Not long ago you had better odds of drawing a unicorn tag than finding a budget-friendly riflescope with dependable performance. But advances in technology and competition stiffened by the introduction of companies like Konus have made things better than ever.
Konus has been producing optics for European sportsmen since 1979, but it wasn’t until 2006 that the Italian firm rolled into the United States. This year it introduced the 3x-9x-40 mm KonusPro T30 with features that make it ideal for hunters—including a reticle primarily designed for muzzleloading.
The T30 does not look like a traditional hunting riflescope. It’s shorter than many 3x-9x scopes at 9.1 inches long. Mounting it atop a long-action bolt gun may be a challenge due to the squat stature, although it goes quickly atop railed ARs and muzzleloaders.
It comes with a rugged, one-piece, nitrogen-filled 30 mm tube. The test scope spent 24 hours submerged in a bucket and didn’t leak—verifying waterproof claims. It spent three hours in the freezer and was immediately subjected to 58 degrees and 87 percent humidity. The lenses iced over externally, but cleaned with ease, and since there was no internal fogging the unit was fully functional in seconds. It’s also shockproof and comes with a lifetime replacement warranty.
The second-focal-plane Konus 275 reticle is etched on glass. A twist of the 1.2-inch-diameter rheostat—big enough for gloved use—on the left side of the tube illuminates the central stadia lines and crosshair on the reticle. Red or blue lighting are the options and there are five different brightness settings for each, with two off positions. There is no clunky, target-obscuring CQB dot, and the lines are thin enough for precision shooting. Power is supplied by a single battery, a CR2032 located in the power knob, and if it dies the etched crosshair remains visible. Parallax is set at 100 yards.
The reticle’s horizontal stadia lines correspond to drops out to 275 yards for .45-caliber muzzleloaders using CVA PowerBelt Bullets. With a 100-yard zero, hash marks indicate drops at 150, 200 and 250 yards. The owner’s manual includes a reference chart for different bullet weights and charges. Centerfire shooters who do their range work will also find the seven horizontal lines below the crosshair a good holdover reference.
Windage and elevation are finger adjustable. Caps protect the settings, and spinning each low-profile turret through its roughly 460 clicks was positive, even at the end of travel. Adjustments are ¼ MOA per click and during testing it “walked the box” accurately, moving precisely as advertised and returning to zero without fail.
The multi-coated optics transmitted bright and crisp images, even at dusk and dawn. And the blue reticle sounded out of place, until glassing a backlit tree line at dusk. The results may be different for other shooters, but it seemed easier to locate quickly than the red or black crosshairs. The effect may be even more noticeable in fall foliage.
If you’re in the market for a new optic with solid performance, quality design and a lifetime warranty at a reasonable price, it’s time to give the KonusPro T30 3x-9x-40 mm a close look.
KonusPro T30
Type: variable-power, illuminated-reticle riflescope
Magnification: 3x-9x
Objective Lens Diameter: 40mm
Eye Relief: 3.5"
Field of View @ 100 yds: 36.7' @ 3x, 12.3' @ 9x
Coatings: fully multi-coated
Dimensions: length 9.1"; weight 18.6 ozs.
Construction: one-piece 30mm tube, nitrogen-purged; 1/4 MOA clicks; illuminated ballistic Konus 275 reticle (red or blue)
Accessories: CR2032 battery, hex wrench, flip-up lens covers, lens cloth, owner’s manual
MSRP: $379
