Tag Archives: monstrum

Shooting Sports

Strike Eagle vs Challenger 5-25×56

The Vortex Strike Eagle 5-25×56 is one of the top-rated long-range scopes under $1000 (MSRP over $1250 but with a street price of around $700). In the five to six years since its release, optical manufacturing technology has advanced as fast as prices have dropped. How does a Vortex scope released in 2020 compare to a modern budget scope like the new $199 Monstrum Challenger?

The Monstrum ships with more accessories than the Vortex, including its own set of high-height rings. But lacks a sun shade included with the Vortex. The Strike Eagle also comes with a throw lever but the Challenger comes with a built-in fin on the magnification ring so it doesn’t need one.

Holding them both in the hand, I noticed the Challenger was a 6-7oz heavier. The turrets of the Strike Eagle looked slightly better milled and its numbers precisely lined up with the scope’s reference marks, whilst the Challenger did not (a blunder common in budget scopes). The Strike Eagle had the better build quality of the two.

Looking through the glass, I immediately noticed more chromatic aberration in the Challenger. This was disappointing after testing Monstrum’s ED-glass LPVOs last year. The Challenger also showed softened focus around the edges of the scope view, even at its lowest magnification. Both scopes had similar eye relief and eye box.

At the gun range, the Strike Eagle was a bit brighter and noticeably sharper, with less chromatic aberration than the Challenger which showed purple fringing even at 5x. Both scopes showed good color rendition and the ability to see details in low light at 25x. The Strike Eagle resolved resolution lines 3-4 steps smaller than the Challenger.

One other key difference for me was in each scope’s reticle design. The Strike Eagle was better suited for precision target shooting with finer stadia lines and a floating dot-point. The Challenger had a bold central cross as its aimpoint which was visible even at lower magnification, making it a much faster to aim tactical or hunting scope. Overall the Strike Eagle was the better scope. Factoring in the price, the Challenger at 1/3 the price was the better value.

BUY

Monstrum Challenger on Amazon: https://amzn.to/4gSoS7J

Vortex Strike Eagle on Amazon: https://amzn.to/4gA4Ejq

RESOLUTION

Monstrum Challenger: Group -1 / Element 2

Vortex Strike Eagle: Group -1 / Element 6

SPECS

STRIKE EAGLECHALLENGER
Magnification 5-25x
Objective Lens: 56 mm
Tube Diameter: 34 mm
Focal Plane: First
Reticle: EBR-7C (MOA)
Illumination: red
Eye Relief: 3.7″
FOV @ 100 Yards: 24.0-5.2
Parallax: 15 yrds-Infinity
Elevation Adj: 110 MOA
Windage Adj: 78 MOA
Per Click: 1/4 MOA
Per Rotation: 25 MOA
Length: 14.6 in
Weight: 30.4 oz		Magnification: 5-25x
Objective Lens: 56 mm
Tube Diameter: 30mm
Focal Plane: First
Reticle: CM4 MOA, MM4 MIL
Illumination: red
Eye Relief: 3.5-4 in
FOV @ 100 Yards: 25.3-5.06 ft
Parallax: 25 yrds-Infinity
Elevation Adj: 45 MOA
Windage Ad: 45 MOA
Per Click: 1/4 MOA
Per Rotation: 20 MOA
Length: 14 in
Weight: 37 oz

Shooting Sports

Improved Monstrum Panzer 1-6×24

If you’ve feeling de’ja vu, it’s because I reviewed a nearly identical Monstrum Panzer 1-6×24 FFP LPVO two months ago. The main criticism I had about the Panzer was it’s middle reticle illumination (to be fair, it is typical for most LPVOs). Monstrum listed to the feedback and came up with a new illuminator and sent me a sample of their first daylight bright FFP reticle. This new illuminator only outputs in red (the original version offered both green and red) but improves upon the the original version by having an OFF setting between each of its 6 intensities.

Apart from the illuminator the rest of the optic remains unchanged. Same glass, body, tube, mount, and reticle. Which is why they’re choosing not to call out the change but instead quietly rolling out all new batches of Panzer with this illuminator. They won’t be calling this Gen2, the name remains simply the Panzer.

