Steiner Predator 4 4-16x50 Illuminated

 In a past post I talked about the Steiner S1 reticle and how it is the perfect match for the 7mm-08 Remington cartridge when shooting 150 grain bullets. Link Here

So it is, that when Steiner released the New Predator 4 rifle scopes, with the same reticle but Illuminated, I just had to give it try. In the Predator 4, the reticle is named E3, but it's the same thing as the S1. 

I now have a new Steiner Predator 4 4-16x50 Illuminated reticle scope atop my 7mm-08, which replaces the Steiner GS3 3-15x50.  

Steiner has really knocked it out of the park with this scope for 2 BIG reasons. 

1. As far as I can tell the quality of the glass and overall construction is just as good as the GS3 series, but it comes to you at a significantly lower price point. Cabela's has had the 4-16x50 versions on sale for as low as $1000 Canadian ... the GS3s used to retail at around $1500 or more. 

2. You get an illuminated reticle. 

I found that sighting in was a breeze because the clicks were perfect ... all it took was a couple shots at 25 yards then 3 at 200 and I was dialed in. I used a tape measure to determine how many clicks I needed to move ... and the scope delivered perfectly. 

The glass is clean and crisp, in fact in my estimation it far exceeds the clarity of similarly priced scopes like the Swarovski Z3 series and Leupold VX 3i series.  I can't over stress the quality you get for the price point. 

The turrets are capped, which makes sense given that the scope comes with the E3 reticle. It has a parallax adjustment knob on the left, and set atop it is the illumination knob. Illumination settings are good for daytime to low light. The knob is the standard on/off setup.

My only criticism so far is that the illumination knob is quite stiff.  I think they did this to make it clear to you when you are handling the parallax adjustment (which turns easy) compared to the illumination knob. 

Low light capability is right up there with any 50mm scope in the sub $2000 Canadian price point. 

The sight window is broad and long making target acquisition, even at 16 power, very quick.

Over all, I can't recommend this scope enough. 

Update: Steiner offers one free ballistic reticle for the Predator 4 scopes. Contact Kenton Industries for details.