A perfect scope for Australian Conditions – even the odd monsoon or two 

By Steve Marchant 

German Precision Optics (GPO) was founded in 2015 by a team of former managers and specialists, whose combined experience in the optics industry totals more than 100 years. GPO’s headquarters is at Inning am Ammersee, Bavaria, Germany. Its vision is to be the world’s first choice for high-quality outdoor optics. To achieve this vision GPO applies a lean, efficient business model, wherein key components such as electronic lighting control and fibre-optic reticles are produced in Germany, with final assembly of the products taking place in GPO’s international production network in Japan, Philippines and China. All products are returned to headquarters in Germany where they undergo a final quality check before being packaged with accessories/documentation and then shipped. GPO products are backed by a ten-year warranty on optics and mechanics. With its products currently represented in more than 60 countries, GPO is well on the way to realising its vision. 

The scope arrived with everything you need to get shooting. 

Released in 2024, the Centuri line adds six new riflescopes to GPO’s product range: 

• two super compact models: 3-12x44i SC and 4-16x44i SC 

• four traditional models: 4-16x44i, 2.5-15x44i, 2.5-15x50i and 3-18x44i. 

The 3-18x44i is the subject of this review. 

Accompanying the scope is an operator’s manual, warranty card, micro-fibre lens cleaning cloth, see-through ‘bikini’ lens cover, a zero-stop turret adjustment tool and a tool for removing/replacing the magnification throw lever.  

First impressions of the Centuri 3-18x44i riflescope were how robust it appeared and felt, in relation to its relatively compact dimensions for a high-magnification optic. The matt finish was aesthetically pleasing and the graduations delineating windage/elevation, magnification, parallax, ocular lens adjustments and red dot illumination levels were amply distinguishable. 

Elevation and windage turrets feature ¼” MOA click adjustments. Instead of caps that must be removed before elevation/windage can be adjusted, the Centuri has ‘exposed’ turrets that are locked down to protect the scope from being accidentally bumped or adjusted. To make an adjustment, simply pull up on the turrets to disengage the lock and turn the turret the required number of clicks. When adjustments are complete, the turret is pressed down to lock it back in place. 

Elevation and windage adjustments are audible and feel crisp and sharp. The turrets are 35mm in diameter and have nice, aggressive serrations, which facilitate positive, precise adjustments. 

GPO Centuri elevation and windage turrets include a Reset to Zero function. After sighting the rifle, the turrets can be removed and replaced with the 0 mark on the turret ring aligned to the rotation indicator marking on the riflescope body. Reset to Zero provides for an easier return to the initial sight setting if additional windage or elevation adjustments are made for a shot. Instead of counting the number of clicks required when returning to the original sight setting, the shooter can simply spin the turret knobs back to zero. 

The Centuri elevation turret also comes with a ‘multiple rotation indicator’. On the second rotation of the turret, a stainless-steel post on top of the turret pops up. This allows users who have made long-range elevation adjustments in the field to see and feel exactly where the turret has been adjusted to. Yet another feature is Zero Stop Function, which stops the bullet impact point from being adjusted down and is intended for shooters who wish to easily return to their original sight setting after raising the bullet impact in the field. 

Like the various other Centuri controls, the magnification ring on the 3-18x44i was firm in its movement, which contributes to the robustness of the scope. The GPO Centuri is supplied with a magnification throw lever, which makes adjustment of the magnification settings easier. When testing the scope, the magnification ring was moved throughout its entire range several times, so good use was made of the throw lever. For shooters who don’t require it, the throw lever is easily removed and replaced using the tool provided. 

Parallax adjustment and red dot illumination controls are incorporated into the scope’s third turret. The parallax dial is marked for 15, 20, 30, 50, 75, 100, 200, 300, 500 yards and infinity, enabling shots to be fine-tuned effortlessly. The red dot illumination settings are graduated from 0 to 8. At night, the red dot becomes fully illuminated at the 3 setting, and in daylight it is bright enough to use from around 5 to 6. Even in full sun the illuminated dot is useful for clearly defining the aiming point on a black target, particularly when the target is in a dark background. A shot on a black pig in the shade of a tree, for example, is more readily accomplished with the red dot illuminated. 

