The Maven RS.3: A Complete Real-World Review

I tend to hate online scope reviews, as they are usually trying to sell you on this or that. Forum boards aren’t any better. While you may uncover a flaw or two, you also may realize the person writing about that flaw doesn’t know much about the subject. This is my attempt at an honest review of the Maven RS.3 riflescope.

The Maven RS.3 riflescope is a good option for those seeking a mid to long-range hunting scope. I have spent the last five months using and testing it, finding things I like and don’t like about it.

This review stemmed from a comment I received about the last review I did on the Maven RS.2. They mentioned Rokslide.com and the in-depth reviews that they were doing over there. I was impressed with their testing and decided to try something similar and adapt some of those tests to my own testing within my financial constraints for ammo. So please comment and let me know what I can do better!

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Affiliate Disclosure: This article may contain affiliate links. When you use these links, I earn a small commission from each sale generated at no cost to you. This commission helps me continue to put out free content. I work a full-time job that I am very happy with; therefore, I don’t need this commission and am not obligated to speak highly of any product. Everything written is my own opinion: the good, the bad, and the ugly.

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About this Review

This review of the Maven RS.3 is more than a typical optics review. I am not just mounting it to a rifle and taking it to the range once, telling you about blurred edges and how it is fog-proof. I have used this scope for five months, and in that time, it has seen a lot of use. I shot a long-range shooting course with Guardian Precision in the rain, heat, and humidity of Alabama and hunted rutting Montana mule deer in November using it.

I have used it in temperature ranges from below-freezing to highs in the 90s. It has been exposed to all humidity levels and weather conditions. I did not do any drop or shock tests. But I didn’t baby it either. I used it as anyone would if they spent their hard-earned money on it. It has been on countless trips to the range through load development and, therefore, has been thrown in and out of my vehicle, both cased and uncased. It’s been strapped to my backpack with a full load of meat, leaned against trees and rocks, and fallen on multiple times while coming down a slick mountainside.

Maven sent this riflescope for me to review and create content around. I have no obligations to them, though. Therefore, I will be fully transparent with what I think about the scope and its performance.

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My Rifle Setup – For those who care.

I mounted my Maven RS.3 to a SIG Cross rifle chambered in 6.5 Creedmoor. I got the rifle from Brownells and figured it’d be the perfect “Mountain Hunting” set up to try this scope. When testing a scope, you need to have good solid mounts. That’s why I went with the Talley Modern Sporting Rings. Additionally, I mounted a Mischief Machine level to my scope. This level is lightweight and doesn’t take up much real estate on the scope.

I used Hornady Precision Hunter ammo, and my reloads throughout this testing. The rifle weighs a hair over nine pounds, so recoil is not a factor, and accurate results could be obtained on the flat range.

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Maven RS.3 Specs & Features

	RS.3 MOA	RS.3 MIL
Cost	$1,200	$1,200
Focal Plane	First Focal Plane	First Focal Plane
Magnification Range	5x – 30x	5x – 30x
Weight	26.9 oz	26.9 oz
Objective Lens Diameter	50 mm	50 mm
Tube Diameter	30 mm	30 mm
Objective Outer Diameter	59 mm	59 mm
Eyepiece Outer Diameter	43.6 mm	43.6 mm
Overall Length	13 in	13 in
Elevation Travel	80 MOA	23 MIL
Windage Travel	50 MOA	14.8 MIL
Click Value	0.25 MOA	0.1 MIL
Adjustments Per Revolution	15 MOA	6 MIL
Parallax Adjustment	20 yards – Infinity	20 yards – Infinity
Eye Relief	@5x–2.99 in – 3.78 in	@30x–3.38 in – 3.78 in
Reticle Options	MOA-2/SHR-W	SHR-MIL

RS.3 Magnification

The RS.3 has a wide magnification range, going as low as 5x and as high as 30x. This is the ultimate level of versatility for a long-range hunting rifle. The 5x setting is great for moving through timber, while the 30x replaced the little spotting scope I usually carry to examine animals found through my binos. The 30x is also great for bench work, as shooter errors are unmistakable.

I found that the eye relief was just right throughout the entire magnification range. While it is .381″ shorter at the highest magnification level, I had no issues when it was set up properly on my rifle. A small note on that: if setting a scope with high magnification up on your rifle, adjust the positioning of your scope in the mounts while it is at the highest magnification level; that will save you trouble down the road.

