Element Immersive Series

Hi All,

Considering buying the Immersive 14x40 for my .22 cal M3 compact. The European Starlings are smart and have learned they are not welcome on my property. They rarely hang longer than 5-10 seconds if I am woods walking around so getting set up on one quickly is necessary. I am interested in hearing the pros and cons from those who use the immersive optic. Thanks
 
I just traded comments with Redtick12 about those scopes in the "Best glass fixed 10x scope" thread. The highlights:

I have a 10x40 and it is quite different from a standard scope. It will focus down to ~6 yards and the image details are sharp and crisp, so "good glass". The field of view is uniquely impressive, maybe three times the diameter of a regular scope in each direction, like a 3x field of view at 10x magnification, or with the reticle mapping 25 mils in holdover/drop, I'd estimate an 80 mil diameter field of view. However, it is a challenge to get the eye exactly in the proper spot to view the whole reticle / field of view clearly, and with an eye-relief a half-inch or so from the lens it won't work on a recoiling gun. At 40/10= 4mm exit pupil, it isn't bright and so might be a poor choice for dark woods or dawn/dusk. And the focus knob turns less out at the farther distances, where a little knob turn gives a big change in focal distance, making it difficult to range distance using the focus knob. But, it is a unique scope experience, like looking through one eye of a 10x40 binocular. I think it would be great for field varmint hunting: glassing wide expanses on a bright day.

Redtick12 wrote,
"The brand that looks like it [Immersive] is MTC. There’s are called SWAT. I have an IO and an MTC. I really like, a lot, both of them, it the MTC a little more. I love the low eye relief, it gives you huge field of vision eliminating the need for variable power to “find” your target. I don’t find locating where to put my eye. There is a spot on my brow that I put right on the reticle and it is perfect. That is one of the things I really like about the scopes, there is no moving my head back and forth to get the correct eye relief."

and I replied,
"Thanks for the tips. If I ever get another prism scope I'll consider MTC. I see their high power is 12x50, which should pass a little more light than the 14x50 or 10x40 Immersives. When I first received my Immersive I almost sent it back, it went back in the box and everything. The image was dark and I couldn't get my eye in the right position to see or focus the whole reticle. But it was evening and everything was dark, and in the morning I looked through it again out into the bright day and was blown away, it was a completely different experience. Yeah, that field of view eliminates the need for low power. Now I grab that scope more than any other, but then again all my other scopes are cheapoes."

Hope this illuminates.
Best,
Mike
 
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Thanks Mike,

I have an Element Helix 4x16 currently on the gun and I really like it. I have a few "cheapo" scopes that make me cringe every time I see them and I have gotten used to(spoiled) with Elements quality. I think the Immersive prismatic scope will be perfect for the pest bird detail as I have to do as Redtick said " jerk my head around" to find the target. This takes valuable time and is stressful so when I do obtain the target and get set up, I am all shaky and rushed and risk a poor shot. The starlings don't wait long. I have a sabre tactical buttstock pre set for an almost always close to vertical shot. I noticed early on that the weight of the gun when aimed over 60 degrees vertical moves your eye closer and makes for basically an impossible target aquision. The ST buttstock solved this because I can "preset" it to compensate for the scope drop and know that I don't have to actively push the gun away from my shoulder while also setting up my reticle.

I am excited to try the immersive just for what's sounds to be a unique optical experience.

Now that I have seen how invasive starlings are I can hear them instantly anywhere I go even while being completely preoccupied in a conversation with someone for instance. I will be 50 miles from my gun and think "damn, I wish I could whack that SOB".
 
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I have the 14x50 and like it a lot, but I’m not sure that the 5x30 wouldn’t have been a better choice for the gun I have it on. The very short eye relief requires some relearning and effort to overcome the aversion of literally resting your brow on the scope body. If you’re at all used to shooting scoped rifles with recoil, your brain will be screaming at you to not do that. Once you get over that, the FOV, and the bright and clear image are super impressive. That said, I’d be real honest with yourself on how much magnification you actually need. I had a chance to look through a 5x30 yesterday for the second time and was once again amazed by it. The long eye relief and huge ocular lens make the scope body almost disappear and combine with the FOV to make the experience quite a bit more immersive than even the 14x variant. Don’t get me wrong, I love the 14, but I think that in the particular use case I envisioned when I put the gun together that it went on, 5x magnification is enough especially when combined with the other attributes I mentioned. Had the shop I was visiting had the 5x30 with the reticle I want in stock yesterday, I’d have left with it and moved the 14x from the Wildcat to my Impact when I got home.

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It would be nice if the investor's who created Element Optics would get their collective elements together with Immersive; as they did seek them out to collaborate to bring us these Element /Immersive scopes to market. The 5-30 Pro in Mil looks pretty good, but no where to be seen except for the pre-order from various dealers...
 
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I had one; I liked it. It did make the rifle top-heavy, IMO. I would have kept it, but now I wear eyeglasses due to eye issues, and it does not work well with glasses. The same is true for the 10x ones. However, the ten-power ones are light. I kept a couple of my 5x ones as glasses are not an issue with them.

PS mine was a 14x50 not a 40.
 
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I've always been interested in a 5x30 for close range pesting but what happened? Weren't the Immersive like $300-400?? I looked and Cameralandny has the 5-30 Element listed at $599? Too steep for my uses
If I ever find use for another one, I will buy it from this guy. 600 bucks, no way. I purchased at least six of these scopes, and don't think I paid more than 300 for any. Been in a couple year now.
 
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I bought mine 5x30-pro from IO, from EU island. Still not sure why they call it "30" if the glass is larger

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I had a hard time finding a bubble level that size, this is only what I could find and it is so f ugly huge. Lucky I could find a lens snap cap to cover, but no luck finding a kill flash I would need to build one on my own diy.

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I've had both the 5x30 and the 5x30 Pro. I prefer the Pro as it's longer eye relief (3.3in") allows me to more clearly see my bubble level. I use it for bird pesting anywhere from 10 to 50 yards. The 5x zoom is perfect for my needs. I'll probably return the regular 5x30 model and keep the Pro. I really like the smaller and lighter footprint. There was also a big improvement in the balance when shooting off hand. It would be hard for me to go back to a traditional type scope. I purchased mine from Premium Quality Air Rifle Accessories in the UK. Shipped to the states in about a week.
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