Zeiss LRP S5 Review
Breaking into a new discipline of shooting can be a daunting task for any individual, even avid competitors. There are new rules, different equipment, slight changes in mindset, and course of fire breakdown. Certain features of our equipment may even need to shift up or down on the priority list. All of these things are equally as challenging for a company to overcome when they bring a new product to the market that is specifically designed for a newer discipline of shooting. Zeiss has been a long range scope manufacturer for many years and has been producing quality optics for a myriad of different industries for several generations. However, the PRS style of matches was new frontier for them that none of their other models of scope really fit the bill for. Because of this, and the growing popularity of action style precision matches, they needed to develop a new scope from the ground up. This optic focused on the specific features that fast paced precision shooters demand from their equipment. Introducing the Zeiss LRP S5.
The LRP S5 currently comes in a two magnification configurations, 3-18x and 5-25x. Both of these are great options that can be used for a myriad of long range applications including hunting and competition. Additionally, it is available in both mil radian (MRAD) and minutes of angle (MOA) depending on the user’s preference. The reticle options are limited and vary depending on the unit of measure. The MRAD reticle (ZF MRI, Reticle 16) is a Christmas tree type reticle with hold over points for both windage and elevation out to 12 MRAD. The MOA reticle (ZF MOAi Reticle 17) is more in line with your standard MOA hash reticle with wind dots out to 30 MOA. Both reticles do come equipped with illumination that is daytime visible. The MOA reticle just illuminates the center aiming dot with small hashes on all four sides and the MRAD reticle illuminates the reticle out to 1 MRAD for windage and elevation. This illumination is great because it is daytime visible, and it has a gyroscopic sensor that shuts off the reticle if the rifle is canted 45˚ up or down. This can save you a lot of annoyance and frustration with dead batteries due to the illumination being left on after a hunt or a match. The downside to this reticle is the limitations of the illumination. For competitive shooting (my main application for this optic), I utilize a lot of the reticle. It can be difficult to utilize hold overs in a wooded environment if the reticle is black. For other optics that illuminate the entire reticle, this can be overcome by turning on the illumination. For the LRP S5, I still had trouble determining my hold since after about 75 yards (vudoo M22, 22LR) my data was off of the illuminated portion of the reticle, and I was back to a black aiming point. Overall though, I enjoyed the reticle design and thought that it was well thought out and executed, especially for a niche (and very picky) market like that of long range shooting.
Now, let’s get down and dirty on everything you might want to know about using this optic. I was fortunate enough to have this scope for several months to conduct my analysis and utilized it for 6 matches during this time. One of the first things you will notice about the LRP S5 is that the windage and elevation turrets are very tall. At first I was apprehensive of how I would like them, since I was coming over from a Gen 2 Razor with shorter turrets. After about 2 matches, I had become accustomed to it, and actually enjoy the larger area to grab to make my adjustments. Another Feature I was worried about was the travel per rotation for elevation turret. I had the MRAD variation, which means my turret adjusted 12 Mils per rotation. I am a huge fan of the 10 Mil per rotation that most companies adopt, it keeps the math much simpler on the shooter during a stage. That being said, with the extra turret height, Zeiss was able to add additional number markings for the multiple revolutions. This completely compensated for my lack of math skills after the buzzer started a stage.
A feature that Zeiss decided to integrate with this scope was the “clicks” and “clunks” (or at least that’s what I call it). For each full Mil adjustment, the internal detent is slightly larger, making it a more definitive “clunk” than the standard “click” which allows the user to feel where they are at in their adjustment without having to look at the turret. This can be very useful for night shooting or for a quick adjustment on the clock. My only complaint for this feature was that the clunk wasn’t quite big enough for my liking. Sometimes while making quick adjustments, I wouldn’t be able to feel the difference. That being said, I am glad they added this feature since I started my long range journey with an M8541 SSDS (Schmidt and Bender PMII), and that was one of my favorite features on that scope.
Sticking with our discussion of the turrets, let’s shift to something I really disliked about the scope. Zeroing was actually a bit of a pain for me. In reality, it is not much different then zeroing a normal optic. However, when you mount the optic and don’t bring the box with you to the range, it gets complicated. Let me explain. The set screws that need to be loosened to zero the turrets are smaller than the smallest bit in a standard tool kit. So, even though they provided a tool that was the correct size, I didn’t think to bring it with me to the range since I had my Fix-It-Sticks. Not only are the set screws small, they are different sizes for the windage (Torx #6) and elevation (Torx #8). This made zeroing very difficult considering that no one at the range had a size 6 bit. I was able to adjust my windage and utilize the locking turret to make sure it did not move. Another feature the turret had while zeroing that I am not a huge fan of, was that it still clicked while “floating” the turret to zero. Once you’re comfortable with a scope that does that, it isn’t that bad. For the first time user, it will be disconcerting hearing the scope click while adjusting the turret to line up on the “0” mil mark.
Once I was zeroed I never had an issue with my zero adjusting. This does not only speak volumes to the optic, but to the rings as well. Zeiss included a set of their 34mm Precision rings with the scope for this review. For those of you that know me, or have shot with me, I am not easy on my equipment. I routinely do not use rifle cases, pick up and transport my rifle by the optic, and set stuff on top of my rifle on a regular basis. All of these things are cardinal sins for most individuals, and I constantly get weird looks from my squad mates. The reason I treat my equipment this way, is that I would rather induce a potential problem in a controlled environment, then find out years from now that there was a flaw that lay hidden in my babied set up. Knowing that my system can withstand the abuse I put it through on a weekly basis gives me a lot of comfort and reassurance that it will be fine if there are larger issues, like it suffering a fall from a tripod or getting knocked over while on bipods.
Glass clarity is obviously one of the biggest factors looked at when comparing higher end optics, especially when looking at something for ELR shooting. I found the glass to be some of the clearest I have used, and I never struggled with haze or loss of clarity during lower light situations. Zeiss had so much confidence that their glass was competitive that at the Precision Rifle Expo in Georgia this year they had a platform set up with optics from all of their competitors (Vortex, Night Force, Leupold, and Zero Compromise) and the LRP S5 so that you could compare field of view and clarity between all of the top brands side by side.
Now that we have covered all of the main points, lets hit some of the smaller items that I noticed after several months of heavy use.
The magnification adjustment was very smooth and never stiff as some scopes are when they are new. Especially with the Zeiss throw lever, I never had to struggle to get my magnification exactly where I wanted it. The Parallax adjustment on the other had was a little stiff at first and needed to be broken in. The built in throw lever on it (more of a nub then anything), could be slightly larger to really help with the adjustment. Once my hands were a little sweaty, the small nub combined with the stiffness of the turret made adjustments difficult. You also had to worry about grabbing the illumination turret while making parallax adjustments. If you didn’t have the illumination turned on, then this isn’t an issue. Their illumination turret does not have any limitations, it will just continuously spin. So turning it while adjusting parallax is okay, unless you are utilizing the illumination, then the brightness will also adjust at the same time as parallax, which could be less than ideal.
Overall, I am largely impressed with Zeiss’s intro in the market. Many companies have tried and failed to enter the action long range market. Either due to poor products or focusing on the wrong features. Zeiss obviously did a lot of market research, took advice from experts, and did a lot of R&D prior to releasing their final product. I think this optic has the potential to become a standard in this sport and begin to shake up the monopoly that a few companies have in this discipline of long range. I will be purchasing a LRP S5 for my own use and for the use of my students, and I am excited to see how it is received by the average shooter and what future innovations Zeiss comes up with.
Written by: LRT Sr Reviewer John Solinsky