Celestron is probably the biggest brand in consumer astronomy telescopes. They also make a varied line of terrestrial spotting scopes and binoculars. I wanted to see if Celestron’s Landscout 10-30×50 lived up to its brand reputation.
The most striking thing about the Landscout 50 is its compact size. It is the smallest 50mm spotting scope I’ve yet tested. My Bushnell Spacemaster is slightly shorter but only when compressed into its telescoping body. The Landscout 50 looks even smaller.
Notable among the competition is its ring mount which allows the eyepiece to be repositioned to allow use both on a tripod base, wall mount, or hanging from a roof mount.
Despite its small size optically, it performed big. Despite its BK7 prism, the view through the scope was bright. It produced no noticeable chromatic aberration at maximum magnification. Its resolution and sharpness were only middle-of-the-pack; not quite as sharp as an equivalent GoSky or SVBony 50mm.
It is sharp enough to use as a range spotter for 22LR at 100yrds. But it only offers 30x magnification, which is slightly less than competitive brands that offer 36x or 40x. That means your eyesight will be doing some of the heavy lifting to make out those .22 holes on paper.
At a $70-$80 price point, I consider this a good value. The compact size sold me. It’s small enough to fit inside an ammo can, field coat pocket, or even cram into a full range bag.
One significant footnote: the first time I ordered this scope from Amazon, I got a lemon that had problems with the inner lenses that were misaligned (it would not focus). I returned it and ordered a second one which is used in this review. While Celestron is a very well-known brand, it’s always important to inspect your purchases no matter who makes them.
Vortex describes the Diamondback Tactical 6-24x50mm riflescope as a “long-range wolf in sheep’s clothing” Instead of gee-whiz features such as zero-stop turrets, a removable throw lever, or illumination, it focuses on basics: bright XD glass and a first focal plane reticle.
On the glass part, I have to hand it to Vortex. The glass really is exceptionally bright even at its maximum magnification of 24x. There is a trade-off: while its eye-relief is very good at 3.9″, it has a rather narrow eye-box. I wouldn’t say it’s unforgiving as the edges gradually dims, giving you good visual cues that your eye position is moving out of the eye-box.
Its other strong features are its loud and tactile positive turret adjustments and its Christmas tree reticle. Even when zoomed in to 24x the reticle has fine lines; of course, this could be a negative for those preferring to shoot at 9x, the cross-hairs may be too fine and hard to see. That is a trade-off with FFP reticles.
This scope is a value in Vortex’s lineup but “value” is a relative term. I originally picked up this scope for about $400; which is still the typical street price. But today, I would also look into scopes by Athlon and Arken which both offer more features at a similar price. Again, these are entry-level optics for Long Range Precision optics and the sky’s the limit from this point; both figuratively and monetarily. While I do not regret owning this scope, if I had to buy it today, I would have a harder time choosing it.
The Blackbird is a small, light-weight, 50mm spotting scope from a brand I’d never heard of before. I had seen it come up in my Amazon “suggestions” when I started this series of episodes reviewing various 50mm spotting scopes for 22LR range use but on the surface it seemed to me to be yet another Chinese Off-Brand scope. But Maria Freed, a Subscriber to my YouTube channel, posted a comment suggesting I check out the Blackbird.
The Blackbird is small for a 50mm scope. Not quite as small as the Celestron Landscout but still small. It also had the best external features I like in other spotting scopes:
Captured lens caps so you can’t lose them (both front and back!)
Rear pop-up eyecup
Magnification ring turns independently of the eye-piece.
The optics are bright due to the PAK4 prism, but I found in the 100yrd range test, it was not as sharp or detailed as comparably priced scopes (save for the terrible Barska Colorado) with noticeable distortion on the edges of the image. When enter focused at the USAF resolution chart it managed to resolve down to element 6 in the -2 group, placing it near the bottom of previously reviewed 50mm scopes in terms of resolution and sharpness.
It runs about $70-$80 which is cheaper than an Orion but about $10-$15 more than the SVBony S28 which has slightly sharper image resolution. It’s still a bit better in color and brightness, so this scope may be a better choice for bird watching.
With the success of the Ruger RPR and Savage Precision B-22, CZ has come out with their own factory built precision rifle based on their new 457 action. They paired an all aluminum chassis of their own design, with a LUTH-AR adjustable buttstock to create a competition ready rifle straight out of the box. I test out that claim by taking this new CZ 457 to a 100yrd competition practically right out of the box.
