While I appreciate the review on the glass, could you please do a tracking test on the lower budget options vs the higher budget ones? I'm curious to see if the lower end optics track as well as higher end scopes.
I've got a Primary Arms SLx 3-18x50 FFP on my 6.5cm and its comfortably taken me out to and a bit beyond 1000yards. It has illum. and is easy to "reset" my turrets at zero. It was I think 400 bucks for me? I definitely recommend.
My immediate reaction watching this video is your mic. Watching the wind go across your shirt and almost completely no wind noise? I'm sold! I've watched plenty of standalone mic reviews, but this real world (unintentional) review of your mic is awesome! LOL. I can't read the brand from my phone. Would you mind leaving the make and model please?
Stuff like Arken at $300-$500 is better than what we payed $1000 just a few years ago. Now unless you're a serious competitor, using it for serious social purposes, or just feel compelled to drop a mortgage payment on one spending money on these uber expensive optics seems a fool's errand because diminishing return comes on quicker nowadays. I have a NF NXS on my 338 Lapua and I love it. But it's definitely not 4-5x better than the Arken EP5 I keep on my 6.5 CM or the SH4 in my NRL 22 rig.
This. I mean I'm not well read on optics enough to know but like Leopold feels like they have been hurt most. NF and others in the price point were always that top tier option from what I could tell.
@@christianarrington6492 I can see Leupold having issues with the new budget stuff. Their budget tier stuff is not on the same field as the new budget stuff out there. Basically decent hunting scopes and that is about it. I still can see the big boys taking a few losses because until recently to get the higher priced features you had to buy the higher priced stuff. I love my NF but I'm not running to spend $2k+ when I don't need to anymore.
Because of one of your videos and a review from TiborasaurusRex a few years ago I bought an Arken Optics EP-5. I put it on my PSA AR-10 in .308. Nothing but ear to ear grins from day one! I can’t thank you enough bro! Incredible glass and full of incredible features for $500.
I did exactly the same and same result. I am less than 1k in that whole rig (including a cassette trigger that is awesome) and it is my most enjoyable rifle.
Yeah! PA-10 GANG GANG! 😂 mine has been awesome for 3k rounds now. Toolcraft makes an awesome dual ejector BCG upgrade for 135$ I also added a POF roller cam pin 🎉
@@mobilegamersunite Awesome! I'm getting 1/4 MOA but that's at a 100 yards. Hard to find an outdoor range here in NC that goes much beyond that unless you want to spend $$$ on a private gun club. I put on an Ultradyne Apollo Max muzzle brake. Gun go BIG BANG - pisses off the guys at the range but I truly don't care...lol. I am determined to find a range that goes out to 1000 yards so I can start shooting out Texas Plinking's 1000 yard challenge has me motivated - my favorite series on any channel!
@diodeone1 I have the same range problem in Michigan. I have a long range but it's far away from my house and I'm always stuck at work...the only range I have time for is only 100 yard indoor range. I'm working on setting my rifles up so I can take full advantage of some private property out here when I go on vacation. I just got a Armalite TAC16 308 I'm setting up for "run and gun" my PA-10 is set up as a bipod rifle with a FAB quick deploy bipod handgrip. I made the gun to shoot from a squat or prone position. I review most of this stuff in my Armory Playlist ▶️
Yup I got that scope 7 or 8 years ago when they still offered a mil BDC tree reticle. Honestly was pretty damn happy with it. I got consistent hits out to 850 with it on a savage 110. 1k was a little more challenging.
I was running the same Vortex DB on my M14EBR. Until I tried the Arken SH with Japanese glass. After 2 sessions of 200 rds, out to 1000 yds, the Arken replaced my Vortex DB. Bought a 2nd one for my Remington 700.
A Vortex VIPER,.. PST Gen One, 6x-24x-50 is working, FINE for , Me ! $400- $500 depending on Reticle and,.. SFP or, FFP GREAT, "Deal" for, us average Folks. Razors are real Nice,.. but LOTS more Money !
@@douglash.8862 yah I got a vortex diamondback tactical 4-16 a couple years ago for $200. I eventually had it break and vortex replaced it immediately.
@@James-LiftsI'm really curious about the hawke and other budget brands I see in the under $200 range. Reviews seem to be a toss up but it's getting hard to trust reviews on the store pages these days.
Nice of Vortex to casually increase the MSRP of their Razor Gen III 6-36x56 from $2999 to $4799 within a week without making any changes to their product 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
It's definitely the best of times right now. Sadly there is significantly more gimmicky junk floating around as well so buyer beware. I compare it to the home gym industry. Those of us who play in that area have a lot of cool stuff and companies other than Rogue, Sorinex, Elite FTS making awesome gear. But there is significantly more garbage than when I build my setup 5 years ago.
When I got into deer hunting as a kid 30 years ago, a budget scope (around $100 back then) kinda sucked. You could still kill a deer with one but the glass would be cloudy, especially after some use in the field. And the zero would sometimes move. It's nice that we can buy affordable optics now and they are actually pretty good.
That is always possible. My son won second place at our state trap meet with 49/50 rock. He did tbis with an off the shelf Mossberg 500 12 guage. He was beat out by a kid shooting his Dad's old Savage single barrel with 50/50 rocks hit. They were both competing against youths shooting expensive, dedicated trap/skeet shotguns! 15:25 g@@carlosalessandrini117
@@carlosalessandrini117 Trust me, they will Being young and new helps with energy and motivation and if you're actually intersted in something, you'll learn more and more about the topic. Those, who start young, will see plenty of success if they can keep up the motivation and interest. I could outshoot my dad with a pistol when I was a kid, because I would constantly think of ways to improve, I would learn and I would dry fire when I couldn't shoot. So yes, a 16 year old probably can and will outshoot a tired, stressed adult, who practices way less and focuses on irrelevant stuff
A pump is never smoking a semi auto. They’re just too slow. Especially considering the speed of clays. Unless it’s scrub stuff where it’s one clay at a time.
I run a mark 5 7x35 leupold on my Christensen mpr. I have a mark 3hd on rem700 i have leupold rds and patrol lpvo on ars. I’m a huge leupold fan but after trying them. My ar10 hog gun my wife’s 22-250 and few other rifles i have primary arms optics on them and I must admit I’ve very very proud of them and the quality is outstanding.
Facts. And they won't put in the work for them to improve. It's like the guy who puts a dot on a pistol and claims it makes them a better shooter. Ask them to present from a holster and see how good they actually are. Usually it's a hot mess.
Depends on purpose. I have had a pitny scope, swampfox, primary arms, and leupold. For most people, an LVPO in the $200-400 is enough. My Leupold is on my .308
6:55 Cheapest you can get one is $2,450 for a black color Razor G3 6-36x56 from EuroOptic. Also it'd be cool if you did a low-light component to looking at the differences in the optical quality. Those differences will be more noticeable in low-light performance.
A Panzer 1-10x is amazing for the money. Its my default scope now that i can throw away if i want. Its the same as a 2400$ vortex. For the 1500$+ you better get thermal IMO
Purchases two of the arken with the Japanese glass. They work great to 1000 yards no complaints. Liked it better than my vortex that was closer to 1k. The only issue I'd wonder about is their return policy. Vortex has amazing support.
Should have been interesting to see tracking test to 100, how true is 1mil, 2mill etc on the turrets and then back to zero from both directions to see if the poi shifts from turning the knobs? And range of elevation adjustment?
Excellent comparison video. I haven't seen anybody else put this subject to rest. I have Four of their scopes EP-8 1-8x28 LPVO FFP Illuminated Reticle - 34 mm, $399 X2, EP-5 5-25X56 FFP Illuminated Reticle with Zero Stop - 34mm Tube $529, and SH4 6-24X50 GEN2 FFP VPR Illuminated Reticle with Zero Stop - 34mm Tube $339. I also bought their mounts, bubbles... But just haven't had the time to mount them on my rifles. One last scope I am going to buy from them is their night thermal scope with range finder: ZULUS HD 5-20R Day/Night Digital With Laser Rangefinder And Ballistic Calculator which retails for $933 minus 25% off $699.