First Focal Plane

The Maven RS.3 utilizes a first focal plane(FFP) reticle, meaning that the reticle changes size and scales with the magnification it is set to. Most importantly, the reticle scale will be accurate at every zoom level. When having this large magnification range, FFP is necessary to ensure accurate results when shooting at distance.

Maven RS.3 Reticles

As mentioned in the Spec & Features table, the Maven RS.3 has three different reticle options. Two reticles tailored for MOA measurements and one for MILs. My example is with the MOA-2 Reticle.

Testing MOA Adjustments

One of the first things I did when I received this scope was test its MOA adjustment scale. This is necessary when shooting long-range, as you need to ensure the manufacturer’s specs are correct. If they are off, it is not the end of the world; however, you must compensate appropriately. Thankfully, this wasn’t the case with the Maven RS.3.

I tested this by zeroing my rifle at 100 yards, then dialing my scope 20 MOA up and shooting another group. 1 MOA equals 1.047″ at 100 yards. Therefore, if the manufacturer did their part, this second group should be 20.94″ above my zero. Unable to find a set of calipers that measured two feet, I measured with my “precision” metal yardstick and got exactly that.

The next test was to dial it back down to zero and ensure it hit the bullseye. Sure enough, it did. While I would have loved to do a “box test” trying out windage as well, I didn’t have the ammo for that. So this would have to do.

What I Like About the RS.3

The RS.3 scope was exactly what I was looking for in a long-range hunting scope. While it did have a few things I didn’t like about it, for the most part, I was very happy with it. Most notable are the positive turret adjustments, wide magnification range, and overall size of the scope.

Positive Turret Adjustments

The turret “click” adjustments on the Maven RS.3 are very positive. You can feel each adjustment click into place and hear the very subtle click with each adjustment. I could easily make minor adjustments by feeling without looking at the turret. This is one of the best-feeling turrets I’ve experienced recently.

Magnification Range

The magnification range was extremely versatile. At the range, I could zoom in enough to accurately measure my groups using the reticle and make the right adjustments without switching to a spotting scope. While hunting, I carried it set on 8x the majority of the time as it gave me a wide field of view in case a quick shot presented itself.

Overall Size

Those who have read my other scope reviews know I don’t like big and bulky scopes. I was very impressed with the size and weight of this scope, considering all that it is capable of. At 13 inches long and only 26.9 ounces, it is one of the lightest in its class, making it a great option for a lightweight mountain rifle.

What I Don’t Like About the Maven RS.3

Overall, I have been very happy with the RS.3 so far. I do have a few complaints about it, though. None of them are deal breakers for me, but they should be assessed if you are considering purchasing one of these.

Elevation Turret Locking Ring

The elevation turret locking ring is much to be desired. It is a collar that threads up the elevation adjustment and is locked into place by a very tiny screw. It is difficult to get zeroed, so I elected to set it below zero, remembering each time to come back up to zero after bottoming it out. The RS3.2 solves this problem using a zero stop but costs $400 more. So I won’t complain too much about this inconvenience.

Turret Caps

The turret caps on the RS.3 are another complaint with the design. They are easy to use when adjusting the zero on your turrets but can come loose in the field. While on my hunt in Montana, my elevation turret cap came loose and was lost somewhere on the trail while packing out a cow elk. This happened while the rifle was strapped to the side of my backpack. I noticed it the next day and realized I could have easily lost my elevation turret at that point. I elected to screw the windage cap on and remove the windage turret for the remainder of the hunt, using my reticle to account for windage from that point forward. It wouldn’t hurt to check these occasionally if carrying this scope in the field. Fortunately, an email to customer service was all it took to fix the issue.

Read About The Maven RS.2: A Simple, No-Frills, Lightweight Hunting Scope

Scope Cover

The included neoprene scope cover sucks. No need to sugarcoat it. It is too small for this scope and requires a lot of force to get it to go over the scope. This is okay for storage in the safe, but it is completely impractical to use in the field. It would be nice to see some flip-up scope covers included with this scope.

Final Thoughts

Overall, the Maven RS.3 is a great scope option for the price point. The Japanese glass is clear throughout the entire magnification range, and the MOA adjustments are true. I never once felt like I had to baby it throughout my testing. While it excelled in the field, it really shined on the bench. This scope will likely be mounted to whatever rifle I am developing loads for. I wouldn’t hesitate to use this rifle scope on a long-range, capable mountain rifle.

Please let me know what you think in the comments below! Did I miss something? Or is there something you’d like me to test further with this scope? If so, shoot me an email kurt@kurtthegunsmith.com.