Review: Meopta Meosport R 3-15x50 RD rifle scope

Meopta has gained a large following in Australia in recent years and for a very good reason. The riflescopes, binoculars and spotting scopes from this Czech company not only rival the quality of build and the optics of the major German and Austrian brands, but they are more realistically priced. This is something that appeals to the hip pocket of the average Aussie hunter and shooter.

I’ve previously written about the history of Meopta, a factory in the industrial city of Prerov in the Czech Republic that I visited a few years ago. It’s a massive collection of buildings and the company employs 2500 workers.

Meopta MeoSport R 3-15x50 review — Turrets have clear markings and can be re-set to zero after sighting in

Meopta is owned by an American, Paul Rausnitz, who married a Czech citizen. It is no longer a state-owned factory but a family-owned company. Meopta opened a US branch in 2004 which accounts for the label “Product of USA” on many scope boxes we see here in Australia.

Sales manager Milos Slany confirmed to me that Meopta sold its products to other European optics makers, who sold them under their own label. In total, Meopta exports to 55 countries.

When designing the new Meosport R 3-15×50 RD SFP, Meopta engineers sought to deliver a riflescope appropriate for any type of hunting, regardless of calibre, weather or environs.

The scope offers five times magnification. The second-focal-plane reticle — the 4C illuminated German No 4 type — is etched on glass. The lens is coated with chromium oxide, then photo-sensitised UV light is beamed through the template, exposing all but the reticle. When the chromium oxide is washed off, only the reticle remains.

Meopta’s high-quality HD fluoride MeoBright lenses get 13 coatings for maximum brightness and 90 percent light transmission which, combined with a 50mm objective, enhances image sharpness and colour fidelity. The exterior lenses have MeoDrop, a coating resistant to scratches, oil and debris.

O-rings prevent moisture from entering the scope and, with nitrogen purging, make the scope waterproof and fully protected against humidity, rain and snow.

Resolution and contrast are excellent. The scope is clear with no colour fringing. There is no detectable astigmatism at any power.

The 4C reticle is very fast to aim with, especially when the small centre dot is illuminated by a rheostat located in the parallax adjustment turret. Powered by a CR2032 battery (included), reticle illumination has eleven brightness settings to suit any kind of light conditions, from near dark to bright sunlight. The system features an auto-shutoff that turns off the dot after two hours.

The centre dot is isolated within the crosshair centre to obscure less of the target.

The elevation and windage turrets include adjustments of 0.1 MRAD (1cm at 100 metres or .36” at 100yd) per click. Both turrets are fully exposed and must be pulled upward to unlock before making corrections. The turrets have large numbers and lines that are easily read. Both can be reindexed to zero.

Another key feature, of course, is the 5x zoom range, which allows 100mm of eye relief throughout the power range. The ocular housing’s rear-facing magnification indicators on the power ring and quick-focus eyepiece make the new design inherently user-friendly.

The Meosport R has a one-piece 30mm main tube machined from aircraft-grade aluminium alloy. The scope has a length of 335mm and weighs a hefty 660 grams.

A bonus: the end of the objective bell is threaded to accept a sunshade which is available separately.

Meopta provides 1½-inch (38mm) high ring mounts with the scope but they mount the scope much too high for you to rest your cheek on the comb of the stock.

Meopta wisely chose a 50mm objective for the Meosport R. Whereas a larger objective lens would offer a slight increase in light transmission, and thus resolution, it would also require higher rings that would make cheek weld hard to achieve and maintain.

The Meosport R was designed to deliver fast and precise aiming solutions by dialling in corrections. For changing distances, the large knurled turret turns with authority.

For the hunter shooting big game a reticle’s obvious virtue is simplicity. Sighted-in for a high-velocity cartridge’s maximum point blank range would require no change to the rifle’s zero over normal ranges. The single-turn elevation dial is graduated to allow shooting at ranges a little over 600 metres from a 100m zero, if you prefer to use that method.

The Meosport R has a wide range of magnifications that can be cranked down for close-in situations or up to provide a clear sight picture out to 1000m. All these attributes make it a killer deer rig.

There’s a lot to like about this new Meopta: the lockable turrets, zero reset and tactile rotation indicators. Repeatable target turrets allow you to make the bullet go anywhere you want in 1/10 mil increments and return to zero with the flick of a wrist. The Meopta’s turrets are repeatable and very easy to use and the markings ensure there’s no way you can forget what you have dialled. The scope carries a 10 year warranty.

The things I like most about the Meosport R are its modest magnification of 3-15x, an objective-lens diameter sized for walkabout hunting and the way it fits low over the receiver of a traditionally styled sporter.

We’d like to thank Mudgee Firearms for assistance with transfers of the Browning X-Bolt test rifle on which this scope was mounted. It says a lot that the shop’s owner and his son have several Meosport R scopes between them on their personal rifles.