A few years ago, Meade Instruments of California purchased the famous Simmons, Redfield and Weaver optics brands. Meade manufactures the world's most advanced commercial and recreational astronomical telescopes, so there was little doubt in anybody's mind we'd soon see some new and different things in those venerable scope lines.

Now, with the introduction of the new Simmons' Master Series lines--plus an entirely new catalog of premium-grade Redfield products--the company has announced the "reinvention" of the riflescope. It's a bold claim, but if these products live up to their billing, they'll change the optics industry.

This new technology will be applied to the Simmons AETEC, ProHunter, and ProSport riflescopes, and ProDiamond shotgun scopes. Under the Redfield brand, the entire product line will be based on the same advanced engineering plus several new premium features.

Redfield introduced the first one-piece main-tube riflescope in 1982, now common throughout most of the riflescope industry. But it was only "one piece" from the eyepiece forward. Now Meade has developed the industry's first true one-piece scope tube, end to end.

The new, lightweight tube is precision machined as a one-piece unit and weighs an average of 22 percent less than competitive products. The one-inch Simmons tubes are a premium aluminum alloy; the one-inch and 30mm Redfield tubes are lighter magnesium alloy.

All the eyepiece lenses and eyepiece focus adjustments are now contained within a tube-integral housing, which reduces parts, increases strength and eliminates a joint that would need to be sealed. Moreover, this true one-piece construction allows the cut for the magnification dial in zoom models to be only about two-thirds as long as is necessary in separate-eyepiece designs--and again, it's much stronger.

Inside the tube, Meade calls the key element of its new technology the TrueZero Flex Erector System. All traditional scopes use a biasing spring to force the erector tube against the dial pads, a spring that weakens over time.

Simmons and Redfield riflescopes are technological marvels employing many firsts in riflescope design such as a true one-piece main tube. Redfield scopes also incorporate a 5X magnification system and extra-low-dispersion glass in the objective lens.

There is also drag where the erector contacts the spring, which prevents the erector from returning to the same point when it bounces back after the recoil from each shot. This causes inevitable shifts in point of aim and point of impact.

However, the new erector entirely eliminates the traditional gimbal/ biasing spring and replaces it with a patented erector tube that is solidly attached to the scope body. This design allows the erector to maintain even pressure from end to end while maintaining a consistent optical path.

Response to windage and elevation adjustments are immediate and precise. No more tapping on the turret to be sure the adjustment "sets."

The Flex Erector is also much less sensitive to recoil stress and eliminates 30 percent of the parts traditionally used in erector tube construction. And fewer parts means fewer things to go wrong. Plus, the removal of the biasing spring creates additional room within the scope body for a significant increase in windage and elevation adjustment range, as much as 17 percent greater than other scopes.

The second part of the TrueZero system is a redesigned windage and elevation dial mechanism. It employs a tactile-click ball bearing and spring system that dramatically reduces wear without affecting dial reliability and accuracy over time.

The dials themselves do not screw in or out but pull an internal post, which ensures equal click value throughout the full adjustment range. The dials are precise, repeatable and will hold zero under any recoil conditions.