Introduction:

Maven Optics, a direct to consumer scope company, has released the RS.3 for presale.  The RS.3 is their 3rd rifle scope, hence the name. With more long-range shooters getting into hunting and more hunters getting into long-range shooting we are seeing more of what I like to call cross over scopes, or scopes that can serve in both rolls.  The RS.3 looks do exactly that.

Photo Courtesy Maven Optics. The exposed turrets and the lockring style zero stop.

In Maven’s Words:

The RS.3 features a 5-30x magnification range, machined turrets with toolless zero, a lockable zero-stop, and at 26.9 oz it’s one of the lightest 30x hunting scopes on the market. Paired with ED glass for true color rendering and a larger 50mm objective lens, this scope maximizes light transmission for common low-light hunting scenarios. 

Inside we added the next generation of our popular reticles. The SHR-W is designed around our Simplified Holdover Reticle, but adds windage measurement for those that want to dial elevation, but hold for wind. Similarly, our MOA-2 is based off of the popular MOA-1, but adds a floating dot to allow for extremely precise holds. And since they are all first focal plane you know your holds will be accurate at any zoom range. 

With the large magnification range you can zoom out for tight, close-range shots, or zoom in to 30x for precise shots at extended ranges. Together with the exposed 0.25 MOA/click turrets, locking zero stop, and side parallax adjustment, both close and long-range shots can be made with confidence.

Photo courtesy Maven Optics.

Specs and features:

For the complete list of specifications visit Maven’s website here: https://mavenbuilt.com/rs-series-rifle-scopes/

The key features as I see them are:

•  Weight of 26.9 oz. (This is currently the lightest scope with this much magnification in its class) 
• Length of 13 inches (A very compact package for riding on top of a hunting rifle)
• Top end magnification of 30x and bottom of 5x ( Personally I really like this magnification range, because I can still acquire targets at close range using 5x, while the 30x at the top end would be very helpful if milling (or MOA’ing in this case) or trying to determine specific features of game i.e gender or rack size.   
• Reticle and Focal plane (The RS.3 is a First Focal Plane scope, meaning holdovers and measuring functions will be correct at all magnification levels.  I was a fan of the original MOA reticle in the RS.1 as I mentioned in my review here: https://www.thefirearmblog.com/blog/2018/11/28/extensive-review-maven-rs-1-rifle-scope/ and the MOA-2 reticle looks to be equally functional across the entire power spectrum.
• Exposed Turrets with Zero Stop (While I would have much preferred to see a capped windage, the tall exposed elevation turret is key for dialing in shots at long range quickly. The zero stop feature looks to be innovative while still being very simple and easy to reset.   
• VALUE (see below)

Photo courtesy Maven Optics.

Final Thoughts:

The last thing that should be mentioned is the price.  While on presale (Oct 15th – Nov 15th) the scope is only $1,300, the price will increase to $1,600 after Nov. 15th (Maven states they will ship before Dec. 1st).  Even at $1,600, this scope is coming in much lower than similar scopes which are offering comparable or in some cases fewer features. I assume this value is in part due to Maven’s direct to consumer model.  Another advantage of the direct to consumer model, it would seem, is the relationship Maven has developed with the end-user. It seems like Maven has really been listening to input from shooters, as this scope has most (maybe all if it had a capped windage turret) of the features I would look for in a scope of this type.  I look forward to seeing how this scope is adopted into the hunting and long-range shooting worlds.