I had been eyeing a CZ 457 MTR but none could be had anywhere, so I ordered the VPC (Varmint Precision Chassis) from Coyote Point Armory and 3 weeks later picked up the rifle (after the idiotic mandatory 10-day CA waiting period but don’t get me started). It was the Wednesday before the Sunday Match, so I had time to film a short unboxing video. You can mount 11mm dovetail scope mounts on the rifle but I chose a Trigger-by-Scar 25MOA Picatinny adapter rail for more commonality with my scope mounts for future reviews.
I attached a spare pair of UTG M-Lok bipods and borrowed a 6-24×50 Athlon Argos from my AR. I took it to the range Friday night to zero out the scope but I didn’t do any prior seasoning, breaking-in or adjusting of the rifle. I kept the trigger set at it’s 3lb factory set pull. I didn’t even lube the shine action (which was very smooth out of the box).
I also didn’t an opportunity to test match-grade ammo. I have a few partial boxes of match-grade ammo from prior testing of Eley Edge, Eley Target, and Federal Gold Medal, but not enough to complete the match, which would require a minimum of 40rnds.
I opted to try out the best quality LRN 22LR I had supply of: Federal Auto Match and CCI Standard Velocity. While zero’ing the scope, I tested out 5rnds of each ammo type. CCI grouped the best (a sub 2″ group at 100yrds) so I chose to run with that for Sunday match. I noted that the CCI standards took a bit more effort to seat into battery. To keep to “out of the box” spirit, I didn’t clean the barrel out but bagged it up waited for Sunday morning.
The Sunday 100yrd match was non-sanctioned casual club event open to all members and guests of the Coyote Point Rifle and Pistol Club. All types of small-bore rimfire rifles were allowed. I had participated only once before with my Glenfield 60, which is a fine plinker but to be competitive I had to bring out the CZ.
The course of fire had 40 scoring shots with a total maximum score of 400: 4 targets 10 shots per target 10 minutes per target 3-minute free-shot period between targets Shooters were allowed to re-zero and test on a non-scoring target during the free-shot period.
The CZ performed flawlessly. The action was smooth and the only effort was the additional pressure required to seat the CCI standards. The factory set 3lb trigger had a clean, crisp, break with zero over travel. It was pleasantly lighter than any of my other rifles.
My only issue was the need to re-load half-way through each target because the CZ only came with a single 5-round magazine. For the price and for the US market, CZ should have included 2 magazines or better yet both a 5-round and a 10-round magazine.
At the end of the match, I came in 4th among the 22LR shooters and 6th overall. My smallest 10-shot group was 1.6″ at 100yrds with a total score of 347 out of 400 (though it would later turn out after reviewing video that one of my targets had holes mistakenly shot by my buddy in the next lane). While this is not sub-MOA performance, I still give this rifle very positive marks because I can easily improve its performance in two simple ways: find match-grade ammo it likes and lighten the trigger.
AFFILIATE LINK Order this rifle at Palmetto State Armory:
SPECIFICATIONS
Product Name CZ 457 Varmint Precision Chassis
SKU 02361
Firearm Type Rifle
Purpose Competition
MSRP $1,039.00
Chambering 22 LR (optional 17 HMR)
Twist Rate 1:16 in
Magazine Capacity 5
Magazine Type Detachable Box
Stock Aluminum Chassis
Sights None,. Integral 11mm Dovetail
Barrel Heavy Tapered Cold Hammer Forged
Barrel Length 16.5 in or 24 in
Weight 7.65 lbs
Trigger Mech Fully Adjustable
Safety Two-Position, Push-To-Fire
YOUTUBE REVIEWERS ARE USELESS YouTube continues to annoy and perplex me. This is the 2nd edit of this video. YouTube reviewers rejected the first longer edit which contained a full unboxing and additional commentary about the features of the rifle. Their reviewer comment was:
Use of guns outside a controlled environment; display of homemade, 3D-printed, or previously modified guns; use of airsoft or ball bullet (BB) guns against others without protective gear.
YouTube Manual Reviewer Team
This, despite the fact that the original video had both text and audio stating that the shooting portion of the video was filmed in at a gun range. In fact, the Sheriff’s training center! So, I edited out much of the unboxing footage and removed any mention of the bipod and scope (which some un-informed reviewer might have deemed as a “modification”?! ) This shortened video was approved.
This is not the first time their human reviewers have misclassified one of my videos and probably won’t be the last. Here below is the original edit (the title was amended by me after the Reviewer rejected it):
In a previous episode, bought and reviewed a Blavor 10,000mAh Solar power bank. Like similar products, it has a built-in solar panel to allow the unit to charge using sunlight. But I wondered just how many days would it take to fully recharge a unit using sunlight alone? I sought to find out.
I fully discharged my unit and left it on my windowsill and checked it daily. I was shocked to discover that after 30 days the unit was still only half-charged. I ended my first video at this point and continued the experiment. After 30 more days, here is the result.