The only Arken I’ve hated is the LPVO. On a duty styled rifle their LPVO eye relief is just not good enough. For the remainder of their line I’m super impressed and have bought a couple of them. Currently waiting on the new 7-35x56 to come out at the end of the month.
Great video. Appreciate this honest advice to get what you can afford and it will get you there for the average shooter. Always heard the “spend as much on the optic as the rifle” adage and it seems unnecessary these days with the advances in optics.
From someone that has used everything from a Vortex crossfire to Tangent Theta take my advice. Save your money the top of you budget and buy once cry once. Do not go down the "budget" scope rabbit hole. By the time you're done you'll find out you could of just been patient and got something in the upper class after saving within your budget.
This 100%, it took me several months of saving and not let the temptation of “ iTs JuSt As GuUd” to rush completion of my AR-10 .308 and was finally able to get a NF NX8 2.5-20 FFP Mil-C reticle and I am sooo glad I did, my eyes aren’t the greatest as I’m getting older and the quality of the glass cannot be matched at longer distance with parallex adjustments from 11yds to infinity, the edge to edge clarity stays constant, it has a comfortable eye box and FOV throughout the magnification ranges, its built like a tank and customer service if ever needed I’ve heard is great, I’m sure it’ll outlast me and likely even my sons who will get it when I croak lol, I am now 100% onboard with buy once cry once!!
Folks, I made two massive purchases 14+ years ago that hurt like hell at the time, but worth it. An actual M150 ACOG, and a PVS-7D. Seeing these two items still flawless after well more than a decade is quite reassuring.
Primary arms is probably the best benchmark for optics. Anything they make is about a quarter of the price as their competitors with the same or better quality. The $400 1-6 raptor is one of my favorites (best eye box and great Chevron,). There is a 1-10 that is about 1000 bucks. And they just recently they came out with a $330 1 -6 nova that uses a fiber optic set up for the red dot in the center. The Chevron set up is in most of their scopes. Primary arms have the best price point and are the standard and when it comes to diminishing returns. Pretty much getting anything from them is going to be almost a half or quarter the price as their competitors at the same quality.
i work at sportsmans wearhouse and have earned some free scopes from rewards programs, id say best band for buck ffp scope ive received was a sig whiskey 4 5 to 20x50, had locking turrents and lit up reticle for around 450 to 550 reg retail
I'm a big Primary Arms shill, I've got optics from their SLX, GLX, and PLX line and I enjoy using every one of them. The PLX in particular really represents some nice value on the mid-high end.
Their reticle is the best, glass quality on the SLX line is not good, but usable. I like their weight and form factor though, they need to have a PLX line for their micro prism scopes.
I bought a 338 lapua and a vortex. I went to sight it in, I went through 3 boxes of ammo until I realized the scope wasn't staying true. Went back to the store swapped it for a nightforce and after 200 rounds the scope stays true. Just my experience.
Absolutely love my Arken! Plan on purchasing a few more for other rifles soon. I think I paid $600 shipped for it and I can’t imagine what else I’d need for my usage. It’s perfect for my needs.
I've seen lots of reviews on the EP-5 and have heard nothing but good. I may have to get one just because of the price. I have a handful of NF and Vortex scopes on various rifles and they have never let me down but the Arken is inexpensive enough to allow taking a chance on it.
The real selling point of the arkens is the accurate tracking. The glass is pretty good, but so is basically everything now, budget glass gets better every year while the expensive stuff is at the limit of physics and just can't get that much better anymore. I honestly don't believe that an EP5 would be a limiting factor in any sort of shooting under a mile.
I bought a 17hmr 25 years ago at wall mart, went to the pellet gun section, and picked up a 35$ tasco. Tape 10 pennies at 100 yards, and you could hit 7. the others, my fault. For 20 years i used it as varmit/ small game. 5-7k rounds rain snow sleet heat, you name it. Before it finally broke.
it will be amazing to see this kind of comparison, but shooting paper at 200/300 meters, with the same rifle, same ammo, and the 3 different optics. It will be nice to understand if there's any difference there!
I've got a Vortex Diamondback 6-24x50mm FFP with a EBR-2 MOA reticle, setup on a Savage Arms Model 110 in .300 Win Mag with an Oryx chassis from MDT... it's great value at 449.99 (and mine being 329.99 thanks to a promotion was even better). Arken seems like my next choice for optics on my other rifle.
I have a fire field on my ar10 it was 100$ I put it on my rifle because it’s what I had laying around. It’s been on it for a year now tbh it’s a 2nd focal plane but other than that it does the job
I got my first optic when I was 18, $100 truglo. It holds zero and it works. Still use it on some rifles, even holds up to 308 surprisingly. Covered turrets (it matters to me) basic cross hair and no illumination, bare bones basic but does what it needs to.
I wonder where my Sightron lies. I bought the old Sightron SIII 10x fixed mil-dot hash, made in Japan, Japanese glass, no chromatic aberration that I can see.. I got it for $300 on clearance on Midway since they stopped making that particular model. I was waiting for the Leupold M3 Ultra 10x to go down in price from $1200 and it never did. I feel like this scope is actually just as good... now both are discontinued.
Fortunately I took advantage of picking up a Nikon P223 BDC for my AR15 and a Nikon P308 BDC for my AM10 before they were discontinued. Both were right at $200, had excellent optics and coatings allowing 98% light transfer, lots of windage and elevation adjustment (100 MOA for the P223 and 60 MOA for the P308), and turrets resettable to zero. Only things they're lacking is zero stop and they're not first focal plane but I can live with that for their price range. The BDC on the P308 is Nikon’s popular BDC 800 reticle was specifically engineered for the 168-grain HBT Match bullet at 2,680 fps but their app allows you to plug in just about every bullet made for the .308/7.62 and atmospheric condition to give you the altered hold at the distance you are shooting. Same with the P223. I don't know why Nikon stopped making these excellent scopes but I'd guess they weren't making much money on them at that price point.
Agreed. Nikon was my preferred scope of choice as well. The glass was clear, setting zero took 2-3 seconds, the BDC was perfect for me, and the app for the BDC is outstanding. I then bought a couple of Vortex when Nikon discontinued their line. However, now I feel like Arken is the new “Vortex”, delivering better glass and build quality at about the same price as Vortex!
I have a Nightforce SHV 5-20… it’s practically un-usable at 20x which is unfortunate considering the price. Will definitely be getting rid of it for Nx8 or razor 1-10
The most expensive scope I own is a Leupold HD5, 5-25x56. It is a great scope and it is at the top limit on what I will pay for a scope ($1,500.00). I also have an under $400 Vortex Diamondback Tactical 6-24x50mm, FFP, MRAD and I can't find a significant difference between the two scopes. I also have several Vortex and Leupold 4-16x44 scopes that I paid under $400.00 and they all work great for me. Of all the scopes I own, I only have one that I have had to return for repair and it was a Vortex Razor 1-6x24 LPVO. I have looked through a Night Force ATACR, 5-25x56 ($3,100.00) and a Vortex Razor Gen III 6-36X56 ($2,475.00). They are both great scopes, but again I can't see enough difference in them to justify the extra cost over my $400.00, let alone the cost of a Schmidt & Bender. Thank you for doing this comparison and showing us the results of the least expensive scope.
Exactly the same exterior measurements (3x12x) as my old Nikon MTactical but with better glass and ergonomics. I’d guess Crimson Trace bought the old Nikon factory and tooling in the Philippines and put their name on them. Very happy with them, just like looking through a Nikon. Big bright sight picture, just the way I like it! Terrific bargain!
I've been putting this off for _way_ too long but tonight is the night I learn glass optics. I'm gonna spend a few hours on articles but I figured this would be the best place to start. The _real_ pros.
Unless the scope has some sort of major fault such as loss of zero or unable to handle recoil or has a necessary feature missing, the difference is usually a factor of 10 for price/quality. You'll spend 10x to get a 10% improvement on glass or the like.
