After a less than impressive purchase of a Sidewinder, I found a good deal on a Midas Tac 4-16X44 and it arrived today.
First impressions, The MT is a really nice scope. It is as clear as any scope I've ever looked through, no kidding. I've had some really nice scopes in the past, but this one beats them all in clarity. There is no discernable chromatic aberration or pincushion distortion, so the view is very nice. Like most scopes it gets a bit darker on 16X, but really not bad at all. Nothing like the Sidewinder. Turrets are great, nice tactile and audible clicks. Zero stop works great. Parallax was right on all the way, unlike the Sidewinder, which was way off. So far off, I had to make a tape for it, as it wasn't even close. The reticle is very good, with a numbered mildot, which is exactly what I like, because I get my count off sometimes and miss a shot. This way, I know where I'm supposed to hold. The center is open, with a tiny, tiny dot in the center, making accurate shooting easy. My only grips is it's not lighted, but I fully understand the money was put in the mechanics and lenses, and that is exactly how it should be. I tried a "off the rifle" tracking test, and it came out perfect, but i must admit, it's almost impossible to keep the scope solid. Eye relief is good, and head position at 16X is fairly critical, but it's not on the order of a lot of scopes, it's somewhere in the middle of the critical zone. One nice thing is that when your head is off, it goes completely black, so you either have it, or you don't, no graying or whiteouts, I like that. The eye distance is also fairly critical, but doesn't change much from high to low power, so it's pretty easy to deal with. It is far easier to look through than the Sidewinder at the same power settings.
I hope to get it on a gun tomorrow and do some shooting but the initial impression is that this could well be one of the best scopes I've ever owned. It is lighter than most in this range and is sized just right. After having this scope in hand, it makes me want to return the Sidewinder.