[NEW] Zeiss V3 SFP Hunting Scope + Springfield Waypoint 2020 Optimized

NEW from Zeiss is the V3 line of SFP hunting scopes! We’ve been sitting on this information for over 6 months now so we’re pretty excited to be able to finally talk about it. From major changes in the Zeiss business model to production changes to a new focus for the company, there is a lot to unpack. Plus, a whole new line of hunting scopes!

THE V3 LINEUP

This might read as a bit confusing, but here are the 12 new options from Zeiss in the V3 line:

• 2.5-8×35 RF – Rimfire – 1″ – XRR (#84) – Capped – Fixed Para @ 50yds
• 2.5-8×35 – 1″ – Duplex (#6) – Capped – Fixed Para @ 150yds
• 2.5-8×35 – 1″ – XRR (#84) – Capped – Fixed Para @ 150yds
• 3.5-10×42 30mm – Duplex (#6) – Ext. Elev. w/ Ballistic Stop – Fixed Para @ 150yds
• 3.5-10×42 30mm – SHRi Illum. (#87) – Ext. Elev. w/ Ballistic Stop – Fixed Para @ 150yds
• 4.5-14×44 30mm – XRR (#84) – Ext. Elev. w/ Ballistic Stop – Adj. Para 25yds-∞
• 4.5-14×44 30mm – SHR (#87) – Ext. Elev. w/ Ballistic Stop – Adj. Para 25yds-∞
• 4.5-14×44 30mm – SHRi Illum. (#87) – Ext. Elev. w/ Ballistic Stop – Adj. Para 25yds-∞
• 4.5-14×50 30mm – XRR (#84) – Ext. Elev. w/ Ballistic Stop – Adj. Para 25yds-∞
• 4.5-14×50 30mm – SHRi Illum. (#87) – Ext. Elev. w/ Ballistic Stop – Adj. Para 25yds-∞
• 6-18×50 30mm – XRR (#84) – Ext. Elev. w/ Ballistic Stop – Adj. Para 25yds-∞
• 6-18×50 30mm – SHRi Illum. (#87) – Ext. Elev. w/ Ballistic Stop – Adj. Para 25yds-∞
• MSRP ranges from $299 to $949

To put it more simply, there are 4 major sizes — 2.5-8x, 3.5-10x, 4.5-14x, and 6-18x. Within each are multiple options across objective lens size, main tube size, exposed or capped turrets, parallax, and reticles. Glass and construction are the same across every model. Having personally tested almost every combination of model size, turret, and reticle from 50 to 1,000 yards, I can confirm that the Zeiss quality found in the smallest, least expensive V3 scope is the same as the largest.

All of the V3 scopes are SFP, and all feature the Zeiss limited lifetime warranty and 5-year no-fault policy. 

Zeiss V3 Rimfire

Something special to call out is the new V3 Rimfire scope. 2.5-8×35 and rated only for rimfire (though we tested it on much larger calibers…), this little scope was the most surprising and impressive of the bunch. Making a big scope that is awesome is hard, but making a small RF scope to an outstanding level and keeping it at only $300 MSRP is a legendary feat.

COMPACT HUNTING RIFLE RANGE REPORT

Testing of the Zeiss V3 came in two waves, the first while at a Zeiss event in Oklahoma hosted by Outdoor Solutions, and the second at my home range in Arizona with a Zeiss V3 4.5-14×50 on a customized rifle.

Getting Hands-On

Earlier this year, Zeiss invited a gaggle of writers to a secretive event held near Tulsa, Oklahoma, hosted by Outdoor Solutions to give us hands-on time with the entire line of V3 scopes from ranges between 25 and 1,100 yards. Under the watchful eyes of the Outdoor Solutions instructors, we were given free rein and a pallet of ammo to test and shoot and collaborate.  

After multiple sessions on the 1,100-yard square range, and once the weather cleared up, we headed for the field to put the V3 to the test in hunting conditions from 450 yards out to 850 yards. Oklahoma wind is no joke, but with a good group of shooters and some great wind calls, making first-round hits out to the full 850-yards was surprisingly easy. 15- 20 mph full-value wind, high grass, sitting off a tripod and a backpack for a rear rest, the V3s and the Tikka 6.5 Creedmoor rifles they were mounted on quickly proved they could handle difficult shots in real-world conditions.

But results should be repeated if they are to be believed. 

Back home in Arizona, and a couple months after Oklahoma, fresh off the production line arrived a Zeiss V3 4.5-14×50 with the SHRi illuminated reticle. Mounted on a Springfield Armory Waypoint 2020 Redline with a 16” Carbon Fiber barrel,  the Redline is purpose-built to be a lightweight hunting rifle using the Grayboe Trekker stock. The Waypoint 2020 has proven to be a reliable and great-shooting rifle, and combining it with the ultra-lightweight Grayboe Trekker makes for one hell of a hunting rifle.

As good as the Waypoint 2020 Redline is out of the box, the tinker in me needed something more. Switching out the factory Grayboe stock for a JTAC Screech Owl chassis and replacing the radial brake with a Precision Armament TiTrex 360 Ti suppressor took the rifle to another level. 

