A compact cracker

It is around two decades since MTC Optics burst onto the scene. I was the first shooting journalist to review one in print, and I’ve been a fan of the brand ever since. Even with a change of ownership, MTC’s mantra “designed by shooters, for shooters” still applies today. It’s affirmed in the impressive Copperhead line that MTC introduced around two years ago.

Recently, the 4-16×44 zoom Copperhead was complemented by the addition of a Safari version with a classy-looking bronze finish.

For me, it was love at first sight (no pun intended), so I hope we see a few more models in MTC’s comprehensive optics lineup getting the Safari treatment. For now, it’s limited to just the one model – but what a model the 4-16×44 actually is.

Like MTC’s inaugural Viper-X range way back when, the Copperhead line is fully loaded with attributes that shooters (and not just airgunners) will doubtless actually appreciate.

Nigel Allen examines the MTC Copperhead 4-16×44 F2 Safari and finds a technically savvy scope that is well worth the investment.

Compact Yet Powerful

Safari finish aside, the Copperhead’s stand-out feature for me is its compact size. At 274mm, it’s a real shorty for a 16-magnification scope. While this makes it ideal for shorter PCPs, it also perfectly suits break-barrel springers.

High-power scopes can be so long that they interfere with the breech operation, but the Copperhead’s compact size will avoid this issue.

Furthermore, this is one of the few 16x scopes where parallax adjustment (P/A) can be used for effective range-finding (see panel Range Finding with the P/A Sidewheel).

Of course, dialing out parallax error – the apparent shift of the crosshair over the target dependent on your eye alignment through the scope – is the primary reason why MTC has included the feature. However, with the scope cranked to maximum power, I found I could also range-find to within a couple of yards at distances between 10 and 40 yards.

Yes, it might be a secondary advantage of its sidewheel, but it’s welcome nonetheless. It’s a great plus-point if you’re considering this scope for hunting work, but hunters take note:

Short it may be, but its big specification means it’s no lightweight. The 4-16×44 adds 690g to your rifle, though its squat design keeps that mass nicely focused between its mounts.

Designed for Hunters

Hunters’ needs are catered for across pretty much every inch of this mini scope.

Up front, you have an “oversize” 44mm diameter objective, the lens for which is edge-to-edge multi-coated. This guarantees great light transmission in dimmer lighting scenarios, like dense woodlands or when controlling pests at dusk.

Even at full magnification, I was impressed with the 4-16x Copperhead’s sight picture brightness – many high-magnification scopes get duller as you “up” their power.

The black finish of the serrated zoom ring contrasts nicely with the bronze body. It’s also smooth to turn, which is a boon if you use the Copperhead’s multi-stadia, second focal plane reticle to ‘bracket’ your target for range-finding (see panel Range-Finding With Reticle Bracketing).

Advanced Reticle for Precision

Speaking of the reticle, the AMD2 crosshair is hugely relevant to shooters of all disciplines.

Glass-etched, the stadia of its second-generation design is based around the miliradian (or MIL) system of measurements. Being in the second focal plane, MIL spacing is “true” at one magnification setting of a zoom scope.

In the Copperhead’s case, it’s at 10x.

At this power, the main graduations are at 1MIL spacings, split by 0.5MIL markers. The outer posts are 5MILs from the center, and the windage markers radiate from 1MIL to 4MIL.

All very practical – and I particularly appreciated the thin design of the lower vertical stadia. It means you don’t obscure your target when holding over.

Useful for range-finding and providing a multitude of aiming reference points, it’s hard to think of anything more you could want with the AMD2.

But MTC has… by making its hanging crosshair illuminable.

Turning the outer ring of the sidewheel cycles it red and black (off), with six levels of intensity when illuminated.

Powered by a button battery housed in the sidewheel, ‘IR’ is super-handy for those trickier shots, such as when contra-jour shooting, or trying to pick a point in a cluttered background.

Actually, it was my go-to feature when dusk shooting and lamping with this Copperhead.

A Serious Investment Worth Considering

In my book, £348 is serious money for a scope.

So I was expecting nothing short of top-level optical performance from this Safari.

As you can see from the Copperhead’s stats (see panel Optical Performance), its asking price is well justified.

It equalled or bettered my high expectations across both its magnification range and sight picture under test conditions.

More importantly, though, my findings were echoed in real-world environments – namely the field and range.

If its looks and optical prowess are anything to go by, there should also be no doubt about its build quality.

In the hand, it certainly feels “solid,” and therefore worthy of a serious rifle under it.

The quick-focus, parallax, and zoom rings all turn smoothly, and the turrets click very positively. Nowhere are you given the impression that this scope might have cut corners in its manufacture.

Precision Turret Adjustments

Turret adjustment is external, with the clicks rated in MILs to match the AMD2 reticle design.

One click moves the POI 1cm at 100m.

In airgun-speak, that equates to 10 clicks moving the impact point roughly an inch (2.5cm) at 25m.

Both the elevation and windage turrets’ verniers are resettable to the ‘0’ point by loosening them with a coin at the top and then free-spinning them into position.

They offer another shooter advantage, too: they are lockable.

Simply pull up to engage the adjustment and push down to lock it.

Besides avoiding inadvertently turning them when the rifle’s in its slip, this also helps if you temporarily alter the scope on the fly.

Probably more importantly, they are infallible in operation – something that I, as a “dialler-in” type of shooter, am reassured by.

No matter how many times I spun the test scope’s turrets, they always returned to their starting point (see Walking The Zero).

Final Thoughts

All Copperhead models come with MTC-branded flip-up scope covers.

You don’t get mounts – common with high-end scopes – and you’ll need 30mm rings to fully harness the Copperhead’s impressive optical attributes.

A large parallax wheel is available as an optional extra, though as I alluded to earlier, the P/A system is so good, I don’t really think one’s needed.

Nitrogen purged, fog- and shockproof as you’d expect, there’s really nothing major to disappoint any shooter on this compact cracker of a scope.

And the icing on the cake?

It comes with MTC’s lifetime warranty.

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