The Centuri features a single piece, 30mm tube made from the highest-grade aluminium alloys, with the reticle placed in the second focal plane. The review scope came with an MOA graduated reticle incorporating the above-mentioned illuminated micro-dot. For those who prefer a much simpler and cleaner sight picture, Centuri scopes will be available with the famous G4i reticle from July this year. The scope’s internal components are cutting edge and include GPO’s proprietary ‘Double HD glass technologies,’ which incorporate more than one extra-low dispersion element within the lenses. Commonly used in high-end photography lenses, this technology is now being utilised in riflescopes and binoculars. 

GPO uses proprietary lens coatings: ‘GPObright,’ which they say has a 99.7 per cent transmittance, delivers a crisp, clear colour image in all lighting conditions; and ‘PASSIONdrop’, which protects outer lens surfaces by effectively filling in the micro-grooves and channels created when the lenses are finely polished. The hydrophobic PASSIONdrop coatings produce a smoother surface on the lens, causing water, oil and dirt to simply roll off or fall away. This helps maintain a better view in all conditions in the field and keeps the lenses cleaner for longer, which, in turn, reduces the prospect of the lens being scratched or marked. 

The GPO Centuri’s optical performance was tested against one of my own scopes in various light settings, from outside in bright (North Queensland summer) daylight, to after dusk on a cloudy evening. Given its higher quality and greater number of features, it was no shock that the Centuri out-performed my 4-12×40 in every way. What was interesting is by how much it did so, particularly in low light. 

Low-light testing of both scopes was carried out 20 minutes after dusk, under some broken cloud cover. It was dark enough outside to the naked eye that I would not have considered taking aim at anything. I was thus somewhat astonished to lookthrough the Centuri at a clear enough image of the intended target to have completely confidence in taking a shot. Checking my own scope, the target could be seen, but it was not defined enough to take a shot with any confidence. Given that the best time to hunt primary game species, such as deer and pigs, is around dawn and dusk, having at one’s disposal the level of optical performance provided by the GPO Centuri is a very distinct advantage. 

Unfortunately, opportunities for range-testing the 3-18x44i Centuri were limited due to the current monsoonal rain. On a heavily overcast morning, I set my target at 50m and just managed to get the scope bore-sighted before the skies opened. A week or so later, with conditions looking more hopeful, we headed off to the range. To save time, I skipped my usual first sighters at 50m and set the target at 100m. The first two shots hit high and right of point of aim, but they were touching. The weather was deteriorating, so I took this two-shot group to be valid and adjusted the elevation and windage turrets to position the next group about half-way between the first two shots and the bullseye. The next five shots appeared roughly where they should, so a second sight adjustment was made and the third group was fired, as the showers began again. 

Retrieving the target, a five-shot group was found very near to the point of aim. Unfortunately, the monsoon hung around until Christmas and this turned out to be the last opportunity for range time with the Centuri. I was disappointed about the rain, but very impressed with the precision and ergonomics of the Centuri’s lock-down turrets, which had enabled the scope to be sighted so quickly and easily. 

In summary 

The GPO Centuri 3-18x44i is a high-magnification, low-profile riflescope, which provides exceptional optical performance. The 3x setting is perfect for shorter-range hunting in thick timber or under forest canopies in low-light conditions and the 18x magnification enables precision hunting and shooting to be accomplished at greater distances. This riflescope is compact, robust and easily mounted on hunting rifles, yet it incorporates a maximum range of adjustments and thus provides outstanding functionality for a variety of shooting scenarios. The GPO Centuri 3-18x44i embodies the perfect all-round scope for Australian hunting conditions and, with a recommended retail price of $1089, is excellent value in terms of price-performance ratio. 

GPO Centuri Specifications

SKU RC650

Model 3-18x44i

Reticle                     MOAi or G4i

Weight 23.3oz

Length 13.2in

Eye Relief 3.75in

FOV@100y 41ft – 7ft

Tube Dia 30mm

Turret Click Adj. ¼ in

Max Elev 90in @ 100y

Max Wind 90in @ 100y

Turret Zero Stop-Locked

Parallax Adj. 10y to infinity