In this review, we’ll be examining the Swampfox Kentucky Long 5-30×56. This Chinese-manufactured scope has been crafted by one of Swampfox’s OEM partners – a common practice among many US companies today.
Introduction to the Swampfox Kentucky Long 5-30×56
Founded in 2018, Swampfox Optics is a very young company whose headquarters are located in the United States of America’s Colorado. To date, they have created five distinct series of rifle scopes; two of them are wide-angle rifle scopes, and three of them are designed for long-range shooting. In addition to manufacturing top-of-the-line riflescopes, red dot sights, and prism scopes, Swampfox company also offers a vast range of accessories for optics and weapons.
Overview of features
Ideal for mid-price range budgets, the 5-30×56 is an impressive riflescope from Kentucky Long’s long-distance series. It magnifies up to 30 times and has a 56-millimetre objective lens diameter – designed for sports shooting or tactical competitions.
With 1/4 MOA clicks, tactical turrets and a reticle in the first focal plane, this tactical rifle scope released in 2019 is engineered for maximum precision with its impressive six-times zoom factor. I think that ¼ MOA is a very strange click value for a tactical FFP scope.
Physical properties
Constructed with the utmost quality, this scope is made entirely from metal and is designed to withstand even the strongest recoil (you can mount Kentucky Long on heavy recoiling rifles). Swampfox guarantees that it can withstand shocks up to 1,000 Gs of recoil force — even 50 BMG. Additionally, the scope is waterproof and nitrogen-purged for ultimate protection against all elements. Even in the most frigid climates, you can still use it with no worry of internal fogging.
In my opinion, this riflescope is quite long yet surprisingly lightweight. Measuring 390 millimetres in length and weighing just 972 grams (which is even lighter than the advertised weight of 993g when converted from ounces), it offers up to 30x magnification with an impressive six times optical zoom factor.
Constructed from solid metal, the riflescope offers a tactile European-style eyepiece that is smooth and pleasant to the touch.
If you’re planning on hunting with a night vision or thermal attachment, it is essential to be aware that the outer diameter of this objective lens measures 63.5 millimetres.
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Reticle
The reticle located in the first focal plane alters its size with magnification, which can be used to estimate distances and compensate for bullet drop.
The scope used in this review features reticle lines that are measured in MOA, the same unit of measure applied to its turrets.
The Swampfox Kentucky Long 5-30×56 offers two reticle options for users to pick from:
- Sharpshooter MOA and
- Sharpshooter MRAD.
Both have a Christmas tree-style reticle design, so they are perfect for long-range shots. Even if you don’t have enough clicks, these reticles make it simple to calculate windage as well. Both reticles are also illuminated. In both cases click value corresponds with reticle subtensions, either MOA/MOA or MIL/MIL.
Reticle illumination
Positioned on the right side turret, the illumination system provides you with 11 distinct brightness settings to choose from. The illumination on the 5-30×56 scope is daytime bright.
The illuminated reticle on 11x illumination is bright enough for use even during the brightest of days. At 1x magnification, it’s meant to be used in darker circumstances; however, I believe that it is too bright for hunting at dusk or dawn.
Located on the right side turret, you will find a battery compartment that requires only a single CR2032 3v battery to power the illumination system.
Side-focus parallax adjustment
Located on the right turret is also a parallax adjustment that can be altered from 15 yds – Infinity.
Between 0 and 250 yards (or meters) you can easily adjust your parallax setting. Beyond that distance, however, there is very limited space for adjusting the parallax. Normally, at shorter distances, you have to adjust it more precisely; however, from 250 up to infinity, the space to make adjustments narrows significantly.
In my opinion, this type of parallax needs a little bit of improvement. For example, when shooting at 750 meters, one has to make very small adjustments for the parallax. I’m sure that improving the parallax is easily doable. If there was more space, the parallax would be even better and easier to use.
Elevation turret
The elevation turret is tactical and features 1/4MOA adjustment per click. The turret is lockable, so you have to pull it up to make the adjustments.
