Mighty Mini MTC!

Dave Barham peers through the mighty SWAT Prismatic 10x30 wide-angle scope from MTC

- Dave Barham

I first saw this scope at the IWA show over in Nurnberg last year, and ever since that first encounter I’d wanted to get my hands on one to test. Well, you might have noticed that last month’s ‘Big Test’ rifle, the Daystate Renegade, had one of the 10x30 versions mounted on top, so here we go!

FIXED ZOOM

There are currently two versions of this scope available. The 10x30 that I have on test here and a 12x50 version. The name SWAT stands for Super Wide Angle Technology, and that goes some way to explaining what this scope is all about. Basically, the field of view is three times that of a normal scope, which is absolutely amazing – especially for hunters who are scoping out their quarry. Just imagine being able to see three times as much field as when you’re looking through your regular scope!

Obviously this scope is tiny, measuring just 12.3cm long, hence the nickname ‘Atom’, but it’s not until you peer through it that you begin to realise that this is unlike anything else you’ve ever seen before.

MINIMAL EYE RELIEF

For a start, there’s next to no eye relief, just 14mm in fact, which means your eye is right up to the scope as soon as you shoulder the rifle, so it’s particularly well suited to the new phase of bullpup rifles. However, it can easily be mounted on regular rifles, too, with the scope literally hanging off the back of the cylinder – which in itself is a good thing for some rifles, giving unhindered access to mag ports etc.