After reading the comments I am left with the impression that folks think Arken scopes for the price is on par with better quality scope mfgs who have a system of customer service reps and a department too handle those concerns. Your wrong. Arken makes a budget scope at a low tier price. Their price point does not have punctual customer service factored in. The comments prove it. For them to accommodate those of you entitled fuss budgets the price would increase significantly. And they would lose market share. Capitalism folks pure and simple. If say you were paying $150.00 more you would be right to complain. But you’re not and they are not. It’s called balance. Want more? Pay more. Nothing comes for free.
How is the Arken in low light or shooting near dawn or dusk and being pointed more towards the sun? That’s something I’ve noticed a big difference in between my Leupold and my SWFA. In low light or near dawn or dusk I get atrocious distortion in my reticle, I can’t see squat in my SWFA, but I have zero issue with my Leupold VX3
Love my swampfox arrowhead and often find myself choosing it over my credo and kahles. It hits well over its price range. My SLX and GLX, not so much. Most people can't tell (and have it mean anything) between optical clarity if they aren't looking side by side and in suboptimal conditions. That being said, id never buy an arken. I'll stick with vortex, athlon, or swampfox for l/mpvo.
Now rings, that's where you really get shafted. I've ran burris, monstrum, utg, etc and compared them to the big names like area419 and adm. There isn't a difference. In fact, I chose to keep my 7075 monstrum pro mount on my March FX scope over an Area419 mount. It's hard to screw up a single piece scope mount in 2024. Everyone can get quality aluminum, hard coat anodizing, and cnc machines, so all that's left is qc and designs, which the designs have been ironed out for years and qc can be cheap and still have non noticeable issues for most people.
I too have a Swampfox Arrowhead 1-6x with the MOA reticle. Bought it for a "beater" LR308 rifle that I built/assembled from a Stag Arms reviever set and Lower parts kit. Built specifically to shoot M80 Ball and/or equivalent out to 600yds, it has a 16 inch mid-length, medium contour barrel from Bear Creek Arsenal and a Tool Craft BCG. A5 Buffer tube with an Anti-tilt H3 buffer from Heavy Buffers website. Griffin Armament .30 cal Flash-Comp, and Precision Reflex Inc clamp style folding front sight gas block. Magpul MBUIS rear sight and VLTOR medium latch charging handle. It sits in a co-witness height (1.42inch) ADM-Recon QD mount. I LOVE IT, and I'm seriously looking at their new Warhawk line of optics. When it comes to reticles, Primary Arms is the way to go, but Swampfox gives you better target shooting features, and slightly better glass on average. I will be replacing up to three of my scopes over the next couple of years, and Swampfox is in the top three brands I will be looking at alongside Primary Arms and Sig Sauer. Swampfox has definitely been a surprise in terms of value added.👍
I have a EP5 from Akren Optics and I have the Razor Gen III 6x36x56 as well. EP5 is on my 308/6.5 AR10 and my Razor is on my 7PRC/300PRC/300 Norma Mag Bolt Action Rifle
I have the vortex gen 2 and it's an amazing scope. LEO discount makes it much nicer too lol. Love the razor as the glass quality at distance is so good. The scope is more robust and has a thicker construction etc. I got the scope for long range shooting, hunting and I would like to get into competition with it. If I was just hunting or plinking targets I would get a 500-$1000 optic. No need to get a razor or similar scope. Cheap optics still work. Have a $150 nikon on my 20 gauge that is 20 years old. Has moisture in it now, but it still holds zero and can still see through it enough to make it ethical. It's only seen 40-60 yard shots anyways. My 22-250 has a $220 Simmons scope on it. Groups we'll, glass isn't horrible and it works. Depends on what you want, but now days you can get a lot on a cheap scope!
It also depends on where you live. Here in North Georgia, you can’t see beyond 200 yards before a hill or some trees blocking your view. With that, you don’t need something like a 3.5K NF! Yes, my local shop has them, but even the store clerks admit they’re overkill in Georgia. They recommend a Trijicon Creedo for my DD5V4 at $1,200. But after a bit, I’m now thinking another Sig Tango MSR first focal plane 1-10x LPVO for my DD5 and save $600. Simply put, you don’t need a super high tech scope here.
look at what Athlon has to offer. Believe it or not the Talos 4-14x is incredible, clear and holds zero perfectly and you can find them for $250 easily.
I’ve used a 3k Vortex scope and when I look through the Arken EP5, I can see a difference but really not that much. The question is, is that difference worth 2k-2.5k to you? It might be but Arkens really are amazing scopes for the majority of folks who can’t drop that money easily.
Great video. Clearly the high end optic is better. Now can the budget optic do the same thing? Well you showed it could to an extent. I've owned them budget (still have a couple of arken. Scopes. I've used athlon, vortex, leupold, nightforce. Schmidt and bender pm2. Here is my opinion. I would say for most people they won't notice a difference in different optics unless compared side by side. Now the scope needs to be setup for you and you need time behind it. Not just using it to shoot. Use it to spot, spot impacts, looking at different ranges in different conditions. Then you really start seeing a difference. I noticed this one day when shooting at 1300 yards. I had two different rifles. One with an athkon ares (second to top teir of their line up) and an athlon cronus (Top tier in their scope line up). Through the cronus I could make out the squirrel at 1300 yards. Through the ares I could not. I currently have a nightforce 7-35 atacr on my precision 22lr setup. Hands down the best glass I've owned. It makes spotting 22lr impacts out to 400 yards easy. I can easily see my holes in paper at 100 yards. For me it's worth the money. Now here is another thing about scopes. Just because you buy a 3k or more scope it doesn't make you a better shooter. If your fundamentals suck. Well guess what they will still suck no matter how much money you spend on scopes or rifles. At the end of the day spend the money you want to. It'll probably work fine. There are scopes from each scope manufacture u would or wouldn't buy. Buy once cry once.
ALL of my friends know that I am a rabid researcher and KING of the best 'bang for the buck' finds. This Arken scope seems to be one of those! But it was obvious that the Vortex glass/reticle was superior in every way over both lower priced scopes
I just bawt a $161 Spina 4-27x50 scope with illuminated reticle. Cant justify paying more than $200 as I use my .22LR for sport shooting and not to produce an income. Its still in transit so havent tested it out yet but the reviews are good so am optimistic 🙂
Years ago, when i didnt know any better,i bought ultra cheap scopes. It was a very frustrating experience. They had tracking problems and i sent a number of them in for warranty. I dont have the money for $1k scopes, never mind $3k. My minimum is $200 to $300 optics and im always happy. Sometimes i spend more and those optics feels pretty fancy. The worst thing i notice about the more economic yet good value for the money optics is that the eye box gets really small and loses clarity on max magnification.
im about to zero a 4-16 x50 scope with lighted reticle and parralax adjustment that i got for $90, it even came with a removable reflex on top and laser on the side. this stuff has gotten super cheap
you have to create a 100% fixed bench rest. Then turn all the way up/down and left/right !! than back to "mid". -is it on target again? otherwise you don't know much. then how many revolutions does do it in each direction. If not many, you are "pinned" in a small area around your zero
Much like rifles where you used to have to send one to a gunsmith to get MOA and now off the rack Savage or Ruger will do it for under $500 scopes have done the same thing. Nightforce or S&B are great but Arken, Primary and others will get you a perfectly serviceable scope for much less.
Love my Arken Unless you’re the type person where money is not an option and can afford to throw around 3-5K I see no point in spending it. Arken is probably one of the best budget options in my opinion. I do own one vortex higher end optic that I bought before I learned about Arken and I really can’t tell much difference. It’s Arken for me from now on.
You might want to look at benchrest scopes with the 10-50x zoom. Most hunters never need more than 16x as groundhogs vanish in a 12x scope at 500 yards.
As a member of a big city SWAT team for 17 years and a combat veteran of OIF 4,5 & 6 I have shot pretty much everything and anything along with various different scopes. Just won an Arken on auction (CHEAP!) and the old rule of $$ equaling the rifle is foolish anymore. The lower priced range scopes are offering alot of features Snipers & Pros like myself enjoy and demand on our equipment. Get the Arkens and use all that cash you save on more AMMO!
