Alright guys...the Meopta is already on its way back to where I bought it. With it next to my 3-9x42 SWFA SS HD at last light looking at the tree line and some deer 20-40 minutes after sunset Wednesday the 3-18x56 Optika 6 was at best equal in brightness and lower on resolution with both at 9x. Had a buddy with me who agreed. Now I have a Leupold Mark 5HD 3.6-18x44 on the way to compare...

Not surprised. I think meopta is a brand that gets a lot of hype because it's lesser known than say a Zeiss, so it gets a lot of superfans convincing folks it's the bee's knees compared to more commonly purchased brands.

Glad I passed on the optika. Thanks for the report

I think the glass in the SWFA HD is in the same tier as the Meopta Meopro (which is what is in the Optika 6), just on the upper end of that tier. The Optika6 is LOADED with features, had great feeling turrets, good looks in person, the dichrotech reticle was neat (although too fine IMO for a FFP at lower power). I'm not saying the Optika6 is a bad scope, its just not a low light upgrade over my SWFA. The MeoStar R1 & R2's I'm sure are on the next level optically speaking.

I am surprised you felt that the Optika6 3-18 didn't have great low light visibility? I used mine to take a nice buck right at legal shooting time and watched him through my scope and bino's for 20 min before that. Having worked for a different optic company for about 10 years I am thoroughly impressed with what the Optika6 brings to the table and the price. I have put this scope on everything from a .17 Airgun all the way to a .375 H&H with no issues. Some of my buddies have even hopped on the Meopta bandwagon after checking out my Optika6. I loaned a friend of mines Nephew my rifle and he took his first buck ever in thick woods at first light.

Optika6 3-18

Oh I think it’s a good scope and good in low light, just not better than a SWFA HD optically. Definitely has more features than an SWFA.

I now have a Leupold Mark 5HD on the way to try to unseat the SWFA. Everything I’ve read says it has top tier glass.

Didn't you just make a post over on the campfire last week talking about your SWFA being subpar in brightness during legal shooting hours? Couldn't see some deer at a very short distance?

I know there are some guys who like the SWFA scopes, but I can't get past the fact that they're a Tasco. I've looked through a couple before and found them to be nothing beyond average optically. I've heard on the plus side, they are very repeatable when dialing. But like I say....it's still a Tasco.

You clearly don’t get the concept of SWFA scopes and apparently haven’t looked through the 3-9 version either. The 3-9x42 HD is made by LOW in Japan, the same company that makes the Bushnell LRHS/LRTS, Vortex Razor and Nightforce SHV, so I guess they are just a Tasco also.

The sub-$300 fixed SWFA SS scopes were designed as an aiming device that tracks true and holds zero under the recoil of a 50-cal. They do this extremely well and better than most scopes costing 3-4x as much. Do you really think it can track perfect, hold zero and have stellar glass all for under $300???

However, the resolution on the fixed 6x SS is still surprisingly good and in fact good enough to resolve 22-cal holes at 100 yards.

I’ll take a “reliable” scope over great glass anytime. I have binos for “looking” at stuff.

According to ChrisAU's post on campfire, the 3-9 HD apparently is "just another Tasco" with regards to its glass. His quote, not mine..." yesterday watching deer from the stand in the last few minutes of legal light at 65 yards I could not see them through the scope at 5-6x but I could see them easily through my 10x50 Leupold BX-4 binos". So, what's the point in a scope if you can't see what you want to shoot through it?

And, whether you knew it already or not, SWFA is LITERALLY a Tasco. Even their user manuals have "Tasco" printed on them...or did up until a couple of years ago.

Chris may need to go see Bamaeyedoc if a SWFA HD or a 50mm Meopta aren’t good enough to kill pine goats during legal AL shooting hours.

I can see plenty good enough with my 3-9x42 HD to kill deer during legal hours regardless of cloud cover or terrain.

Sounds like you frequent 24HCF enough to know the SWFA SS is more than adequate for critter killing both near and far.

First 3 deer I ever killed were with a 3-9 Tasco, so I reckon I can still sleep at night knowing I killed 6 with a “Tasco” this yr 😉.

Yes I’m looking for something better than the SWFA, and the Meopta 56mm was not better. Says a lot about the SWFA/Tasco.

Yes I absolutely had two days hunting in January where I could not resolve a deer in legal light through the scope.

Yes, I have been to an eye doc and my right eye is only correctable to between 25/20 and 30/20 and has specific trouble at low light due to a small cataract in the middle of my pupil that blocks a large portion of the exit pupil of a rifle scope, making me very sensitive to glass quality in very low light.

Yes, my SWFA/Tasco was good enough to kill 9 deer and 1 bull elk this year...