For a long time we were able to have one of the first specimens of the red dot that Kahles put on the market shortly after the IWA in 2019. After a first visual examination we mounted it on a 6,5 Creedmoor Ruger Predator rifle to test its possibility in the shooting range of Carrù (CN) with shooting at a stationary target. In a second time we took advantage of a Marlin Mod. SLB lever in .44 Mag. To fire several shots in the recent Cinghiale Corrente plant, also at the Carrù shooting range, to test the optics, the rifle and the shooter in the environment best suited to a red dot: the moving target. Let's start with the presentation of the device and the shooting test on a stationary target.
The presentation
A rigid cardboard box with an attractive glossy surface in the white and orange colors, characteristic of the brand, contains the guarantee and the instruction booklet consisting of a series of exhaustive explanatory drawings, understandable, of course, in all languages, without the need for translations. In a sachet there are three Allen keys and with these you can proceed with the assembly: the dovetail slide placed under the scope is suitable for the most common bases obtained on rifles and a transversal screw ensures tightening.
Before stopping the complex it is necessary to test the bracing and the position of the eye to have the red point of aim available together with the wide external field of view. Inserted in a special pocket in the protective orange rubber cover is the battery: with the bottom of a cartridge the seat is opened and inserted into the compartment, closing the support with a snap. The red point lights up by pressing for a few seconds the rocker button, located to the left of the optic, on the + sign and it is turned off by pressing the - sign, therefore on the two extremes that also allow you to intensify or dampen the luminous entity.
Another way to activate the light is to swing the speargun on its longitudinal axis: the system remains on for 3 minutes, after which, leaving the complex stationary, it switches off remaining in the waiting position. At a new oscillation it switches on again and, in any case, after 4 hours the automatic switch-off intervenes. The control of the correct level of charge of the battery is given by the intensity of the red point while the limit before exhaustion is signaled by three rays that appear at the edge of the point itself. Convenient pocket in the rubber cover, mentioned above, in which to keep a second battery ready for any eventuality. The calibration is equally easy to implement by acting with the smaller Allen key on the two screws with reference lines: the system of aiming at the center of the target, firing a shot firmly, and then, keeping the tappet in the center, act on the Allen screws by moving the therefore, the red dot on the bullet hole is always a practical, fast solution with very little waste of cartridges. With this system, the matter was resolved in a moment and the second shot went to “10”. A subsequent check at the various distances at which you will think you have to shoot will allow you to calibrate the lift to the most favorable average in relation to the cartridge used.
The tests in the polygon
We had a first contact with the Kahles RD at the Carrù shooting range where his friend Carlo made available a Ruger Predator 6,5 Creedmoor rifle. The quick and easy assembly was followed by a few shots at 100 m where the optical system proved to be valid allowing to create perfectly adequate shot patterns: the light reference, even at such a distance, still allows a correct definition of the target coverage. On a second occasion we mounted the Kahles on a rifle that we consider even more suitable for this combination: a Marlin 1894 lever SBL in caliber .44 Mag.
Taking advantage of the recent Cinghiale Corrente plant put in place at the Carrù shooting range, we had a lot of fun achieving valuable results with an ease that we are not used to in this shooting specialty. The wide field of view allows an immediate acquisition of the target and the red point, kept for our convenience at a low light intensity, naturally leads and keeps the eye on the target. All this considering that we shoot with astigmatic presbyopic glasses: the red dot is a valid aid and this from Kahles, given the origins of the House that first provided hunters with the first riflescope, the Mod. Mignon, could only be beautifully lived up to expectations.