Last updated on March 5th, 2024
The Maven Rifle Scope or RS.3 5-30×50 is designed and manufactured by Maven Optics who are based out of Wyoming in the US. Maven are a direct to consumer company meaning their products are only available through their website and as a result the price tag on their optics have no added retail markup. This allows the company to produce high quality optics at a discounted rate compared to the competition.
When using my friends Maven spotting scope and binoculars on a recent hunting trip, I raised an eyebrow. Over the years I’ve used many different spotting scopes and long-range optics from budget minded all the way into premium optics, but in all that time I have never used a Maven product and especially a Maven rifle scope. Doing my research I found that online reviews of the Maven RS.3 5-30×50 have been nothing short of praising this scope for all it offers. However in order to find out for myself I would have to put it through some initial testing.
Construction
The RS.3 rifle scopes are built in Japan, have a 30mm maintube and feel extremely solid. The RS.3 is marketed as a long range hunting and target optic so it’s good to see its listed as both waterproof and fog proof. Although there are no scope caps included, it does come with a neoprene cover to add some protection out in the field. I hunt in mostly alpine areas and like the added protection lens caps provide so ill be picking some up in the near future just for piece of mind.
For the huge magnification range of 5-30x the scope is compact, measuring 33cm/13inches long with a 6x erector and a large 50mm objective lens. The large magnification range aids in identifying game and providing extra detail of your target.
An interesting thing about Maven is that they offer their optics with different colour options. Their binoculars and spotting scopes can be ordered with custom colours and camouflage patters, including the awesome Kuiu patterns. As for the Maven RS.3 5-30×50 rifle scopes there are two different colour options available including a black or black and grey which is the colour scheme I have.
Weighing in at 26.9oz/762g the RS.3 sits at a good weight for a hunting setup. Concerned about every ounce of weight I take out on a hunt I try to avoid heavy hunting optics. This is a difficult position as hunting scopes need to be durable and at the same on the lighter side. I’m glad to see that Maven have been able to produce a durable optic that isn’t too heavy.
Glass
Maven use ED (extra low dispersion) glass which provides the high contrast and bright image. It is difficult to decipher just how well the RS.3 performs compared to other premium optics, however my initial impressions show that its performing well above its price bracket and on par with the Vortex Razor Gen III.
Maven lists the RS.3 to have 90% light transmission and from my initial tests shows a bright image. A major strength of this optic is the glass quality, with edge-to-edge clarity at all magnifications with no sign of chromatic adoration. Parallax setting was generous and it wasn’t hard to get the reticle to be parallax free within the image.
Reticle
The Maven RS.3 is in the first focal plane and has three different etched reticles available, the SHR-W (MOA), MOA-2 (MOA) and SHR-MIL (MIL). My RS.3 has the SHR-MIL reticle. Its a well thought out reticle for long distance hunting using the large 5-30x magnification range. For the hunter wanting to stretch out and take shots at greater distances the SHR-MIL isn’t too busy with overly complex subtension lines covering the sight picture. Its a more basic reticle with .5 subtensions on the vertical stadia line.
The lines of the reticle have a good thickness level, making them easy to pick out in shadows and high contrast backgrounds. Most importantly I don’t find the lines to be too distracting when lining up on a target. The reticle doesn’t have an illumination function however the 50mm objective lens on the RS.3 helps capture more light and get a clearer image when shooting in low light conditions.
Turrets
Being the first Maven scope I have used I didn’t know what to expect except for the scope to likely excel optically. The exposed elevation and windage turrets are surprisingly tactile, which for the $1600 USD price point is a nice surprise.
The 0.1 MIL clicks are precise with very little play which makes elevation easy to dial. The windage turret isn’t capped which some hunters may find annoying, however I have used plenty of scopes hunting with uncapped windage turrets and never had a problem in the field.
The 6 MIL per revolution on the turret is a nice amount and is a lot more forgiving than some of the tight spacing of other optics turrets. There is a total elevation of 23 MIL and 14.8 MIL for windage with a lockable zerostop feature. The parallax range is 20 yards to infinity. The RS.3 has tracked well and I have experienced no problems returning to zero.
Conclusion
This is my first Maven optic and the first direct to consumer optics company I have reviewed. Putting a 6x erector into a short body can have its limitations for an optic, however Maven engineers have overcome the constraints. I would have liked to see some scope caps included but its not a deal breaker and Maven do sell a package that includes them. I’m sure there will also be some hunters that want a locking windage turret and an illuminated reticle however these aren’t priorities for my hunting optics and don’t bother me.
It’s great to see a long range hunting focused optic with a large magnification range as well as great reticles such as the SHR-MIL. The RS.3 from Maven has exceeded expectations and it certainly out performs other $1600 USD price bracket scopes I have used. If you are looking to buy a high quality hunting scope for long range hunting, you can definitely choose the RS.3 scope.
Stay tuned for more content across our platforms as we take the RS.3 on some extended back-country trips.
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