|
I.O.R. - Valdada 4x32mm Riflescope By Chuck Hawks and the Guns and Shooting Online Staff  I.O.R. - Valdada is not exactly a household name in the U.S., not even among shooters. I discovered that I.O.R. is based in Bucuresti, Romania. Back in 1936, three optical companies joined together to form I.O.R. - Bucuresti, which became the leading military optics manufacturer in Central Europe. Jump ahead to 1993, when I.O.R. and Valdada joined efforts and introduced the I.O.R. sporting products line to the United States. The fall of the Evil Empire in Eastern Europe and the rapid westernization of Central Europe has certainly worked in I.O.R's favor and now, after 12 years in the U.S. market, they are seeking a larger market share. The scope that is the subject of this article arrived wrapped in a sheet of bubble wrap inside of a forest green cardboard box with the I.O.R. - Valdada name and logo printed in gold. Generic scope caps are provided that are a little too large for the diameter of the objective and ocular bells of this particular model scope, but they are connected by elastic strips on both sides that have enough tension to keep the caps from falling off. I chose the 4x32 model to review because (1) I like fixed power scopes, and (2) it is the only hunting scope in the I.O.R. line that is built on a 1" diameter tube. My supply of rings that I use to mount test scopes all fit 1" tubes! The rest of the I.O.R. hunting scope line is clearly built to European requirements, featuring oversize objective lenses and 30mm main tubes. Neither of these features is particularly desirable for North American hunting conditions. A 4-power riflescope is about right for the Winchester Model 94 .25-35 rifle on which we mounted the Valdada. It offers all the power needed for shots to and beyond the maximum point blank range of the cartridge, and enough field of view for most deer and coyote hunting. A 4x32mm scope is also very bright, boasting a huge 8mm exit pupil, which makes it an especially good optic for use in the pre-dawn and post-dusk dimness that mark the beginning and end of legal shooting hours. The I.O.R. - Valdada 4x32 scope weighs 14 ounces. That is a heavy 4-power riflescope. For comparison, a Leupold 4x33mm FX-II weighs 9.3 ounces, and a Sightron SII 4x32mm weighs 9.8 ounces, so the I.O.R. 4x32 is about 45% heavier than its competition. I wondered why this scope was so heavy, and a magnet provided the answer: the tube is made of steel, not a lightweight aluminum alloy. I have not used a scope with a steel tube since an early vintage Weaver K4 that I owned about 40 years ago. In scopes, lighter is better because it minimizes the effect of recoil on the scope. And, of course, the lighter the scope the less it negatively impacts the balance and handling of the rifle. Also, a steel main tube, unlike an anodized aluminum alloy tube, can rust. Some of the I.O.R. scope's other features are more modern. The lens system, for example, is fully multi-coated with I.O.R's. proprietary MC-7 wide band lens coatings. The lens elements themselves are ground from optical glass sourced from Schott Glasswerk in Germany. The scope is built on a one-piece main tube. (The ocular bell remains a separate piece, and appears to have been brazed or sweated--not threaded--to the main tube.) The eyepiece focusing range is -4 to +4 diopters and focusing is by a convenient, fast focusing, Euro style ring. There is an easy to grasp knurled rubber ring around the end of the ocular bell that makes focusing easy even when wearing gloves. The windage and elevation adjustment knobs click in 1/2 MOA increments, and are fingertip adjustable. The external finish is entirely matte black. All in all, good stuff. Not so good, in my opinion, is the test scope's German 4A "three post and crosshair" reticle. Visualize 3/4 of a very heavy Duplex reticle. This reticle is photo engraved on glass, a perfectly acceptable system, but the 3 flat top posts (at right, bottom, and left) are far too heavy, while the crosshair is too fine for a big game reticle (although great for target shooting at the range). Like most modern scopes, the I.O.R. 4x32 is nitrogen filled and "O" ring sealed to assure that it will not fog internally. The Company claims that the scope will operate normally through a temperature range of -40 to +140 F, regardless of humidity or precipitation, and also claims it to be recoil proof. Valdada provides a limited lifetime warranty for I.O.R. scopes sold in the U.S.A. This warranty provides for the free repair or replacement of any scope determined to be defective in original materials and/or workmanship. They also state that non-warrantee repair or refurbishment of I.O.R. products is always provided at reasonable cost. Here are the basic specifications of the I.O.R. 4x32 Hunting Riflescope:
Of great interest to any scope buyer is the quality of the view through the scope. In the case of the I.O.R. 4x32, the viewing is excellent. Few hunters will have cause to complain about this scope's resolution, and its contrast is excellent. Optical aberrations are well controlled. Altogether, judging subjectively by my Mark 1 eyeball, this I.O.R. scope delivers sharp contrasty views with a lot of snap. Eye relief is about as advertised (3.5"), and is entirely adequate for use on most high-powered rifles. The windage and elevation adjustments are covered by the usual threaded caps. Remove the caps and the desired adjustment can be made by hand--no coins required. The 1/2 MOA "clicks" feel extremely positive and are easy to count when making adjustments. Unfortunately, the adjustments did not always take effect when made. We found that sometimes the elevation adjustment would "hang up" and not take effect until the recoil of shooting the rifle "shook" the adjustment loose. Based on our experience with the I.O.R. scope at the range, the repeatability of this scope's adjustments are questionable. When the windage and elevation adjustments work they are acceptably accurate--close enough to the advertised 1/2 MOA for hunting rifle purposes. But after the shooting portion of this review, none of the reviewers trusted the I.O.R's adjustments to consistently take effect. To summarize, our overall impression of the I.O.R. 4x32 scope was mixed. It incorporates very good optics in a clunky over size and over weight tube with questionable adjustment accuracy and a European reticle. Note: A full length review of the Valdada 4x32mm riflescope can be found on the Product Review Page. |
