PAO 3-12×44 TOPAZ Half-Mil-Dot SWAT Riflescope

Description

PAO 3-12×44 TOPAZ Half-Mil-Dot SWAT Riflescope

Compact Zoom Telescopic Sight with Red/Green/Blue illuminated HMD crosshair

The PAO 3-12×44 TOPAZ Half-Mil-Dot SWAT Riflescope is a short scope for use on all air rifles, rimfire and centrefire rifles. But don’t let the compact size of this new MK2 model fool you! This scope may be little, but it comes with a huge spec list… and an even bigger performance! It also carries PAO’s Lifetime ‘Replace – not Repair’ warranty. So, what do all those letters and numbers mean?

TOPAZ

TOPAZ is the name PAO gives to its blue-tint optics. The lenses used in the PAO 3-12×44 TOPAZ Half-Mil-Dot SWAT Riflescope are high quality and multi-coated to ensure two things. First: good light transmission. This means that you get a bright sight picture, especially in low-light conditions. So you should have no problem picking out its mil-dot crosshairs on the target. Second: clarity. This means that you also get superb detail in the image which, of course, can be magnified by up to 12 times. Effectively, your target appears 12 times closer – and it will also look super sharp!

PAO’s TOPAZ range of scopes are instantly identifiable by the blue ring around the objective lens housing. Other models currently available in the TOPAZ range are the 4×32 Mil-Dot and the 4×40 Mil-Dot. There is also a Lazer Sight.

HMD

HMD stands for Half-Mil-Dot, referring to the type of crosshair. A mil-dot reticle features dots on the crosswires. These are spaced at a milliradian (1m apart at 1,000m) and are used by the military for rough-and-ready range-finding purposes. So, the HMD crosshair on the PAO 3-12×44 TOPAZ Half-Mil-Dot SWAT Riflescope offers even finer range-finding. The PAO’s HMD reticle is set in the second focal plane (SFP). When you look through the scope, you will see thick-to-thin crosshair stadia, with dots on the middle and thinner crosswires. Mil-dots are so much better than a plain crosshair for a number of reasons:

You can use then for approximate range-finding by ‘bracketing’ your target. Simply take a note of the the ‘gap’ measurements between the dots at various ranges. Then use that as a reference when shooting at targets of roughly known size to get a rough idea of the range distance. For example, you might find that bracketing a tin can between three dots is 25 yards, but if you can bracket it between just two dots, then it’s more like 15 yards. Many hunters and field target shooters swear by the bracketing system.

Also, once you know the range, a mil-dot reticle gives you lots of extra aiming references at distances other than the range the scope is zeroed at. So rather than aiming in mid-air when shooting at targets further away, or closer, than the scope zero range, you use one of the dots. The mil-dots also make it a lot easier to allow for windage drift of the pellet or bullet.

Bonus IR Feature

Additionally, the mini PAO 3-12×44 TOPAZ Half-Mil-Dot SWAT Riflescope is an IR scope, meaning it has an Illuminable Reticle! What’s more, you can not only light up this HMD scope in either Red, Green or Blue, but select one of three intensities for each of those colours! So, you can choose the best colour and brightness of the HMD crosshair to suit the target or background you are shooting.

The IR feature is is particularly useful when shooting in low-level or difficult lighting conditions, when it may be difficult to pick out a black crosshair against the target. If IR is not required, the scope can be switched ‘off’ to present the usual black Mil-Dot crosshair. Note: The IR feature requires a CR2032 battery, which is supplied.

SWAT

SWAT stands for Side Wheel Adjustable Turrets – two features that are very much interlinked. Primarily, turning the sidewheel eliminates parallax error at the distance your target is located, so you are guaranteed pinpoint precision. However, when the scope’s magnification is zoomed all the way up (to 12x), it will also fine-focus the target image. This can be used to accurately determine the exact distance of the target – simply read off the range shown on the sidewheel! This scope will focus as close as 10 yards, and as far as infinity.

What’s more, the PAO 3-12×44 TOPAZ Half-Mil-Dot SWAT Riflescope comes with a large, 100mm diameter sidewheel to make reading off the range even more accurate.

Once you know the range, you can then either use the dots of the HMD crosshair to aim higher or lower – according to your zero – or you can also dial in a new zero! That’s because the PAO 3-12×44 TOPAZ Half-Mil-Dot SWAT Riflescope features finger-adjustable turrets for both elevation (up/down) and windage (left/right). These offer MIL click-stop adjustments (1cm at 100m).

Both the elevation and windage adjusters are external, so you can turn them with your fingers and do not need a coin. Each turret has a numbered vernier, which is easily reset to ‘0’ for reference. The turrets also feature Push-LOK – a push-pull ‘lock’ facility so that you cannot inadvertently turn them and lose zero. They can also easily be reset to show ‘0’.

3-12×44

The numbers in this scope model refer to its magnification range and size of the front (objective) lens. The PAO 3-12×44 TOPAZ Half-Mil-Dot SWAT Riflescope is a variable magnification scope, with a magnification range that can be varied between 3x and 12x power. This makes it an ideal scope for both close- and long-range work, like hunting and target shooting. Also, the zoom ring offers stepless adjustment between the highest and lowest settings.

The ’44’ signifies the diameter of the front, objective lens – in this scope’s case, 44mm. Being that little bit larger than your typical 40mm telescopic sight, this means more light can enter the scope. That, coupled with the TOPAZ multi-coated optics and oversize, 30mm body tube, makes the PAO 3-12×44 TOPAZ Half-Mil-Dot SWAT Riflescope a vary bright scope indeed.

Construction

Besides all the aforementioned attributes, the PAO 3-12×44 TOPAZ Half-Mil-Dot SWAT Riflescope features numerous other high-end appointments. It has a 30mm body tube made from aircraft grade aluminium and an integral objective cowl to stop reflections. It boasts high quality and multi-coated lens arrays and a fast-focus eyepiece. It is also Fog proof, waterproof and shockproof and has been completely sealed and Nitrogen-purged to prevent moisture ingress. The scope measures just 305mm long, and weighs approx. 675g which means it will not upset the balance of your rifle. It is also comparatively short for a high-power zoom scope, so will fit most rifles’ receivers without problem.

Extras

The PAO 3-12×44 TOPAZ Half-Mil-Dot SWAT Riflescope comes with flip-up lens covers (objective and ocular). It is also supplied ready-fitted with mounting rings with 9/11mm clamps so you can put the scope straight onto your rifle.

A comprehensive User’s Manual giving full fitting and operating instructions are included in the box, along with a lens cloth and hex tools.

This Topaz scope also carries PAO’s Lifetime ‘Replace – not Repair’ warranty.