Author Topic: Anyone here own a Zeiss Conquest (Read 1944 times)

308TIKKA · « **on:** June 13, 2003, 12:46:20 AM »

Wondering if anyone here has a conquest and what your experience has been with them....

tominboise · « **Reply #1 on:** June 13, 2003, 03:30:50 AM »

I have one - 3X9 - and love it. It's mounted on my Sako 30.06. It's the best scope I own. I also have Leupold Vari-X III 2.5-8X on a couple of rifles, and highly recommend them, as well. The conquest is really quite exceptional for quality. I shot last weekend, the sako '06 and my .270 M70 that has a B&L Elite 3000 3X9 on it, and a featherweight M70 with a Vari-X III. The conquest was clearly the best scope (pun intended), the Vari-III a close second, and the B&L a more distant third. Of course, you can buy three B&L for the price of the conquest.

I bought mine a bearbasin.com. If I could afford it, I'd sell all my B&L and my Vari-x II scopes and replace them with conquests..

HTH, TOm

Zachary · « **Reply #2 on:** June 13, 2003, 04:01:01 AM »

Tom,

Keep in mind that you are comparing the Conquest to the 3000, not the new Elite 4200s. I have used both the Conquest and the Elite 4200 and I can tell you that, optically speaking, they are both virtually the same, except that the 4200s have the benefit of having the rainguard feature, which the Conquests do not.

In fact, there was a test done some time ago. Specifically, a Zeiss Conquest with 44mm objectives and an Elite 4200 with only 40mm objectives. The test showed that the Elite 4200, even with the smaller objective, was tied with the Conquest.

Zachary

tominboise · « **Reply #3 on:** June 13, 2003, 04:46:32 AM »

Zachary,

Agreed, I am not comparing apples to apples, by comparing the $400 Conquest to the $150 B&L elite 3000. I only offered the observation in case one thought that an inexpensive scope was equal to a more expensive glass. They are not. Having never looked thru a 4200, I have no basis to make a statement about it.

Anyway, good shooting......... :-)

Tom

chk · « **Reply #4 on:** June 13, 2003, 05:45:14 AM »

Zach, do you feel the B&L 4200 scopes have more durable internal parts? I've read some opinions stating the internal parts of the Conquest series scopes aren't as tough as some would like. Dave

Zachary · « **Reply #5 on:** June 13, 2003, 07:39:12 AM »

Dave,

I have used, and have seen, Elite 4200s used on a variety of calibers, from light .243s to .375H&H Magnums - They have ALL worked well. The biggest gun I have seen used with a Conquest was a .300 Win. Mag., and it too performed very well without any problems.

I have not heard anything about the Conquest having internal components that were either weak or less than what most shooters would like. Although I really like the Elites, I honestly can't say any real negative things about the Conquests.

HOWEVER, please understand that the Conquests are still relatively new models. As such, it will be a while before they have gone through the test of time - like Leupold Vari-X IIIs, etc.

You may say the same thing about the Elite 4200s, but not really. Specifically, although they are under the Bushnell name, they were first under the Bausch & Lomb name for a much longer time. They used to be named the 4000 and 3000 series.

Which one should you get? Get whichever one you want. But let me put it to you this way - I own more Nikon Monarchs and Bushnell Elites than any other brand, and my favorite is the Elite 4200s.

Zachary

bigdaddytacp · « **Reply #6 on:** June 13, 2003, 07:49:07 AM »

Quote from: 308TIKKA

Wondering if anyone here has a conquest and what your experience has been with them....

......I have a 4.5x14-44mm MC with the side focus/parallax adjustment and since I have it mounted on a accurate sporter rimfire bolt gun I can't comment on the recoil handling but the zero remains constant, the adjustment-clicks are repeatable and reliable......the sidefocus is very nice and was a big selling point for my use in that power range.....the fast focus eyepeice is nice and easy but I only focus my scopes every few years and it's not a big selling point for my use.......the scope is very clear and the reticle is the Z plex type and is vivid and sharp.........I'm a Leupold junkie and have over a dozen now and only tried the Zeiss because of a longtime friend/gundealers recc. and the side focus and past Zeiss experience with their scopes and still have a couple of their binocs........after a few months it has performed fine in low light and bench,field and fun shooting........HTH..good luck and good shooting!!

longwinters · « **Reply #7 on:** June 13, 2003, 10:03:10 AM »

I have always been a Nikon Monarch fan and still am. But I bought a Zeiss Conquest 3.5x10x44. It is an excellent scope. I put it on my Sako 7mm and no problems what so ever. I have a buddy who has both the Elite 4200 and the Conquest . . . so I have looked thru his Elite also. (which is on a 300 Weatherby mag). It is also a fantastic scope. If buying another scope I would have a hard time deciding between the two. The only thing I could really say in favor of the Conquest is that if you are going to put a silver scope on a stainless barrel, the Conquest matches much better. It is not a silver color but a stainless color. I would ck out theopticzone for a scope. I got mine thru DandN. While their customer service on the phone was really excellent, their delivery time and follow thru was not very good (at least in this one instance). I was promised the scope twice and they never delivered until the third time. Have fun shopping.

