Maven RS.2 Scope Review
Maven RS.2 Gears Rating
Maven is a newer optics company that produces some very nice optics at a very fair price due to their direct-to-consumer sales model. My testing revealed that the RS.2 is a very capable, lightweight hunting scope that I’m confident having on my AR15 in the field.
Where To Buy the Maven RS.2
Maven is a Direct-to-Consumer company. They do this to minimize cost and cut out the middleman’s profits. I have seen them for sale on Amazon and Ebay, but I would only recommend purchasing directly from Maven.
Maven RS.2 First Impressions
My first experience with a Maven optic was actually a set of Maven binoculars while at Highbar Homestead for a media event hosted by Palmetto State Armory. One of the employees of Highbar handed me a pair to spot for another shooter and I was very impressed with the glass quality. He continued to tell me about the brand and what I heard piqued my interest. So, once I got back from the event I reached out to Maven to see if they were willing to send out an optic for testing. Within a few days, I got a response and about a week later the Maven RS.2 showed up at my doorstep.
The packaging on the Maven was nicely done and it included a sticker and cleaning cloth, which is nice and all…but the real surprise was the scope. When I picked it up I immediately noticed the weight or lack thereof! This scope was extremely light and it also had the stellar glass quality that I had previously seen in their binoculars. I checked the smoothness of the zoom lever and diopter and everything felt good. Now it was time to get the RS.2 mounted on a rifle and start the testing process. WMD Guns had just sent me a 350 Legend upper for review so I grabbed a 1″ Vortex mount and started the installation process.
Maven RS.2 Installation
Installing a scope isn’t exactly rocket science but there are a few things you can screw up if you do not have the right tools. So, I grabbed the Wheeler Leveling Kit and my Fat Wrench and installed the Maven onto the 350 Legend upper using the Vortex cantilever mount. The only other adjustment I made before hitting the range was setting the diopter to my eyes. If you ever look through a new scope and the reticle is blurry, you likely need to make adjustments, so do not skip this step.
Now that I had the Maven RS.2 leveled and torqued to specs it was time to hit the range…the backyard range! Since I was planning to hunt with this during North Carolina’s whitetail firearm season I needed to get it zeroed. I also wanted to make sure the scope would hold zero since Maven is a new brand. Nobody likes missing a deer!
Maven RS.2 Specs
The Maven RS.2 is made in Japan and has some very nice glass!
I know some people could care less about the specs but others do, so keep scrolling if this is not your thing. If you are one of the spec-nerds like myself pay close attention to the weight of the Maven RS.2. Here are the specs directly from the Maven Website:
Maven RS.2 Field Test Results
The complete rifle I used for hunting and testing.
As I previously mentioned, the Maven RS.2 accompanied me into the NC deer woods. I imagine that most people who are interested in this scope plan to use it on a hunting rifle so I tested it under those conditions. I carried it on numerous hunting trips and it survived rainy conditions, bumping into tree stands, and hiking all over the Uwharrie National Forest. Even though the scope is light it is well-built. Most hunters are looking for a scope that performs well in low-light conditions and the Maven RS.2 does just that.
The doe I killed with the WMD 350 Legend/Maven RS.2 setup.
I was able to kill 2 whitetails with the 350 Legend/RS.2 combo and both shots were in low light. The first one was at the tail end of legal shooting light and I was able to clearly see the young buck and make a good clean shot. The second was a doe who walked into the field on a rainy, dreary day. The Japanese glass is very clear and makes for a very clean sight picture. Another feature that makes the RS.2 ideal for hunting is the 2-10X zoom ratio as most shots I take are 150 yards and in. When I shot the doe I zoomed in to 10x just to make sure it was not a button-buck then I zoomed back out to 6-7x so that I would have a larger field of view. This way I could watch her reaction and direction of travel after the shot.
A hunt on public land in the Uwharrie National Forest.
At the end of the season I swapped the Maven over to another rifle I had in for testing, a Diamondback DB-15 chambered in 6.5 Grendel. As expected the RS.2 survived nearly 600 rounds of 6.5 Grendel flawlessly. One feature that came in handy during this part of the testing was the resettable turrets. They are spring-loaded and do not require an allen key to remove the turrets and return them to zero. Although this is a small feature I really like it when I am testing out a rifle with different types of ammunition. Sometimes it is the little features like this that make the difference in a scope being good and great. Fortunately, the Maven has proven to be a great scope during my field tests and I will continue to carry it into the woods and out to the backyard range. If anything changes I will update this article.
Doing some accuracy testing with the Diamondback 6.5 Grendel and the Maven RS.2
Maven RS.2 Pros
- Excellent zoom ratio & glass clarity, especially for hunting
- Lightweight
- Fairly Priced
- Reticle choices (duplex or SHR-MOA hold over)
- Easy Zero-Reset turrets
Maven RS.2 Cons
- Eyebox is tight
- Eye relief is fairly short
- No illumination
Final Thoughts on the Maven RS.2
Maven may be a new optics brand but the Maven RS.2 has definitely impressed me throughout my testing. As you saw in the pros & cons list there are many things to like about this scope. I actually struggled to come up with the cons but I will say the eye relief is a bit short compared to similar offerings. However, it is not too short that it would leave with a black eye from a “scope kiss.” The Maven RS.2 will continue to follow me into the deer woods and will be used on any rifle that I am evaluating. If you’re looking for a high-quality, lightweight, and affordable hunting scope be sure to check out the Maven RS.2
Maven RS.2 Specs
The Maven RS.2 is made in Japan and has some very nice glass!
If you are a spec-nerds like myself pay close attention to the weight of the Maven RS.2. Here are the specs directly from the Maven Website:
| Focal plane | Second | |
| Magnification range | 2x – 10x | |
| Obj. lens diameter | 38mm | |
| Tube diameter |
25.4mm / 1in |
|
| Objective outer diameter |
45mm |
|
| Eyepiece outer diameter | 39.5mm | |
| Overall length | 316mm / 12.44in | |
| Weight (without battery) | 12.4oz / 351.5g | |
| Internal adjustment range (MOA) | ||
| Elevation MOA | total 50 MOA | |
| Windage MOA | total 50 MOA | |
| Click value | 0.250 MOA | |
| Adjustment per turret revolution | 12 MOA | |
| Parallax adjustment | 150y | |
| Exit pupil diameter | @2x: 12.1mm | @10x: 3.8mm |
| Eye relief | @2x: 60-79mm | @10x: 60-81mm |
| Field of view @ 100y | @2x: 41.2ft | @10x: 10.5ft |
| Front/Rear mounting length | F: 44.7mm |
R: 69mm |
| Effective objective lens diameter | @2x: 28.5mm |
@10x: 38.0mm |
| Field of view | @2x: 7.83° |
@10x: 1.56° |
| Field of view, apparent |
@2x: 15.6° |
@10x: 15.6° |
| Diopter correction (dpt) | +/-2 | |
| Light transmission | 95.00% | |
| Twilight factor |
@2x: 7.9 |
@10x: 19.5 |
| Functional temperature |
-4°~158°F |
|
| Submersion tightness / waterproof rating | 3m depth | |
| Gas purged | Nitrogen | |
| Reticle construction | Wire | |
| Reticle options | DUP / SHR | |
| Illuminated reticle Y/N | No | |
| Origin | Made in Japan |
via Gear Report at https://gear-report.com
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