SWFA SS 1-4x24 Scope

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Jered
Posts: 7859
Joined: Wed Aug 20, 2008 1:30 am

SWFA SS 1-4x24 Scope

Post by Jered »

When I was looking for a scope for my SBR, I'd narrowed it down to a Leupold VX Freedom, a Vortex Strike Eagle, and the SWFA SS. After I did some reading on the internet, I chose the SWFA SS. At the price, it seems like a decent scope. I don't need a lot of magnification since I'm running it on an SBR and I'm not going out past a couple hundred yards.

Out of curiosity, I emailed SWFA and asked them about the most damaged scope that they ever had to deal with, too.

So, I got an SWFA scope recently. The SS in the model stands for Super Sniper.

I put it on my PTR-91 SBR with a QD Burris PEPR mount. I haven't shot with it yet but, I'm going to post a bit of a review.

The Good:
Construction. This scope feels solid. I mean, I could probably use it to beat someone to death and then slap it back on my rifle. I'm not sure if it would hold zero, but, I bet it would still work.

Illuminated Reticle. This scope has an illuminated reticle and SWFA did a good job of implementing it. It's not a red dot sight. The reticule is illuminated. It has 10 brightness settings. It glows red when you turn the power on. There are a couple of features on it that SWFA thought through, though. It uses those dime sized batteries for power. There's a storage space for a spare one on the brightness control for the reticle which is a good idea because it saves fumbling around if you need to replace it. There's also a power setting between every brightness setting on the reticle. You can choose the setting you like and then rotate it one click up or one click down and it turns the power to it off.

The Reticle. The reticle is interesting. There are three places that you can use for points of aim, so, you could potentially use to aim at three different distances.

The glass. The optics in this scope are really sharp. They're crystal clear and I think it's a true 1X scope. I've showed it to a couple of people and they've commented on how clear the glass is on this thing.

The Bad
The weight. Supposedly this scope weighs 14 ounces but it feels heavier.

Clutter. There's a lot of small print on the reticle. It has a range finder. I don't have bad eyes and I find the numbers kind of hard to read. They're pretty easy to ignore, though. If you want to use it, you're probably better off memorizing the distances.


Don't buy this expecting a red dot or a reflex sight. It's a scope. It seems like a well designed scope, but it's a scope. If you want a reflex sight or a red dot, go buy a reflex sight or a red dot.

This scope was intended for the military, so, it uses MRAD adjustment instead of MOA adjustment. From my brief foray on the intarwebs, I essentially distilled that 1 MRAD is 10 centimeters at 100 meters and 1 MOA is 1 inch at 100 yards. Practically speaking, for most of us, it probably makes absolutely no different but essentially, MRAD is a slightly finer adjustment. Here's an article that explains it.

They make these scopes in the Philippines. I've got a Burris from the Philippines, so, don't let that scare you off.

They make good scopes over there. If you're looking for a close-medium range optic, I'd definitely consider this one. With the features and at the price point, it's a good buy. I'd recommend it.
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D5CAV
Posts: 2428
Joined: Tue Aug 19, 2008 2:48 am

Re: SWFA SS 1-4x24 Scope

Post by D5CAV »

With scopes, what you are mostly paying for with extra $$s is better glass and better coatings. Budget scopes these days beat top name scopes from 30 years ago. I have an older SWFA SS, but bigger scope. I think it is 10x45. OK scope, but starts to fade in low light. However, that scope is over 10 years old. I'm sure they are better now.

Don't worry about Made in Philippines. Vortex is 2x the money, and worth it for better glass and coatings (if you have the money), but also Made in Philippines.
None are more hopelessly enslaved than those who falsely believe they are free.” Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
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Jered
Posts: 7859
Joined: Wed Aug 20, 2008 1:30 am

Re: SWFA SS 1-4x24 Scope

Post by Jered »

I've got a Vortex scope and a Vortex red dot. I just wanted to try a different brand.
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