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

The optics market today frustrates me to no end. New optics are coming out almost daily and following the trend of getting bigger, bulkier, and, therefore, heavier. Hunting-specific scopes tend to fall by the wayside as more and more tactical-oriented ones get the attention. I was relieved when I saw that Maven Optics offered a scope that was not any of those things, the Maven RS.2 riflescope.

The Maven RS.2 scope is a lightweight, no-frills scope that is right at home on top of your hunting rifle. Weighing in at 12 ounces, it is the damn-near-perfect optic for a hunting rifle. It doesn’t have bulky turrets and parallax adjustment protruding out and has about as much zoom as one could want.

In full disclosure, Maven sent me this RS.2 to try out. However, I have no obligations to them. I can and will give you my honest opinion on it. I have used a set of Maven Binoculars for a few years now and have been impressed with their quality from the get-go; therefore, I have high expectations for this scope as well.

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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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The Maven RS.2

The RS.2 Ultralight Riflescope is a versatile and lightweight optic designed with the hunter in mind. It is simple yet very high quality. With a zoom range of 2-10x, it is well-suited for various hunting situations in both eastern and western regions. It is a great scope option for small game hunting and eastern whitetail deer hunting and would be right at home on an ultralight mountain rifle setup. Weighing in at just 12 oz, it stands out as one of the lightest scopes of this class available in the market.

As part of the RS Series, the RS.2’s quality is exceptional. It features Maven’s ED glass that gives you a sharp and clear visual without the blurred edges. The focus mechanism is smooth and allows for precise adjustments, while the precision-milled adjustments with solid click detents ensure accurate and repeatable settings. The scope’s durable anodizing is designed to withstand heavy use, ensuring its longevity in the field.

One huge benefit of the RS.2 that I haven’t seen any others mention is the length of the scope tube itself. There is a lot of versatility in adding scope mounts for short, long, and magnum-sized actions. This length allows you to get the proper eye relief without having to worry about “running out of tube.”

Maven’s RS Series represents the top-tier line of rifle scopes, offering scopes to meet your specific hunting needs at a much lower price point as compared to other scopes. Built for the hunter, Maven uses the highest-quality materials, resulting in ultra-clear glass.

Simply put, the RS.2 is an excellent choice for hunters who don’t require the advanced features of a long-range scope.

Maven RS.2 Specs

The Maven RS.2 includes all of the features that are a must for a scope in today’s market. This includes but is not limited to; waterproofing to 3 meters, fog proofing, and, last but not least, a lifetime warranty.

Magnification Range	2x-10x
Objective Lens Diameter	38mm
Tube Diameter	1 inch
Overall Length	12.44 inches
Focal Plane	SFP
Weight	12.4 ounces
Turret Adjustments	1/4 MOA
Parallax	150 yards
Origin	Japan

The RS.2 utilizes a Second Focal Plane(SFP) reticle, meaning that the reticle stays the same size at every level of magnification. This is great for the shooter that wants a consistent sight picture. However, if using the SHR reticle, the user needs to be aware that the holdovers will only be correct at the highest magnification setting. I personally prefer SFP for my hunting rifles. Many times I’ll find myself quietly working through a clear-cut or beaver dam area with the scope’s zoom dialed back to 3x or 4x, knowing that if a shot presents itself, it will be quick. I find that SFP reticles are faster in these situations.

Reticle Options

The RS.2 comes in two different reticle options; the classic duplex and their Simple Holdover Reticle(SHR). The duplex reticle has been the standard for hunting scopes since its inception. The duplex is made up of a thin line with heavier lines on the outside. This is one of the simplest forms of reticles and allows for quick acquisition in the low-light situations that frequently play out in the deer woods. The duplex reticle is almost universally misunderstood in that it is rarely used to its full potential. American Rifleman has an excellent article on using the duplex to its full potential here.

The simple holdover reticle(SHR) has horizontal holdover reference lines to help with estimating range and accounting for bullet drop. Using the measurements on the reticle pictured above in conjunction with a ballistics calculator, you can identify which of the horizontal lines line up with your rifle. For example, my wife’s 6.5 Creedmoor, which she uses for deer hunting, is sighted in for 100 yards. When the magnification is set a 10x, the first horizontal line is 5 MOA below the main crosshair. With the loads that she is using in her gun, that 5 MOA line puts her right on at about 320 yards. The second horizontal line, at 10 MOA, would be on at 475 yards. You can begin to see how practical this would be in the field once you get some time behind it.

The Perfect Scope for Hunting Whitetails

The Maven RS.2 is about as good as it gets for a whitetail scope. The 2-10x zoom range covers you in every aspect, from clear cuts to power lines. The added benefit of being lightweight and durable is frosting on the cake.

Quick, fast shots come easy at the low end of the zoom range, while precision shots at 10x are as simple as you’d expect them to be. I don’t think you can go wrong with having this mounted on a deer rifle.

While I consider this an excellent deer rifle scope, that is far from where I draw the line. My brother, Beau Martonik of the East Meets West Hunt Podcast, used this scope to take his caribou in 2020. In the wet open tundra of Alaska, it performed perfectly. You can watch the film of that hunt below.

Where The Maven RS.2 is Limited

The simplicity of this design is also what limits it. The RS.2’s lack of external turret adjustments for windage and elevation may turn some shooters off. The eye relief could be more forgiving. When mounted to a fixed stock, such as a traditional rifle stock, it hasn’t been an issue. However, I could see it being annoying to someone using an adjustable stock and not keeping it at the same length of pull.

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While looking at the limitations of the Maven RS.2, we have to remember what the scope was designed for. To be a simple and durable no-frills scope. If it were possible to sandwich every feature in the scope world into a 12-ounce package, every optics company would be trying to do it. Unfortunately, it’s not.

To be honest, I had to think pretty hard about the limitations of the RS.2. It works perfectly for what I will be using it for, a deer rifle scope. The lack of external adjustment doesn’t bother me, and the somewhat short eye relief isn’t a problem when the scope is mounted properly. I am very happy with it the way it is.

Final Thoughts on the RS.2

I am now happy to recommend the Maven RS.2 to people. Maven has become a trusted name for me in the optics world. This scope is not just limited to the deer woods, and it is right at home on a lightweight mountain rifle setup and more than capable of shooting across a canyon at the bull elk of a lifetime.

At the time of this writing, the price for the RS.2 is $550. Having had my hands on a lot of optics, I can say that the value you are getting from this scope is incredible.

I will continue to update this article as my experience with the optic grows! If you have any questions regarding the scope, feel free to reach out to me!