The elevation turret is of a multi-turn type, so you can make multiple turns with it. The max elevation adjustment of this riflescope is 80 MOA. The MIL version of the riflescope offers 6 MILs of travel per rotation and 23 MILs in total elevation – perfect for those aiming to reach longer distances.
The turrets on the Kentucky Long 5-30×56 scope feature a counter-clockwise design, like most of the rifle scopes on the market. Only the European rifle scopes have a clockwise design.
Clicks
The clicks on the elevation turret are audible and feel very positive. They are not overly tactile, but I think they provide the right amount of force needed for adjusting the turret.
Although the clicks are quite pleasant, there’s no turn indicator on the turret, making it almost impossible to tell which revolution you’re currently in. This is not an ideal solution in my opinion.
No zero-stop feature
One of the primary drawbacks is that there’s no zero-stop option, meaning you have to track how many clicks up or down you are when on the range. For example, if you adjust two revolutions upwards and need to reduce it afterwards, you need to count the clicks. Therefore handling this turret should always take a bit extra attention.
Zeroing the turret
The turret is very nicely made, and it is also very easy to zero. To set the zero on your elevation turret, start by unscrewing the top screw using either a coin or the accompanying tool. Carefully pull the turret up and rotate it so that “zero” is facing forward before you lock it back into place and re-secure it with its original screw. Now you’re good to go.
Important mention:
When I tested the scope, one aspect that required my attention was making sure to pull up the elevation turret when adjusting it. Failing to do this could cause internal damage if you accidentally press it down and lock it while attempting to change a setting.
When making adjustments, be sure to pull the turret up slightly. Don’t attempt any modifications when the turret is not lifted.
Locking function
The elevation turret on this device is designed to lock perfectly with just a simple push-and-pull mechanism. When in the down position, it’s firmly locked; when up, you can adjust settings as desired.
Windage turret
The windage turret is similar to the elevation turret, featuring a locking function. Zeroing works identically on both turrets and the windage turret is also of a multi-turn type, allowing for multiple turns in either direction.
In one revolution, the windage turret features 7.5 MOA of adjustment in both directions. However, as I said, you can go even further. You must be careful to go back to zero, in the opposite direction. Do not forget that your zero is one full revolution back.
Similar to the elevation turret, the windage turret also features 80 MOA (or 23 MIL) of max windage adjustment; thus, providing a lot of travel for the windage.
Optical performance
The cost of the scope may be around 770 euros, but I am confident in saying that its optical performance is impressive. In fact, it rivals more expensive rifle scopes when you look at features like the remarkable six-times zoom ratio.
Boasting a powerful magnification of up to 30 times, this 770-Euro riflescope is certainly worth the investment. I am thoroughly impressed with its optical quality.
The field of view at five times magnification is 7.27 meters at a distance of 100 meters, and at 30 times magnification it is 1.13 meters at a distance of 100 meters.
The scope has no tunnelling effect, and the eye relief–the distance from your eye to the scope–ranges from 81 millimetres to 100 millimetres. The forgiving eye relief means that you can move your head closer or further away from the scope and still get a clear picture.
The eye box characteristics are, let’s say, average. But again, if you consider the price of this optic, it’s really good.
The scope offers remarkable optical quality for its price. There may be some chromatic aberration present, but this won’t affect your hunting or tactical shooting performance. You’ll only really notice this on white targets.
The eyepiece design
The rotation of the eyepiece is pleasantly firm, making it convenient since you typically don’t need to adjust it. Furthermore, with its stiffer nature, any unwanted rotation won’t occur.
Magnification ring
The magnification ring is pleasantly textured with just the right amount of edges – not too sharp and not too dull. Through an approximate 180-degree turn, you can adjust the entire magnification range from 5x to 30x. As I mentioned earlier, the magnification ring has a nice texture so that you can easily mount the included throw lever onto it.
You’ll find both a small and large throw lever in the scope kit, letting you choose which one suits your preference. Installing it is straightforward — just slide the throw lever onto the magnification rings then screw it on from above. You also have a lot of additional screws included in the package. Even if you lose some, you have extras.
