Schmidt Bender 3-12x50mm PM II LP P4FL 1cm cw DT / ST Riflescope 644-911-962-96-94A38

In reading different product reviews, it seems that most of the ones I've seen about Schmidt and Bender scopes focus on the instrument's optical features. By now, it is commonplace to read of the clarity, brightness, sharpness and depth-of-field of the image, along with the easy accessibility and overall quality of the device. Clearly, these characteristics are elevated to near perfection in the PMII line. It is difficult for me (being limited to only five of these pieces in my collection) to claim the perspective of expert or connoisseur, but I can confidently say that these instruments are the finest examples of the genre that this ignorant hillbilly has ever run across. However, it seems to me that there is another aspect to these scopes that does not receive the mention that it deserves. I am speaking of the ruggedness and durability of what is, really, a precision instrument. In the early '80's, I was sitting idly at a sidewalk cafe in Beirut when an Israeli APC came careening around the corner and slid to a stop just yards away. As part of the dismount process, the troops proceeded to chuck their gear off of the top deck and onto the street below, sending rifles and radios bouncing around all over the place. This is the only time I can remember seeing anyone exhibit less care with his gear than I do (although my destructive tendencies arise from a marked lack of coordination, rather than willful neglect). In my experience, the folks at S&B have designed and built a device, constructed of dozens of precise and interconnected parts, that can easily withstand the abuse that I can inflict. Like McIntosh hi-fi equipment, this stuff is built for the long haul, and will easily shrug off being dragged through the dirt or dropped out of helicopters (not that I have personal knowledge of this, but Tony swears it's true, and who am I to question the veracity of a Marine?). So if you are clumsy and inattentive like me, and tend to wear stuff out sooner than your buddies, then the Schmidt and Bender is for you. Just be sure you order precisely what you want, because you are going to have it a long time.