The precision optics market has grown immensely. The options that were few and seemingly far between, especially for something good and of acceptable quality and performance, has increased at a dizzying pace and developed into what is now an equally dizzying amount of purchasing options.
New to market, (sort of) is Meprolight, not necessarily when it comes to optics in general, as they were making reflex sights a long, long time ago and in more recent years technologically advance red dots. Now, specifically magnified, optics where they are putting their years of experience to the test in some of the most difficult of arenas.
At SHOT show 2024, Meprolight showcased the MVO (mid power variable optic) line-up that includes a 1-8×28, a 3-18×44 FFP, and a 6-36×56 FFP. The former two have enjoyed some time in the lime light but the 6-36×56 is just now hitting the streets and it’s the one we will be focusing on.
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MVO 6-36×56 Features
On paper, the MVO checks the right boxes with a feature set that is necessary to play in this sandbox. The glass is German Schott with a claimed 92% light transmission rate, and low aberration. Lenses are multicoated to fight glare and reflection. The thing about these specs is I/we can’t test them ourselves so we have to rely on the manufacturer to be upfront with the info. That said, our eyes, especially if they are tuned to what good glass and image quality is, can tell us a lot of what we need to know. My eyes are tuned to light and lenses and the intricacies of them when I look through to the Meprolight MVO, I don’t find any discrepancies. The image is bright and clean. I don’t detect any clarity issues. This is good.
Moving on from he glass we get a look into the other features of the MVO. The turrets are locking, so you must unlock them by pulling up (or out) to dial in elevation after you’ve locked them by depressing them. I’ve always liked this feature and I have optics with and without. A good locker stays in place and is an added bit of security especially on the windage side of things, if you feel conditions call for it. You can always leave the elevation dial unlocked if you need the speed when engaging multiple targets in a string. The elevation dial also features a zero stop that is set when you return the turret to the zero marking. There is no user selectable overage or underage.
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Adjustments & More
There is a diopter adjustment at the rear. I guess you can call it a fast adjustment as it doesn’t lock. You simply turn it to dial in reticle clarity. Lens caps are included and in my opinion the rear cap just makes it more likely for you to inadvertently move this adjustment. A good habit is to take a paint pin and mark the optic body and diopter adjustment once you’ve found “the spot”, so that you can quickly return to it should something get moved.
The MVO parallaxes down to 10 yards, making this a great optic choice for rimfire competitions that take place on shorter ranges where targets can fall under 25 and even 15 yards. The reticle is illuminated across the first MIL in any direction and on the lower part of the reticle, elevation dots are illuminated in 1 MIL increments.
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The reticle has 8 illumination settings and can be switched from red to green. It is not daylight bright. To activate the illumination you push a button on the side of the parallax knob. It is run by a CR2032 battery. I had some issues inserting the battery because I was trying to do so without removing a small battery cap underneath the battery cap. This new law called….. doesn’t allow for products that take small batteries to do so without something to keep the battery captive when the housing/cap is left open. This is in an effort to keep kids from choking on the batteries.
The magnification lever has an extension just in case it isn’t large enough in its stock trim. Magnification throw is smooth and tension is neither to heavy nor too light. It falls right within the sweet spot.
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The MVO 6-36×56 should be pretty sturdy. It’s rated up to 338 Lapua. It’s also rated for temps from -40 degrees up to a near Phoenix hot, 160 degrees. This is good because honestly I’m sure some of my optics reach that temp or close to it in the hot vehicle during the summer. No joke. It’s also IPX-8 waterproof.
MVO 6-36×56 Handling
The MVO has some heft. I like that especially since I’m typically trying to add some to my rifles to stave off some of that pesky recoil. This is not a hunting optic by any measure, regardless what the literature says. It comes in a 2.5 lb sans any rings.
Glass clarity is good on the MVO. We got some storms in Arizona so I was able to get a feel for it in less than ideal lighting conditions, and low light conditions. I compared it with similarly optioned and priced optics and it held its own and I found no glaring issues pun intended.
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The reticle has a lot of information on it and initially I thought the markings, especially the wind holds on the lower portion of the reticle, were too fine, especially for my slightly aging vision. I had to run up the magnification a bit to see them the way I wanted to. That said, after some time and actually using it on the rifle I backed off of that opinion. The markings are fine and very clean but ample for most.
The M3 reticle is a tree type with loads of information and hold markings, and has that Horus-type reticle look and feel. This is a plus when done right. As you might expect, the markings on the main stadia are in .2 MIL increments with one .5 MIL marking that points up while the others point down so it’s easy to pick up.
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Mount & Off To The Range
I mounted the optic in a most excellent Reptilia AUS mount. These mounts have been nothing but impressive since day one. They are well built, rugged, attractive, but minimal in their design. It’s a nice clean look with great functionality. I used the 39mm height, 34mm diameter. Once in the mount I secured it all to a 7mm PRC rifle.
Using the MVO was straight forward. Dials have good, solid feedback. Magnification ring again, works well. I did find that the parallax knob felt a little “dead”. Parallax functioned fine but this dial did not give the same quality feedback as everything else on the optic.
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I engaged targets as I usually do and discovered that the reticle, which I thought was too fine, was indeed just right. I learned it’s really hard to truly gauge what’s happening with a reticle until you get on the rifle. It’s like trying to get a feel for a car’s handling while sitting in a parking lot.
The only thing I need now is more time on the MVO. More time will reveal any other nuisances but so far so good. It’s a solid option to have avaialble for the serious precision shooter.
Meprolight MVO 6-36×56 Specifications
- Objective: 56mm
- Maintube: 34mm
- Focal Length: 6-36x
- Reticle: M3 Tree type .2 MRAD markings
- Weight:39.0 oz
- Length: 15.1 in
- Glass: German Schott
- Adjustments: .1 MIL
- Total Elevation Adjustment: 19 MRAD
- Total Windage Adjustment: 13.5 MRAD
- Parallax Adjustment: 10yd to infinity
- Caliber Rating: 338 Laupua Mag
- MSRP: $2999
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