This review took me 4 year to write. That’s how long I’ve owned my Athlon Argos 6-24×50 FFP BTR. Recently, I mounted it on my CZ 457 for a 100yrd match which I came in 4th in 22LR. I found that it offers the ability to sight in quickly, consistently, and confidently at 16x all day long. And conveniently zoom into 24x to easily spot my holes on paper.
At 6x-16x the color, clarity, and contrast are excellent. It holds its own against my Vortex and Bushnell at this magnification range. Its BTR First Focal Plane (FFP) reticle offers clean and readable subtension marks. The MIL version of this scope (which I own) offers a Christmas Tree pattern of windage compensation reference points for long range shooting.
At 18-24x you do lose some brightness and sharpness in the image and the reticle lines seem a bit thick compared to Vortex and some Leopold scopes. But for quick self-spotting of holes, these higher power settings are very convenient. The eye relief of 3.3″ remains constant throughout its 6-24x range with only a slight tightening of an already forgiving eyebox.
Vortex, Bushnell, Burris, and Leupold scopes in the Argos’ price bracket have less magnification and do not offer an illuminated reticle. The Gen2 version of the Argos offers a Zero-Stop turret and retails for $350. While retailers like Amazon try to sell out of their remaining stock of the original Gen 1’s, they make an even better value at around $275. There are cheaper scopes but not better in terms of optic quality and warranty.
iJoy Logo Bluetooth Headphones sell for less than $20 on Amazon. I tested their quality and sound and was pleasantly surprised that they weren’t bad, once you change the default EQ setting to something less bass focused. It offers a range of features including a built-in FM radio receiver, a Micro-SD port for playing MP3s, and the option for wired operation with a supplied 3.5mm audio patch cable. It suffers from an opaque user interface that doesn’t provide sufficient cues to its status or settings and a poorly thought through user experience.
PRO • Good sound quality (in the FLAT EQ setting) • MP3 player • FM Radio • 3.5mm wired audio option • Confortable padding • Folding headband • Inexpensive
CON • Poor documentation • Unclear which EQ setting is selected • EQ reset to default when powered down • Inserting 3.5mm audio cable turns off headphone
This match was an unsanctioned Open for Coyote Point Rifle and Pistol Club members and their guests. Next month we’re going to re-introduce separate classes for support type and caliber (22LR, 22WMR, 17HMR, etc.) but this one was just for fun.
We wanted to get as many members to come out with their rimfires and shoot; some of whom haven’t been able to shoot at this range in +2 years. This range was closed for two separate year-long closures for extensive renovations and then COVID.
I was shooting my new CZ 457 out of the box. I mounted my 6-24x50mm Argos that I pulled off my AR and zero’d it with CCI Standard Velocity and slapped on a spare pare of UTG bipods 2 days before the match. All performed well except for the ammo which was good but could be better. I scored somewhere in the middle of the pack, I hope to improve my scores once I find ammo that this rifle likes (which is really challenging with current ammo shortages).
Next month’s match will be more structured with 17HMR shooters scored separately from the 22LR shooters; as well as different classes for the the type of rifle support used (eg. bipods/bags, bench rests, slings, etc.). The matches are currently by invite only because the Sheriff’s Training Center isn’t open for public hours currently. Reach out to me here for an invite through my CONTACT link in the Menu.
Check out the Coyote Point Rifle and Pistol Club’s website for information about the club. http://coyotepointrpc.org/
I tested one of Federal’s cheapest 22LR. Range Pack a.k.a “Blue Box”. It’s a 40gr LRN that looks identical to Federal AutoMatch but at a lower price. I wonder if it’s actually AutoMatch that didn’t pass or that Federal doesn’t run as thorough a quality check.
I ran 20 rounds through the Ruger 10/22 with one dud round that failed to fire. I got middling group sizes averaging about 3″ at 50yrds. But when I ran it through the Marlin 60, the shots were all over the place. Average group sizes were over 5 1/2″ and numerous failures to cycle.
I thought something might be wrong with my rifle so shot a few rounds of Aguila Super Extra HV and those shot normally in a 1.8″ group. Then I reloaded it with more Fed Range and again got loose, inconsistent groups. While this ammo works ok in my Ruger for plinking, my Marlin really does not like this ammo.
In 3 testing sessions, I noted that the rounds sounded more muffled when fired in the Marlin than the Ruger. I experienced 3 failures to cycle; where the spent case was ejected but the bolt did not feed the next round. And one squib that I had to push out with a cleaning rod. We’ve all been told that ammo do shoot very differently in different rifles; this is one of most extreme examples.
