High-end Kahles Riflescope Loaded With Features, Four Reticle Options
Every now and then, a guy likes to dream a little about owning a very high-end rifle, or some superb accessory that just might be the best he ever saw … and saw through.
Over the years, I’ve had the opportunity to use rifles topped by some of the best optics on the planet from big names including Zeiss, Schmidt and Bender, Steiner and Swarovski Optik. I say “used” rather than “owned.” Alas, my budget never stretched quite so far as my wish list.
Now added to the elite field of optics is a new scope model from Kahles, the K525i. Scheduled for availability in Fall 2018, I have to admit I took a real long, hard look at the specifications for this model.
Some years ago, for several months on a test and evaluation, I had a Kahles scope on a .257 Roberts built on a Mauser ’98 action with a Douglas barrel. I had acquired the rifle at a gun show by swapping an old J-Frame Smith & Wesson .38 Special that had seen much better days. The rifle came with an old Weaver K-4 scope and when I finally got down to the range, it proved to be dead on at 100 yards.
But when I had the chance to test a Kahles scope, I swapped glass and the result was a wonderfully accurate combination of gun and glass. Alas, I had to return the scope and have gone through a few other models and brands.
So, when the K525i information crossed my desk, it got my attention. Built on a 34mm main tube, the Kahles K525i has a 56mm objective lens and is capable of 5-25X magnification. It has a parallax wheel integrated into the elevation turret, and all models are available with left or right windage turrets that include Twist Guard, which prevents accidental adjustment of the windage setting.
This scope’s ¼-MOA click adjustments, says Kahles, are precise and there is a “clearly defined click mechanism.” This is a peeve of mine. I’ve actually used scopes that were a bit “mushy” on the adjustment knobs and I couldn’t tell exactly if they were locked in and would stay there.
Kahles offers four different reticle choices: the SKMR, SKMR3, MSR2 and MOAK.
To top it all off, this scope is illuminated, something I’ve found to be an attractive feature as my eyes get older and don’t react as well to hunting those twilight periods at dawn and dusk. The illuminated reticle is found in the first focal plane.
The Kahles K525i is 14.8″ OAL and it weighs 34.2 oz. The exit pupil diameter range is 9.5–2.3 mm. The field of view at 100 yards ranges from 21.3 feet at low magnification to 4.5 feet at high magnification.
For all of this, the Kahles K525i carries an MSRP of $3,666.00. Like I said at the beginning, a guy can dream.
For more info:
Kahles
Ph: (800) 426-3089
http://www.kahles.at/us/