The price doesn't always reflect the build quality: however, most cheap scopes will degrade with constant use. The exception, in my opinion is the products offered by SWFA, especially their fixed power military scopes.
I still need to get a arken ep5 for my 6.5 creed ar10. Everything ive heard and seen they are amazing for the price. My vortex razor hd's im getting for $2400 from Govx which is definitely the cheapest ive seen. I did get one of my gen3 from dvor for $2500 when govx was out of stock on the mils. So you can find then cheaper then $2700 or $3000. So when i get the arken ep5 ill definitely be putting it through its paces against the vortex razor.
The difference in glass quality gets more pronounced as lighting conditions become more questionable. That Arken $200 FFP scope is almost a no loose proposition. If it's total trash, put it on a .22! I'm tempted to pick one up.
Put it through a season of real competition and it will fall flat on its glass. It’s great for occasional shooters maybe just maybe 400 rounds a year and that’s a stretch. And not a lot of dialing. Go for it. There is a place for the high end scopes. Just not for hunters and the occasional shooting enthusiasts. These scopes will do you proud.
Talking about great optics while showing off the Terry Black's shirt, now I'm really jealous. Need to find me some property there so I can move and set up my own range AND have good BBQ
I was looking for an LRP scope for my modified RPR. I did look at Nightforce and Vortec. However. I found Tract Toric. Half the price of the others and as good with the glass in some ways better. The old rule has become obsolete with technology and small houses putting out custom stuff.
Zeiss had their med to high LRP3 scopes for under $2000 during black friday last year, that quality of glass, even at max Zoom, will blow both Arken and Vortex out of the water and the planet. Not even close, I went to Scheels to compare all of the expensive optics, and Zeiss was the best and it wasn't even close, especially at max zoom.
Ya I mean if all your gonna do is target shoot every once in a while, then you don't need a razor. If you're gonna use it in competition etc then yes get a razor by all means.
Have you tried US Optics, Nightforce or March scopes (8-80) ? I'm referring to NightForce Competition scope (15-55) with the DDR-2 reticle, my forvorite!!!
I have an Arken EP5 5-25x56 and i have to say it's slightly better than my Vortex Viper HS-T 6x24x50. I will give the slight edge to Arken for the zero stop. Its alot easier to set it up. And parallax is better. Arken has come along way. And at least with my EP5 it uses Japanese glass
Not related to scopes, but video idea -- think you could one day do a 1000 yard (plus) challenge with various Influencers/UA-camrs competing like Clark Shooter, Impact Shooting w/Piet, 9 Hole Reviews, Mountains-Mullets-Merica again, etc.? Even if for charity or something. A lot of the AR channels get other influencers on all the time having fun together, but rarely if ever do I see the same for long distance precision. It would be awesome!
He’s tried. Impossible to schedule due to all of them being so busy. I agree though, it would be cool to see, just isn’t realistically going to happen.
Got a hand me down bushnell scope on a walmart rem 700 7mm and I have dropped Bear, Deer, Hog, and Turkey, and small game. I would like a vortex but so far I got 300$ in my setup and the freezer is kept full.
Missing the target at 950 yards is precisely the reason hunters shouldn’t be comfortable with shooting game past 500 yards. The chances of a one shot stop get worse the farther you go. And it’s ok to miss steel targets at long range. But not very nice to wound a megestic wild animal. Just so it can run off and die for nothing. Because if you don’t recover it. It died for nothing. Just something for any hunter to learn. It’s simply respect for wild game. Im not saying you cant pop steel 3 miles away. Because you aren’t hurting anything by plinking. But please respect our wild creatures. That’s all. Nobody benefits from a wounded animal that escapes.
A scope I recommend to people who aren’t sure about what to get. Get the Leupold mark 3 HD. It’s a second focal plane scope but the glass quality is far superior to any vortex optics I’ve ever owned. It has many different variations as well. Mine is 6-18x50. And it’s a remarkable hunting and range day gun. Plus it’s leupold.. you can’t go wrong. The price might seem a little steep though. The one I got I think was about $700 but man am I glad I talked myself into buying it. It quickly became my favorite scope that I put on my 6.5 PRC
I think it depends on a lot of variable, like calibers , targets (sizes) , distances .. If I’m just hunting small games less then 100 yards , $200 is plenty .
I have found Sightron and Athlon to be great scopes for the money. I have a few Sightron, but recent;y grabbed an Athlon Ares etr 3-18x50 ffp, and I have to say, Its very good for the price. FYI, I also have Nightforce, Stiener and Zeiss, so i'm comparing it to those.... It's good
I've had a LH4 4-16 ordered since early January. I have 3 other Arken scopes, very good I wish they would send my LH4. They said 4 to 6 weeks when I ordered it . Been 8 weeks now ! Hmmmm you have one.!
Athlon makes very good scopes for lots less than Vortex, I have a 1-4x Talos that is outstanding and a 4-14x Talos that is better than $800 scopes.. I also have a Primary Arms 4-14x scope also that is very good.
In this video, I compare 3 rifle scopes ranging from $200 through $3,000.
Arken LH4: bit.ly/3OVXgmG (Code "texasplinking" saves 25%)
Blackhound: www.blackhoundoptics.com/?ref=texasplinking (Code"texasplinking" 15% off)
Vortex Razor: amzn.to/3IbGe04
While I appreciate the review on the glass, could you please do a tracking test on the lower budget options vs the higher budget ones?
I'm curious to see if the lower end optics track as well as higher end scopes.
Brandon, How much you charge if I use code “TexasPlinking” to come shoot at your range?
@@Schneeef yes!! This is what im talking about!😂
Can’t wait to see a video on the prisms that can get you out to 2miles. Like what the Canadian snipers used for the longest confirmed killed.
I've got a Primary Arms SLx 3-18x50 FFP on my 6.5cm and its comfortably taken me out to and a bit beyond 1000yards. It has illum. and is easy to "reset" my turrets at zero. It was I think 400 bucks for me? I definitely recommend.
My immediate reaction watching this video is your mic. Watching the wind go across your shirt and almost completely no wind noise? I'm sold! I've watched plenty of standalone mic reviews, but this real world (unintentional) review of your mic is awesome! LOL. I can't read the brand from my phone. Would you mind leaving the make and model please?
looks like DJI brand
Looks like the DJI MIC. I use the same one and it's great.
It's a 419
That's the DJI mic 2. It's the new model.
Better get the Hollyland Lark Max - trust me - waaaaaaaaaaaaay better and even easier to use
Stuff like Arken at $300-$500 is better than what we payed $1000 just a few years ago. Now unless you're a serious competitor, using it for serious social purposes, or just feel compelled to drop a mortgage payment on one spending money on these uber expensive optics seems a fool's errand because diminishing return comes on quicker nowadays. I have a NF NXS on my 338 Lapua and I love it. But it's definitely not 4-5x better than the Arken EP5 I keep on my 6.5 CM or the SH4 in my NRL 22 rig.
This. I mean I'm not well read on optics enough to know but like Leopold feels like they have been hurt most. NF and others in the price point were always that top tier option from what I could tell.
@@christianarrington6492 I can see Leupold having issues with the new budget stuff. Their budget tier stuff is not on the same field as the new budget stuff out there. Basically decent hunting scopes and that is about it. I still can see the big boys taking a few losses because until recently to get the higher priced features you had to buy the higher priced stuff. I love my NF but I'm not running to spend $2k+ when I don't need to anymore.
Arken are very good rifles. I wish they would make a series for more hunting rather than long-range shooting
Except when it comes to customer service. Arken is the worst
3000$ is nothing
Because of one of your videos and a review from TiborasaurusRex a few years ago I bought an Arken Optics EP-5. I put it on my PSA AR-10 in .308. Nothing but ear to ear grins from day one! I can’t thank you enough bro! Incredible glass and full of incredible features for $500.
I did exactly the same and same result. I am less than 1k in that whole rig (including a cassette trigger that is awesome) and it is my most enjoyable rifle.
