Based on the successful T6Xi, Steiner’s compact H6Xi might be the best-kept secret in premium hunting optics
by Brad Fitzpatrick
Steiner makes some outstanding tactical/target scopes, but not everyone is familiar with the company’s hunting scopes. That’s a shame because the H6Xi I tested impressed me with its rugged compact design and superb performance. With a price tag around $2,000, the H6Xi certainly isn’t cheap, but it is as good as other scopes in that class. In some regards it’s better than other, more widely-known premium scopes.
Tactical Roots
The H6Xi is based on Steiner’s T6Xi, a rugged and reliable scope which blends German engineering with American manufacturing. Built at the Burris/Steiner optics facility in Greeley, Colorado, the T6Xi was built to be the toughest, brightest, and most precise target scope available on the market. And, in large part, it succeeded. The T6Xi comes with a 34mm main tube for lots of windage and elevation travel and SCR MOA or MIL reticles that allow you to make accurate first shots when they count most. In just a few short years, the T6Xi became one of the standout tactical/precision optics available on the market.
What it was not, however, was light or compact. If Steiner wanted to offer a hunting version of their T6Xi, they would have to begin by trimming the optic considerably. Even the smallest of the T6Xi scopes, the 2.5-15×50, weighs in at a robust 32-ounces, and as magnifications increase so does weight. That extra heft is just fine on a target rifle designed for dedicated long-range shooting, but that much mass weighs down a hunting rifle. It doesn’t make much sense to add a two-and-a-half-pound optic to a five-pound mountain rifle.
The H6Xi offers the same quality materials, precision ground glass, and lens coatings as the larger T6Xi in a considerably smaller package. With a 30mm main tube and 42mm objective lens, the H6Xi sits considerably lower on the rifle than the precision-oriented T6Xi. The H6Xi is also considerably lighter and more compact than its larger cousin. Weight is just 23.9-ounces for the 2-12×42 H6Xi, and that’s similar to many hunting scopes with one-inch main tubes. It’s also a full half pound less than the lightest T6Xi optic. What impresses me as much as the weight savings, though, is the H6Xi’s compact size. Overall length is just 11.8-inches, which is shorter than many 3-9×40 scopes with one-inch tubes.
Small is good, but the brilliance of the Steiner H6Xi is that there are a lot of shooter-friendly features tucked into this relatively small optic.
First is the 6x zoom ratio. H6Xi scopes are available in 2-12×42, 3-18×50, and 5-30×50, so no matter what you’re hunting, there’s a magnification range that works. I much prefer the 2-12×42 — a scope that has become one of my favorite hunting optics because it offers enough versatility for any shot I will encounter and measures under a foot in length. The low 2x setting is great for close-range opportunities such as when a coyote slips unnoticed to the call, and the 12x setting is enough magnification to make any reasonable shot. Sure, I like more magnification out of my long-range target riflescopes, but I’ve been to two long-range shooting clinics where students had to shoot to 1,000 yards with no more than 10x magnification.
Our instinct is often to turn up the magnification of our scope to the highest possible power when making a long shot at game but doing so oftentimes causes issues. First, shake and vibrations are more noticeable on high power and the scope’s eye box is less forgiving. You’ll have to be almost perfectly inline behind the optic and the proper distance from the scope to see images on high power, and any movement will be greatly exaggerated.
The other reason for using a lower magnification setting when hunting is increased field of view. By using a very high magnification, you’re cutting out much of your visual field, which doesn’t allow you to see indicators that an animal is about to move or, worse yet, you may not see another animal that’s about to walk between you and your target. I have a friend who once shot the wrong caribou because he had his magnification set on 18x and didn’t see a smaller bull that happened to wander into view just as he pulled the trigger. That was a costly mistake, but it’s more evidence that a 2-12x scope is perfectly suited for any practical hunting situation, and that’s one reason I like my H6Xi 2-12×42.