Panzer, is the German word for “tank” or “armor”. This is why the Monstrum Panzer has tank tread inspired designs to its turret caps and magnification ring. These ‘treads’ provides a useful grippy surface beyond its unique aesthetic.

The Panzers come with a user replaceable fin on the magnification ring which can be swapped out for the included throw lever. In addition, the package includes a quality, high-recoil, cantilever mount and basic flip up caps. The turrets are capped and resettable with a hex key.

The Panzer now offers two choices in FFP reticle. The Panzer 1-6x I tested has their new CM3 reticle which has a tactical style BDC reticle with a tree style set of windage holdovers below a circle dot. I previously tested the CM2 reticle which is an MOA range finding reticle.

The most common comment I get about this LPVO is does it hold zero? This test with a .50 cal rifle should prove that it does. https://youtu.be/J8sXKSiBIr8

BUY IT

Amazon affiliate https://amzn.to/3UzK9cC

RESOLUTION

@100yrds: Element 6 / Group -2

SPECS

Magnification: 1-6x, 1-10x

Objective Diameter: 24 mm

Tube Diameter: 30 mm

Max Windage Adj: ±70 MOA

Max Elevation Adj: ±70 MOA

Adjustment Increments: 1/2 MOA

Eye Relief: 4.0-4.5 in

Weight: 17 oz

Length: 11 in

Lens Coating: Full Multi-Layer

Materials: 6061 Aluminum

Shooting Sports

Will a Panzer hold zero?

I’ve tested the Monstrum Panzer against the military grade LPVOs. I compared it head-to-head against both the SIG Tango6T and the Vortex Razor HD Gen3 and discovered the Panzer was a surprisingly good for a budget FFP LPVO. No, it’s not just as good as the SIG or the Vortex for a street price under $200 its an amazing value.

One most common question about the optic is, does it hold zero? Over the course of five months, I’ve put the Panzer through hundreds of rounds of 5.56mm and it’s held zero. And it’s not just me, regular viewers of my channel have posted similar results shooting the Panzers on their .308 AR10s. But rather than argue the number of rounds shot or the caliber of rifle tested, lets just cut the chase and see if a Monstrum Panzer can hold zero under the biggest civilian rifle available, a .50 cal.

I asked my buddy Mark on the GD Boomer Channel if he would try a Monstrum Panzer on his Barrett M107A1 rifle to see if it could handle the recoil of 50BMG. I contacted Monstrum Tactical and they agreed to sponsor the video to reimburse GD Boomer for the ammo he would use. Monstrum ordered a brand new Panzer 1-6×24 from Amazon and shipped to him directly.

At his local rifle range, GD Boomer zero’d out the scope with a lazer and set up a two small targets at 100yrds. The challenge with a 6x SFP LPVO at 100yrds, is that the center dot of the reticle covered up the target bullseye. The groups he printed were not his best but they were consistent; proving the Panzer held its zero through all 10 shots. The budget Panzer could handle the recoil of event the largest bullet cartridges.

AFFILIATE RETAIL LINKS

Monstrum Panzer 1-6×24 LPVO on Amazon: https://amzn.to/4f65ELU

Monstrum Panzer 1-10×24 LPVO on Amazon: https://amzn.to/4bDH2Hj

Shooting Sports

SIG vs Monstrum 1-6x FFP

Monstrum Tactical asked me to compare their new Panzer 1-6x FFP to the LPVO that was chosen by the US Army, the Sig Sauer Tango6T 1-6x FFP. Monstrum sent me samples of both LPVOs new in the box. You can about each LPVO in greater detail in my previously posted reviews of the Tango6T and Panzer 1-6x

As a quick overview, the most striking difference between the two optics was the color. The Tango6 comes in a metallic Flat Dark Earth (FDE) color which was a US Army requirement. Their was far less difference between the two LPVOs when looking at their specs. One notable difference was that the Tango6T comes in MRAD and the Panzer comes in MOA. Moreover, the Panzer’s turrets have a range adjustment more than double that of the Tang6T.