Yeah! PA-10 GANG GANG! 😂 mine has been awesome for 3k rounds now. Toolcraft makes an awesome dual ejector BCG upgrade for 135$ I also added a POF roller cam pin 🎉
@@mobilegamersunite Awesome! I'm getting 1/4 MOA but that's at a 100 yards. Hard to find an outdoor range here in NC that goes much beyond that unless you want to spend $$$ on a private gun club. I put on an Ultradyne Apollo Max muzzle brake. Gun go BIG BANG - pisses off the guys at the range but I truly don't care...lol. I am determined to find a range that goes out to 1000 yards so I can start shooting out Texas Plinking's 1000 yard challenge has me motivated - my favorite series on any channel!
@diodeone1 I have the same range problem in Michigan. I have a long range but it's far away from my house and I'm always stuck at work...the only range I have time for is only 100 yard indoor range. I'm working on setting my rifles up so I can take full advantage of some private property out here when I go on vacation. I just got a Armalite TAC16 308 I'm setting up for "run and gun" my PA-10 is set up as a bipod rifle with a FAB quick deploy bipod handgrip. I made the gun to shoot from a squat or prone position. I review most of this stuff in my Armory Playlist ▶️
Great performance for a budget optic. I’ve been scoping out a primary arms 4-14 FFP scope for $300 with a good feature set. Great video as always
Yup I got that scope 7 or 8 years ago when they still offered a mil BDC tree reticle. Honestly was pretty damn happy with it. I got consistent hits out to 850 with it on a savage 110. 1k was a little more challenging.
Vortex diamondback tactical 4-16 has been fantastic. Also Primary arms has so many options for less than 1000 bucks and they are amazing.
My vortex db tactical has been great with great customer service. I got it used and it broke within a year and vortex sent me a new one.
Primary arms SLX 4-16x44 for $300 is almost exactly the same as the Arken. Purely user choice since they have different reticles.
My wife got me the 6-24 for christmas. Ready to sight it in im excited
I was running the same Vortex DB on my M14EBR. Until I tried the Arken SH with Japanese glass. After 2 sessions of 200 rds, out to 1000 yds, the Arken replaced my Vortex DB. Bought a 2nd one for my Remington 700.
Vortex, Prmary Arms, Arken all give great value for the money in their budget lines.
A Vortex VIPER,.. PST Gen One, 6x-24x-50 is working, FINE for , Me !
$400- $500 depending on Reticle and,.. SFP or, FFP GREAT, "Deal" for, us average Folks.
Razors are real Nice,.. but LOTS more Money !
@@douglash.8862 yah I got a vortex diamondback tactical 4-16 a couple years ago for $200. I eventually had it break and vortex replaced it immediately.
I got a hawke for 250 that is excellent
@@James-LiftsI'm really curious about the hawke and other budget brands I see in the under $200 range. Reviews seem to be a toss up but it's getting hard to trust reviews on the store pages these days.
True I got a vortex crossfire 2 around 200 it's pretty good I can't complain. It's built solid
Nice of Vortex to casually increase the MSRP of their Razor Gen III 6-36x56 from $2999 to $4799 within a week without making any changes to their product 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
At that price point, I’m just getting a NF ATACR
The firearms game has changed a lot in the past 15 years. The budget side of things has really stepped up its game and i’m glad i’m here for it…
It's definitely the best of times right now. Sadly there is significantly more gimmicky junk floating around as well so buyer beware. I compare it to the home gym industry. Those of us who play in that area have a lot of cool stuff and companies other than Rogue, Sorinex, Elite FTS making awesome gear. But there is significantly more garbage than when I build my setup 5 years ago.
@@bmstylee yeah, i agree, u gotta dig through the weeds to find the gems but at least they’re there
I have been using Mosntrum on my non-serious rifles and it does the job.
i do love my chinesium flashlight/laser combos for 70 bucks
When I got into deer hunting as a kid 30 years ago, a budget scope (around $100 back then) kinda sucked. You could still kill a deer with one but the glass would be cloudy, especially after some use in the field. And the zero would sometimes move. It's nice that we can buy affordable optics now and they are actually pretty good.
Le's all just appreciate your mic working so well in that 162mph wind.Good work.
No kidding!
The same day that you head to sporting clays with your new Perazzi or Krieghoff a 16 year old will show up and smoke you with a Remington 870 😂
No.
That is always possible.
My son won second place at our state trap meet with 49/50 rock. He did tbis with an off the shelf Mossberg 500 12 guage.
He was beat out by a kid shooting his Dad's old Savage single barrel with 50/50 rocks hit.
They were both competing against youths shooting expensive, dedicated trap/skeet shotguns! 15:25 g@@carlosalessandrini117
@@carlosalessandrini117yes, actually. You can’t buy skill.
@@carlosalessandrini117 Trust me, they will
Being young and new helps with energy and motivation and if you're actually intersted in something, you'll learn more and more about the topic. Those, who start young, will see plenty of success if they can keep up the motivation and interest.
I could outshoot my dad with a pistol when I was a kid, because I would constantly think of ways to improve, I would learn and I would dry fire when I couldn't shoot.
So yes, a 16 year old probably can and will outshoot a tired, stressed adult, who practices way less and focuses on irrelevant stuff
A pump is never smoking a semi auto. They’re just too slow. Especially considering the speed of clays. Unless it’s scrub stuff where it’s one clay at a time.
I run a mark 5 7x35 leupold on my Christensen mpr. I have a mark 3hd on rem700 i have leupold rds and patrol lpvo on ars. I’m a huge leupold fan but after trying them. My ar10 hog gun my wife’s 22-250 and few other rifles i have primary arms optics on them and I must admit I’ve very very proud of them and the quality is outstanding.
Arken is releasing a 7-35x56 at the end of August for around 600 with the 25% discount.
Cyclops review sold me on arkon, love it.
Most people can't shoot as well as their equipment. I've got several Arken scopes and I'm very happy with them.
Facts. And they won't put in the work for them to improve. It's like the guy who puts a dot on a pistol and claims it makes them a better shooter. Ask them to present from a holster and see how good they actually are. Usually it's a hot mess.
@@bmstylee Agreed. What I have learned is that the error in order from highest to lowest is:
#1 shooter
#2 ammo
#3 rifle (and gear)
If you're not having fun with a $300 scope, a $3000 one won't change that.
Nikon scopes will forever be missed. Those were awesome optics for the price. Still have a couple.
I don’t consider scopes until C_Does gets ahold of them.
1000% percent
Yup
Depends on purpose. I have had a pitny scope, swampfox, primary arms, and leupold. For most people, an LVPO in the $200-400 is enough. My Leupold is on my .308
Maybe my eyes aren't expensive enough, but my swampfox 1-6 does it for me
6:55 Cheapest you can get one is $2,450 for a black color Razor G3 6-36x56 from EuroOptic.
Also it'd be cool if you did a low-light component to looking at the differences in the optical quality. Those differences will be more noticeable in low-light performance.
Eurooptic is one of the best kept secrets. Every optic is cheaper there. Got my RMRs there because it was hands down the cheapest anywhere.
A Panzer 1-10x is amazing for the money. Its my default scope now that i can throw away if i want. Its the same as a 2400$ vortex. For the 1500$+ you better get thermal IMO
Purchases two of the arken with the Japanese glass. They work great to 1000 yards no complaints. Liked it better than my vortex that was closer to 1k. The only issue I'd wonder about is their return policy. Vortex has amazing support.
Should have been interesting to see tracking test to 100, how true is 1mil, 2mill etc on the turrets and then back to zero from both directions to see if the poi shifts from turning the knobs? And range of elevation adjustment?