Steiner also found just the right reticle for the H6Xi. When reducing the main tube diameter from 34mm on the T6Xi to 30mm for the H6Xi, there is some loss of windage and elevation travel. The T6Xi 2.5-15×50 offers 120 MOA of windage and elevation adjustment versus 70 MOA of adjustment for the H6Xi 2-12×42 I use; however, the illuminated Modern Hunter Reticle (MHR) offers 10 MOA of holdover as well as wind holds.
The Steiner H6Xi is a front focal plane scope, and the MHR works seamlessly on any magnification. On 2x, the MHR looks like a standard duplex reticle. As the magnification increases, so does the reticle, and because the H6Xi is a first focal plane scope, the windage and holdover adjustments are true regardless of magnification.
The H6Xi offers 11 illumination settings with intermediate off switches. I particularly like this feature because I can tune illumination to ambient light conditions and, with a single click of the dial, turn off illumination to save the battery. The optic is powered by a single CR2032 lithium battery. I can’t give an exact predication on total battery life, but I’ve been shooting the H6Xi on my custom 6mm Creedmoor rifle for three years and haven’t yet changed the battery.
A low-profile exposed elevation turret with 30 MOA per revolution makes it easy to get on target with the H6Xi, and the windage turret is capped. It’s a pretty standard setup on most modern hunting scopes, especially those that share roots with tactical optics. Click adjustments are precise and clean, so there’s no question whether the turret is set to 4.25 or 4.50 MOA. The Steiner comes with ¼ MOA clicks, and there’s a side parallax focus and a locking diopter.
The HD glass and superb lens coatings make this one of the best low light optics I’ve used. Like I said, it’s mounted on my 6mm Creedmoor, which is my primary varmint rifle, and I specifically chose the Steiner for its 92% light transmission. I also appreciate that the Steiner is smaller and lighter than most of my other scopes. MSRP for the Steiner H6Xi 2-12×42 I tested is set at $2,183, and the 3-18×50 and 5-30x50s are priced at $2,298.99 and $2,528.99, respectively. That’s a lot for a scope, but this optic provides such outstanding optical quality and such a rugged design that it certainly warrants that $2K plus price.
Range Testing
No matter how many features an optic offers or how good the glass, a hunting scope is only worth owning if it tracks properly. I have seen a surprising number of scopes that did not track as they should, some of the scopes that failed to track were priced similarly to the Steiner. I conducted a modified box test with the H6Xi, where I fired shots while making vertical and horizontal adjustments and returned to zero between each shot string. In theory, the resulting target should look like a crosshair with impact points along the vertical and horizontal planes. The results of the modified box test showed that the Steiner tracked perfectly on all planes. Given the accuracy limitations of the rifle and load, each shot moved the appropriate amount based on the number of elevation and windage click adjustments. This demonstrates that the Steiner is about more than small size and clear views — it’s a well-tuned optical machine that will help you place the bullet where you want.
The compact size and great clarity of this optic don’t hurt, though. Performance was good in all light and the scope’s low weight makes it the perfect optic to complement today’s light carbon fiber-based mountain rifles.
If there’s anything I don’t like about the optic, it’s that it still shares some of the tactical look of its T6Xi cousin and I would prefer a more sedate look for the field. But I can’t fault this scope’s design or quality. Sure, it demands a premium price, but this scope will do anything other premium hunting optics can in a lighter, smaller package.
If you’re in the market for a premium hunting scope, I wouldn’t plunk down my money until I’d at least held one of these scopes in my hands. I think you’ll be surprised at just how good the H6Xi optics really are.
Steiner H6Xi Specifications
- Magnification Range: 2 – 12
- Objective: 42mm
- Focal Plane: front
- Reticle: Steiner MHR
- Length: 11.8 in.
- Weight: 23.9 oz.
- Elevation Travel: 70 MOA
- Windage Travel: 70 MOA
- Click Value: ¼ MOA
- Eye Relief: 3.5 – 3.9 in.
- Origin: USA
- Illumination: 11 levels with intermediate off position
- Power Source: CR2032 Lithium battery
- Warranty: Steiner Heritage Warranty
- MSRP: $2,299
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