Optically both are great but the Tango6T was ever so much better in brightness, flatness, detail, and sharpness despite having more visible chromatic aberration than the Panzer. Both had pretty good eyeboxes (for LPVOs) but again the Tango6T was just a little bit better, a bit more forgiving.

All in all both LPVOs preformed quite well in my range and live fire testing, holding zero. The Tang6T offers true daylight bright illumination of it donut-of-death. This new release (Gen2?) of the Panzer, just months newer than the model I tested in March, now offers daylight bright red illumination on par with the Tango6T.

Whilst the Tango6T is hands down the better optic, the Panzer is still a solid LPVO. But the Tang6T costs more than 10x the price of the Panzer. Yes, the Tango6T is a better but I don’t think 10x better. If given $2000 and the choice between the two, I’d pick the Panzer and use the left over money to buy Level 5 body armor, digital night vision nods, and extra ammo.

AFFILIATE RETAIL LINK

Tango6 on Amazon: https://amzn.to/3V2A5ug

Tango 6 on Optics Planet: https://shrsl.com/4ja69

Panzer on Amazon https://amzn.to/3UzK9cC

RESOLUTION

TANGO6T @50yrs: Element 1 / Group -1

PANZER @50yrs: Element 6 / Group -2

TANGO6T SPECS

Focal PlaneFirst
Magnification1-6x
Objective Lens Diameter24 mm
ReticleDWLR-556
Adjustment Increments0.2 MRAD
Weight22.1 oz.
Maintube Diameter30 mm
Travel Per Rotation20 MRAD
Parallax Setting300 m
Field of View High/Low (@100yds)105.8/17.7 ft.
Eye Relief High/Low4.1/3.9 in.
Exit Pupil High/Low11.4/4.0 mm
Diopter Adjustment Range+/- 2.5
WaterproofingIPX 8
Ocular (Rear) Outer Diameter1.81 in (46mm)
Objective (Front) Outer Diameter1.18 in (30mm)
Internal Gas PurgeArgon
Illumination Settings9 Daylight/2 NV
Total Elevation Travel31 MRAD
Total Windage Travel31 MRAD
Battery(1) CR2032
IlluminationRed

PANZER SPECS

Magnification: 1-6x, 1-10x

Objective Diameter: 24 mm

Tube Diameter: 30 mm

Max Windage Adj: ±70 MOA

Max Elevation Adj: ±70 MOA

Adjustment Increments: 1/2 MOA

Eye Relief: 4.0-4.5 in

Weight: 17 oz

Length: 11 in

Lens Coating: Full Multi-Layer

Materials: 6061 Aluminum

Shooting Sports

Daylight Bright LPVO’s real or hype?

Not a few years ago, when a scope’s illumination was described as “daylight bright” that just meant that you could see a color cast on the reticle on a cloudy day. With advances in technology, daylight bright really means you can see it in daylight. Engineers embedded a fiber optic thread inside a reticle cross hair. This projects dot to in the center of the reticle that can be as bright as a red dot.

This fiber optic reticle was first rolled out on premium optics but in short order, budget tier optics like the Monstrum Banshee now offer daylight bright reticles. Some premium LPVOs like Vortex and Nightforce have developed a way to illuminate floating FFP reticles so that it is also daylight bright at 1x. This brightness does come at a premium with the Razor and ATACR costing around $2000. If a you don’t need a FFP reticle, a daylight bright budget fiber optic LPVO can be had for less than $200.

These optics are available on Amazon through these affiliate links which support my channel:

Banshee https://amzn.to/424Kfwz

Viper PST Gen2: https://amzn.to/48DwR4X

Shooting Sports

Will a Monstrum Banshee Hold Zero?

I’ve tested the Monstrum Banshee and discovered it was a surprisingly good for a budget LPVO. No, it’s not just as good as a Leupold, Vortex, or [INSERT YOUR FAVORITE PREMIUM OPTIC BRAND HERE]. But optically, features, and performance it checks the boxes, especially for a street price under $200.

