Testbericht_GT_RS-4_X-Days_Image_II_30x30

AFRICAN HUNTING IN FOCUS: MINOX RS-4 PUT TO THE TEST

In the vastness of South Africa

Africa - the sound of this name alone fires the imagination of every hunter. Africa is an endless expanse, alternating between glistening light and dense shade, dust, heat and constantly changing distances. These constantly changing conditions place high demands on the equipment, especially the optics. So I was all the more excited in the run-up to my trip to Zululand in South Africa when I opened the parcel and held the MINOX RS-4 in the 2.5 -10 x 50 version in my hands.

First impression

Out of the box - the lens looked coherent and cleanly finished. With its 660 grams and overall length of just under 35cm, it did not appear oversized. The matt black surface gave it a pleasant finish. The first look through it at the kitchen table at home convinced me straight away. The picture was clear, high-contrast and bright right up to the edges. The feel of everything was elegant and well coordinated, from the magnification change and parallax setting to the adjustment of the light point. The fibre optics used made it possible to create a finely adjustable illuminated dot that was sharp at the edges and very clearly visible. My interim conclusion was drawn fairly quickly: This is a first-class universal lens! With a broad grin, I quickly put it in my rucksack and on the plane the next day.

On site

Once I arrived in South Africa, I was overwhelmed by the impressions. There were so many that I first had to process everything.

True to the motto: ‘First the work, then the pleasure’, the glass still had to be fitted.

The preparation

At the in-house shooting range, the Sauer 505 in calibre .308 Win. was quickly placed on a few sandbags and ready to be mounted. Then the first shock, of course I had forgotten to switch off the red dot at home. But when I looked through the optics and adjusted the light intensity, it continued to shine brightly and clearly. The automatic switch-off had thought of this for me. Fortunately, the illuminated dot deactivated after three hours and my battery capacity was not exhausted. A big plus point.

The scope with the 30mm tube diameter was quickly pre-assembled and roughly aligned. The dioptre setting was self-explanatory, the parallax setting from 10m was easy to adjust and consequently the eye relief was also quickly set and the reticle aligned in plumb and level.

The alignment between the barrel axis and the position of the sight was quickly carried out. Even when setting the magnification, I noticed the opulent field of view. ‘Shall we try it?’ the professional hunter asked me. The bullet was loaded and the magnification was set to 8x. The reticle in the second focal plane lay still on my target. The shot broke and the hit was 8cm high and 6cm to the right.

First use

Only now did I notice the sharp click settings. The clicks were clean, not too stiff, easy to hear and easy to read. Ready for the next shot. While I was repeating, my professional hunter said in his Afrikaans-sounding German: ‘Passt- Bullseye’. With the third shot as confirmation, the gun was locked in - hole to hole. That gave me confidence. It was already in its holster on the open loading area of the pick-up and off we went. Exciting stalks followed over the next few days. The constant change in conditions from thorny thick bush with shooting distances of no more than 30 metres to open areas that seemed almost endless, we searched for the right pieces of game.

On the stalk

The very first stalk put us to the test. We drove past a small herd of impala. Our tracker Vincent mumbled something to our professional hunter in Zulu, even though I didn't understand anything, the message was clear: there's a piece that fits. After about 300-350 metres, the off-road vehicle stopped and the professional hunter explained his tactics to us. ‘Get ready’ was the instruction. I took my rifle out of the open case, already expecting to have dust and sand in front of my lens, but nothing. It was already after 4pm and the sun was setting almost too quickly. The idea was to stalk through the thick bush to a small clearing where the game was probably moving.

So we set off, past finger-length thorn bushes, right through the bush. Again and again we used small gaps to take a glass. Where the sun was still shining through, we had intense warm light, in the other areas it was already shady. Shortly before we reached the clearing, our professional hunter stopped and set up his shooting stick without saying a word. Based on the direction, I could see the game to our right in a high grade patch. In no time at all, the magnification was turned up from 4x to 6x to see more details.

This is where the wheat is separated from the chaff:

Fading light, vegetation in the foreground and unfamiliar game meant that I had to rely completely on my optics. I didn't want to make a mistake. Our professional hunter was calm.

In a gap between two thorn bushes was the only opportunity to take a shot without branches or grasses in the bullet's flight path. The pieces moved on slowly. Very slowly. It felt like the sun was setting at breakneck speed. I activated my illuminated dot, discreetly and without outshining, my reticle was in the gap. The impala narrow-eyed animal walked leisurely into the gap, the rest of the pack moved slightly ahead. My chance. No experiments now, I thought to myself. I wanted the shot to be ‘full on’ so that we didn't have to search for it or make a long escape. ‘Whenever you want, you decide,’ whispered the professional hunter. And so the shot was fired. Still in the shot, I saw how the animal collapsed. The rest of the pack scattered. After a brief moment, we went for the kill.

‘Super shot!’ was the professional hunter's verdict. What more could I want? An atmosphere was spreading that was unique, or rather, that was the feeling of Africa.

My conclusion

The MINOX RS-4 2.5 -10 x 50 fulfils all the requirements of a modern and practical universal scope. This riflescope leaves nothing to be desired for both stalking and sitting game.

Useful features such as the automatic switch-off, a finely adjustable illuminated dot and the easily adjustable parallax setting, coupled with very good optical performance, are just the main performance features of this riflescope series. Considering the price range of less than €1000, you get a scope that leaves little to nothing to be desired for the practitioner. All in all, the MINOX RS-4 is an outstanding riflescope that impresses with its value for money, unrestricted practicality and elegance, no matter which part of the world the hunter ends up in.

Autor

Ivan from GEARTESTER

Geartester is the leading community platform in the German-speaking world for outdoor and hunting equipment. We offer honest and independent reviews from users for users to help you choose the best products. Whether it's hunting, shooting, fishing or outdoor adventures - you'll find authentic reviews and recommendations here. Share your own experiences and help others to find the perfect equipment for their activities!