Thread: Element Optics 2-16×50 SFP HDLR review

Hey guys so amongst the recent turmoil of buying and selling. I ended up with a 308win that I wanted to use as an all rounder for hunting near and out to reasonable distance say 500ish yards so I wanted a cope that was quite flexible with a low minimum magnification and still a decent top end mag and the ability to dial if the situation called for it.
I already had a Nikon Monarch 3 3-12×42 BDC which by all accounts is a great value scope with decent glass, nice positive clicks on the turrets (which are resetable but not zero stop) with a reasonable range of magnification for the above parameters.
I had looked long and hard to find a Monarch in that mag range and in theory it was job done
However then when doing research for a friend that was after a scope of similar spec I came across the Element Optics 2-16×50 SFP HDLR.
My attention was firmly gained....I know the NZ REP for Element Optics and handily enough he lives just down the road from me which is a fortunate coincidence.
I have been out to his house a few times mostly just chewing the fat and kicking tires on some of his scopes until now.....
It's no secret that Element optics have been doing some big things in the long range comp scene and are definitely starting to get noticed in those circles.
Thus far their scopes have been targeted (intended pun ) to capture that market.
The bulk of their scopes being large 34mm tu e 50-56mm objective up to 36x mag dirty reticle jobs some of their top of the line scopes have equally impressive prices too but probably still cheap compared to some of the other big boys.
These Competition focused scopes are impressive in features, glass quality and included accessories...as well they should be.
However not suited to hunting unless your carting a portable Canon around on a trailer to shoot game at extended ranges.
Many have enquired directly to Element Optics about scopes suitable for hunting applications and that is how the HDLR came about.
They actually do 2 models the 2-16×50 HD which has a dirty reticle and capped turrets and the HDLR which has a much more simplified reticle with a exposed turret.
Both models have zero stop, are available in MOA OR MRAD with reticle calibrated as such, both are SFP, both have illumination and capped windage turrets.
They both also come with a "ghost ring" or in the HD version it comes with 2 ghost rings, essentially these are a threaded ring that fits the thread on the turret caps and protects that thread on the scope should you wish to run the scope without the caps on the turrets. Not necessary but a nice touch. The turrets are advertised as tool less and this is accurate, however a 1.5mm Allen key is required to set the zero stop.
On the turrets, magnification ring parallax ring and illumination setting ring there is decent knurling which is nicely finished and not at all sharp which should make for ease of use in most conditions even if wearing gloves.
The clicks on the elevation turret are very positive giving a precise and audible click with each adjustment that you can feel and obviously hear as well, I will point out that there is no zero stop on the windage turret.
My only criticism in regards to the turrets is the windage turret definitely is not quite as positive as the elevation turret, it's not mushy at all just softer the clicks aren't as positive as the elevation however still very audible.
Yes these are made in China however they are made to extremely stringent quality control standards which are set out regularly reviewed by Element Optics. Like anything made in China if your willing to pay more they can actually manufacture some great quality gear.
Each scope comes with a quality control tagged that has been signed off by the technician that assembled the scope, that way if any warranty issues crop up Element Optics can trace it back to the technician and rectify what has caused the issue and if need be offer further training to that individual.
On the subject of warrant Element Optics offer what they call a Platinum Lifetime Warranty against manufacturing faults, mechanical failure or damage caused through normal use, it does not cover deliberate damage, damage from improper use or cosmetic damage that doesn't hinder the operation of the scope. If there is an issue they will fix it, if it cannot be fixed they will replace it, no registration or proof of purchase required. That's pretty decent I feel.
OK on to what's in the box other than the scope

• instruction manual
• reticle guide
• ghost ring/s
• Panasonic CR2032 Battery
• 50mm sun shade
• front and rear tennabrex clear flip up scope caps
• technician inspection tag
• Element Optics Sticker
• lense cloth
• silicone bikini cover
• removable throw lever
• 1.5mm and 3mm Allen keys (for zero stop and removable throw lever)

The box itself is nicely presented stout and fully lined with foam to protect the goodies inside.

My personal experience so far I tested this scope directly alongside my Monarch one sunny evening out here in North Canterbury,
Checked field of view both set to 3x then 12x to try and keep the comparison fair, The HDLR was superior at both settings by a fair bit.
We then looked for some animals as we were fortunate enough to be close enough to some native bush and the time of day was right.
We spotted 2 red spikers feeding on the edge of the scrub at 1100 yards away and again the HDLR was better in FOV, color, clarity and brightness on the heavily shadowed bush edge. This was tested with both scopes set to 12x to keep it fair.
Then I wanted to see what this scope could do at 16x so the comparison stops there, even at 16x the picture remained nice and clear, it was warm so there was a little heat haze but that's not the scopes fault. I was easily able to identify the spikes on the young reds the picture remained nice and crisp.
The reticle illumination works incredibly well in bright sun and shadow with the center dot (.25moa) easily defined even at extended range at full zoom.
I felt that if I was good enough at 1100y I could have placed a shot confidently on the spiker without the reticle obscuring the target or getting lost in the shadow.
The parallax adjustment seems to be fairly consistent turning the dial to the indicated distance was intuitive and I found when bringing objects into focus I was able to verify the distance shown on the dial reflected what the range finder confirmed.
At this stage I cannot comment much on the tracking having only had 2 sessions at the range to zero and re confirm zero with a second load, however at 100y the clicks appear to be accurate if you move the dial 8 clicks your POI moves 2 inches, I will at some stage in the not to distant future be heading out to a range to confirm my dope out to 500y maybe further however the weather has put pay to that today and I have a full work schedule next week.
I will update here further once I've had a chance to do that.

So far overall impressions, I like it a lot.
There is a lot of scope packed with features for what is in reality a fairly meager price at the RRP of $1349.00
Sure it's not a Swaro or top end Zeiss but it's also not 3-4× the price either. So far my opinion is this scope is well manufactured, well supported and great value.
Glass quality I would put it above vx3 easily, I need to do more lowlights testing to comment on the low light performance but with a 50mm objective it should do ok.
I will upload pics shortly including one of the spec sheet.