Mueller Speed Shot 1-4x24 Updated Review 2/08/2012

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Mueller Speed Shot 1-4x24 Updated Review 2/08/2012

Postby b.s. » Thu Jan 05, 2012 3:38 pm

UPDATED RANGE REPORT IN 2nd POST

Just thought I'd post some initial impressions and photos of the Soon to be released Mueller Speed Shot 1-4x
I'm going to post a more thorough review after I take the rifle to the range this weekend, but thought I'd open it up for QUESTIONS so I can be as thorough as possible.

First impressions:
I like it!

Reticle:
Bright, and while the photo doesn't do the reticle any justice it IS daylight visible in bright conditions. The "texture" of the red dot is not grainy, or overly bright, it is very smooth and similar to the red on the Burris Tac-30 or XTR.

Glass:
The glass is excellent, not overly dark or out of focus. It is as close to a true 1X scope as I have seen in higher priced models.

Comparisons:
While I've used the S&B Short Dot, Vortex Viper PST, Burris, Leupold CQB, etc.... I'd have to put this scope right in the middle for quality, and on the upper range for price or value.

Rate:
I rate this ... 4 out of 5 "zombie headshots"
Image

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Last edited by b.s. on Wed Feb 08, 2012 4:25 pm, edited 2 times in total.
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Re: Mueller Speed Shot 1-4x24 Sneak Preview!!!

Postby b.s. » Thu Jan 05, 2012 3:43 pm

Is it a true 1X?
What I was told over the phone was -- with the fast focus ring cranked all the way down it would be the equivalent of a true 1x scope... however, I found that I needed to adjust the fast focus to suit my eyes.... cranked all the way down, this scope actually seems like "less than 1X", but with it adjusted for my eyesight it is as close to a 1X scope as I have seen. With most 1-4x scopes they really are 1.25x or 1.5x. I have no problems scanning from side to side at targets, and aside from very minor bending at the edges it is a nearly perfect sight picture. At 1.25 or 1.5x the distortion all but disappears. I've actually seen more image distortion through a Burris Fast Fire 1x Red Dot. Another thing worth noting is while at 1x at 10 feet or less, objects appear greater than 1x. it's not a complete deal breaker but keep it in mind if you plan on shooting things between 3 and 9 feet away.

Eye Relief at 1x?
The eye relief remains the same. This is not an Elcan, Aimpoint or Eotech, it operates just like a magnified scope.

How will it perform shooting from the weak eye? This scope handles weak eye shooting just fine... I normally try to keep my dominant eye closed when shooting from the weak side so YMMV


The Red Dot, and Black Dot reticle match up perfectly and track the same while adjusting zero.
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RED DOT BRIGHTNESS
-Brightness Level-1 is ideal for indoor or very dark conditions and does not seem too bright for night shooting.
-Mid levels seem ideal for indoor / outdoor transitions.
-Brightest levels are ideal for bright daylight conditions. As in the photo above, the photo was taken against a light colored hillside on a sunny day. The photo came out much darker than real-life, but There was no problem picking up the red dot even in the brightest conditions.

ADJUSTMENT
-Capped Target Turrets are included with this scope.
-Turrets made a very positive, audible and tactile click when adjusting. My biggest complaint about my Mueller APT was the "mushy" feel of the turrets, but this scope much nicer
-I did notice, and I'm not sure if this is typical, that my Left / Right turrets make slightly different sounds when making adjustments. While it does help differentiate between left and right, I'm not sure if it was done intentionally.

MAGNIFICATION RING
-My biggest complaint is the stiffness of the magnification ring. I'm not sure if mueller addressed this with production models, but if you plan on running this scope in a 3-gun competition I highly recommend getting a cat-tail throw lever to address this. Installation of a throw lever should not affect magnification as 1 and 4 power are at the 9 and 3 o'clock position.

RETICLE
Red dot covered 1 inch at 4x magnification (25 yards), but was easy to see at the lowest setting in my relatively dark shooting range.
While shooting at 100 yards, the Red Dot covered a 4 inch circle, precision work with this type of scope is going to be limited by the reticle. I would have liked another option, like an eotech style reticle, or a fine cross hair with an illuminated circle, or Leupold's Illuminated VX-R reticle. I'm sure those reticles would drive the price of the scope up, and I'm happy that the scope does not have a Bullet Drop Compensator, because I normally sight my rifle in at 33 yards.

GROUPINGS
At any rate, Here are my 50 and 100 yard targets (0.375" and 0.6" Respectively). Temps were hovering around 30 degrees with full value winds from the right. I was shooting two different hand loads, a 69 grain Hollow Point, and 60 grain V-max

THE RIFLE and MOUNT
This rifle is a DPMS Mini-Sass capable of .375" 5-shot groups at 100 yards with the V-Max Load mentioned above or sub MOA with 55 grain AE223. The mount is a Burris PEPR. While many recommend it I would recommend a better mount if money is available. I was shooting from an unsupported bipod.

The blue tape is covering a 3 round group from 225 yards.

Image


--------------END RANGE REPORT------------------------
Last edited by b.s. on Wed Feb 08, 2012 4:23 pm, edited 8 times in total.
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Re: Mueller Speed Shot 1-4x24 Sneak Preview!!!

Postby PackLemming » Thu Jan 05, 2012 3:54 pm

Which side is the red l.e.d offset to, will positioning of that l.e.d negatively affect your shooting performance when switching to your weak eye offstance?
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Re: Mueller Speed Shot 1-4x24 Sneak Preview!!!

