High tech continues to be the siren call when it comes to new products, and nowhere was it more evident at the recent SHOT Show than in the field of optics. I can remember a time when a dealer could know next to nothing about binoculars and riflescopes and still sell both pretty effectively. No more. Today it's an optical jungle out there and you'd better know your way around.

We've got holographic sights, laser sights, red-dot sights, tritium and fiber-optic sights. There's also your illuminated, rangefinding, and mil-dot reticles, along with trajectory-compensating gizmos built into the scope mount or into the elevation adjustment. Then, of course, there's the latest rage: laser rangefinding riflescopes and binoculars.

Leading the high-tech charge this year are Nikon and Tasco, both of whom have introduced laser rangefinding riflescopes at street prices that are three to four times cheaper than the Swarovski unit that pioneered the technology two years ago.

The verdict is still out as to the reliability and durability of the laser rangefinding riflescope. Will it hold up to the hard knocks of big-game hunting? Will it withstand the G-forces of heavy-recoiling magnums? Or are these high-tech wonders best relegated to more sedentary applications like varmint shooting and beanfield-type hunting which allow a rifle to be pampered. After all, if a scope goes south or simply changes zero over the course of a day on a prairie dog town, it's no big thing. Chances are your customer doesn't have several thousand dollars and a year's vacation at stake.

Again, time will tell. In the meantime, having one of these far-more-affordable LR riflescopes in your store can generate a lot of interest and stimulate customer traffic.

Price-Driven Sales

Swarovski now finds itself - with regard to competition from much lower-priced units - in precisely the situation Leica faced when, after a couple of years of being the only game in town with their Geovid LR binocular, Simmons, Tasco, and Bushnell all came out with competing units at a fraction of the price.

Of course there was no comparison. In addition to being a superior laser rangefinder, the Geovid is a true 7x42 binocular with world-class optics, as opposed to the relatively low-quality monoculars used in the cheaper units. Still, what the public was most interested in was rangefinding capability at an affordable price, which they got with the less-expensive units.

Technology is changing in this area so rapidly that this year we're seeing second and even third generation laser binocs among the various Bushnell, Simmons, and Tasco offerings. And this year Nikon throws its hat into the LR binocular arena with the 8x28 Laser 800.

The Nikon unit offers similar features as the others, but has the added advantage of 8x magnification. This makes targeting a little easier than with some of the other units that have only 6x and 7x magnification. Its size is a very compact (5x3 3/4 x 1 3/4 inches and weighs but 14 1/2 ounces. An outer skin of black robber affords a non-slip grip and quietness. Suggested retail price of the Laser 800 is $558.95.

Improved Red Dot

As I mentioned earlier, the high-tech movement is not restricted to laser applications. Conventional riflescopes and binoculars are also benefiting. Aimpoint, for example, who pioneered the red-dot sight 20 years ago, has just introduced what they're calling XD (Extreme Duty) technology to five models: the Comp, the Comp M and MX (military), the 5000 and 5000 2x.

All boast a 300 percent brighter dot and 500 percent longer battery life, giving them "the brightest dot at the lowest power consumption of any red-dot sight available."

Aimpoint's both-eyes-open, heads-up, rapid-target acquisition lends itself to a broad range of applications - from bow, crossbow and paintball, to hunting, military, law enforcement and competitive action shooting.

Also on the red-dot scene this year, the Burris folks - known for producing scopes that can take the punishing recoil of high-powered handguns - have come out with a red-dot sight of their own. Called the SpeedDot 135, it's based on a 35mm body tube that is guaranteed waterproof, fogproof, and shockproof. The sharply-defined, non-flaring dot has 11 intensity settings. It's offered in a choice of 3 MOA or 11 MOA dots, for precision and fast-action IPSC-type shooting, respectively. The unit includes mounting rings to fit Weaver-style bases, a mount extension tube, lens covers, and an easy-to-find 2025 camera battery.

Trade-Offs

Still other technological advancements have enabled Leica to squeeze a 10x binocular into the body of their 8x32 Trinovid. The 8x32 is a personal favorite of mine. How they managed to get a 10x binocular into that body is - well, quite a feat. But they have done it and the result is a binocular to die for.

I look for other optic firms to follow Leica's lead here by incorporating higher magnification into bodies having 30-32mm objective lenses. There are, of course, trade-offs in terms of reduced twilight performance with the smaller objectives; however, for virtually all North American hunting, the legal shooting time ends when there's still a good deal of usable light remaining. When that is the case, higher magnification is usually deemed more important than twilight performance.