Crimson Trace 3 and 5 series scope first impression

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qball,

I just looked online, everywhere I could think of to see if I could find the amount of elevation travel. I had a hard time finding anything, couldn’t even find anything on the Crimson Trace website because it’s a discontinued model.

I finally did find a review that looks accurate but who knows? This guy says there is 32MIL of elevation travel and 20MIL of windage which does sound about right. 

Here is a link if you want to check it out. 

https://www.outdoorhub.com/reviews/2019/03/04/the-crimson-trace-ctl-3-24x56/

Stoti
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My understanding is there is a lot more adjustment available but elevation depends on where the turret is set at and there is a internal limit for the wind age because who needs that much windage adjustment. 



 
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I bet it was a misprint, the Co that made the spec sheet probably meant to state 120 moa travel instead of 120 mil. 

At the sale price I'm sure these scopes are a very good value. The 5 series should be equal to Cronus level glass but how is the eyebox in it?
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You are right, 120 mils is crazy and probably physically impossible even with 34mm tube.



I messed around with the turret more and realized the 2 revolution is a two way zero stop “feature”. There is a zero stop mechanism that limited the cap travel to exactly 19.5 mils or just under 2 revolutions. It flips after the first revolution. Without the cap/zero stop the turret post actually travels 38 mils or just under 4 revolutions which isn’t bad! Think if I clamp down on the turret post at a higher position it will bypass the zero stop but I like that feature especially the turrets doesn’t have revolution counter. At first I thought the turret design is clever but now I’m confused on why and think it’s rather dumb! I miss my element optic turrets already even though rarely I would get to use 19.5 mils. 

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Also the windage travel is limited to 10 mils total or 5 mils/half revolution each direction bu a post on the opposite side of zero. 


 
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They have 32 Mils elevation and 20 Mils windage no matter what the specs sheet or internet says.

It's (5 series) is clearer than the Cronus Gen1.

Haven't tried a Gen2 Cronus YET.

The Tract Torics beat the CS 5 series and are worth their retail price IMHO. I don't push them because they have 25 yard focus which most airgunners would probably pass on the to this fact.

They (Torics) look clearer than my Nightforce NX8 4-32x at the same magnification and are close to my numerous March scopes in glass.




 
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They have 32 Mils elevation and 20 Mils windage no matter what the specs sheet or internet says.

It's (5 series) is clearer than the Cronus Gen1.

Haven't tried a Gen2 Cronus YET.

The Tract Torics beat the CS 5 series and are worth their retail price IMHO. I don't push them because they have 25 yard focus which most airgunners would probably pass on the to this fact.

They (Torics) look clearer than my Nightforce NX8 4-32x at the same magnification and are close to my numerous March scopes in glass.



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yes you can do that if you clamp the cap at the top portion of the turret posts so the zero stop won’t make contact. If you push the cap all the way down when tighten the screw then the zero stop kicks in. Think I’ll keep my zero stop setup as 19.5 mils is a good amount plus the reticle makes it pretty easy to hold over.


 
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After looking at it and shoot with the series 3 yesterday I made some more “discoveries”.



- the series 3 does not have zero stop and get just over 3 revolutions 

- the depth of field is shallow which means the focus/parallax is sensitive but it is very accurate, this is hallmark of very good precision/target scope. Using the parallax against known distance objects the parallax is spot on for ranging and objects snap into focus. I bet these scopes would make great field target scopes. Edit: the depth of field isn’t THAT narrow but still quite effective at ranging at max zoom, I’ve validated with my range finder and it’s really spot on. At lower zoom ranges it’s still more than wide enough to be used for other purposes. 

- because the focus and parallax is very precise and sensitive I got couple of focus wheels from AGN member elis5174 in bound. 

- because it’s FFP and has very precise parallax I need to get my eye piece focus dialed in, it’s a little trickier than my SFP scopes so will work on that today 

- once I got the eye piece focus close to ok the image quality also improved!!!

- turret tracking seems spot on but I haven’t stretched it out

- reticle is pretty descent at high magnifications but not good at low but I’ve said that before. One of the problem is most of the hash/marks are continuous and same in size, it doesn’t have any gaps or larger has marks to help my eyes find the center. Not a big deal at 12-16 and up and at lower zoom it’s damn near impossible against darker background. 




no revolution markers, reticle design and 30oz-34oz weight are about the only complaints I have with these scopes so far. None are deal breakers and I’m starting to be really impressed with them. Everything on these scopes exudes quality and precision! Especially the series 3 at 450 bucks, this is insanely good scope for the money!!! If you looking for long range precision FFP scopes these are a must try! 


edit: these are even better deals than my super cheap barra scopes! 






 
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@qball I have a few questions - 

Do the turrets feel the same between the 3 and 5 series?

If you remove the turret cap do they look the same underneath?

Have you ever tried to power a potato with a light bulb? I have been trying ever since Odoyle mentioned it and I can’t get the potato to light up.
1f92a.svg

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yes they feel the same and the internal parts look identical. The zero stop mechanism is a little metal piece in the cap which I took picture of earlier in the thread, if we can get the cap if the series 5 then we will have zero stop. I certainly will try this week. 


whatever Odoyle told me about these scopes have been 100% spot on even though I’m a naturally skeptical person and try my hardest not to believe him. However he has been right......well all this time. SO........guess I’ll have to work harder on figuring how how to light that potato up! 😜




 
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@qball I have a few questions - 

Do the turrets feel the same between the 3 and 5 series?

If you remove the turret cap do they look the same underneath?

Have you ever tried to power a potato with a light bulb? I have been trying ever since Odoyle mentioned it and I can’t get the potato to light up.
1f92a.svg

Click to expand...


yes they feel the same and the internal parts look identical. The zero stop mechanism is a little metal piece in the cap which I took picture of earlier in the thread, if we can get the cap if the series 5 then we will have zero stop. I certainly will try this week. 


whatever Odoyle told me about these scopes have been 100% spot on even though I’m a naturally skeptical person and try my hardest not to believe him. However he has been right......well all this time. SO........guess I’ll have to work harder on figuring how how to light that potato up!
1f61c.svg





Thanks for that information. I was considering picking up a 5 series but based off of your comparison I am going to pass. If it were me I would return the 5 series to Midway and pick up two of the 3 series with the 34mm tube for $100 more.
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