Time’s running out and, in my clean-up position among the 13 SSR writers assigned to cover the show, I’m worried that I’m going to miss something. In fact, I know I will, so more new discoveries will have to wait until later. Even though the optics category is assigned to contributor Jim Matthews, I’m reasonably sure he didn’t see the lineup at Nightforcewww.nightforceoptics.com. That’s because he’s blind in one eye and can’t see out of the other. Nightforce is important to me since I used a loaner riflescope from Jeff Hoffman at Black Hills Ammunition www.black-hills.com on a prairie dog shoot. It made a significant difference on a 6mm bolt action that normally houses a brand name 3x9 variable shooting at longer ranges on these small targets.What makes Nightforce different, among other features, is its ZeroStop technology which allows the long-range shooter to instantly return to the zero setting regardless of how much he has adjusted the elevation. It eliminates the need to count rotations of the elevation turret and the possibility of being one rotation off from the zero setting. ZeroStop technology was previously available only on Nightforce military and LE models. Battenfeldwww.battenfeldtechnologies.com had a continuous crowd groping for a view of its new Caldwell Fire Control rifle rest system. That’s the one previewed in the January issue that features a joy stick mechanism that provides perfect fingertip control over the location of your crosshairs when your trigger breaks. No more squeezing, tugging, or shifting a rear bag on the shooting bench—a simple nudge of the control arm and your crosshairs are perfectly adjusted for windage, mirage, or bag shifts. V armint hunters will also appreciate the chance to nudge their crosshairs up and down a little bit, depending on the location of their target.The trouble with consumers—even dealers—trying to decide on which optics product to buy is that without features exclusive to a proprietary brand, they all pretty much include the same things: phase coating on the roof prism, multi-coating, nitrogen purging, waterproof, twist-up eyecups, etc., etc. Kowawww.kowa-usa.com is no different, but they produce a high-end line of binoculars that just seem to look good—or look through, whichever is more applicable. Like a few of their category cousins, Kowa now has HD lens elements, and that puts them in, or at least close to, the premium price-point family of optics. Our discussion at SHOT with Dan Myers, CEO of Myers Communications, Kowa’s PR agency, delved into lengthy explanations of this versus that, us versus them. But the bottom line is in the images seen through the glass by the beholder and there’s no doubt that Kowa’s Genesis 8.5 x 44mm HDs can be considered by retailers as top-of-the-line binocs. Check ‘em out. Quote this article on your site | Views: 145
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