One most common question about the optic is, does it hold zero? Over the course of five months, I’ve put the Banshee through hundreds of rounds of 5.56mm and .22LR and it’s held zero. And it’s not just me, regular viewers of my channel have posted similar results shooting the Banshee on their .308 AR10s. Regardless I still get the occasional doubter challenging the number of rounds shot or the caliber of the rifle used.

To address doubters I proposed a torture test. I asked my buddy Mark on the GD Boomer Channel if he would try a Monstrum Banshee on his Barrett M107A1 rifle to see if it could handle the recoild and hold zero after 10 rounds of 50BMG. I contacted Monstrum Tactical and they agreed to sponsor the video to reimburse GD Boomer for the ammo he would use. Monstrum ordered a brand new Banshee 1-10×24 from Amazon and shipped to him directly.

At his local rifle range, GD Boomer zero’d out the scope at 100yrds and set up a two targets. He was able to print a decent 5 shots group on the first and a similar sized 5 shot group on the second, with one flyer on the 9th round. He was shooting military surplus rounds so nothing close to match grade or hand loaded cartridges, or user error jerking the shot, or both. Ok, it was user error.

Hopefully this test will satisfy most folks that the Monstrum Banshee is capable of holding zero on their rifle.

AFFILIATE RETAIL LINKS

Monstrum Banshee 1-10×24 BDC (B1 reticle) on Amazon: https://amzn.to/3WN08Hi

Monstrum Banshee 1-10×24 BDC (C1 fiber optic reticle) on Amazon: https://amzn.to/3WIo9iF

Monstrum Banshee 1-10×24 (MX1 MOA reticle) on Amazon: https://amzn.to/44MZ7ku

Monstrum Banshee 1-6×24 BDC (C1 fiber optic reticle) on Amazon: https://amzn.to/3wO337O

Recoil testing, conducted at a rifle range, courtesy of GD Boomer. Ammo sponsored by Monstrum Tactical: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hwZssTN1oGs&t=1s

Shooting Sports

Monstrum Panzer 1-6×24 FFP

The Monstrum Panzer, is named after the famous German WW2 tanks (“panzer” is the German word for “armor”). The Panzer sports tank tread inspired design to its turret caps and magnification ring that provides a useful grippy surface beyond its unique aesthetic. Monstrum showed me the prototype of the Panzer 1-6x at SHOT Show 2024.

The Panzer is Monstrum’s first focal plane (FFP) line of LPVO. Externally it is nearly identical to the Panzer 1-10x that I reviewed previously save for a 1″ shorter tube making it a few oz lighter. The trade off to the top end of magnification is that the 1-6x has a slightly more forgiving eyebox but the differences is subtle. One could argue that the difference in practical clarity between a 6x and 10x to the typical shooters ability to hit targets is similarly subtle. The biggest object difference is the $30 lower price of the 1-6x.

The Panzers come with a user replaceable fin on the magnification ring which can be swapped out for the included throw lever. In addition, the package includes a quality, high-recoil, cantilever mount and basic flip up caps. The turrets are capped and resettable with a hex key.

The Panzer now offers two choices in FFP reticle. The Panzer 1-6x I tested has their new CM3 reticle which has a tactical style BDC reticle with a tree style set of windage holdovers below a circle dot. I previously tested the CM2 reticle which is an MOA range finding reticle. Both reticles are illuminate only the center circle dot with a selection of 5 intensities in both red or green. The illumination is low light / CQB bright but not true daylight bright like Monstrum’s BDC-C1 Banshee.

Recoil testing, conducted at a rifle range, courtesy of GD Boomer. Ammo sponsored by Monstrum Tactical: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hwZssTN1oGs&t=1s

AFFILIATE RETAIL LINK

Amazon https://amzn.to/3UzK9cC

RESOLUTION (50yrds)

Element 6 / Group -2

SPECS

Magnification: 1-6x, 1-10x

Objective Diameter: 24 mm

Tube Diameter: 30 mm

Max Windage Adj: ±70 MOA

Max Elevation Adj: ±70 MOA

Adjustment Increments: 1/2 MOA

Eye Relief: 4.0-4.5 in

Weight: 17 oz

Length: 11 in

Lens Coating: Full Multi-Layer

Materials: 6061 Aluminum

Shooting Sports

Panzer 1-6x FFP: SHOT Show

I got a first look at the upcoming Panzer 1-6x LPVO. This is a lower power version of the 1-10x which I previously reviewed back in 2023. That LPVO impressed me with how well it compared to the Razor 1-10x at a 1/10th of the price.

