "8x56", in which such an upgrade is possible only after serial number 35.000). The company's craftsmen will not only install a new reticle, but also carry out preventive cleaning of the sight, and after the upgrade they will fill the body with nitrogen to prevent fogging of the lenses. Moreover, re-zeroing after such work is not required - the previous position of the grid is fixed, and the new one will be installed in the same way.

As for accessories for sights, they will also satisfy the most demanding consumers - protective hoods and light filters will make the image in the eyepiece optimal for the shooter's eye. The best manufacturers have thought of everything to the smallest detail. Yes, and these little things, when you get used to it, turn out to be absolutely necessary. Schmidt&Bender optics are high quality instruments that will not leave you without emotions. German precision and quality provided by Schmidt & Bender rightfully makes it possible to be among the world leaders in the production of optical sights, and its products are deservedly popular and in demand in various countries of the world.