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Target Master was provided by Telson Optics for testing & evaluation. No compensation was received.
Channel fans and family — Telson Optics just launched a new line at SHOT Show 2025, and the one we unboxed is the versatile option: the Target Master 5-25×56 FFP. This is unboxing plus first outdoor impressions after about a week on the glass — not a multi-month T&E report card. What follows is what was said and shown on camera.
Shop the MRAD Target Master: slav.li/TelsonTargetMaster — code SlavGuns. Rings, bags, and the rest of the precision pile: SlavGuns Amazon. Anarchy-manufactured parts when that is your rabbit hole: Anarchy Outdoors, code SlavGuns on Anarchy-made only.
Unboxing and first feel
Packaging is friction-fit and premium — outer sleeve, full-spec outer box, then the scope nested with a sunshade, a huge Telson lens cloth, flip caps already on the tube, a tool bag (cap tool, throw-lever screw, Allen, battery), and a QR sheet instead of a paper manual so the manual can stay updated. Description note: engineered in Germany with Japanese ED glass.
It is a 56 mm objective on a 34 mm tube, so yes — a hefty scope. Fit and finish after a week of handling felt excellent. Control textures on turrets and parallax have that satisfying grip without shredding your hands in cold weather. Telson calls the pattern their Razorback knurling — usable with gloves, still gentle.
Key features (from the video)
- 5–25× magnification, one-piece 34 mm main tube, focus down to about 15 yards. Parallax dial uses min / infinity style markings instead of a full distance number ring.
- Japanese ED glass — extra-low dispersion; fellow creators called out strong edge-to-edge sharpness in early looks.
- FFP “F2” reticle (designed with Ilya — “Dark Lord of Optics”): tree-style mil holdovers, clean center, and nearly the entire top half of the FOV left open so you can spot your own hits/misses or spot for someone else. The pitch on camera: busy “Tremor-style” trees are not automatically better.
- Illumination: 11 brightness steps with an off click between each setting, plus shake-awake sleep/wake.
- MRAD competition turrets with zero stop, audible/tactile clicks, and a multi-turn indicator that pops up as you work through revolutions.
Price and where it sits
US MSRP quoted on camera: $1,279. Channel subscribers / Squat Squad can save more with code SlavGuns. Positioning in the video: entry-level premium — above the crowded ~$500 FFP class that usually cuts glass, tracking, or reticle quality, and below the ~$1,800–$2,000+ names (Leupold Mark 5HD / Athlon Cronus territory, before you even talk Nightforce / Kahles / Vortex Razor Gen 3). That $1k–$2k gap is exactly where Telson is aiming.
Bottom line
First impressions of the Telson Target Master 5-25×56 are strongly positive: packaging and controls feel sorted, the F2 reticle stays usable instead of cluttered, and the feature set (ED glass, illumination with shake-awake, zero-stop MRAD turrets) lands at a price that punches up. Unboxing + short outdoor window — still not a long-term tracking torture test.
Keep on squatting. I’ll see you in the next video.
Are you shopping the $500 FFP pile, or are you ready to jump into that $1k–$2k “almost premium” lane?
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