Excellent comparison video. I haven't seen anybody else put this subject to rest. I have Four of their scopes EP-8 1-8x28 LPVO FFP Illuminated Reticle - 34 mm, $399 X2, EP-5 5-25X56 FFP Illuminated Reticle with Zero Stop - 34mm Tube $529, and SH4 6-24X50 GEN2 FFP VPR Illuminated Reticle with Zero Stop - 34mm Tube $339. I also bought their mounts, bubbles... But just haven't had the time to mount them on my rifles. One last scope I am going to buy from them is their night thermal scope with range finder: ZULUS HD 5-20R Day/Night Digital With Laser Rangefinder And Ballistic Calculator which retails for $933 minus 25% off $699.
The only Arken I’ve hated is the LPVO. On a duty styled rifle their LPVO eye relief is just not good enough. For the remainder of their line I’m super impressed and have bought a couple of them. Currently waiting on the new 7-35x56 to come out at the end of the month.
Great video. Appreciate this honest advice to get what you can afford and it will get you there for the average shooter. Always heard the “spend as much on the optic as the rifle” adage and it seems unnecessary these days with the advances in optics.
From someone that has used everything from a Vortex crossfire to Tangent Theta take my advice. Save your money the top of you budget and buy once cry once. Do not go down the "budget" scope rabbit hole. By the time you're done you'll find out you could of just been patient and got something in the upper class after saving within your budget.
100% agree. And always remember spend the money on the scope because you can always upgrade the rifle and use the same scope.
But how are you going to grow your collection of crappy scopes to give to the nephews?
@@blackhawk7r221 You don't. You tell them moochers to get their own @#$&
This 100%, it took me several months of saving and not let the temptation of “ iTs JuSt As GuUd” to rush completion of my AR-10 .308 and was finally able to get a NF NX8 2.5-20 FFP Mil-C reticle and I am sooo glad I did, my eyes aren’t the greatest as I’m getting older and the quality of the glass cannot be matched at longer distance with parallex adjustments from 11yds to infinity, the edge to edge clarity stays constant, it has a comfortable eye box and FOV throughout the magnification ranges, its built like a tank and customer service if ever needed I’ve heard is great, I’m sure it’ll outlast me and likely even my sons who will get it when I croak lol, I am now 100% onboard with buy once cry once!!
Folks, I made two massive purchases 14+ years ago that hurt like hell at the time, but worth it. An actual M150 ACOG, and a PVS-7D. Seeing these two items still flawless after well more than a decade is quite reassuring.
Primary arms is probably the best benchmark for optics. Anything they make is about a quarter of the price as their competitors with the same or better quality. The $400 1-6 raptor is one of my favorites (best eye box and great Chevron,). There is a 1-10 that is about 1000 bucks. And they just recently they came out with a $330 1 -6 nova that uses a fiber optic set up for the red dot in the center. The Chevron set up is in most of their scopes. Primary arms have the best price point and are the standard and when it comes to diminishing returns. Pretty much getting anything from them is going to be almost a half or quarter the price as their competitors at the same quality.
i work at sportsmans wearhouse and have earned some free scopes from rewards programs, id say best band for buck ffp scope ive received was a sig whiskey 4 5 to 20x50, had locking turrents and lit up reticle for around 450 to 550 reg retail
I'm a big Primary Arms shill, I've got optics from their SLX, GLX, and PLX line and I enjoy using every one of them. The PLX in particular really represents some nice value on the mid-high end.
Their reticle is the best, glass quality on the SLX line is not good, but usable. I like their weight and form factor though, they need to have a PLX line for their micro prism scopes.
I bought a 338 lapua and a vortex. I went to sight it in, I went through 3 boxes of ammo until I realized the scope wasn't staying true. Went back to the store swapped it for a nightforce and after 200 rounds the scope stays true. Just my experience.
Absolutely love my Arken! Plan on purchasing a few more for other rifles soon. I think I paid $600 shipped for it and I can’t imagine what else I’d need for my usage. It’s perfect for my needs.
Great video. While I tend to lean toward the higher end optics, I have had very good luck with Vortex and the have a great warranty.
I've seen lots of reviews on the EP-5 and have heard nothing but good. I may have to get one just because of the price. I have a handful of NF and Vortex scopes on various rifles and they have never let me down but the Arken is inexpensive enough to allow taking a chance on it.
The real selling point of the arkens is the accurate tracking. The glass is pretty good, but so is basically everything now, budget glass gets better every year while the expensive stuff is at the limit of physics and just can't get that much better anymore. I honestly don't believe that an EP5 would be a limiting factor in any sort of shooting under a mile.
I bought a 17hmr 25 years ago at wall mart, went to the pellet gun section, and picked up a 35$ tasco. Tape 10 pennies at 100 yards, and you could hit 7. the others, my fault. For 20 years i used it as varmit/ small game. 5-7k rounds rain snow sleet heat, you name it. Before it finally broke.
it will be amazing to see this kind of comparison, but shooting paper at 200/300 meters, with the same rifle, same ammo, and the 3 different optics. It will be nice to understand if there's any difference there!
I've got a Vortex Diamondback 6-24x50mm FFP with a EBR-2 MOA reticle, setup on a Savage Arms Model 110 in .300 Win Mag with an Oryx chassis from MDT... it's great value at 449.99 (and mine being 329.99 thanks to a promotion was even better).
Arken seems like my next choice for optics on my other rifle.
I have a fire field on my ar10 it was 100$ I put it on my rifle because it’s what I had laying around. It’s been on it for a year now tbh it’s a 2nd focal plane but other than that it does the job
I got my first optic when I was 18, $100 truglo. It holds zero and it works. Still use it on some rifles, even holds up to 308 surprisingly. Covered turrets (it matters to me) basic cross hair and no illumination, bare bones basic but does what it needs to.
I wonder where my Sightron lies. I bought the old Sightron SIII 10x fixed mil-dot hash, made in Japan, Japanese glass, no chromatic aberration that I can see.. I got it for $300 on clearance on Midway since they stopped making that particular model. I was waiting for the Leupold M3 Ultra 10x to go down in price from $1200 and it never did. I feel like this scope is actually just as good... now both are discontinued.
Fortunately I took advantage of picking up a Nikon P223 BDC for my AR15 and a Nikon P308 BDC for my AM10 before they were discontinued. Both were right at $200, had excellent optics and coatings allowing 98% light transfer, lots of windage and elevation adjustment (100 MOA for the P223 and 60 MOA for the P308), and turrets resettable to zero. Only things they're lacking is zero stop and they're not first focal plane but I can live with that for their price range. The BDC on the P308 is Nikon’s popular BDC 800 reticle was specifically engineered for the 168-grain HBT Match bullet at 2,680 fps but their app allows you to plug in just about every bullet made for the .308/7.62 and atmospheric condition to give you the altered hold at the distance you are shooting. Same with the P223. I don't know why Nikon stopped making these excellent scopes but I'd guess they weren't making much money on them at that price point.
Agreed. Nikon was my preferred scope of choice as well. The glass was clear, setting zero took 2-3 seconds, the BDC was perfect for me, and the app for the BDC is outstanding.
I then bought a couple of Vortex when Nikon discontinued their line. However, now I feel like Arken is the new “Vortex”, delivering better glass and build quality at about the same price as Vortex!
I have a Nightforce SHV 5-20… it’s practically un-usable at 20x which is unfortunate considering the price. Will definitely be getting rid of it for Nx8 or razor 1-10
Love my two Arken scoops!
There’s so many choices in scopes now , thanks for the video
The most expensive scope I own is a Leupold HD5, 5-25x56. It is a great scope and it is at the top limit on what I will pay for a scope ($1,500.00). I also have an under $400 Vortex Diamondback Tactical 6-24x50mm, FFP, MRAD and I can't find a significant difference between the two scopes. I also have several Vortex and Leupold 4-16x44 scopes that I paid under $400.00 and they all work great for me. Of all the scopes I own, I only have one that I have had to return for repair and it was a Vortex Razor 1-6x24 LPVO.
I have looked through a Night Force ATACR, 5-25x56 ($3,100.00) and a Vortex Razor Gen III 6-36X56 ($2,475.00). They are both great scopes, but again I can't see enough difference in them to justify the extra cost over my $400.00, let alone the cost of a Schmidt & Bender.
Thank you for doing this comparison and showing us the results of the least expensive scope.
