For more than ten years, I've written about everything from folding boats to night-vision gear. And each time, I've wondered if I've asked the right questions and tested the correct features. That's because I write from a general user's perspective. Despite having made a living with optics for the larger part of five decades, I'm still no expert on riflescopes. I know enough about optical performance to know when something's not up-to-snuff, but don't have enough expertise to tell you if I'd trust my life to a riflescope because I've never had to. On my recent extended road trip, I had the opportunity to get some expert insight into a pair of riflescopes. Norman, Oklahoma SWAT Team snipers Det. Sgt. Darin Morgan and Detective Jeremy Sterling were going to be trying a pair of Weaver Tactical Scopes, a 1-5x24 (Model# 800364) and a 3-15x50 Side Focus (Model # 800382), and taking along a Weaver Compact Spotting Scope. They asked if I'd be interested in tagging along. I grabbed my camera and headed out the door.

Professional testing. Det. Sgt. Darin Morgan shooting while Det. Jeremy Sterling spots and calls his shots. Jim Shepherd/OWDN photo.

They didn't need to dozens of test groups at various ranges to reach their conclusions. As professional snipers and avid hunters, they arrived at the Norman PD range, set targets, dropped shooting mats, grabbed the scoped rifles - which they'd also never fired before- and got to it. We should all follow their no-nonsense approach. Each man took turns on the rifle and spotting scope. Both used sandbags to arrange their shooting positions around the design of the Smith & Wesson M&P 10s they were shooting. A quick bit of dry-firing and fiddling with the scope adjustments, and they were shooting. Surprisingly, neither was uncomfortable with the semi-auto in a precision role. In fact, both said they were more than comfortable using semi-automatics. I think it's worth noting that despite the arguments for or against semi-automatic rifles in precision applications, a pair of actual users had no problem with either.

For Det. Sterling, this double-propped prone position gave him the stability he demanded for precision shots, even with a standard capacity magazine in the M&P 10. Once locked into place, he nor the rifle moved. Jim Shepherd/OWDN photo.

It didn't take long for both men to make their point. Lying behind unfamiliar rifles and unknown optics, it didn't take them more than two shots each to begin firing tight clover-leaf 3, 4, and 5-shot groups. In other words, they were more than capable of accomplishing a precision mission with the Weaver 3-15x50 scope. To me, that's the best test of "tactical" gear. Yes, I wear tactical-styled gear in shooting competitions, but I'm an amateur. I don't have the experiences of line police officers, much less SWAT specialists. Their reviews of the 3-15x50 Weaver scope didn't take long. Both were pleased at the clarity of the riflescope. "I haven't done much with a Weaver," said Morgan, "but I liked the brightness, the reticle and the controls. They all made sense." Sterling was equally impressed with the scope, although he said he had to move around a bit to get comfortable with the eye relief and mounting height. Afterwards, he said, "no problems, and I'd use the scope -and the compact spotting scope. I really like the size and magnification of the compact."

As Norman, Oklahoma SWAT officers Darin Morgan (Above) and Jeremy Sterling (below) advance on their targets, you can see the difference in the mount of the AR-rifle. Neither Morgan's high mount nor Sterling's more-traditional rifleman position changed the results: precision hits. Jim Shepherd/OWDN photos.

Both officers were also impressed by the performance of the 1-5x24. Their testing methods duplicated the firing positions they'd likely use in their jobs. Snapping off two and three shots while kneeling, standing both unsupported or braced against a barricade, and advancing on a target, they quickly put the scope through its paces. Seeing them advance on targets showed their experience. Their steps were quick, but deliberate; no move, from the initial mount of the rifle to adjustments of the 1-5 power ring on the scope, took their eyes off the target. It looked instinctive, but brought into focus just how much time each officer spent making carefully considered moves look natural, not machine-like. The small tactical scope also made quite an impression on them. "Nice," said Sterling, "I really liked the way that scope looked and moved for me." Agreeing, Morgan ended their session by showing the scopes to the Norman PD's range master and asking that both scopes be requested for evaluation as possible duty gear. That's very good for a pair of scopes that have MSRPS of $1,069.95 (1-5x24) and $1.117.95 (3-15x50). The scopes atop both the SWAT officers' own rifles cost, in one's words, "a whole lot more than that." Both scopes met the standards of professionals; to the point they wanted asked the Weaver scopes be considered by their department. Later, I learned I'd already had time on both scopes on a prairie dog shoot in Wyoming. These same scope and rifle combinations had dispatched dozens of the pesky rodents with no complaints from the assortment of gun writers who'd bumped, banged and jostled the guns before heating them up to the point they were too-hot to touch. Afterwards, they had only been lightly cleaned and wiped down before being shipped back to Oklahoma. They hadn't been re-zeroed or checked prior to the two SWAT officers putting them through their precision testing. To me, that's real-life testing that speaks well of both scopes. I'm doing more of this testing in the future. --Jim Shepherd Editor's Note: You can follow this link (here) to see the specifications on both the Model# 800364 and # 800382 riflescopes.