Fully multi-coated Japanese glass, mil reticle with 1/10th mil windage and elevation adjustments, exposed target turrets that can be reset to zero, lifetime warranty backed by an established manufacturer with a long history… Normally you can touch a scope like that for less than $800… Unless you know where to look.
MidwayUSA carries an optic exclusive to them called the Weaver Tactical Grandslam 3-10×40 and it has long been one of the best kept secrets in precision optics. This scope is exclusive to MidwayUSA and they sell it for just $400 shipped everyday. It is frequently on sale for around $300 shipped. I saw them on sale as recently as 2 weeks ago for $273 shipped (if you Round Up for the NRA and you should). That is basically unheard of in mil/mil optics, especially those with this level of quality.
I have long been a fan of Weaver’s optics, especially their Classic 1-3×20 and their Classic Rimfire line. Weaver knows how to squeeze a lot of value into an optic and their glass is always surprisingly good for its price range.
Optic Quality
The Tactical Grandslam’s optics are relatively bright and clear which is what we have come to expect from Weaver’s Grandslam line. It has long been known as an excellent value. Weaver claims the fully multi-coated Japanese glass has 94% light transmission. I can’t really test that but I can share some general observations.
The optics are relatively bright and clear. I compared it to a few optics I had on hand and found it to be optically similar to a Bushnell Elite 4200 or Nikon Monarch for brightness and clarity. It is outpaced by a Vortex Viper PST and Leupold Mark 4 which is to be expected. Color rendition is good. There is some blurring at the edges and some chromatic aberration but overall, the quality is better than you would expect from an optic at this price.
I own one of these and have been able to shoot with (and look through) several others. All have been consistently good and all the owners have been consistently pleased.
Field of View and Eye Relief
The field of view is 35′ at 100 yards when set to 3X magnification and 11.3′ at 10X magnification. This compares favorably to other optics I have in this magnification range.
The eye relief is generous at 3.5″ and constant throughout the entire magnification range which I like. This is more than enough eye relief to work well on AR-15s and AR308s.
Reticle
The Tactical Grandslam has a proven mil-dot reticle. It features .25 mil dots at 1 mil spacing. The reticle is wire construction and placed in the second focal plane.
It is worth noting that the Tactical Grandslam ships with a pamphlet that contains information on how to use a mil-dot reticle and several ranging tables. The information is actually very useful and well executed. This is a very nice touch, especially for those using this optic as an affordable way to dip their toe into mil/mil optics.
Adjustments
All of the Tactical Grandslam’s windage and elevation adjustments are accomplished via large, easy to grip, and easy to read target turrets. Every rotation of the turret gives you 5 mils of adjustment, 1/10th mil at a time, and there is a total of 16.5 mils of adjustment available. This optics features a 1″ tube which limits its adjustment a bit but it still manages to have enough to get a .308 to 1000 yards if you use a 20MOA base. The adjustments seem to be quite accurate and it passes a simple box test.
The turrets can be easily reset by removing the center of the turret with a hex key, lifting the turret body, and replacing with the “0” aligned. Just be sure that you don’t lose the o-ring that typically comes out with the center of the turret when you reset the turrets.
The clicks are tactile and audible though not as crisp as something like a Vortex Viper PST. Mine felt a little mushy at first but spinning the turrets a few times broke them in nicely. It takes some effort to spin the turret and the detent at each position seems quite strong so it is unlikely that you will accidentally spin a turret off your zero. That is a good thing because there is no zero stop.
The magnification is adjusted via an easy to grip magnification ring. The Tactical Grandslam’s entire 3-10x magnification range can be accessed with a 180 degree throw of the ring.
Focus is adjusted via a fast focus eye piece. I would prefer a locking eye piece but I’ll gladly overlook that at this price.
Specs at a Glance
- Tube Diameter: 1″
- Objective: 40mm
- Length: 12″
- Weight: 16.6 oz
- Field of View: 35′ (3X) to 11.3′ (10X)
- Eye Relief: 3.5″
- Adjustment Click Value: 1/10 MIL
- Finger Adjustable Turrets: Yes
- Turrets Resettable to Zero: Yes
- Zero Stop: No
- Warranty: Limited Lifetime
- Eyepiece: Fast Focus
- Reticle Construction: Wire
Other Items of Note
One nice thing about this optic’s Weaver Grandslam heritage is that there are accessories like sun shades available for it. I purchased a Weaver Grand Slam 40mm Sun Shade (part #849737) and it fits perfectly.
This optic would be right at home on a precision bolt action or precision AR-15 build. It has plenty of eye relief to work well on an AR pattern rifles.
This optic does have a flat spot on the bottom, under the turrets. I always appreciate that as it makes it easy to mechanically level the optic in one piece mounts or over a rail.
An etched reticle, locking eye piece, and adjustable parallax would be nice but something has to give in a $400 optic. You can live without those items. Weaver and Midway did a great job getting the most important things right in this optic. They delivered a very functional optic with very good glass at a very attractive price.
Wrap Up
I don’t know of an optic in this category that can match the Weaver Tactical Grandslam for quality, value, and features. In fact, you really can’t find another mil/mil optic until you get into the $800 range. This optic is perfect for those looking to dip their toe into the mil/mil optic pool at an affordable price and it’s perfect for budget precision rifles.
The Weaver Tactical Grandslam 3-10×40 is a good value at the every day price of $400 shipped, an amazing value when it is on sale at around $300 shipped, and a can’t miss bargain when the price goes below $300 (I paid $273 shipped for mine).
Check out the Weaver Tactical Grandslam 3-10×40 exclusively at MidwayUSA.
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