But does the new scope still hold up?

Zeiss V3 4.5-14×50 SHRi illuminated reticle

Zeiss has always prided itself on scopes that use some of the best glass ever made, combined with coatings and manufacturing that no one else has. Put it all together, and it’s called Zeiss Bright Technology that claims at least 90% light transmission, allowing the user to see more with a Zeiss scope and to “stay in the hunt longer”. Having tested it in the dusky last hour of light in Oklahoma and again in Arizona, what Zeiss says is actually true. The Zeiss glass works better, and longer into the last rays of light. If you want to take advantage of the first and last moments of legal shooting light, Zeiss has a major advantage. 

The V3 performs like a scope way above its price tag. Side-by-side against other scopes in the Zeiss product line, like the V4 or S3, it’s obvious that Zeiss made compromises to meet a price point with the V3. But against other brands and models of the same price, Zeiss takes the crown in almost every respect.

That said, the V3 is built for hunters. It’s SFP, the reticles are simple but effective, and the overall size and magnification range of the V3 is clearly intended for people leaning on the hunting side of the equation. None of that is bad, but it does make me wish there was a FFP option.

While built for hunting at typical American hunting distances, putting the V3 through its paces and getting first-round hits on vital-size targets from 400 to 850 yards is damned impressive. The V3 can get the job done and more.

MSRP for the Zeiss V3 with exposed turrets, SHRi reticle is $800

Springfield Waypoint 2020 Redline

The Waypoint is an underappreciated rifle, and Springfield offers it in a wide range of great options. At its heart, the Waypoint is a hunting rifle in many flavors built on a Remington 700 clone action that we all know and love. 2-lug bolt, 90-degree throw; it’s simple and works great. Every Waypoint 2020 comes with a .75 MOA guarantee, but Springfield only uses the statistically meaningless 3-round group standard. That said, this Waypoint still shot .84 MOA using handloads and a 10-round group.

What makes this the “Redline” model is a 16” carbon fiber barrel and a Grayboe Trekker stock. The barrel comes threaded with an omnidirectional brake that was immediately replaced with a suppressor.

16” isn’t ideal for 6.5 Creedmoor, but it’s more than enough for a lightweight rifle that can take whitetail out to 300-ish yards, and that’s exactly what was required from this rifle. My next deer season will be in Southern Missouri, and this is the rifle to fill that tag.

While the Grayboe Trekker is a perfectly adequate stock and is actually less weight than the chassis that replaced it, my goal was a rifle that folded, and the Grayboe doesn’t. That said, it was a hard call because of how nice the Grayboe was to shoot and the fact it has a built-in bubble level.

MSRP is $1,795, and that’s really pretty fair for a CF barrel, great stock, and good rifle.

JTAC Screech Owl 700 Chassis

Telescoping stocks aren’t super common because most of them are horrible. Severe flex, uncomfortable, and more annoying than they’re worth. JTAC is one of the rare examples of a telescoping stock that doesn’t suck; in fact, it’s pretty awesome. Strong, firm, easy to deploy, easy to collapse, but won’t collapse unless you want it to, and the cheek piece fits perfectly both on your cheek and collapsed down on the Waypoint action.

Built-in ARCA rail on the bottom of the handguard is perfect for my bipods and tripods, and the bridge over the end of the barrel is ready for NV or thermal mounting.

MSRP of $480, this is worth every penny. Mine is Cerakoted Cobalt Kinetic Green and looks amazing.

Precision Armament TiTrex 360 Ti

The TiTrex 360 Ti is a tank of a suppressor with more bells and whistles than a World Cup match. To go over every feature requires a dedicated article (coming soon…), so this will just hit some highlights.

Weighing only 7.2 oz and rated up to .300 RUM with no barrel restrictions, the TiTrex pushes the limits of what Titanium can do in all the best ways. HUB mount on one end, open-source SiCo Bravo-style front caps on the other end, the TiTrex is designed to be customizable not only for what kind of rifle it goes on, but what caliber and front-end it has also. 

Being a PRS and NRL: Hunter shooter, I’m a huge fan of brakes to reduce sight picture disruption. For this setup, the TiTrex was fitted with a K-Brake Ultracompact Brake front cap. The body of the TiTrex suppresses the gunshot, and the K-Brake redirects the gas at the end to reduce recoil. Both work better than you expect. 

Even with the brake, it was still significantly quieter than a bare muzzle. The brake still had enough juice to work with to reduce recoil and keep the sight picture from being overly disrupted. Keeping a target in my sight picture even at x14 magnification on the Zeiss V3 at 400 yards was pretty easy.

MSRP $1,199.00

LOOSE ROUNDS

Big changes are happening at Zeiss, and so far, all of them have been for the better. While it feels strange to see any brand actually making moves to better serve the customers instead of the stakeholders, Zeiss is moving in all the right directions. The V3 line of scopes was the first to come, but the whispers of what else might be coming leave promises that a lot more good stuff is on the way.

The V3 is impressive on every level. Price, quality, glass, features, and performance — the V3 doesn’t drop the ball. This scope will be getting a lot more use in the coming months, and we’ll update this article with any changes.