A good riflescope is one that has a great optics, proper mounting features, exceptional accuracy, repeatability and crystal clear image reproduction. And you will find all these features in Steiner GS3 2-10×42 scope. This 2-10x42mm optics is stout but comes with a compact design, and has two major functions that pro shooters look for. They are:
1. The ability to remain on target and thereby keep the rifle at accurate direction for bringing down the target easily.
2. The ability to produce a clear image of the target, with no optical distortion of any form, and provide fair idea of the surroundings of the target so that the shooter remains absolutely sure about what is being targeted.
Testing Steiner GS3 2-10×42
While reviewing the scope, we decided to mount this compact scope on a well performing compact rifle. That’s why we selected Howa 1500 Ranchland Compact rifle in 7mm-08 this Steiner GS3 scope can be mounted upon. 7mm-08 is a flat shooting round and is considered among the best all round calibers available in the market for deer hunting. While selecting the ammo, we chose Hornady Superformance 139-grain SST, which at the muzzle is pushing 2,950 feet per second.
What’s inside Steiner GS3 2-10×42?
Steiner GS3 2-10×42 weighs 18 ounces and is just 13.5 inches long. This Steiner scope comes with a 30mm main tube, which allows enough light to pass through it for better image reproduction to the eyes. For allowing more light to pass through the lens, the manufacturer has applied Adjusted Transmission (CAT) multi-coating process over the glass. One of the main advantages of this coating is that the shooters get great contrast, not seen in any other scope in the same price range.
Essential features of Steiner 2X-10X42mm S-1 Ret 30mm Riflescope 5004
This includes 42mm objective lens diameter, 2x to 10x magnification range, Steiner Plex S1 reticle place in the Second Focal Plane (thereby keeping the reticle size appearance constant irrespective of changing magnification range), 52′ – 10.5′ @ 100 yards field of view, 3.5 inch to 4.3 inch eye relief, and 1/4 MOA scope turret adjustment.
Unbeatable Contrast in its Category
Before even mounting Steiner GS3 2-10×42 on the Howa 1500 Ranchland Compact rifle we looked through the scope and spotted a deer pass by during twilight. It must be said that the image contrast seen here is one of the best among the scopes I’ve used in my 15 years of shooting and hunting. We’ve seen better contrast in Schmidt Bender or Nightforce scopes but their prices are way above this Steiner GS3 scope.
Therefore, with this scope in place, you can be rest assured you can shoot whatever the aim point is fixed at . With Steiner’s Game Sensing Coatings on the lenses, you can precisely target the animal, in dense forest cover, because of the amazing image contrast you get while looking through this riflescope.
Reticle
Steiner’s own S1 reticle has been used in Steiner GS3 2-10×42 riflescope . One of the specialities of this reticle is that it is a BDC (bullet-drop compensating) one. This is not an overly complicated one and does not come with a cluttered window in spite of the enhanced features. When you dial in at 100 yards, holdover lines at S1 reticle works out to 600 yards. While testing the scope, we fired a couple of shots at 300 yards range and the result was quite satisfying.
You will find extra dots present in the reticle. This is used for adjustment of wind drift. With reticle lines going down, the dots start to expand. It shows effect of 10 mph crosswind. When taking a longer shot, the reticle seems to be quite spot on. However, Steiner has made it a point while designing this S1 reticle that the plex lines are not overbearing.
Sight-in
After a scope is mounted on the rifle, one of the first features for mounting is the availability of great eye relief. And we felt extremely comfortable with the over st 4 inch eye space while shooting with Steiner GS3 2-10×42. Even with both eyes open, we were able to look at the target without any problem. While preparing the scope for field testing, it hardly took us time for sighting-in. The mounting was easy, ring attachment facility was smooth. All we needed was t couple of tweaking before locking down the rings. The bore sight was quick, and required just a few shot placements within 50-100 yards for sighting in.
Final words from Steiner GS3 2-10×42 Review
Most of the shots a hunter has to shoot for deer hunting are generally within the 100 yards to 150 yards range. However, there are instances where you may have to take shots over 350 yards. This is where the short-range scopes are really tested. With Steiner GS3 2-10×42 scope mounted on our firearm, we didn’t have to make additional adjustment to bring down the deer, located at 350+ yards distance. With a price that’s within $1,000, you can definitely buy this high-quality scope for deer hunting or even elk hunting. Have a look at Scopelist.com for availability and price of Steiner 2X-10X42mm S-1 Ret 30mm 5004 scope.
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