Lately, an interesting development has emerged in the hunting optics market. Historically, Vortex, Leupold, Bushnell, and Burris have dominated the standard hunting fare. In the last few years though, several companies have sprung up using a direct to consumer business model. Tract optics is one such company. Tract claims their business model offers consumers a better value by cutting out the middleman. I wanted to test this firsthand. When they released their new Tract Toric UHD 30mm hunting scopes I ordered a copy to see what all the talk was about.
Philosophy of Use
Tract markets the Toric 2.5-15×44 as a long range hunting optic. This season, I was using a Vortex Diamondback Tactical on my Bergara B-14 and had an issue with an exposed turret losing zero while strapped to my pack. This had me looking for a new first focal plane optic with more secure turrets. The Tract Toric UHD 2.5-15×44 offers the ability to shoot past 400 yards without worrying about losing zero while hiking.
Specifications
First off, the Toric UHD Hunt line splits the difference between a capped turret scope like the VX-2 and the target style Diamondback Tactical. Notably, the Toric is a bit on the heavier side, coming in at 28 oz. The elevation dial is exposed but has a locking feature, while the windage turret is capped. Personally, this is ideal as I like to dial for elevation and hold for wind in the reticle. The elevation dial also has a zero stop feature which was much easier to install than the one on the Vortex PST Gen 2.
Next, the reticle for the 30mm Hunt line is a simple crosshairs with hashmarks ever 0.5 Mils. While some prefer a Christmas tree style reticle, I don’t mind this for hunting. Where the Christmas tree style reticles are useful is for reading a miss at long range and adjusting. In hunting scenarios, it is the first shot that counts. Furthermore, if the shot is long enough for you to spot your own miss, you shouldn’t be following up on running game.
Another appreciated and often undervalued feature is the parallax adjustment, which goes all the way down to 10 yards. This may seem redundant for hunting. However, I dry fire practice daily in my basement where I have a miniature 10 yard range. The fact that the parallax can focus at that distance makes practice much more enjoyable.
User Interface
Importantly, unlike a benchrest scope, hunting scopes must be fast and intuitive to use. Good ergonomics help to streamline the shooting process in stressful situations when your lizard brain assumes control. The Toric UHD has some great ergonomics. The eyepiece was easy to adjust without being too loose where it moves during use. The parallax adjusts smoothly although with my diopter setting they don’t precisely match up with the ranges on the dial. The clicks on the turrets are very good for the price point. I was impressed that even with the capped windage turrets the clicks felt excellent. I found the tactile clicks to be superior to my Vortex Razor LHT.
Magnification Ring and Throw Lever
Also, the magnification ring was smooth and easy to operate. Tract makes this even easier by offering affordable bubble levels and throw levers for purchase. I purchased both. One complaint I have is that the throw lever when coupled with the large ocular lense does make the bolt handle touch the bolt handle slightly at max magnification. This is with low rings and a 90 degree bolt throw, and the action still cycles. However, I would have liked to see a slightly slimmer ocular lense/throw lever combo to avoid this contact.
Field of View
Finally, for my eyes the Toric has an excellent field of view especially on the low end magnification of 2.5x. When I have the magnification reasonably low I can comfortable shoot with both eyes open, allowing me to see my bubble level while staying in the scope. This is useful for dry fire practice as the bubble level is a great teaching aid to ensure I am practicing leveling the rifle properly.
Lack of Illumination
One feature that is missing that I would liked to have seen on a first focal plane hunting scope is illumination. Illumination is useful for low light shooting with FFP scopes when the reticle is small at low magnifications. However, for a few more ounces and a few more dollars Tract does offer a 4-20 magnification scope with locking turrets that does have illumination. Still it would have been a useful addition to this optic.
Reliability
While features and specifications are what fill advertising pamphlets, a rifle scope is only useful if it tracks and holds zero. The Tract Toric UHD has been completely reliable on both fronts. For tracking, I shot groups at 190 and 335 yards by alternating shots at each target. Despite it being a gusty day all four groups shot this way were sub-MOA. The zero stop worked flawlessly and return to zero was spot on. The scope held zero after being driven several kilometers down a dried creek bed laying loose in the back of my pickup.
Glass Quality
Glass quality in hunting scopes is often overrated. Game should be spotted and assessed with binoculars or spotting scopes, and the rifle scope only needs to allow clear view of the animal. That said, the Tract Toric UHD has very good glass. I was able to clearly see the 6.5mm holes on paper at 200 yards on a cloudy day. Comparing it side by side with the Razor LHT the glass was very comparable. The Toric allowed a seemingly larger field of view at the same magnifications, while the LHT image seemed slightly brighter. Of note, good glass is heavy, and the Toric UHD comes in almost 50 percent heavier than the Razor.
Closing Thoughts
In closing, the Tract Toric UHD offers a solid scope with some great value for the hunter who wants a FFP scope. The locking turret, simple reticle, and excellent magnification range make this a formidable hunting scope. However, I would like this scope even more if it was a bit lighter and had some illumination. However, for someone who isn’t super weight conscious the Toric offers the features and optical gas to reach out beyond traditional hunting ranges.
UPDATE: After further testing an issue came up with the Tract Toric UHD 3-15×42. You can read about it here.