Steiner 1-4 rapid dot? [Archive] - M4Carbine.net Forums

Boba Fett v2

01-25-15, 03:30

Anyone have any input on the Steiner 1-4 rapid dot? I googled but there wasn't a hole lot of info, but what I did find was all positive. Retail was around $1,800-$1,900.

I picked one up like new for $800.

Hopefully its worth it:confused:

$700 - $800 is a good price point for it. I would have been disappointed had I spent anywhere near MSRP for this optic.

Pros:
solid construction
optical clarity
image contrast (slightly warm hue)
easy grip zoom ring
built-in zero stop
"off" setting between illumination settings (more on this)
daylight visible Rapid Dot
simplistic reticle design
.308 reticle option

Cons:
noticeable spherical aberration across the zoom range
noticeable chromatic aberration on the high end
weight/size (although not quite as heavy as some other offerings out there)
reticle is lost on dark backgrounds when dot is not illuminated
auto time-out on illumination stand-by settings
no 'capped turret' option

The 1-4x24 Steiner Military represents an excellent LPVO if you can find it at the right price. However, I would not recommend this scope if you had to spend over $1K for it. Optically, it simply doesn't really outperform some of the less expensive options out there. However, I would argue that the Rapid Dot is a highly desired feature in most LPVOs. The scope illumination features 7 night settings (including two NV settings) and 4 daylight visible settings with a zero (0) off setting at the extreme high and low end of the illumination adjustment range. Mid-way on the illumination setting knob (between 7 and 8) is a symbol that marks the transition between the night and day illumination settings. Ideally, it would seem to be the most logical solution to keep the illumination setting in the "stand-by" or "off" position when not in use so that you could easily turn the knob in either direction from there and be G2G. However, and the owner's manual for this optic does NOT state this, if you keep it in any of the standby settings for a certain period of time, it will time out (supposedly to preserve battery juice according to Steiner). From there if you tried to turn it on once it has timed out, you'll find that the Rapid Dot will not illuminate. Not unless you rotate the illumination dial all the way to either "zero/off" low or high, which then resets it. I don't know how long it takes before it times out, but I would guess maybe an hour at least. Again, this feature is not mentioned anywhere in the literature that comes with the scope. And while the owner's manual failed to mention the time-out feature, I did manage to dig up the information upon extensive Google searching (there really isn't much information out there regarding this scope with regards to end-user feedback). Steiner has confirmed that this is inherent in the design, which strikes me as a bit odd. It implies that the battery will drain even on stand-by mode, and therefor would need to time-out in order to preserve the battery life. But I would hate to be out hiking or on some long range nature excursion with this scope on my rifle and happen to encounter some kind of threat which would force me to defend myself, only to find that the Red Dot won't come on right away because it timed itself out. Now I have to remember to re-set to zero and then try turning it on again. What bothers me is that this information isn't easily attainable (until you experience it first hand), and the fact that I can't trust it to remain on a "stand-by" setting without fear of it timing out at the worst possible moment is a bit disconcerting. Therefor, you're either forced to keep it on during your excursion (not sure of the battery life, but I highly doubt it will last as long as an Aimpoint), or keep it in the "zero off" setting until you're ready to employ the weapon system. No matter how you slice it, Steiner did a piss poor job disclosing this feature. Other than the slight edge distortion and apparent chromatic aberration on the high end, the scope features outstanding clarity overall. While it's not quite as good as say a Swarvokski or Vortex HD 1-6x, it manages to hold it's own among it's competitors. ETA: I should also mention that at low magnification it doesn't appear to be a true 1x. Looks more like 1.25x, but I won't dock points for that. The zoom ring itself is quite nice, not too stiff yet not too easy to turn. The width of the rubberized ring and nub lends itself to an exceptional purchase when rotating from low to high mag. The turret clicks are quite audible and graduated in .1 MIL increments. It's a tad mushy compared to other scopes at it's MSRP, but not a deal breaker. I would've liked to have seen Steiner offer a capped turret version with the ability to carry a spare battery, but I know exposed turrets in LPVOs are the "tacticool" norm for some odd reason. The built-in Zero Stop is certainly a welcome feature. Zero, set it, and forget it. If you do find yourself needing to spin turrets (not sure why you would), you'd be better served using the BDC reticle for elevation holdover. While we're at it, I would say that the Rapid Dot and BDC are about as good as it gets with regards to simplicity and ease of use. If you've had a hard-on for the Short Dot but always found it too far beyond your means, I'd seriously try to hunt down one of the Steiner Rapid Dots and give it a run. The main selling point of this scope is that it's "Steiner tough", and it will certainly take some abuse before it quits. I'd rank it right up there with NF optics in the rugged/durability department. In that regard I would say that it's a worthy investment if you happen to pay a bit more for this optic. Just make sure you keep an eye on battery consumption as I'm not sure what the advertised battery life is. I may keep it on a low day setting continuously to see exactly how long I can expect the battery to last before it shits the bed and needs to be replaced. For now I'd definitely switch out the battery annually at a minimum, regardless of how often you actually use it. I should also mention that it accepts a CR 2450 battery rather than CR 2032. Anyway, as stated, I don't think the scope is worth what Steiner was originally asking for it, which was north of $1500, nearly $2K. I would say that it's a great buy for under $1K though. YMMV