All things being equal, a 1-6x power should offer the same sharpness as a 1-10x with a slightly smaller length (and weight). In some cases some 1-6x even offers slightly better eyeboxes. But it’s actual performance remains to be seen. I just received an early release sample and will be testing it soon. Be sure to Subscribe and press the Notification “bell” icon on my YouTube channel to be updated when it posts.

You can also get early access to all of my upcoming videos when you become a paid Member of my channel.

Shooting Sports

Monstrum Banshee 1-10x BDC-B1

When I compared the new Monstrum Banshee 1-10x to the SIG Saur Tango the Banshee outshone the Tango in most aspects, save for one: its reticle. The Tango’s MSR reticle is a bullet drop compensating (BDC) reticle similar to the Primary Arms ACSS. But within weeks of completing my video, Monstrum released a new Banshee with their own BDC reticle: the BDC-B1.

The Banshee’s image quality is bright and clear with very no chromatic aberration (the 1-8x and 1-10x models have ED glass). The image is flat and with very little edge distortion. The eyebox and eye-relief are decent for an LPVO, especially for a 1-10x which are notorious for their unforgiving eyeboxes.

I’ve been using this Banshee for a few months now on my H&K G36/22 and it’s held zero and been an exemplary optic for action shooting matches. I sent a Banshee to my friend Mark on the GD Boomer channel. He mounted it on his Barrett .50cal rifle and confirmed that it would hold zero even under 50 BMG recoil.

The Banshee BDC-B1 is physically identical to the original version that I reviewed, save for the MX-1 reticle. The turrets are clearly audible and tactile positive. The BDC-B1 has a circular Donut of Death graphic with windage holdovers and a BDC vertical crosshair bar. It is significantly more tactical and faster to aim than the MX-1 but it is not perfect. That said, the Banshee is probably my favorite Monstrum LPVO and this BDC-B1 version is the best variant.

I do have a few suggestions for Montrum. Make the illumination brighter and truly daylight bright. The aiming donut should be both smaller and thicker, while the central aiming dot should be a smaller 0.5 MOA dot. In short, do a better job copying the Primary Arms ACSS like SIG did.

AFFILIATE RETAIL LINKS

Amazon https://amzn.to/3QpDGA3

RESOLUTION

50yrds: Element 3 / Group -1

SPECS

Magnification: 1-10x

Objective Diameter: 24 mm

Tube Diameter: 30 mm

Eye Relief: 4.0-4.5 in

Lens Coating: Full Multi-Layer

Materials: 6061 Aluminum

Length: 11 in

Weight: 17 oz

Shooting Sports

What is ED glass?

Some scopes and binoculars advertise the fact that they use: ED Glass. And no this is not short for ‘erectile disfunction’, ‘Dept. of Eduction’ or ‘Edward’. ED stands for Extra low Dispersion glass, a special type of glass that has been formulated with chemical compounds that are designed to reduce chromatic aberration.

Chromatic aberration is a prismatic effect caused by light passing through a highly curved lens or lenses; such as in scopes with a high magnification factor. With 1-10x LPVO’s chromatic aberration is all too common. The light is refracted and slightly separated into its component colors like in a prism. ED glass compensates for this refraction, producing a clearer image that is in register.

So why don’t all scopes use ED glass? There are some trade-offs. ED glass is more expensive, can be more brittle, and has a little less light transparency. The practical benefits of ED glass can outweigh these trade-offs in many use cases. For long range precision, having a scope that is slightly darker but clearer would arguably be better than a scope that’s better in low light but blurrier.

The scopes in this video are available on Amazon through these affiliate links which support my channel:

Panzer https://amzn.to/3NZUk8e

Razor HD Gen iii: https://amzn.to/3tZSP2K