Vector Optics Sentinel 10-40×50 Gen II is an excellent scope for someone who wants to try out F-Class shooting on a tight budget.
Vector Optics
Vector Optics is a Chinese company specializing in riflescopes, red dots, and other sports optics that started operating in the early 2000s. Initially working as an OEM producer for other brands of sports optics, Vector Optics has since shifted its focus to establishing its own brand name with end-users. In 2007, Vector Optics started operating as a stand-alone manufacturer of sport optics and has since made great strides in notably conservative European and North American markets.
The Sentinel riflescope series is a very affordable Vector Optics line of scopes, geared towards sports shooters. Despite the low pricepoint, these scopes are feature-rich and reliable enough. The model Vector Optics Sentinel 10-40×50 MPR-3 Gen II that we’re reviewing here has the highest configuration available in this series. The Sentinel-X the advanced sister series.
Physical Properties
This aluminum-bodied scope is intended for F-Class sports shooting but may also be utilized with bigger caliber rifles since it’s shockproof up to .300 Win Mag.
Vector Optics Sentinel 10-40×50 MPR-3 Gen II is completely made out of metal, that is 6061 T6 aircraft-grade aluminum alloy. The 30-millimeter tube is airtight and waterproof. The internal workings are purged with dry nitrogen, which eliminates lens fogging and makes the scope usable in cold environments.
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The metal magnification adjustment ring moves smoothly. The user can glide between 10x and 40x image enlargement in an approximately 180-degree turn of the built-in wheel.
What about model measurements? Unfortunately, Sentinel 10-40×50 MPR-3 Gen II does not impress with a compact build. It’s 405 millimeters long and weighs 790 grams (27.8 oz). Note that the official data on the manufacturer’s site states the scope tips the scales at only 750g (26.5 oz), which is not true.
Adjustable Parallax
The parallax adjustment of Vector Optics Sentinel 10-40×50 goes from 10 yards or meters all the way to infinity. Distances enumerated on the dial are 10, 20, 25, 30, 40, 50, 60, 75, 100, 150, 200, 500 and infinity. Up to about 200 meters, the parallax dial is finely adjustable. Beyond this mark, the parallax correction gets a little bit more delicate because you have to make really small adjustments.
Windage and Elevation Turrets
Windage and elevation turrets have a locking mechanism with a push and pull design. The click value is 1/8 MOA on both Vector Optics Sentinel 10-40×50 turrets. This is great for F-Class, since 0.1 MIL dials would be too big to work with. Windage and elevation turrets are of multi-turn type (MT), so click adjustments can be made in both directions. The windage and elevation range is the same – 50 MOA, which isn’t a whole lot.
In a single turret revolution, you gain 7.5 MOA of reticle travel, which is not ideal. Calculations with an odd number are awkward and either 7 or 8 MOA turns would be preferrable. This is especially bothersome when working with multi-turn turrets like these. It’s so easy to miscalculate the right position.
What’s also disappointing is that Vector Optics Sentinel 10-40×50 has no zero stop. Dissapointing, yes, but not surprising as Vector Optics had to cut corners somewhere to keep the price so low. There is just no one else but Vector Optics that makes F-Class scopes that won’t drain your bank account.
Moving on to the windage turret. This one also has 7.5 MOA revolutions but the turret dial is only enumerated with 3 MOAs in each direction. Once you dial further than what the MOA marks show, you’ll see this was not a well-thought-out design. Just adding a 4 MOA mark would be a vast improvement.
F-Class competition is often called “belly benchrest” as you’ll spend most of your time at the range laying behing the scope. Keep in mind that the clicks on Vector Optics Sentinel 10-40×50 are audible but you can’t really feel them. With non-tactile clicks it’s easy to get lost when you need to make multiple turret turns. Since you can’t feel any resistance, you won’t be able to make any no-look turret adjustments.
Overall, we would say these all-metal Sentinel turrets are really decent for the price of 319 euros.