Swampfox Kentucky Long 5-30×56 price and warranty
Boasting a two-year warranty, the Swampfox Kentucky Long 5-30×56 riflescope offers outstanding quality at an incredibly affordable price of 739 euros.
Mounting options
Kentucky Long 5-30×56 features a 30-millimetre main tube diameter. To mount the scope on the rifle, you will need 30-millimetre scope mount rings.
With the MIL version of the scope, I would prefer a 20 MOA mounting solution because if you mount the scope without an inclination, you are left with approximately half of the elevation, which would be around 9 MIL. For most shooters that is enough; however, if you want to shoot at longer ranges, you will quickly run out of elevation.
Scope of delivery
I’m delighted with the array of accessories that come along with this scope. You get a lot of useful extras, making it an incredible value.
What comes with this box? Here’s what you can expect:
- big cleaning cloth,
- flip-up covers for the objective and eyepiece, made of hard plastic,
- sun shade,
- the tool for zeroing the scope,
- two throw levers (small and big) with screws for mounting,
- CR 2032 battery,
- some stickers,
- a reticle manual containing important information about the reticle subtensions and instructions for calculating distances,
- and lastly, the instruction manual.
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Pros
To sum up, let’s take a look at the advantages.
For its cost, the Kentucky Long 5-30×56 scope offers remarkable build quality and a seamless zeroing process. What’s more, the illumination system is incredibly efficient and dependable. Although not perfectly designed for low-light conditions, it can also be used during daylight hours if desired. For hunting in lower light environments, you usually use different optics–but with a price tag of 770 Euros, you get amazing optics at an unbeatable cost.
Pros summary:
- great price-performance ratio
- nice illumination system
Cons
To refine this riflescope, I feel that adding a turn indicator and zero stop on the elevation turret would be very beneficial. Without a turn indicator, you’re taking the chance of making an entire rotation mistake – one that can be simply prevented with this feature.
Another thing I do not particularly like is that the parallax is quite sensitive from 250 yards and up.
You also have to be very careful when adjusting the elevation turret. You have to pull the turret up for adjustment; otherwise, you can damage it internally.
Aside from the errors I encountered, there was nothing else awry with the scope.
Cons summary:
- no turn indicator
- no zero-stop
- sensitive parallax from 250 yards onwards
- elevation turret adjustment
Main competitors
What companies compete with Swampfox Kentucky Long 5-30×56 scope?
Swampfox Kentucky Long 5-30×56 VS Athlon Argos BTR 8-34×56
Although the Athlon Argos BTR 8-34×56 is a formidable competitor, I believe that the Swampfox ultimately has superior optical quality. The turrets are also much better in my opinion.
Athlon’s illumination system is situated on its ocular; I find this to be a less-than-ideal configuration. But the Athlon is also approximately 100 euros cheaper than the Swampfox; it also has a turn indicator, which the Swampfox lacks.
Swampfox Kentucky Long 5-30×56 VS Sightmark Citadel 5-30×56
The only rival that offers the same magnification as Swampfox Kentucky Long 5-30×56 product is Sightmark Citadel 5-30×56. The difference in price between these two is a meagre 50 euros (with Sightmark being more affordable).
Both scopes have a lot of similar features, however, the reticle is what truly sets them apart. The numerous accessories that come with both riflescopes just add to their overall appeal and functionality.
Regrettably, I don’t possess a Sightmark Citadel 5-30×56 scope to compare the optical quality; however, I think they are similar.
Final thoughts on Swampfox Kentucky Long
The Swampfox Kentucky Long 5-30×56 riflescope is an incredibly high-quality yet affordable product that offers a lot of features and extras. The price-performance ratio is impeccable. Additionally, I think that the illumination system is efficient and dependable.
The main drawbacks to this scope are that it lacks a turn indicator and zero stop on the elevation turret. You also must be extra careful when adjusting the elevation turret; otherwise, you could risk damaging it internally.
Finally, I would recommend this scope to anyone looking for a rifle scope designed for sports shooting or tactical competitions with outstanding performance and a low-price tag.
All things considered, I believe that Swampfox is an excellent product for a reasonable price point. Moreover, they don’t make you purchase extra accessories since all necessary components are included in the box.
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