The new Weaver Super Slam series of five power zoom range riflescopes includes this evaluated version, the 2-10x42mm with the Weaver “EBX” holdover reticle. (The 2-10x50 version is shown above.) This is one of the easiest hunting scopes to use you can imagine. The adjustment turrets are “pull-out” turrets, as per the Leupold VX-7 line. Generously oversized, you just pull them out, rotate them with easy to feel positive clicks, and then push them down to lock them in place. That's it! No caps to unscrew or lose.

The eye relief is generous, at a bit over four inches, more than adequate for most any North American hunting rifle. The ocular end features quick focus for the reticle and the power ring is also generously oversized. Everything about this scope seems to have designed for easy operation with cold, gloved hands. The basic specifications are as follows.

·        Weaver part #: 800315

·        Model: 2-10x42mm

·        Finish: Matte black

·        Reticle: Weaver EBX

·        Exit Pupil: 10.53-3.82mm

·        FOV @ 100 yards: 49.1 ft. - 16.4 ft.

·        Eye relief: 4.13 in.

·        Length: 13.19 in.

·        Adjustment range at 100 yards: 52.36 in.

·        Weight: 19 oz.

·        2011 discount retail price: $450 with EBX reticle

The Weaver website is poorly designed and EBX reticle sub-tensions are nowhere to be found, nor are they supplied with the scope. According to data attributed to Michael Kinn of ATK, at 100 yards the first dot (B) subtends to 2.25 inches, the second to 4.93 inches and the third (D) to 7.98 inches. As far as I know, this would be 10X info. Thus, at 200 yards the first dot would be twice the distance, 4.5 inches, and would be 6.75 inches at 300 yards and so forth. The lack of both 2X and 10X published subtensions on this reticle is a huge oversight. What the windage dots are, dimensionally, I have no idea.

For an all-around hunting scope, there is little this scope can't do. For up close and personal work, like a black bear hunt, leave it on 2X and enjoy the nearly 50 ft. 100 yard linear field of view and the large 10.53 mm exit pupil. For extended range use, all the way up at 10X activates the EBX ballistic reticle while still maintaining a reasonable exit pupil of almost 4 mm.

This scope is purged with argon, instead of nitrogen. Argon has a larger molecule size than nitrogen and is less reactive, thus making is superior for the purpose.

You're also going to love the price, currently a street price of about $450 for this scope and there is currently a fifty dollar rebate on top of this. The standard reticle version goes for about forty dollars less. Extended zoom range scopes often start at $800 or more, so this price point is immensely appealing. As far as I know, it is Light Optical Works, one of the world's finest OEM's in scopeland, that produces this Japanese made scope, as I believe they do all of the Weaver Grand Slams. The Super Slam has excellent build quality, with all of the controls working smoothly and, as mentioned, the click adjustments are superb.

Sunset was at 6:26 PM; I tested this Weaver alongside seven other scopes until 45 minutes past sunset against a tan colored doghouse, the dog inside enjoying a rawhide. The question was simple, “Can a shot be confidently be made?” The Weaver did well, in fact better than some more expensive optics, but not for the reason you might think. Part of low-light scope selection, in my opinion, is reticle selection as well. All of the scopes I tested against had fully multi-coated optics and had sufficient image brightness and clarity to confidently take the shot.

The difference was reticle thickness. While many hunters over the years (including Jack O'Connor) have preferred simple, medium cross wires to anything else, based on the uncluttered view, thin reticles vanish after sunset. While the scope's image is still good with many scopes, there isn't sufficient reticle thickness left to offer a precise aiming point. Those 1/4 – 1/2 MOA dots that you might find so appealing during daytime can be frustrating disasters after sundown. That was the problem with a couple of the scopes, for their .10 inch crosshairs disappeared long before their useable images did.

If you're getting the impression that I'm impressed with this Weaver Super Slam, it is because I am. The pull-out turrets are wonderful, the 49.1 field of view on the low end is going to help you far more in the hunting woods than the 10x high magnification, the scope itself did a very good job controlling stray light with no flaring and the eye relief is more generous than most hunting scopes. The price makes this a screaming deal, particularly when you consider that a scope of similar build quality, the Bushnell 6500 2.5-16 x 42, starts at about $800. This Weaver offers essentially the same function to the big game hunter with wider field of view, at about half the price. It is a winner from Weaver.