SWFA SS 10×42 Review

Bottom Line

The SWFA SS 10×42 riflescope is considered to be the best one out there today. We were stunned by the sheer quality of this!

Every gun enthusiast knows how expensive their hobby really is. Not only do you need a lot of money to add new gadgets to your collection, but you also need a lot of money to maintain that collection as well.

But, does it really have to be that way?

Not necessarily.

Riflescopes are all very expensive almost by default. Even though there is an obvious difference in quality, you will often end up paying more than you really should. It’s understandable that the top-quality riflescopes are pricey but when you have to invest a lot in a faulty product…you’ll have a problem.

The good news is that you don’t need to have an exceptional budget at all. You don’t have to spend a lot of money to get a good riflescope. There are many great solutions that you can find even in the low-end categories. The fact that they’re low-end doesn’t mean they’re bad. SWFA SS 10×42 is one of the best affordable riflescopes on the market, and it’s well worth your attention.

Before giving out more details on this amazing scope, let’s take a closer look at SWFA as a brand first.

SWFA – The Company Overview

SWFA stands for “Southwest Firearms.” It’s a company with a very long tradition, and they have been active for nearly 50 years at this point. They are a very recognizable name in this market, and they know how to make a functional product. They also have a Better Business Bureau accreditation, and that alone says enough about the quality of their services.

Their items include bullets and basic firearm add-ons, as well as scopes and gun sights. However, what’s certain is that every item they provide is of high quality, ensuring you receive good worth for the price you pay.

They also have outstanding customer support as well. In fact, their support team is actually one of the trademarks of this company. No matter if you’re not satisfied with their services or if you may have a question to ask, these people will always be by your side to provide some valuable inputs.

Now that we have the basic information about SWFA as a company, we can start reviewing this riflescope.

SWFA SS 10×42 Riflescope Overview

SWFA SS 10×42 is a fixed power riflescope, which means that you don’t have the zoom function and you can’t change the magnification range in any way either. Some experienced gun enthusiasts are very skeptical about fixed power riflescopes, and many of them prefer variable power riflescopes instead. However, the truth is, there’s no clear winner here. Both concepts are perfectly viable and whether the scope is good or not mostly depends on the model itself.

This riflescope is 14.05” long, and it comes with a 30 mm diameter. The field of view is 11.8 feet at 100 yards, which is not overly impressive, but it’s still fairly decent nonetheless. Another thing that you always have to consider when buying a particular riflescope is the eyesight. The eyesight will tell you how far from the rear lens your eyes need to be.  In this case, we are talking about an eyesight of 3.9 inches, which is very reasonable.

The Key Features

In order to determine whether this riflescope is good or not, we also need to examine the key features as well.

The first key feature is durability. If the riflescope is not able to keep up with long-term pressure, we just wasted our money for nothing. SWFA SS 10×42 is a very durable scope, however. It’s waterproof, shockproof and fog-proof at the same time. You can easily use it in any outdoor area, regardless of the weather conditions. And, from that aspect, you can rest assured that your investment will pay off in the long run.

SWFA SS 10×42 also comes with multi-coated lenses, which means that the light will always travel through the scope without any obstacles in the way. That alone ensures that you always have optimal clarity no matter what.

This riflescope is very adjustable as well. You can use the turrets to set your ideal position. Each time you click them, you will see a ¼ MOA adjustment. MOA stands for “Minute Of Angle,” and it’s equivalent to 1 inch on every 100 yards. That basically means that every time you click the turrets, you will get a ¼ inch movement on every 100 yards.

This riflescope is very precise as well. Not only will you get a proper rear parallax adjustment, but you will also get a special MOA-Quad reticle too. And, along with being precise, this riflescope can use almost any type of ammunition. You can even use the .50 caliber ammo as well. You will rarely find an affordable riflescope that is compatible with this type of ammunition, but SWFA SS 10×42 is a lucky exception in this case.

Things That You Should Be Aware Of

Even though this is a truly outstanding scope, there are some things that you have to be aware of before you (potentially) decide to buy it.

The clarity is amazing, but it can’t compete with some of the more advanced riflescopes (like the scopes made by Nightscope). It’s not drastically inferior, but the high-end models are far superior in this regard. So, you will get a functional clarity, no doubt about that, but don’t overestimate it. You might end up being disappointed if you do.

Also, even though the turrets are perfectly adjustable, the clicks are sometimes very hard to hear. In fact, sometimes you can’t hear them at all. It’s not a big issue, and it doesn’t happen too often, but it can be annoying.

The Final Observations

SWFA SS 10×42 is a perfect match for any gun enthusiast, regardless of experience. It’s an equally great riflescope for both casual and more competitive shooting.

If you’re a hunter, you can use this scope easily as well. As long as you follow the basic guidelines and as long as the distance is long and consistent, you will have no issues whatsoever.

At the same time, as we noted above, competitive shooters can benefit from this scope as well. Thanks to its flexibility, accuracy, and precision, you can rest assured that you will have a functional riflescope that can outperform even some other scopes that are marketed as “competition scopes.”

The Conclusion

SWFA SS 10×42 is an outstanding riflescope that any gun enthusiast should consider. Unlike many expensive scopes, this one doesn’t cost that much, and it gives you more than enough value to make the purchase feel worthwhile in the long run.

You will hardly find a better scope in this price range. SWFA SS 10×42 is a best-buy riflescope for all people who have limited budgets, and it has our recommendation.

If you want more from your riflescope, however, you’re going to have a hard time looking for that!

The Pros:

  • This riflescope comes with a very affordable pricernIt also comes with a great valuernSWFA SS 10×42 is a scope that can be used by any gun enthusiast, regardless of experiencernGreat design that allows further adjustments as wellrnIt supports different types of ammunition (including the .50 caliber ammo too)

The Cons:

  • The clarity is great, but it can’t compete with the more advanced riflescopesrnAt some point, you may not hear any clicks when you press on the adjustment turrets

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Mark Simmons

Born and raised in Missouri, Mark now lives in Murray with his wife and two sons. As a gun owner and hunting enthusiast he frequently participates in debates surrounding the Second Amendment.