You probably have heard of ZCO, and you probably know enough to wonder what the buzz is all about. The people at ZCO are designing and making some of the best precision riflescopes with Schott glass, and joint design in the US and Austria, with primary manufacturing in Austria. A small group of top scope designers and shooters formed ZCO back in the 2018/2019 time period with the mission to build the best long-range optics in the business, sparing no cost and cutting no corners.
ZCO currently makes only two scopes, and the 5-27x56mm scope is their flagship and clearly one of the alpha scopes in a very small peer group of names like Kahles, Minox, Tangent Theta, Nightforce, Schmidt & Bender and March. We probably left one or two out. But there is the top tier of scopes that consistently wins ELR and PRS tournaments and is tested and bears out the best of the best in design and manufacturing. Sure, there is the occasional Leupold, US Optics, Steiner, Sig Sauer or Vortex, but this one group of alpha scope manufacturers are consistently just top shelf. And in just a few years, Zero Compromise has joined this prestigious group of well designed and well built scopes with superior glass.
Zero Compromise's goal is not to just build riflescopes. They say that they strive to build the absolute best riflescopes in the world, not skimping on quality, and using the best materials and techniques to create scopes that the shooter has long sought. All at prices that are no cheap, but clearly not the most expensive either.
The Zero Compromise Z527 combines everything you want in a scope: the best glass and clarity of image, well constructed body, low, clean and tactile turrets, and a great selection of milRAD reticles. This scope has the latest reticle, the MPCT3X, which is a modified clean Christmas Tree reticle with open top space specifically designed to allow the shooter to follow his or her bullet path live.
The Zero Compromise Optic ZC527 is 15.24 inches long, weighs 37.9oz, and reaches 35 mil in elevation adjustment and at 21 mil¬ in windage adjustment.
Among all other optics in this magnification range, a very generous field of view of 7m / 100 meters (21ft/100Yds) results in one of the widest in the industry. Outstanding light transmission and exceptional resolution are just two attributes of the best optical design ever developed, complementing some of the very best mechanical properties in the industry.
The Zero Compromise Optic (ZCO) ZC527 has incorporated feedback from the shooting and scope engineering and design community to gather as many target engagement requirements. With a generous low end of only 5X and a massive field of view of 21 feet, close range needs are fulfilled. Topping out at 27X gives ample magnification for long range target engagements beyond 1000 yards. ZCO felt that somewhere between 25x and 30x was the best long range scope, and that going much beyond 5x zoom compromises optical performance.
Optical performance is optimized. – Optical engineers at ZCO have created what they feel is the optimal balance of clarity, light transmission, and resolution in a compact package. Performance like this is rarely seen in this magnification range and objective size. Color rendition is natural with a slight enhancement in contrast for the finest view possible. Total light transmission to the eye is 92% and the resolution is best in class.
Mechanical construction balanced – precision shooters demand ultimate reliability, and ZCO has developed one of the more robust construction techniques in the industry to deliver. Mechanical engineers have designed some of the most well respected rifle scopes in the world, and have gone several steps further for increased durability, repeatability, and ruggedness. Hardened steel components are used in high wear areas such as the internal click mechanisms for the elevation and windage turrets to ensure a lifetime of repeatable adjustment values. Optical lenses are mechanically locked in place as well as bonded along the edges for total and complete structural integrity. ZCO has worked at other scopes manufacturers, and they know how others build their scopes, and ZCO has developed techniques and methodologies to deliver what they believe is the best rifle scope ever produced. The leadership and engineers and craftsmen at ZCO have a passion for excellence and listen to customer feedback.
Enhanced features – ZCO products are built for the most demanding users, so Zero Compromise believes they offer the best features never before seen in a single product. Shooters can have enhanced ergonomics with locking turrets, multiple illumination settings including levels compatible for night vision equipment, fast focus locking diopter, true to indicated parallax adjustment with zero backlash, large adjustment range for elevation and windage travel, built in Return 2 Zero, and easily reset turrets once zeroed. These features are all rolled into a rifle scope, only measuring 15.24 inches long and weighing a mere 37.9 ounces.
This model features locking turrets
The MPCT3X features an open concept design above the primary horizontal crosshair and a minimally sized dot-style holdover tree below. This design features 0.2 Mil diameter open circles at all whole Mil values, making holds easier to identify rapidly and while using the scope at a reduced magnification setting. The tree portion of the reticle utilizes dots arranged in a grid pattern with 0.2 Mil spacing, thus allowing greater precision with holding for elevation as well as wind.
The upper half of the field of view has the vertical crosshair extending up to 4.0 Mils. This maintains an open field of view in the upper half of the reticle while providing enhanced hold-under capability or measurement for calling bullet trace. In practical application with multiple targets at widely varying distances, shooters can now dial their elevation turret for an intermediate range target and then hold under for the closer targets and hold over for the more distant targets.
Spotting for other shooters is also enhanced with less clutter above the primary horizontal crosshair.
The primary horizontal crosshair features 0.2 Mil references along the bottom edge that provide a visual distinction between the 0.2, 0.4, 0.6, and 0.8 Mil marks making those hold points rapidly identified. We’ve also included a single tick mark along the top edge of the horizontal at every 0.5 Mil location for those shooters preferring to have that value available.
36mm is a big tube, and only a few scopes have it. Made for the Zero Compromise Scope. Spuhr is our go-to mount when you are looking for a rock solid mount that will not move, and work under grueling conditions and perfect for either a very high precision rifle and scope, or a high recoil rifle. You can rest assured that your high dollar precision scope is in good hands.
The mounts are machined from billet 7075 T651 aluminum and all aluminum parts are hardcoat anodized. The Torx 20 ring and clamping screws are zinc-nickel coated for corrosion resistance. The screws come pre-waxed from the factory to ensure proper torque values.
The SP-6602 is designed for use with 56 mm objectives on rifles with MIL-STD-1913 or STANAG 4694 “NATO” rails and is especially suitable for extended Picatinny rails combined with night vision equipment.
picture credits: ZCO, Jonathan Ocab, Finnaccuracy
Zero Compromise Optics
Zero Compromise Optics
Zero Compromise Optics
Zero Compromise Optics