Postby jrswanson1 » Thu Jan 05, 2012 4:29 pm

Is this a true 1x or not?

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Re: Mueller Speed Shot 1-4x24 Sneak Preview!!!

Postby 91Eunozs » Thu Jan 05, 2012 9:02 pm

Damn... For $160 that pre-production sight is kind of like a sore dick...you just can't beat it.

Don't see on the web site...what type/# of batteries? Edit: found it in the FAQ: What Type of Battery does Mueller scopes use? All Mueller Illuminated scopes use a #CR2032 Battery
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Re: Mueller Speed Shot 1-4x24 Sneak Preview!!!

Postby jrswanson1 » Fri Jan 06, 2012 6:09 am

b.s. wrote:Is it a true 1X?
What I was told over the phone was -- with the fast focus ring cranked all the way down it would be the equivalent of a true 1x scope... however, I found that I needed to adjust the focus to suit my eyes.... cranked all the way down, this scope actually seems like "less than 1X", but with it adjusted for my eyesight it is as close to a 1X scope as I have seen. With most 1-4x scopes they really are 1.25x or 1.5x. I have no problems scanning from side to side at targets, and aside from very minor bending at the edges it is a nearly perfect sight picture. At 1.25 or 1.5x the distortion all but disappears. I've actually seen more image distortion through a Burris Fast Fire 1x Red Dot.
[b]


When I asked if it was a true 1X, I meant when it is set at 1X, does it have unlimited eye relief? I know when I set my Millet DMS-1 to 1x, I can have my eye 10" away from the scope and still be in focus.

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Re: Mueller Speed Shot 1-4x24 Sneak Preview!!!

Postby b.s. » Fri Jan 06, 2012 2:34 pm

jrswanson1 wrote:When I asked if it was a true 1X, I meant when it is set at 1X, does it have unlimited eye relief? I know when I set my Millet DMS-1 to 1x, I can have my eye 10" away from the scope and still be in focus.

Jim


Excellent question Jim,
Unfortunately the eye relief remains the same... another thing I've noticed is while at 1x at 10 feet or less, objects appear greater than 1x. it's not a complete deal breaker but keep it in mind.
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Re: Mueller Speed Shot 1-4x24 Sneak Preview!!!

Postby praharin » Fri Jan 06, 2012 10:10 pm

jrswanson1 wrote:When I asked if it was a true 1X, I meant when it is set at 1X, does it have unlimited eye relief? I know when I set my Millet DMS-1 to 1x, I can have my eye 10" away from the scope and still be in focus.

Jim


The only scope that will do that is the Elcan Specter DR because it uses different lenses at that magnification. Any other scope will have some measure of eye relief leniency, but it won't be "true" in this sense.
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Re: Mueller Speed Shot 1-4x24 Updated Review 2/08/2012

Postby b.s. » Wed Feb 08, 2012 4:28 pm

Updated range report. Final update unless more information is needed
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Re: Mueller Speed Shot 1-4x24 Updated Review 2/08/2012

Postby Art » Tue Mar 06, 2012 9:49 pm

Is this the same scope at $129.99? http://swfa.com/Mueller-1-4x24-Speed-Sh ... 51743.aspx

Looks like a great deal but I'm wondering if this is the demo model or something else entirely.
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Re: Mueller Speed Shot 1-4x24 Updated Review 2/08/2012

Postby b.s. » Thu Mar 08, 2012 7:09 pm

If it's as pictured... then it's most likely the production model. The production model has the magnification numbers facing the shooter rather than on the outside. it also has a green ring on the objective bell bell.

I don't have much experience with SWFA, but it's one heck of a deal!
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Re: Mueller Speed Shot 1-4x24 Updated Review 2/08/2012

Postby mac66 » Mon Mar 19, 2012 8:59 am

Art wrote:Is this the same scope at $129.99? http://swfa.com/Mueller-1-4x24-Speed-Sh ... 51743.aspx

Looks like a great deal but I'm wondering if this is the demo model or something else entirely.


Looks like it is back up to $229 now. You can order the "pre-production" version from Mueller for $160. They still have some in stock and mine was delivered 2 days after I ordered it.

FYI, Mine came with an extra battery, lens cloth and see through yellow tinted scope caps. Glass is clear and the black dot (when it isn't on) is crisp.
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Re: Mueller Speed Shot 1-4x24 Updated Review 2/08/2012

Postby mac66 » Wed Jun 27, 2012 3:14 pm

Just an update from my perspective after finally getting my Speed Shot mounted and out a few times recently. I really like this scope. The retical when not turned on is a black dot. I have not found a need to turn it on yet during daylight. It is very fast and easy to pick up targets with. I was shooting it at 4 MOA squares to sight it in and it filled it nicely except for the corners. Place the dot on square and fill the square with holes. I mounted mine on a Burris PEPR which is a good match for it. I shot an Appleseed with it mounted on a S&W MP15 OR (optics ready) a couple weeks ago and it was almost too easy to shoot rifleman with.

I did notice that that while the elevation knob has very positive clicks when changing it, the windage knob is hard to tell by feel. You really have to look it to make sure how far you move it. Maybe that is just me. The other issue is the quick focus. I noticed that after about ten shots I had to refocus. Not a big deal since I am focused on the dot and not the target anyway but it sure seemed to change ever so slightly after a long string of fire.

Mine is one of the pre-production models which I bought for $160. Would I buy one for the current price of $230 (optics planet) ? Hard to say, though compared with what other optics are going for I would say the Speed Shot is still a good value.
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