Solid overviews thanks. Maven does DTC with price points similar to blackhound. Thanks again! Cheers
14:21 what is that thing on top of the scope under the cover? Please do a vid on those
Looks like a Vortex Impact 4000 weapon-mounted LRF.
Exactly the same exterior measurements (3x12x) as my old Nikon MTactical but with better glass and ergonomics. I’d guess Crimson Trace bought the old Nikon factory and tooling in the Philippines and put their name on them. Very happy with them, just like looking through a Nikon. Big bright sight picture, just the way I like it! Terrific bargain!
Nice cover on the scopes and the info you covered brother. Great shooting too!
I've had one on my 2nd gen scar 17 308. and had no issues holding zero. Tibrex thank you
I've been putting this off for _way_ too long but tonight is the night I learn glass optics. I'm gonna spend a few hours on articles but I figured this would be the best place to start. The _real_ pros.
Unless the scope has some sort of major fault such as loss of zero or unable to handle recoil or has a necessary feature missing, the difference is usually a factor of 10 for price/quality. You'll spend 10x to get a 10% improvement on glass or the like.
After reading the comments I am left with the impression that folks think Arken scopes for the price is on par with better quality scope mfgs who have a system of customer service reps and a department too handle those concerns. Your wrong. Arken makes a budget scope at a low tier price. Their price point does not have punctual customer service factored in. The comments prove it. For them to accommodate those of you entitled fuss budgets the price would increase significantly. And they would lose market share. Capitalism folks pure and simple. If say you were paying $150.00 more you would be right to complain. But you’re not and they are not. It’s called balance. Want more? Pay more. Nothing comes for free.
How is the Arken in low light or shooting near dawn or dusk and being pointed more towards the sun? That’s something I’ve noticed a big difference in between my Leupold and my SWFA. In low light or near dawn or dusk I get atrocious distortion in my reticle, I can’t see squat in my SWFA, but I have zero issue with my Leupold VX3
Love my swampfox arrowhead and often find myself choosing it over my credo and kahles. It hits well over its price range. My SLX and GLX, not so much.
Most people can't tell (and have it mean anything) between optical clarity if they aren't looking side by side and in suboptimal conditions.
That being said, id never buy an arken. I'll stick with vortex, athlon, or swampfox for l/mpvo.
Now rings, that's where you really get shafted. I've ran burris, monstrum, utg, etc and compared them to the big names like area419 and adm. There isn't a difference. In fact, I chose to keep my 7075 monstrum pro mount on my March FX scope over an Area419 mount. It's hard to screw up a single piece scope mount in 2024. Everyone can get quality aluminum, hard coat anodizing, and cnc machines, so all that's left is qc and designs, which the designs have been ironed out for years and qc can be cheap and still have non noticeable issues for most people.
I too have a Swampfox Arrowhead 1-6x with the MOA reticle. Bought it for a "beater" LR308 rifle that I built/assembled from a Stag Arms reviever set and Lower parts kit.
Built specifically to shoot M80 Ball and/or equivalent out to 600yds, it has a 16 inch mid-length, medium contour barrel from Bear Creek Arsenal and a Tool Craft BCG. A5 Buffer tube with an Anti-tilt H3 buffer from Heavy Buffers website. Griffin Armament .30 cal Flash-Comp, and Precision Reflex Inc clamp style folding front sight gas block. Magpul MBUIS rear sight and VLTOR medium latch charging handle.
It sits in a co-witness height (1.42inch) ADM-Recon QD mount. I LOVE IT, and I'm seriously looking at their new Warhawk line of optics. When it comes to reticles, Primary Arms is the way to go, but Swampfox gives you better target shooting features, and slightly better glass on average. I will be replacing up to three of my scopes over the next couple of years, and Swampfox is in the top three brands I will be looking at alongside Primary Arms and Sig Sauer.
Swampfox has definitely been a surprise in terms of value added.👍
I have a EP5 from Akren Optics and I have the Razor Gen III 6x36x56 as well. EP5 is on my 308/6.5 AR10 and my Razor is on my 7PRC/300PRC/300 Norma Mag Bolt Action Rifle
Do you switch the scopes to those different rifles or do you have that many? Like the ep5, do you have one on the .308 and one on the 6.5?
I have the vortex gen 2 and it's an amazing scope. LEO discount makes it much nicer too lol. Love the razor as the glass quality at distance is so good. The scope is more robust and has a thicker construction etc. I got the scope for long range shooting, hunting and I would like to get into competition with it.
If I was just hunting or plinking targets I would get a 500-$1000 optic. No need to get a razor or similar scope.
Cheap optics still work. Have a $150 nikon on my 20 gauge that is 20 years old. Has moisture in it now, but it still holds zero and can still see through it enough to make it ethical. It's only seen 40-60 yard shots anyways. My 22-250 has a $220 Simmons scope on it. Groups we'll, glass isn't horrible and it works.
Depends on what you want, but now days you can get a lot on a cheap scope!
Ive got a 500 dollar athlon scope on my scar 20 and its a first focal plane. I hit everything just fine with it. Holds zero really well too.
It also depends on where you live. Here in North Georgia, you can’t see beyond 200 yards before a hill or some trees blocking your view. With that, you don’t need something like a 3.5K NF! Yes, my local shop has them, but even the store clerks admit they’re overkill in Georgia. They recommend a Trijicon Creedo for my DD5V4 at $1,200. But after a bit, I’m now thinking another Sig Tango MSR first focal plane 1-10x LPVO for my DD5 and save $600. Simply put, you don’t need a super high tech scope here.
look at what Athlon has to offer. Believe it or not the Talos 4-14x is incredible, clear and holds zero perfectly and you can find them for $250 easily.
With the EP5 it’s nice but you do still get that purple color around the reticle and the edges when full zoom
I’ve used a 3k Vortex scope and when I look through the Arken EP5, I can see a difference but really not that much. The question is, is that difference worth 2k-2.5k to you? It might be but Arkens really are amazing scopes for the majority of folks who can’t drop that money easily.
I shot my mule deer this year at 585 yards right in the boilermaker using an arken EPL4. They are seriously good scopes for the money.
Great video. Clearly the high end optic is better. Now can the budget optic do the same thing? Well you showed it could to an extent. I've owned them budget (still have a couple of arken. Scopes. I've used athlon, vortex, leupold, nightforce. Schmidt and bender pm2. Here is my opinion. I would say for most people they won't notice a difference in different optics unless compared side by side. Now the scope needs to be setup for you and you need time behind it. Not just using it to shoot. Use it to spot, spot impacts, looking at different ranges in different conditions. Then you really start seeing a difference. I noticed this one day when shooting at 1300 yards. I had two different rifles. One with an athkon ares (second to top teir of their line up) and an athlon cronus (Top tier in their scope line up). Through the cronus I could make out the squirrel at 1300 yards. Through the ares I could not. I currently have a nightforce 7-35 atacr on my precision 22lr setup. Hands down the best glass I've owned. It makes spotting 22lr impacts out to 400 yards easy. I can easily see my holes in paper at 100 yards. For me it's worth the money. Now here is another thing about scopes. Just because you buy a 3k or more scope it doesn't make you a better shooter. If your fundamentals suck. Well guess what they will still suck no matter how much money you spend on scopes or rifles. At the end of the day spend the money you want to. It'll probably work fine. There are scopes from each scope manufacture u would or wouldn't buy. Buy once cry once.
In the words of Paul Harrell, "Is there enough difference to make a difference?"
@@tc6818 Yes Sr. It's exist !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
ALL of my friends know that I am a rabid researcher and KING of the best 'bang for the buck' finds.
This Arken scope seems to be one of those!