Setting Zero on Turrets
The zeroing process is easy. On the shooting range, make your corrections and lock the turret into place. Unscrew the middle part of the turret and take the turret down. Turn the dial till the zero mark is facing towards the eyepiece. Push the turret back down and screw the middle part back in. Now you’re all set.
Optical Properties
Let’s move on to the optical performance of Vector Optics Sentinel 10-40×50 MPR-3 Gen II. As it’s the standard with F-Class scopes, the bigger the magnification, the better it will serve you. This Vector Optics Sentinel scope features magnification from 10x to 40x and sports a 50-millimeter objective lens.
The diopter compensation can be made on the fast-focus eyepiece (-2 to +1.5 diopter points).
Edge Blur and Image Haze
The view-through is pretty good. The image is clear in the center but a bit blurry on the edge. This issue is most noticeable on the smallest magnification. The blurriness on the edges goes away on higher magnifications.
Now, on the higher end of the magnification range, the image gets a bit milky or foggy. This “image haze” is not unusual on competitively priced Chinese riflescopes like Vector Optics Sentinel 10-40×50 MPR-3 Gen II.
Despite these faults, the overall image quality remains very decent for such a high-powered scope, especially in this price range. Vector Optics also supplies honeycomb filter to eliminate image glare.
Vector Optics Sentinel 10-40×50 Field of View
The field of view at the smallest magnification is 6.63 meters at 100 meters. When the image is enlarged to 40x, the field of view is 0.91 meters at 100 meters.
The scope has a little bit of a tunnel effect. As in, you can see the internal construction of the scope but it’s not particularly bothersome so it’s okay.
Eye Relief and Eyebox
The eye relief is between 85 and 92 millimeters, depending on the magnification. The Vector Optics Sentinel 10-40×50 MPR-3 Gen II eyebox is pretty comfortable on the lowest magnification setting. But wen dialed to the biggest magnification, it gets a little bit more difficult to keep the perfect line of sight.
Vector Optics Sentinel 10-40×50 Gen II Reticle
The MPR-3 reticle is positioned in the second focal plane, which means that it will remain the same size regardless of what magnification power you are using. This is extremely important for sport shooting disciplines that use very small targets. Even at the highest magnification, thin reticle lines of MPR-3 won’t obstruct your view of the target, making it possible to place accurate shots.
The only reticle Vector Optics Sentinel 10-40×50 MPR-3 Gen II scope offers is MPR-3, which has MOA-based hashmarks for shot correction. The lines are spaced out for easy reading of your shots at 20x magnification. At any other magnification, the reticle will not be true to the turret clicks.
You can see Vector Optics Sentinel 10-40×50 Gen II MPR-3 RETICLE SUBTENSIONS below
Red and Green Illumination
The Vector Optics Sentinel 10-40×50 MPR-3 Gen II reticle illumination is switchable between 2 colors – red and green. There is no illuminated center dot, instead the entire middle part of the MPR-3 design lights up.
The brightness can be adjusted with the illumination turret, which is built into the eyepiece housing. There are no brightness levels enumerated on the turret. Reticle MPR-3 simply gets brighter and brighter the further you twist the dial, so adjustments are pretty intuitive. In short, the Vector Sentinel 10-40×50 scope has a step-less illumination control.
How can the user switch between red and green? When you dial to the strongest intensity of red possible, the very next step is an OFF position. It’s hard to miss, as the turret glides more slowly once you get near it. This OFF position is a line of demarcation between red and green. When you dial past it, the next illumination color starts.
The Vector Optics Sentinel illumination turret has a smooth glide and can be finely adjusted. Take note of the fact that the illumination is too intense for use in low light. Vector Sentinel 10-40×50 won’t do as a backup scope if your primary hunting scope fails. Green illumination, in particular, is day-bright when turned all the way to the max.
