Vector Constantine 1-10 LPVO Review
I've had my first outing with the Constantine 1-10X24 that was sent to me by Vector Optics to review. I decided to start it out with it on my Romanian PSL-54. The scope is awesome so far and a great choice for a DMR platform like the PSL, however the mounting is a little to be desired. None of this is the fault of the optic.
Having a larger tube (30mm) than your average scope means none of my low profile rings worked with it and the height of the AK style scope mount raised it even higher on the PSL. This makes for a height over bore higher than I would like. This could be corrected with a cheek riser on the stock or some more tuning of the mounting system to get a lower bore axis.
That said, I did attempt to stretch it out as far as possible managing to set up a 233 yard test range. Now this is farther than I personally prefer to use a 1-10 power optics, however the Constantine performed fantastic. Out of a box of a 20 round box of Monarch I managed 9 hits at range. Now this might not sound impressive to the average long range shooter but keep in mind that was with many handicaps. Monarch 7.62x54r is far from a match grade cartrage and has limitations on itself, add that to a rifle that isn't broken in and an uncomfortably high height over bore and it makes for some, less than optimal shooting.
All the excuses out of the way this goes to show just how well this optic performs. On a better suited platform such as a bolt gun or any AR-15/10 this scope would really shine. Properly sighted in for 100 yards an average shooter should have no problem stretching out an appropriate rifle out to 4-600 yards with this scope.
The Constantine itself has some impressive features for it's price point. It comes packed very well with little chance of shipping damage if shipped properly (I'm talking to you FedEx) and comes with some extra goodies. The glass is surprisingly clear rivaling some of my slightly more expensive Vortex optics. There is very little noticeable distortion around the edges when changing from 1-10 power and I didn't even have to mess with the focus ring at a in my time with it.
The illuminated reticle is daylight bright and will early be dimed to what ever comfortable level you need for any lighting conditions. My only complaint is that the entire reticle isn't illuminated. This could be an issue when trying to reach longer ranges in low light or night shooting conditions as the elevation, windage and ranging hashes could be difficult to see. The range finder is a nice touch and something you don't often see in civilian optics let alone LPVOs. It's placement in the optic is even more impressive being directly above the reticle. This means you don't have to take your reticle too far off target to get a range off of it. Most optics with this feature usually put it at the bottom of you sight picture along with you lowest elevation hash and out past your windage hashes. That's a lot of movement you have to do to get a range.
As for the ergonomics of the optic they are good but average when compared to other offerings on the market. The zoom ring has a nice firm sweep and feels well made. The lever on the ring could be larger. It is removable so maybe different design or sizes might be available. The illumination nob is also firm and gives positive feedback on each lighting level. The addition of protective caps over the windage and elevation knobs are nice to help protect your zero and the optics dose come with a larger elevation knob that can be swapped out if you want to be able to change your dope on the fly. You can zero you scope and re zero your knobs. The clicks are 0.5 MOA which is adequate for a 10x however a ¼ MOA click would be preferred.
The weight is a little on the heavy end but still light considering it's size and being a LPVO. It is quite large for a LPVO and even for a 10x being noticably larger than my other LPVOs but it still pull in just under the "too big" category of scopes.
Overall I give it a solid 4.5 starts. It only losing that half star to the lack of ¼ MOA clicks and the whole reticle not being illuminated. I would highly recommend this scope to anyone planning on running it on a AR or bolt action pattern rifle but less picky shooters might care less about height over bore. The reticle would make it especially good for competition shooting on a AR. It's a great offering for the price especially right now only being on sale for $383 on their website.
I might do some more testing on one of my ars or my bolt guns to see how a better height over bore effects the experience. As of now there is a lot more I could say about my brief time with this optic but that isn't important for the average shooter. If you get a chance to check out the Constantine 1-10 let me know how you like it.