But it was obvious that the Vortex glass/reticle was superior in every way over both lower priced scopes
I just bawt a $161 Spina 4-27x50 scope with illuminated reticle. Cant justify paying more than $200 as I use my .22LR for sport shooting and not to produce an income. Its still in transit so havent tested it out yet but the reviews are good so am optimistic 🙂
Fantastic info and helpful, always enjoy, thanks
Years ago, when i didnt know any better,i bought ultra cheap scopes. It was a very frustrating experience. They had tracking problems and i sent a number of them in for warranty. I dont have the money for $1k scopes, never mind $3k. My minimum is $200 to $300 optics and im always happy. Sometimes i spend more and those optics feels pretty fancy. The worst thing i notice about the more economic yet good value for the money optics is that the eye box gets really small and loses clarity on max magnification.
im about to zero a 4-16 x50 scope with lighted reticle and parralax adjustment that i got for $90, it even came with a removable reflex on top and laser on the side. this stuff has gotten super cheap
you have to create a 100% fixed bench rest. Then turn all the way up/down and left/right !! than back to "mid".
-is it on target again?
otherwise you don't know much.
then how many revolutions does do it in each direction.
If not many, you are "pinned" in a small area around your zero
Much like rifles where you used to have to send one to a gunsmith to get MOA and now off the rack Savage or Ruger will do it for under $500 scopes have done the same thing. Nightforce or S&B are great but Arken, Primary and others will get you a perfectly serviceable scope for much less.
That AllTerra stock is badass!
Love my Arken Unless you’re the type person where money is not an option and can afford to throw around 3-5K I see no point in spending it. Arken is probably one of the best budget options in my opinion. I do own one vortex higher end optic that I bought before I learned about Arken and I really can’t tell much difference. It’s Arken for me from now on.
You should have talked about the differences of eye relief and amount of MOA adjustment each scope offers
You might want to look at benchrest scopes with the 10-50x zoom. Most hunters never need more than 16x as groundhogs vanish in a 12x scope at 500 yards.
As a member of a big city SWAT team for 17 years and a combat veteran of OIF 4,5 & 6 I have shot pretty much everything and anything along with various different scopes. Just won an Arken on auction (CHEAP!) and the old rule of $$ equaling the rifle is foolish anymore. The lower priced range scopes are offering alot of features Snipers & Pros like myself enjoy and demand on our equipment. Get the Arkens and use all that cash you save on more AMMO!
The price doesn't always reflect the build quality: however, most cheap scopes will degrade with constant use. The exception, in my opinion is the products offered by SWFA, especially their fixed power military scopes.
You should do a video on setting your eye relief with the parallax.
I was wondering about the cheaper arken option, very glad to see this video
I still need to get a arken ep5 for my 6.5 creed ar10. Everything ive heard and seen they are amazing for the price. My vortex razor hd's im getting for $2400 from Govx which is definitely the cheapest ive seen. I did get one of my gen3 from dvor for $2500 when govx was out of stock on the mils. So you can find then cheaper then $2700 or $3000. So when i get the arken ep5 ill definitely be putting it through its paces against the vortex razor.
The difference in glass quality gets more pronounced as lighting conditions become more questionable. That Arken $200 FFP scope is almost a no loose proposition. If it's total trash, put it on a .22! I'm tempted to pick one up.
arken ep5 is amazing for the money and will stack up against much more expensive optics
The $500 price point is really stacked now. I just don't see spending $3k or more unless you really feel compelled to spend a mortgage payment on one.
Only by people who have never used a nf, mk5, or razor.
Put it through a season of real competition and it will fall flat on its glass. It’s great for occasional shooters maybe just maybe 400 rounds a year and that’s a stretch. And not a lot of dialing. Go for it. There is a place for the high end scopes. Just not for hunters and the occasional shooting enthusiasts. These scopes will do you proud.
My only complain of that glass is the eye box, everything else checks out.
Talking about great optics while showing off the Terry Black's shirt, now I'm really jealous. Need to find me some property there so I can move and set up my own range AND have good BBQ
Enjoyed your video.
It would have been nice if you added a tracking test and tall target test on all those scopes.
Putting a scope that cost more than your gun on the gun is like putting rims on your truck that cost more than said truck
I was looking for an LRP scope for my modified RPR. I did look at Nightforce and Vortec. However. I found Tract Toric. Half the price of the others and as good with the glass in some ways better. The old rule has become obsolete with technology and small houses putting out custom stuff.
Zeiss had their med to high LRP3 scopes for under $2000 during black friday last year, that quality of glass, even at max Zoom, will blow both Arken and Vortex out of the water and the planet. Not even close, I went to Scheels to compare all of the expensive optics, and Zeiss was the best and it wasn't even close, especially at max zoom.
The thing about the cheap scope on that rifle is that it matches the rifle's purpose better than the Vortex.
Ya I mean if all your gonna do is target shoot every once in a while, then you don't need a razor. If you're gonna use it in competition etc then yes get a razor by all means.
Have you tried US Optics, Nightforce or March scopes (8-80) ? I'm referring to NightForce Competition scope (15-55) with the DDR-2 reticle, my forvorite!!!
I have an Arken EP5 5-25x56 and i have to say it's slightly better than my Vortex Viper HS-T 6x24x50. I will give the slight edge to Arken for the zero stop. Its alot easier to set it up. And parallax is better. Arken has come along way. And at least with my EP5 it uses Japanese glass
Not related to scopes, but video idea -- think you could one day do a 1000 yard (plus) challenge with various Influencers/UA-camrs competing like Clark Shooter, Impact Shooting w/Piet, 9 Hole Reviews, Mountains-Mullets-Merica again, etc.?
Even if for charity or something. A lot of the AR channels get other influencers on all the time having fun together, but rarely if ever do I see the same for long distance precision.
It would be awesome!
He’s tried. Impossible to schedule due to all of them being so busy. I agree though, it would be cool to see, just isn’t realistically going to happen.
Got a hand me down bushnell scope on a walmart rem 700 7mm and I have dropped Bear, Deer, Hog, and Turkey, and small game. I would like a vortex but so far I got 300$ in my setup and the freezer is kept full.
Missing the target at 950 yards is precisely the reason hunters shouldn’t be comfortable with shooting game past 500 yards. The chances of a one shot stop get worse the farther you go. And it’s ok to miss steel targets at long range. But not very nice to wound a megestic wild animal. Just so it can run off and die for nothing. Because if you don’t recover it. It died for nothing. Just something for any hunter to learn. It’s simply respect for wild game. Im not saying you cant pop steel 3 miles away. Because you aren’t hurting anything by plinking. But please respect our wild creatures. That’s all. Nobody benefits from a wounded animal that escapes.
A scope I recommend to people who aren’t sure about what to get. Get the Leupold mark 3 HD. It’s a second focal plane scope but the glass quality is far superior to any vortex optics I’ve ever owned. It has many different variations as well. Mine is 6-18x50. And it’s a remarkable hunting and range day gun. Plus it’s leupold.. you can’t go wrong. The price might seem a little steep though. The one I got I think was about $700 but man am I glad I talked myself into buying it. It quickly became my favorite scope that I put on my 6.5 PRC
Great show and thanks for the info 👍👍👍👌👌👌😁
I have a arken ep5 and I love it. I'm a new shooter of long range.so I probably not the best person to ask. But I'm glad I got it.
I think it depends on a lot of variable, like calibers , targets (sizes) , distances ..
If I’m just hunting small games less then 100 yards , $200 is plenty .
I have found Sightron and Athlon to be great scopes for the money. I have a few Sightron, but recent;y grabbed an Athlon Ares etr 3-18x50 ffp, and I have to say, Its very good for the price. FYI, I also have Nightforce, Stiener and Zeiss, so i'm comparing it to those.... It's good
I know it’s not featured in this video but I think the vortex strike eagle is a good compromise for price and quality.
I just put an LHT on a 300 WinMag and I love it
I've had a LH4 4-16 ordered since early January. I have 3 other Arken scopes, very good I wish they would send my LH4. They said 4 to 6 weeks when I ordered it . Been 8 weeks now ! Hmmmm you have one.!
Athlon makes very good scopes for lots less than Vortex, I have a 1-4x Talos that is outstanding and a 4-14x Talos that is better than $800 scopes.. I also have a Primary Arms 4-14x scope also that is very good.
Hey, I think you should make a review of the new Remington 700 Alpha 1