Scope of Delivery
What do you get in the box? There’s the user manual, flip-up covers for lens protection, a cleaning cloth, and mounting rings with a side nut. These mounting rings are taller than expected (20mm BH) and fit the Picatinny standard. The user also receives a zeroing tool to open the turrets. For the incredibly affordable price, we’re extra surprised to see that Vector Optics supplies the scope with a honeycomb filter.
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Vector Optics Sentinel 10-40×50 Warranty and Price
The scope is produced in China, at Vector Optics facilities in Shanghai. There’s still some prejudice towards Chinese manufacturers, albeit without much sense in this case. The quality of Vector Optics products is high, and they are offered at an affordable price. This combination has made the company one of the leading producers of sport optics products in the world.
The Vector Optics Sentinel 10-40×50 MPR-3 Gen II comes with a 5-year warranty that covers any manufacturing flaws or defects you may encounter through normal use. If there are any problems with your scope, you can contact customer service and they will help you resolve the issue.
The Vector Optics Sentinel 10-40×50 MPR-3 Gen II is an extremely competitively priced riflescope for F-Class shooting, costing only 319 euros. The high quality of the materials and craftsmanship that goes into the scope’s construction make it an excellent value for the price.
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Pros
What do we like about this scope? First of all, the construction is completely made out of lightweight metal and that includes all the moving parts. Even though the image gets milky on the higher end of magnification, the optical quality is decent for the 319-euro price tag.
The reticle has very thin lines and is practical for F-Class use. It has even marks for making corrections at the 20x magnification. On this note, we also appreciate that the 20x magnification is marked on the scope and not just listed somewhere in the user manual.
The parallax is finely adjustable up to 200m and you will rarely need this scope at greater distances. We also appreciate that the manufacturer supplies the rings and honeycomb filter in the box with the scope.
Pros Summary:
- metal construction
- powerful 10-40x magnfication
- 1/8 MOA clicks
- switchable red and green illumination
- honeycomb filter and Picatinny rings
- affordable price
Cons
Where do we see some room for improvement? The scope is rather long at 405 millimeters. It also weighs almost 50 grams more than what Vector Optics lists on the website. You barely miss the 800-gram cut-off mark of acceptable F-Class competition scopes.
The elevation range is limited to 50 MOA, which is not very much. You’ll be out of adjustment capabilities fast, especially if you mount the scope using the supplied 0 MOA Picatinny rings. We don’t really like that the clicks aren’t tactile. Laying behind the scope, you have to look at the turret to make correct adjustments.
If Vector Optics manufactured bigger turrets, the W&E adjustment could be done so much better. This is also because click markings are cramped together and not visible enough. The same goes for the parallax marks, the more user-friendly design of which should be another easy fix for VO to make.
The biggest design flaw yet is that you don’t have a round number for the elevation and windage. The 7.5 MOA value just makes no sense because it only complicates the math. As far as the windage turret is concerned, it would be better if the turret marks went up to at least 4 MOA in each direction, not just 3 MOA.
Overall, we think this is a good scope for small calibers used in 22 LR shooting competitions, F-Class (BR-50) and in precision matches that use small targets on shorter distances (up to 50 or 100 meters).
Cons Summary:
- limited travel (50 MOA)
- 7.5 MOA full turret turn
- non-tactile clicks
- no turret locking function
- edge blur, image haze
- tunnel effect
- heavy (780 grams)
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Final Thoughts
Overall, we think the Vector Optics Sentinel 10-40×50 MPR-3 Gen II scope is a good option for those looking for an affordable scope for small calibers used in F-Class shooting competitions (BR-50). The construction is good and the image quality is decent. The design could be done better, especially in terms of 7.5 MOA turns. But all of this is forgiven for the super-affordable price of €319. The 5-year warranty also adds peace of mind for shooters who want to purchase a reliable scope without breaking the bank.
Vector Optics Sentinel 10-40×50 Gen II MPR-3 Photos
