For those of you that don’t know Redfield scopes have been manufactured for almost 100 years now. This is a long time for any company to exist – regardless of what they actually produce. Originally the scopes from Redfield were produced in Colorado; however, a few years ago the company was bought out by Blount and the line was actually discontinued for a time.
While Redfield had enjoyed a popular history and was at one time known as one of the best known and most popular brands in the industry by the 1990’s Redfield was finding it hard to keep up with the competition in the industry. Companies like Leupold were putting increasingly intense pressure on others in the market and Redfield was finding it difficult to stay afloat. There seemed to be no other choice but to pull the Redfield scopes line from the market altogether and lick their own wounds.
This all changed, almost at he last moment, when Meade stepped into the picture and took over Redfield. Meade themselves have become well known for their excellent quality telescopes over the years and moving into rifle optics made perfect sense. Several other companies were acquired by Meade at the same time and Redfield now has its home in Georgia; where the 4 Redfield lines of scopes are now produced. They are Golden Five Star, the Tracker, the Widefield and the Illuminator.
Some of the current Redfield scopes are actually nothing truly “new”. The Widefield scope, for example, was in production long before Redfield found themselves in difficulty. This particular scope features an oval ocular as well as objective lens that allows you to mount the scope lower on your rifle while providing a much wider view that you would normally be able to obtain.
While the design itself certainly looks a bit strange and is a step away from the normal design of many scopes, there is no denying the fact that this unique design delivers perfectly. When hunting in close range, you can’t ask for a better image delivery. In tests, the Widefield produces images that are some 30% larger than similar scopes. In addition to a design that truly does deliver, Redfield is continuing to produce high quality pieces built with a rugged aluminum alloy tube that can withstand some fairly rough terrain and treatment.
With Meade now running the show Redfield will not now honor warranties on older Redfield scope models. The company does, however, offer a lifetime warranty on all new scopes manufactured and sold under the direction of Meade themselves.