Schmidt & Bender PM II: a minimal beginners guide
Schmidt & Bender is a German rifle scope manufacturing company well known for its top-quality products, where the PM II series is much appreciated by top shooters worldwide
Precision shooting moves around 4 key elements: shooter, rifle, ammunition and optic, where the quality of this last one plays an important role
The Schmidt & Bender PM II rifle scopes line is intended for police and military use and features a wide choice of scopes that can satisfy the most varied operative requisites, among which we chose three main models meant to give you a taste of what Schmidt & Bender offers also to the most demanding sport shooters.
All Schmidt & Bender rifle scopes are characterized by excellence of their optics, with outstanding clarity, definition and optical quality. If building a good optical system devoid of crass optical aberrations is today within the reach of most manufacturers, less so is creating an optical system with high light transmission through complex lens groups, implying top notch lens coating treatments.
Even less so is assembling such an optical system within a mechanical structure that provides solid protection and, above all, a dependable adjustment mechanism capable of guaranteeing repeatable, consistent setups over a long operative life.
While varying in the operative requirements they can satisfy, all Schmidt & Bender scopes possess these qualities, which can be also presumed by their average price (but we know, quality has a cost).
The three Schmidt & Bender rifle scopes of this very short introductory guide
Schmidt & Bender PM II 3-20x50
The eyepiece of the Schmidt & Bender PM II 3-20x50
This is a scope designed with maximum versatility in mind. The 3x magnification allows the user to engage reasonably close targets with a good field of view while the 20x magnification coupled with 260 cm of elevation adjustment allow for long range engagements without worry of running out of MILs.
The reticle lies on the first focal plane, as befits a military scope. Further solutions implemented to make life easier for the field shooter include the MTC system that gives an increased “tactile” feedback every tenth click of the turret so to reduce the chance of error and making easier to dial in large amounts of correction, the total correction comprised in two turns of the turret, lockable turrets to avoid accidental movements and parallax compensation from 25 m to infinity.
The reticle is illuminated with settings compatible with NV systems up to broad daylight and can be had as an option on the second focal plane as well. Reticle design comprise the most popular types, from a classical police mil dot with stadia marks to P4L and Horus 37 and 58.
The 11,5 mm exit pupil at 3x insures an ultra-bright image at the lower magnification levels. Adjustment in ¼ MOA or 0,1 Mil clicks.
The turrets of the Schmidt & Bender PM II 3-20x50
The Schmidt & Bender PM II 3-20x50 rifle scope
Beyond technicalities, to expert eyes, to sight the target through the lenses of a Schmidt & Bender its always a pleasure
Schmidt & Bender PM II 5-25x56
The eyepiece of the Schmidt & Bender PM II 5-25x56
This scope is still quite versatile, but leans more towards long range shooting.
The 5-25x56 shares with the 3-20x50 the illuminated reticle compatible with NV equipment, 260 cm of elevation, 0,1 Mil or ¼ MOA click accuracy and great brightness at the lower magnifications, as well as lockable turrets and a wide range of reticles available both on the first or second focal plane, as per customer specification.
P3L, P4L, Police as well as a wide range of Horus reticles (H37, 58, 59, TreMoR 2) are available on the first focal plane, while the P3L and P4Ls are available on the second focal plane.
The turrets of the Schmidt & Bender PM II 5-25x56
The Schmidt & Bender PM II 5-25x56 rifle scope
Schmidt & Bender PM II 3-27x56 High Power
The eyepiece of the Schmidt & Bender PM II 3-27x56 High Power
Developed for long range shooting on USSOCOM specifications, this scope has a 9x zoom that allows it to keep good short to medium range capabilities, and yet to reach very far, all with great brightness.
Turrets are lockable and provide tactile feedback every tenth click thanks to the MTC system. Available reticles are the P4L fine, H2CMR, Horus 37, 59 and TReMoR, all on first focal plane. Clicks are the same as for the rest of the PM II range.
As with the previous two models, a 90 mm eye relief keeps the user safe from exuberant shows of affection from the sighting device (“scope kiss”) when using powerful cartridges typical of very long range shooting. The scope can be had in black, RAL 8000 or Pantone 7504M tones.
The turrets of the Schmidt & Bender PM II 3-27x56 High Power
The Schmidt & Bender PM II 3-27x56 High Power rifle scope
Along with the rifle, the ammunition and of course the shooter, the rifle scope plays a primary role in precision shooting. To obtain top performances is not possible to kid, and quality has a cost.
Schmidt & Bender PM II rifle scopes are expensive and intended for expert shooters, and is not that easy to talk about one of the mpost appreciated worldwide optics family in such superficial terms.
But after all, the purpose of this article was just to arouse your curiosity, and we have considered anyway useful to put down this short (and absolutely incomplete) introductory guide, without any particular pretension, simply wishing that the younger will find it useful. the Schmidt & Bender PM II product line includes about 30 different models, and we invite you to visit the manufacturer website.
For more information:
http://www.schmidtundbender.de/en/
Front view of these beautiful Schmidt & Bender PM II rifle scopes
The eyepieces of the three Schmidt & Bender PM II rifle scopes, with their zoom and luminosity ratios