chk · « **Reply #8 on:** June 13, 2003, 04:24:27 PM »

Thanks Zach. I know what you'd love about the Conquest. A four inch eye relief. That's why I recommended the Nikon Gold 1.5x6 before you bought the Elite with the Firefly rectical. I always wanted to help spend a lawyer's money. LOL Dave :-D

Zachary · « **Reply #9 on:** June 15, 2003, 05:25:24 PM »

Actually, the Monarch Gold sounds really good, but I went with the Elite for 3 reasons. First, it has a 1" tube and the Gold has a 30mm tube - I didn't particularly want a 30mm tube on my .375. Second, the Elite has rainguard - something that may definately come in handy when hunting dangerous game in wet, cold, and soggy conditions. Can you imagine having a Grizzly after you and your scope fogs up? :eek: Third, I wanted a scope with an Illuminated Reticle - which should come in handy when it's either very dark, or the animal is just as black as the cross-hairs and you really can't "put a bead on'em."

Don't get me wrong, I own several Nikon Monarchs and I love them. I trust the Golds are just as good, if not better. It's just that I think that the Elite 3200 was a better choice for this particular application.

Believe me, I spend more money on hunting and fishing gear than I care to admit - and it's not even hunting season yet.

Zachary

308TIKKA · « **Reply #10 on:** June 17, 2003, 01:52:34 AM »

I have had 2 Conquests, a 3-9 and 3.5-10. i sold the 3-9 to get the 3.5-10 because i found a new one for 30$ more than the 3-9 cost. I previously owned Leupolds. I replaced the Leupold vari-x III with the conquests. I like the reticle better as it is etched instead of wire which means it stays black and doesnt turn into a bronze tinted reticle under certain lighting conditions. The reticle is also a little heavier than the leupolds standard reticle but is not a heavy reticle. I think the reticle is much more pronounced. I think the image resolution is a little better with the zeiss as well.

The leupold is 10 year old technology. Vari-x III's and multicoat-4 have been around and unchanged for over 10 years. Thats a good sign that they work but optically I think they have fallen behind the elite 4200 and the conquest.

The reason why the Conquest is cheaper has alot to do with where the conquest is assembled. Labor is cheaper here in the USA than in Germany. I read numerous boards, and have not heard of a conquest breaking in quite some time. Most (i would say 80%) of the people who compare conquests to vx-3's, like the conquest better. Bear basin told me that the reutrn rate on conquests is as low as leupolds.

The monarch, to me, is picky on eye placement and has less eye relief. I think it is good glass but as a package I am not a huge fan.

I like Zeiss's fast focus, click adjustments(no tool needed), and lifetime warranty as well. I also think in low light, it is unsurpassed in its price class. ELite 4200 is pretty close to it.

ZEISS also has fixed eye relief. i noticed this when shooting a zeiss and a leupold side by side. When i moved the power ring up on the leupold, i had to get noticeably closer than when it was on low power. Zeiss stays the same regardless of power.

Power · « **Reply #11 on:** June 17, 2003, 07:54:34 AM »

I have a Zeiss 4.5-14x44 I just bought for my Tikka 7mm RM. I dearly love the scope and have had great luck with it so far. My only beef is the reticle wires are longer in the thin part than any other scope. Since I use my scope as my range finder too it makes ranging a little harder. Other than that I'm very happy with the clarity and side parallex adjustment. Holding up just fine too so far.

LW, had similar experience with D & R (www.dnrsports.com). Their prices can't be beat and I had my new scope in a week but they are sure lacking on customer service. Called them twice after ordering to get tracking numbers as that was my first time ordering from an unknown company and they never sent them. I gave up (obviously) when the scope arrived.

dodgydoug · « **Reply #12 on:** June 17, 2003, 11:00:46 AM »

I have a Zeiss 4.5-14x44 on my Anschultz. I like a lot. It is clear and crisp. The detents for the adjustments are firm and feel very solid. Can't comment on how well they hold up under heavy recoil, but from the many posts I have read on other forums I would say they are as good as any of the top brands. The lifetime transferable warranty is nice too. I bought mine from an authorized dealer on Ebay for $520. It came factory sealed. I would definitly buy one again.

SHW · « **Reply #13 on:** July 05, 2003, 07:12:23 PM »

I have owned two, the last one was on a Remington 300 Ulta mag. Never had any problems & light gathering was very good. However I probably won't buy anymore. Better bargains are to be had, with just as good if not better scope.