Review: GPO Centuri 6x 3-18x44i rifle scope

GPO’s Centuri 6x 3-18x44i rifle scope is a hybrid between hunting and target styles, and this test proved to me that the European company has nailed the formula and created an optic that, at a RRP of $1089, is awesome value.

Just look at the spec sheet and the value is promising: you get an illuminated reticle, side parallax adjustment, locking turrets, a rotation indicator on the top turret, ample adjustment range, a zero stop and, of course, the generous 6x erector ratio. But as you’ll see further on, there’s more to impress you than the specs.

GPO Centuri 6x 3-18x44i review — The Centuri is a good size for all-round rifle use and will suit various styles of rifle

The Centuri’s size and design would suit just about any rifle, according to your preferences. It weighs just under 700 grams and is a medium length at 34cm. The side turrets give it a width of 8.5cm, which is broad by traditional standards but seems quite acceptable to many hunters now that we’re getting used to the extra functions contained inside them. And the top turret, being about 2cm tall, is no more than twice as high as a compact capped turret on a pure hunting scope.

So it suits a walkabout rifle nicely, especially if you ditch the throw lever on the magnification ring. You could run it on a tactical rifle, particularly in Precision Rifle or a similar competition, where its quickly adjustable turrets and clear markings are crucial.

I liked the GPO best on my Lithgow LA102 Varmint — they seemed a perfect fit for each other.

Sighting in the Centuri got us off to a good start. The first two shots were on paper, touching, but high about 2 MOA and left almost 4 MOA. I made rough adjustments and the second shot was on the lower right edge of the bull. I counted a couple of clicks up and left, then put a shot into the centre bull. Perfect.

The Century continued to demonstrate that its MOA adjustment increments are very accurate and exactly repeatable, both vital if you’re going to use your turrets rather than the reticle to adjust for holdover.

The view is very clear through the Centuri’s lenses. If you look hard for it, you’ll see a little distortion as you get closer to the edges of the view, but it doesn’t affect the vertical hold at the very bottom of the lower crosshair as long as you’ve got the scope properly upright.

I detected no colour fringing, and colour rendition is accurate. Contrast is good but there’s a hint of greying or contrast loss as you push the light-transmitting abilities of the 44mm objective lens at higher magnifications — about what you’d expect at this price and I’ve had scopes that didn’t perform nearly as well.

If you are looking for better low-light performance, a bigger objective is a good start, which is probably why GPO put a 50mm lens on its Centuri 6x 2.5-15x.

On a heavily overcast and dull day I used the Centuri to look into the shadows under trees and bushes on a hillside more than 600m away and picked out sleeping roos and the dun-coloured goats that were among a mob of white ones.

The Century has very good eye relief of 95mm, and it is surprisingly forgiving even at 18x.

Parallax focus, too, is not nearly as critical as in some other scopes, so you won’t find yourself wasting time trying to tune it to perfection.

The GPO’s field of view is reasonable. As you’d expect, at 18x it’s not huge — just 2.3m wide at 100m, but I’d suggest that if you’re using 18x at that distance you’re not looking at something very big. Down at 3x, it’s almost 14m wide at 100m and good enough for almost any hunting scenario in close country.

That 3-18x range is certainly what you’d call versatile.

GPO supplies a plastic tool to undo the turret screws (a coin will do it, too) so you can re-set the zero marks and set the zero stop. The latter is done by removing the top cap and turning a ring set inside it, so it’s very simple.

Both adjustment turrets have clearly numbered MOA markings on them, the elevation dial going through two revolutions to a maximum of 49 MOA, or more than 1.4m elevation per 100m metres of range — good for seriously long distances or subsonic trajectories.

To turn either turret, you must lift it out of its lock; the lock prevents accidental movement, of course.

Once you’ve rotated the top dial one revolution, a little silver indicator pops up to tell you you’re into the second go around.

Inside the 30mm main tube, the reticle assembly has a very generous 90 MOA of total elevation and windage adjustment. Again, we’re talking versatility, this time from all that internal and external aiming adjustment.

The Century 6x 3-18x44i has a recommended retail of $1089, but some shops sell it for less. It comes with a lifetime warranty (five years on the electronics). There are plenty of alternatives for about the same money, but the 6x zoom ratio and quantity of features stand out in the GPO’s favour.

GPO achieves this value by designing its Centuri scopes in Germany but manufacturing them in its Asian factories; the reticles and electronics are made in Germany, though. Quality control and testing are then handled back in Germany.

Its accurate reticle adjustments and apparent good quality are essential factors, too. Include the good optics and it is clearly a scope worth a good look.