The Pecar Optics Range of Rifle Scopes

I’m often at gun shops stocking up on ammo and reloading gear, and having a keen interest in rifle scopes I keep an eye out for whats on the shelves. I have seen Pecar Optics on display but knew very little else about them. Casual shooters and the majority of rifle shooters starting out are mainly concerned with price when selecting a scope, for my first rimfire rifle, I got a scope off the shelf that fit my budget without considering much else. Here we take a look at a common on the shelf optic in Australian gunshops.

Lucky for me Pecar Optics reached out and lent me an optic from each of their three scope ranges to see how they perform. Pecar’s range of optics are divided up into three categories, Black Carbon, Blue Carbon and White Carbon. Basically the Black Carbon range is their premium line, the Blue Carbon is their standard range and the White Carbon the rimfire range. For those familiar with another popular budget optics manufacturer they are very similar to the Vortex Viper, Diamondback and Crossfire range with one big difference, Pecar Optics are Australian owned.

Doing some research I can see that Pecar Optics are an Australian owned optics company founded in 2014 that offer a 10 year warranty on all their optics. Budget optics keep the price down usually by manufacturing them in countries where its cheaper to do so. In recent years the glass quality coming out of Asia has improved dramatically and many major optics manufacturers are offering great scopes made in these countries. This is no different with Pecar optics but I am glad to see they benefit from the recent boost in optical performance.

Black Carbon Range

The top optics on offer from Pecar are found in the Black Carbon range which have four variants including 1.5-6x42mm, 2.5-10x50mm, 3-12x56mm and 5-25×56. The major differences with the other two ranges is that 3 out of 4 of the scopes found in Black Carbon range come with an extra set of exposed target turrets. The fourth optic in the range, the long distance 5-25x56mm already comes fitted with exposed target turrets as standard.

The benefit of having different sets of turrets is that the optics become multi disciplinary. Hunters prefer slim, capped turrets reducing the risk of your rifle getting snagged on something and your zero being changed. Target shooters don’t have to worry about that as much as the rifle is mostly used in a controlled environment benchrest shooting. The low weight, low price, interchangeable turrets and solid build make the Black Carbon an attractive range.

Spending time with the 5-25x56mm variant which retails for around $1,199, puts it up against some tough competition such as the Vortex Strike Eagle. Both offer the same magnification range, parallax adjustment, good illuminated reticles, multi-coated lenses and zerostop. The major difference being that Pecar is owned by Aussies.

This glass quality was impressive for the price point and very similar in performance to the ZeroTech Trace Advanced 4.5-27×50 and Strike Eagle. The Pecar Black Carbon range all have multi-coated lenses housed in a 30mm tube. It’s suitable for both hunting and target shooting being nitrogen filled, water proof and fog proof.

The glass etched reticle offers good holdover capabilities making it suitable for competition use and the illumination settings add functionality at low light. The reticles on offer include the German #4 and the 5-25×56 variant has a Christmas tree style reticle.

The 1.5-6x42mm with German #4 reticle from the same Black Carbon range shares the same build and glass quality as the above long distance variant. The German #4 reticle has solid stadia lines and a center floating dot. The illumination and swapable target turrets are nice features at this price point. For typical stalking scenarios when hunting there’s very little where 6x magnification wont be useful for. At max magnification the image stayed clear with no tunneling. The smaller 42mm objective helps keep the weight down and balance the rifle. All things considered its a tough optic with good features and well priced.

Blue Carbon Range

The Blue Carbon range are the centerfire and rimfire scopes that are designed with hunters in mind. There are three variants in this range including 3-9x44mm, 4-16x50mm and 8x56mm. These are most comparable to the Vortex Diamondback range with similar price points and features.

Features I like for hunting which the Blue Carbon range has, includes low profile capped turrets, waterproof, fog-proof design and simple reticles. The German 4P reticle is on the fixed power and versatile mil-dot reticles on the variable power scopes. Like the Black Carbon range the reticles are glass etched and the scopes also features multi-coated lenses. One big difference however is that this range doesn’t come with illuminated reticles.

The Blue Carbon scopes have 30mm tubes with parallax adjustment included on the two variable scopes via the objective lens. Of note a is that the Diamondback equivalent doesn’t have a parallax adjustment.

Testing out the Pecar Optics Blue Carbon 4-16x50mm variant with the mil dot reticle, I got a feel for the optic. Being a budget optic but designed to be used on all types of rifles I did feel it was tough enough for the job of soaking up heavy recoil. The glass is good for the price with a RRP of $349.

White Carbon Range

The cheapest option on offer from Pecar Optics are focused on rimfire rifles and have similar features and price points to the Vortex Crossfire series. The three variants in Pecar’s White Carbon range include 2-7x32mm, 3-9x40mm and 3-12x40mm, more than enough magnification for air-rifles and rimfire rifles.

These have 1″ tubes that are nitrogen filled, waterproof and fog-proof. The glass is good for the price which is due to the use of multi coated lenses. I’m glad to see the mil-dot reticle being used throughout this range as its simple to use and offers the ability for holdovers which is handy with capped turrets.

Looking at the 3-9x40mm variant in the range its priced well below its competition with a RRP of $199, the Vortex Crossfire II with the same magnification range is an extra $100. Well worth considering when looking at rimfire scopes.

Conclusion

Its always good to support Australian owned companies and that’s where I would consider these over the competition. Pecar certainly have budget minded options for all shooters including rimfire, centerfire and long distance. I especially like the interchangeable turret options on the black carbon series as this really opens up the functionality of the scopes for those looking for a crossover optic.

Ill be keeping a close eye on Pecar gear and with the hunting side well catered to, hopefully we see some more target focused models in the future, maybe featuring a throw lever. Overall the strengths with these optics are their affordable options and well made glass. The 10 year warranty also gives good piece of mind. Checkout more information about Pecar on their website.