Review: Zeiss Conquest V6 3-18x50 with ASV turret

With ASV turrets, Zeiss’s new V6 in 3-18×50 is just about the perfect do-it-all scope, based on a 6x zoom ratio and built on a 30mm main tube.

The optional ASV turret system reviewed here is available in only two models, a 3-18×50 (under test), and a 5-30×50. Each scope delivers 92 percent light transmission.

The Zeiss Conquest V6 ASV 3-18x50mm is a nicely proportioned scope on a hunting rifle

In the centre of the tube, the mechanism sports well-designed and compact target turrets. These are readily adjusted and feature coarse, audible clicks, and are clearly marked for ¼MOA with a total of 60MOA available.

Full turret rotations are easily kept track of by Zeiss’s clear marking system, so you don’t accidentally end up one full rotation off.

On the left side of the mechanism block is a knob for adjusting parallax from 50m to infinity. In addition to being within easy reach, this feature reduces both size and weight compared to a scope with a focusing objective.

Magnification runs from 3-18x which provides a field of view shrinking inversely from 12.4m on 3x to 2.1m at 100 metres.

Directly behind the power changing ring at the rear of the ocular is a European fast-focus eyepiece capped with a thick buffer rubber. With an eye relief of 90mm (3.25”), there’s no chance of copping a Weatherby eyebrow from this Zeiss scope.

In addition, the V6’s constant eye relief is a good feature, especially on a hard-kicking rifle. Usually on a scope in this magnification range, eye relief can shrink up to an inch simply by cranking the scope up to a higher power. With the Conquest, though, you are not forced to crawl the stock as you zoom the image in and out.

For superior light transmission, the Conquest sports a large 50mm-diameter objective lens of Schott HT glass, which has Zeiss’s T* proprietary multi-coating.

The ability to quickly zoom from 3x to 18x offers a very dynamic and usable range of magnification.

This is particularly true for the hunter who may not want to shoot extreme long range but takes shots at game in both wooded country and open country. You can leave the scope set on 3x as you stalk and be ready when you jump game at a close distance. You only need to increase the power if a long shot offers.

The very first thing I noticed when I looked through the V6 was how clear and sharp the image was. Looking across the flat in front of my house, at buildings at different distances under low light conditions in the evening, I was able to pick out contrasting target points throughout the zoom range.

Zeiss claims 92 percent to-the-eye light transmission, and I don’t doubt this since the high-definition lenses have a six-layer T* multi-coating, with proprietary LotuTec exterior coating that sheds dust and water for clearer imaging in the kind of harsh conditions hunters experience on a regular basis.

After I mounted the V6 on a Sauer 100 XTA in .308 Winchester using Nikko Stirling Zero-Lok rings, I set about checking the Conquest’s tracking. When put to the test, many scopes have adjustment, tracking or repeatability issues. Looking through the V6 I was very impressed by the image quality and colour fidelity. However, it doesn’t matter how good the optics are if the scope doesn’t track reliably.

To check this feature I shot the square by firing two shots at the centre, then the four corner aiming marks, before returning to centre. Each time I adjusted the windage and elevation, the Conquest came through with flying colours. Every bullet hole was inside the one-inch aiming mark.

The glass-etched #6 reticle allows range adjustment via the V6’s ASV bullet-drop-compensating system. The system uses a ballistic turret which is based on a 100m zero and the bullet’s trajectory in MOA at farther distances.

To find the proper setting you’ll have to find the amount of drop in MOA at each distance, preferably by shooting or else referring to a ballistic table for your chosen cartridge and load. Then you can adjust the sightline of the turret to correspond to each range.

Each click of the rotary knob corresponds to ¼MOA. Each fourth graduation is labelled with a number which signifies one MOA up to a total of 20 MOA per full rotation. If the ballistic values for accurate aiming at 100m are known, the number of required clicks can be directly calculated and noted for various distances.

Once you’ve worked it out, ASV is easy to use: Simply dial to the correct mark and shoot. It works most effectively if, after getting your rifle zeroed at 100m, you actually shoot it all the way out to the maximum distance at which you will attempt to shoot game and make a note of where the bullet hits at each range so that you can dial it in.

The V6 Conquest can also be had with two ballistic-drop compensating reticles instead of the simple #6 reticle. The non-illuminated ZBR-2 and ZMOA-2 reticles have different graduations that you can use as visual ranging guides, rather than dialling the turret.

The Conquest V6 employs only top-quality glass, material and manufacturing. It is fully multi-coated on all air-to-glass surfaces and fully waterproof.

The V6 was temperature tested at the factory by subjecting the scope to a deep freeze from -25°C to 50°C; shock testing for 90 minutes at 15 times G-force, which corresponds to the recoil of a .460 Weatherby Magnum; and for resistance to erosion by subjecting it to a salt spray for 24 hours.

The grindings and coatings on Zeiss lenses are still some of the finest in the world. They are among the most aberration-free lenses money can buy. If you’re looking for a top quality scope in this magnification range for your long-range hunting or varmint outfit, the Zeiss Conquest V6 is one to consider.

It’s a rugged and reliable riflescope with optics befitting the venerable name of Carl Zeiss.

SPECIFICATIONS