Review: ZeroTech Trace Advanced 4-24x50 RMG rifle scope

ZeroTech’s range of top-shelf Trace Advanced scopes are made in Japan before being finished and inspected here in Australia, and they represent a significantly upped ante by the Australian company as it pushes ever harder into the market for shooting optics.

There are four scopes in the Trace Advanced range, all aimed at long-range precision: this 4-24×50 with RMG reticle is the entry-level model, costing $500 less than the 4-24×50 with Tremor 3 reticle. Then there are the 5-30×56 versions with the same reticles and ED glass.

ZeroTech Trace Advanced 4-24x50 RMG review — The 4-14×50 scope is nicely scaled for a long-range hunting rifle and weighs just under 800g

All I can say is the 5-30x models must be superb because this $1999 ZeroTech is a bloody good scope.

I tested it on a Weatherby Model 307, just the sort of accurate, far-reaching and precision-built firearm ZeroTech created the scope for.

The image at all magnifications has beautiful edge-to-edge crispness, and the great contrast in the multicoated lenses brings out a huge amount of detail. Colour rendition is very accurate.

Low-light performance every bit as good as you’d expect of a 50mm objective lens, but of course as you wind further up towards the ZeroTech’s 24x magnification, the exit pupil gets smaller and limits light transmission, no matter how much the lenses might try to help. If you’re likely to shoot in poor light very often, I’d look at the 56mm models.

The illumination built into the RMG reticle will assist good aim when you do find yourself dealing with poor light. It lights up the crosshairs and their hash marks. The windage and elevation marks away from the crosshairs cop a bit of a glow, too. There are 10 brightness settings. (The Tremor 3 in the other 4-24x is not illuminated, but both 56mm scopes have illumination.)

The RMG makes a lot of sense, being mounted in the first focal plane and subtended in milliradians (MRAD) with hash marks .5 mil apart and measuring in increments down to .1 mil and less. The pattern of windage and elevation holdover marks below the centre are alternately set as dots and crosses, so it’s simple enough to quickly count them off without losing track.

It provides a really nice balance between simplicity of display and speed of aim.

The RMG, which is etched into the glass and therefore effectively unbreakable, is unique to ZeroTech. The Tremor 3 is a Horus design and it is more complex but will certainly give a competitive shooter an edge in speed once they’re familiar with it. The Tremor 3 is the one to buy if you’re really serious but for my purposes, which are definitely focussed on hunting, as well as practice to keep myself sharp, the cheaper RMG is an ideal fit.

The six-fold magnification range, from 4x to 24x, is also practical in the field, and the reticle is scaled to be useful all the way through the range. At 4x you mightn’t be able to make out the detail but you wouldn’t be shooting at ranges where it’s necessary to do more than centre the crosshairs and shoot. This scope gives you the ability to shoot at close range as well as way out.

A generous range of parallax adjustment helps, too: from as close as 20 metres all the way to infinity, varied by turning the left turret’s inside ring; the outer one controls reticle illumination.

The turrets are not mere turrets, of course, but carefully designed for the scope’s role. To that effect, all the markings are large and clear, again ensuring speed and precision.

The right turret, for windage adjustment, is capped, while the top turret is not but must be raised before you can move it. Both setups prevent accidental movement.

The 0.1-mil click adjustments are tactile, accurate and consistent, so you can dial the point of impact in all directions to hit various targets and always come back to your zero. There is a zero stop capability and, of course, the turrets can be reset to your rifle’s zero.

The magnification ring is rubberised with fine grip strips, and will accept a small throw lever that comes with the scope. Movement is firm but not overly tight, and fitting the lever gives you a physical indication of where you are in the range so you don’t have to waste time looking.

Eye relief behind the scope is a generous 92mm, which should prevent you being scoped under the recoil of some of the heavy calibres often used in long-range competition and hunting.

Good quality Tenebraex lens caps are on each end and seem to wear better than the alloy ones ZeroTech has used in the past. The Trace Advanced is also supplied with a sunshade and other basic accessories.

Without its accessories the 4-24×50 weighs 790 grams, which is quite respectable for a scope like this and certainly light enough to justify being put on a rifle you’re carry into the field a bit, and it would complement any of the good lightweight long-range rifles. This in itself is a prime reason to consider it.

ZeroTech’s lifetime warranty is another, though it’s apparent that ZeroTech has a low rate of warranty issues.

It’s easy to spend a fortune on a good long-range scope, especially one designed for competition. The Trace Advanced scopes make it easy to avoid that, bringing the price of a quality, well-specified and highly functional optic down to reasonable levels again.

SPECIFICATIONS