Zero Compromise Optics
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 three scopes, the 8x40x56 scope is the newest of the line-up and now presents a strong contender for the extreme long range shooter, who is banging metal out at 1,300 or 1,800 yards or even more. The ELR community is a special breed of shooter, and they demand the best in rifles, scopes and bullets. The ZCO840 is sure to please the most discriminating extreme long range shooter looking to conquer the mile or the 2 mile mark. The 5-27 scope has proven to be one of the more popular scopes for those not needing the ultra long range. In a very short time, ZCO has become a member of the alpha class of 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.
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 Z840 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 ZC840 is 17.3 inches long, weighs 40.5oz, and reaches 28 mil in elevation adjustment and at 16 mils in windage adjustment.
Among all other optics in this magnification range, a very generous field of view of 4.6m / 100 meters (14ft/100Yds) results in one of the widest for such a high magnification scope. 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) ZC840 has incorporated feedback from the shooting and scope engineering and design community to gather as many target engagement requirements. With a generous low end at 8X and a massive field of view of 14 feet, close range needs are fulfilled. Topping out at 40X provides the ultimate for the ELR shooter. ZCO felt that somewhere between 25x and 40x was the best long range scope, and that going much beyond 5x zoom compromises optical performance.
The ZCO 8-40x56 extreme long range precision scope was purposely built for the ELR shooting enthusiast, as well as closer-in precision shooters who demand the highest level of mechanical and optical performance. The ZCO840 delivers a full 40x with superior image clarity for the best view of the target and precise aiming for perfect shot placement.
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.
pictures credit of Zero Compromise Optics and @passionforrilfes on Instagram from Finland
Take a look at The Firearms Blog for a Review of the ZCO ELR scope