EOTECH VUDU 3.5-18×50 SFP Rifle Scope Test
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Meet The Solar-Eclipse-Approved EOTECH VUDU
My last day of testing out the EOTECH VUDU 3.5-18x50 SFP rifle scope occurred during the solar eclipse on April 8, 2024. Admittedly, north-central Wisconsin wasn’t on the eclipse’s main path. Plus, the day was overcast. But the light decreased as I shot, giving me a nice indication of the scope’s low-light capabilities.
Those capabilities were first-rate. Even as the light got dusk-like, the edges of the targets at 100 yards were crisp and clear, the lines between colors sharp.
VUDU Tests On A Christensen Arms MCR
I knew the EOTECH VUDU 3.5-18x50 SFP was a quality scope because I used it when I reviewed the Christensen Arms Modern Carbon Rifle.
To zero the MCR, I got on paper at 50 yards and then moved to 100 yards. My first three shots at football-field distance hit 1.5 inches to the left. I clicked the windage adjustment six times to the right. My next three rounds drilled the bullseye.
When I changed over brands of ammunition, points of impact shifted. Not a problem. I made the necessary adjustments to the elevation and windage turrets and was quickly back on target.
EOTECH VUDU 3.5-18x50 SFP Features
The EOTECH VUDU 3.5-18x50 is a Second Focal Plane (SFP) optic ideal for the hunter who takes medium- to longer-range shots on game. The scope featured EOTECH’s XC High-Density glass, a rugged 34mm aircraft-grade aluminum tube, and large, easy-to-use tactical turrets. The turrets adjusted for 0.25 MOA for elevation and windage.
On the left side of the tube, the Vudu sported a combination parallax knob up against the tube and a reticle illumination control slightly further out. That reticle was the HC1 reticle, EOTECH’s MOA-style offering that looks much like a MIL cross reticle, with plenty of elevation and windage hash marks for longer-range shots.
The scope’s eye relief was approximately 4 inches—an excellent amount of eye relief as my rifle was chambered in .300 Win. Mag. It recoiled back into my shoulder. Still, with that ample eye relief, I had no worries about getting scope bitten.
The Box Test
Impressed though I was with the scope from my MCR review shooting, the VUDU needed one last test—shooting the box.
With a target set up at 100 yards, the “box” is simply testing out the controls to make sure they respond as advertised. My first shot was at the bullseye. Then, I gave the elevation turret 16 clicks down, with each click 0.25 MOA or approximately a quarter inch. Still aiming at the bullseye, those 16 clicks should move my next shot’s point of impact 4 inches below my first shot…and it did.
Next, I clicked the elevation up 32 clicks, to bring the following shot’s point of impact 4 inches above the bullseye.
Then, re-centered my elevation adjustment back onto the bullseye and made another 16 clicks, this time for windage and to the right. I shot. I re-centered on the bullseye and clicked 16 times to the left and shot.
I ended up recentering the windage on the bullseye and shot and pretty much came right back to the original point of impact.
I say “pretty much” as of course the scope is only one factor in shooting the box. It was, for example, a windy day with gusts up to 18 miles per hour and changing directions frequently.
The Shooter Factor
Of course, the shooter is a huge factor, too. I definitely pulled a couple shots. Not terribly. Yet, when trying to see if a scope can do a 4-inch move up or down, pulling a shot even 1 inch can make it appear the scope’s adjustments are less than precise.
I considered my first four shots indicative of the Vudu’s precision. My very first shot struck on the left edge of the bullseye. I clicked down and fired, and my second shot stuck 4 inches low. Perfect.
My shots above the bullseye and to the right of it came in at 3.5 inches. That half-inch deviation I credit to a mistake I made. I aimed at the center of the bullseye. However, I should’ve aimed at my original impact hole, which was approximately 0.50 inches from the center of the bullseye.
Of note, I felt each individual click through my fingers and easily counted how many adjustments I’d made.
This VUDU Will Hunt!
The VUDU 3.5-18x50 is a natural for the big game hunter, allowing shooters to use the low magnification when hunting the thicker stuff, but with plenty of zoom for those 300- to 400-yard shots.
Other hunt-ready features include nitrogen gas purging inside the unit to prevent internal fogging.
The scope’s rugged design will prevent damage from heavy recoil and the rough handling that inevitably occurs in the field. The Vudu is also water resistant. That single-piece aluminum tube features O-rings behind the lenses to prevent moisture and dust from entering the scope even in the harshest environments.
Specifications: EOTECH Vudu 3.5-18x50 SFP Rifle Scope
Operation: Second Focal Plane
Magnification: 3.5-18x50
Adj. Value: 0.25 MOA per Click
Total Adj.: 80 MOA, Elevation and Windage
Objective Diameter: 50mm
Tube Diameter: 34mm
Reticle: EOTECH HC1, Illuminated
Overall Length: 15.13 inches
Weight: 33.6 ounces
Power Source: CR2032
Eye Relief: 3.5X: 3.39-4.02 inches; 18X: 3.46-3.90 inches
Field-of-View @ 100 Yards: 3.5X: 30.2 feet, 18X: 5.9 feet
MSRP: $1,625.00
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