The Element Optics Helix 6-24x50, a Budget Option for Precision Shooting.

New optics brands are always virewd with a certain degree of suspicion here in New Zealand and for good reason as we hate parting with our hard earned cash if we don’t know if the product we are buying will give the expected results. So in comes Element Optics, a optics brand started by a popular YouTuber designed with input from partners in South Africa and Sweden and then manufactured in China.

The featured scope in this article is the Helix 6-24x50, this is Elements budget model, but don’t let the word budget dismay you. This scope fills a perfect hole in the market for the Sub $1,000 price bracket. Now I know the Helix is going directly up against the Vortex Diamondback Tactical, sightron S-Tac and the Bushnell Engage ect.

Now what dose it do that the others in the price range do not? The most obvious is that it has a zero stop! And one that’s easy to set or adjust at that. For long range shooting and precision 22 events having confidence that your zero is exactly where you want it is imperative for consistent accuracy.

The turrets have nice crisp clicks and aren’t nearly as mushy as other scopes in the price range I am used to. The parallax adjusts down to 10 meters making this great for rimfire shooting where those close shots are common.  I did a several box tests at 100m to check how the scope tracking preformed on one of my 6.5 Creedmoors and it did exactly as expected and then returned to zero each time.

Now when you are playing around in the sub 1k price range you are not going to get the worlds best glass, that’s just the reality of the situation, but you will be surprised what you do get for the money in 2021. Optical clarity above 20x zoom is a little hazy around the edges but still very usable, I only use the high zoom range when shooting paper at 100 and 200 meters but it’s something to mention regardless. I prefer to operate in the 12-16X zoom range for practical shooting and the scope preformed well in this magnification range. These turrets are a nice simple affair with six MRAD per revolution, clicks are surprisingly positive and audible with the lines on the turret alighting perfectly with the zero position on the scope. One very good feature of this scope is it’s ability to parallax right back in to 10 meters, this makes it extremely viable for precision 22 shooting where shots at 10 meters are common in hunting or competition use.

What do I see this scope design suited for? I see it filling a couple of rolls, the fist being precision 22lr shooting. This subsection of long range competition is becoming very popular as more events pop up around the country.  The first focal plane version that has just been released would be my pick for these style of events. The other area would be shooters wanting to learn the ropes of long range and want to dip there toes into the hobby without spend $2-3,000 on glass, but still hit targets accurately or be competitive in your chosen style of competition.

Closing thoughts, this optic is my current pick for the sub $1,000 option here in NZ. Now I haven’t tested every scope available, but for the money it is a feature rich optic and preformed great on the range and in the field.

Thank you to Element Optics NZ for sending this through for me to play with. Check them out an Facebook, Instagram and at www.elementopticsnz.com.