The natural first choice of accessory for a long gun for many people, especially newly minted shooters, is an optical sight. A “red dot”, holographic sight, or scope — optics are a must, because they look good and certainly help as well. There is no need to delve into the arcana of various training practices, because once someone learns to shoot with the aforementioned optics at 100 m, then at 300 m, and eventually (with the help of, for example, Jarek Walczuk — warm regards) becomes a self-proclaimed “midrange master” at 600 m, the more knowledgeable will notice that a soldier of the Polish Armed Forces is taught to shoot at ranges from 300 to 500 meters, but without optics... It can be done, but why make things harder. With an optical sight it is easier, faster and more effective, and not without reason they have become the standard across the ocean.
In the Polish Armed Forces we will unfortunately still have to wait for such a standard, but civilian shooters — especially compared to citizens of other EU countries — have almost unlimited possibilities when it comes to purchasing firearm accessories, including shooting optics and therefore also scopes. In Poland you can purchase practically every option available on the global market for short- and mid-range shooting, all the way to technologically advanced scopes for long-range shooters. From cheap Chinese products, through inexpensive rebranded “Chinese” models, through decent budget options, all the way up to the high-end tier with five-digit price tags.
I don’t know anyone who doesn’t take care of their scope, regardless of its price. In the end, our shooting effectiveness, and whether we see the target at all, depends on it. As long as shooting is static, keeping the scope clean is not difficult. Things start to get worse with dynamic shooting, and worst of all when shooting from forced positions, for example in the mud (see tactical shooting competitions such as Light Infrantry or Recon Squad, which WMASG has supported for a long time, or Sniper Extreme on the winter beaches of the Baltic Sea).
Taking advantage of the opportunity, I immediately opted for the high-end shelf, namely the Nightforce ATACR 1-8x24mm for two reasons - as an author of articles I wanted to have a strong reference point, and at the same time I followed the legendary durability of the ATACR line of scopes. Imagine my surprise when I easily lost the original cover during relatively low-intensity use. All it really took was wearing full gear, switching the weapon from long to short and back, manipulating the weapon, adding some dynamic movement and one of the covers chose freedom. And that happened twice! Even though after the first time I tried to keep it in mind.
For Nightforce (as well as for the rest of the absolute world top manufacturers of optical sights), the covers are not made by just any company but by the Canadian Tenebraex, and additionally the cap bears, in my case somewhat ironically, the “Tactical Tough” inscription. These are classic covers with a ring tightened by a screw and a cap mounted on a spring-loaded pin. Everything works great until the weapon with open covers starts catching on elements of gear and the surrounding environment, which in the heat of action (even if it is just sporting competition) is not difficult.
OPtactical.eu – necessity is the mother of invention
Along with the development of shooting sports in Poland, the category of tactical shooting competitions has also been growing, where the number one, because of being the most “intense”, is the Light Infantry series. Weapons, gear and participants are exposed there to the toughest test possible in civilian conditions. Dozens of kilometers, rain, climbing, rappelling on a descent rope, zip lines, crawling in mud, squeezing through trench tunnels, pushing through brush while extremely exhausted with the weapon constantly at hand (certainly not in a sterile case) are inseparable elements of these particular and, generally speaking, this type of competition.
Michał and Ania, co-founders of the OPtactical.eu company, experienced this themselves while competing and losing or damaging popular scope covers available on the market for the scopes they owned. Out of frustration an idea appeared, and Kuba, whose passion is 3D printing, helped bring it to life. Together they designed a solution that met their expectations, and whose functionality I have had the opportunity to verify myself for some time now.
But this has (not necessarily) been done before
The idea itself is not complicated at all, and similar solutions already exist on the market. The first were the Americans from One Hundred Concepts, who in 2022 created an analogous cover for a flashlight and shortly afterwards for scopes. Imitators quickly appeared later, also in Poland and of course in China. OPTactical.eu, however, offers more thoughtfully designed covers, and as always the proverbial devil is in the details. It is worth adding that the project has been filed with the Patent Office of the Republic of Poland under number Wp. 33225.
The covers described here consist of a 3D-printed ring and the actual scope cover attached to it with elastic shock-cords. The mounting ring has a rubber insert inside which further stabilizes the whole assembly on the tube something the manufacturer strongly emphasizes as a distinguishing feature of their product. Interestingly, even though no glue was used to mount the insert, it sits firmly in place. The installation itself is not rocket science as the ring is simply tightened with a 2.5 mm hex screw, and thanks to the rubber insert the recommended torque is only 0.5 Nm.
The cover itself is also not complicated, but its shape includes two protrusions that make opening and closing easier, especially when wearing gloves and during dynamic weapon manipulation. The solution works — the protrusions actually do their job. Properly selected tension of the shock-cords (which is up to the user) ensures that the covers reliably and consistently snap into the correct position. I have not yet experienced it working otherwise.
The most important feature that distinguishes OPTactical.eu covers from competitors is the characteristic “shelf” for the cover in the upper part of the mounting ring, called a “saddle” by the manufacturer. Supposedly refining this very element took the most time. The challenge was to design such a shape of the “saddle” that the cover would repeatedly and reliably “snap” onto it, stay stable, and return to its place every time, protecting the scope’s lens. The front and rear covers are constructed in the same way.
OPTactical.eu covers are produced exclusively from Polish materials in Wrocław on European machines, which the manufacturer clearly emphasizes. OPTactical.eu focuses on local patriotism and supporting the local market.
At the current stage the manufacturer remains with 3D printing due to its policy of an individual approach to each customer. If a given model of scope is not on the selection list, which in our market reality is not difficult, or if the chosen mount does not allow one of the covers to be installed, it is not a problem: simply send the dimensions of your configuration and OPTactical.eu will adapt their covers to your setup. That was the case for me. The Unity Tactical FAST LPVO mount sat too close to the Nightforce lens and the “shelf” had to be raised by 2 mm. Thanks to 3D printing technology the company is able to adapt the product to every customer.
Customers also have wide possibilities for color customization of the covers. In addition to black, other color variants quickly appeared, including what we might call more “fancy” options. However, there was clearly a problem with the material characteristics, causing a slight shine on covers in colors other than black. While in sport shooting it is a matter of taste, in tactical applications it becomes more significant. The Kraków-based company Weapon Wizards, specializing in applying the Cerakote coating, came to the rescue. OPTactical.eu customers now have the possibility to personalize their covers within the Cerakote color palette available in the WZRD LAB application. Choose the color, provide the code, and order your dream covers.
Summary
There is strength in well-thought-out simplicity. Michał, Ania and Kuba enriched a simple idea with their shooting experience and thanks to the appropriate design of the covers themselves, with a properly shaped “saddle” for them, the whole concept gained new meaning and functionality. Even though the hinge of the entire construction is just an ordinary shock-cord, the whole system works reliably, consistently and inspires confidence. The simplicity of the design allows you to focus on the shooting task rather than worrying whether in a rush of adrenaline the cover might accidentally be torn off or the pin holding the cap might slide out. I like and support good ideas, and this is exactly one of them. It is a solution worth the attention of anyone who shoots in less sterile conditions and wants to protect their optics. Finally, the price should also be mentioned as it is competitive to branded covers from scope manufacturers, where in my case a single Nightforce cover for my LPVO costs almost as much as a full set of OPtactical.eu covers. On top of that, the owners are very positive people, which makes the project deserve an even bigger thumbs-up.
Author, a satisfied user of OPtactical.eu scope covers
The article was created as part of an advertising cooperation with OPTactical.eu, however the authors of this portal always present their independent opinion and no advertiser (even the best one) can ever influence it.
Photos: Shooting.media
