Try Out Some Russian Binoculars In The 8×30 And 12×50 Range
High Quality, Though Somewhat Outdated Designs
The USSR Company located in Burdett, New York imports Russian binoculars and stocks real issue items that are low priced. Some of the Russian binoculars come straight from the military warehouses in Russia and so, are of good quality. There are two special Russian binoculars that this company has imported and which deserve to be talked about, in some detail. These Russian binoculars are 8×30 and 12×50 pieces.
The first one was the 8×30 Russian military binocular that seemed to be, for all practical purposes, of the highest quality. Its case was made out of leather and had a good finish and the 8×30 binoculars, though they were excellent, still reminded one of forty year old Zeiss binoculars. Just like those forty old Zeiss binoculars, this binocular was well made and perfect looking and, when viewing them through the lenses, it gave perfect view and the glass finish was excellent, very clear right down to the edges.
This 8×30 Russian binocular was equipped with reticule in the Mil scale which is in five Mils or 18” per hundred yards, between each line. When trying out the adjustments this Russian binocular was found to handle smoothly and stayed fixed in the field. The reason behind it reminding one of the Zeiss binoculars is that it is based on their original designs. The cost of such a binocular is around five hundred dollars though there are bargain buys available for just seventy-five dollars.
On the other hand, the 12×50 was better designed and had superior workmanship and the quality was fine, even though the packaging was no more than utilitarian. These Russian binoculars were stored in hard plastic cases and the binocular itself, had the same reticule as the 8×30, with five mil marks. In the adjustment department it was the equal of the 8×30 though not as smooth and these binoculars were large, though lightweight. They can be purchased for just ninety dollars and are good value for money.
The 8×30 are high performance Russian binoculars that can be used in the field even though they are not as good as the higher valued Swarovski, but the difference is more in cost, rather than in functionality. The 12x50s are excellent Russian binoculars though they are too powerful for most situations and can be used for field scanning even though their field of vision is rather limited.