It’s the rare rifle scope that can capably ring steel at distances approaching a mile and then transition to a fast, durable, and versatile hunting optic.
Most pure hunting scopes have fairly modest magnifications and second-plane reticles that are built for speed, not precision. Conversely, most long-range target scopes are too heavy, complicated, and magnified to take deer or antelope hunting, where mobility and quick deployment is often the difference between a notched tag and a meatless outing.
In recent years a number of scope brands have capably bridged the shooting/hunting divide, but few combine the attributes, versatility, and sheer value that Sightmark brings with its Presidion 3-18×50 MR2 rifle scope.
Hunting-specific talents of the scope, which retails for right around $400, include its base magnification of 3X. With the power-changing dial on its lowest setting, the Presidio offers a wide (36.7 feet at 100 yards) field of view and enough optical brightness to make critical shots in the lowest light of early morning and late evening, the very times that animals are moving.
At the highest 18X magnification, the Presidio enables precise bullet placement with its crisp glass and its MR2 reticle. Because it’s a first-plane arrangement, the reticle increases in size in proportion to optical magnification, allowing shooters and hunters a level of precision that’s hard to reach with a second-plane arrangement in which the reticle stays the same size regardless of magnification.
The MR2 reticle is built on a mil-hash configuration, with .5 MRAD hashes on both the elevation and windage lines. The reticle has 10 MILs of elevation, which makes hold-over shooting at distant targets fast and intuitive. The reticle has 10 MILs of windage holds on either side of the floating center-dot aiming point, and the left, upper, and right stadia include .1 MIL grids that can be used as ranging references.
It’s worth noting that the 3-18×50 Presidio also comes in Sightmark’s LR2 reticle, which has the MR2’s main references, but a tree-style elevation grid below the horizontal stadia with windage holds. The LR2 is a better precision-target reticle; the MR2 has the best attributes for long-range hunting but is a very capable target reticle.
For shooters who would rather dial the scope’s turrets to their aiming point, the Presidio has big, beefy, exposed turrets tuned to .1 MIL click values. The turrets are built with precision shooters in mind, but the reticle is fast and precise enough that hunters will appreciate its combination of simplicity and granularity. The turrets turn authority and precision, with audible clicks between stope and a full 26 MILs of both windage and elevation adjustment inside the 30mm tube. That adjustment range means a hunter with a 100- or 200-yard zero can dial a distant shot all the way out to 1,000 yards without having to use reticle hold-over references.
The Presidio is one of several scopes in the Sightmark family built on a 6-times zoom range. In practical terms, that means users can stretch the talents of the scopes from 1-6 power in the 24mm HDR scope and from 2.5-15 power in the HDR2 scope. The family even has a big 5-30-power scope in its LR2 line. But the 3-18-power MR2 version is perfectly suited for hunting situations, where magnification can range from the lower end for whitetail hunts to higher-magnification hunts for open-country mule deer and antelope.
It’s worth noting the value proposition of the Presidio. Not only is it a capable configuration, but it has a number of attributes you don’t expect on a scope that’s this accessible. An internal zero stop on the elevation turret allows shooters to easily return to zero after they’ve dialed a distant target. The 6-step red illumination enables easy reticle visibility in daylight and low-light conditions. Sightmark includes a throw lever and flip-up lens caps with the Presidio, further boosting its value. Backing up the scope’s capability is Sightmark’s limited lifetime warranty.
Not bad for a scope that can ring steel way out there all summer and then easily transition into a big-game hunting scope for the fall. Beware the shooter who relies on only one gun, goes the old adage, because they undoubtedly know how to shoot it. The same can be said for the hunter who relies on only one scope.