I've been shooting my EP5 G2 for a couple months now and would have to agree with you. We shoot out to 300 yards and our shooting lanes are shaded in the summertime which makes it challenging for any scope much less a sub $1000 scope. IMHO Arkens give you good bang for the buck and punch above their weight. Just my $0.02 worth. YMMV
I have a factory stainless hammer forged bull barrel. Ruger 10/22 . Haven't tested it on paper in years but I'd hit a golf ball every time at 110yrds & even my son did at around 12yrs. old. I love the idea of these precision rifles. Who knows what can be achieved. My scope at that particular time last shooting was a Leopold VX2 3x9.
There’s a knife reviewer named Nick Shabazz that has a catchphrase, “quality is about effort, not geography.” Geopolitics aside, Far East optic OEMs, especially some of those in China, have made insane improvements in the last five years across all product categories.
Hi Josh. I was waiting for you to check out the EP5 Gen ll. I ordered one last week and in the meantime, I just purchased a DNT 7-35X56, which is made by the same OEM that makes the Arken. I have it mounted up on my R700 Varmint rifle in 243 W and will take it to my range tomorrow. A few 'cool' things I like about the DNT: - they moved the Windage 0 indicator up 45 degrees. It is SO much easier to see. Brilliant. - it comes with a short (nice) throw lever - the entire reticle (improved) is now illuminated Guess what? Same price as the Arken ($599) and $100 LESS than the Amazon DNT price. We'll give it a test tomorrow. BTW, I have 4 EP5s and have been 100% happy with them, they make my new Vortex Strike Eagle ($800) look like a Wal-Mart Tasco..... VERY impressed, so far! I appreciate your honesty and all your videos.
Hi Josh, just a couple of comments. I was able to get the DNT scope zeroed today, despite a serious lack of cheek weld with my Boyd's thumbhole varmint stock. When I mounted the DNT, I didn't realize how much more height I needed. This, despite using low 0.97" rings and a low Pic rail. Anyway, once I correct this issue, I'll comment again on my feelings. Certainty NO fault of the scope! Comments: - the 45 degree offset of the Windage zero point was genius! - the fully lit reticle is awesome. - however, like another early owner, I found one of the setscrews for the elevation turret had a stripped wrench hole. Luckily, the other chap was able to get the screw out with a Torx T8. I was also able to get mine out. These are some really 'odd' screws you ain't gonna find these at Lowe's. The DNT rep has been made aware of this issue. The factory may have a wrench which is worn out. Who knows? - the fit/finish is excellent, just as I expected since DNT states these scopes are made by the same OEM to their specs. So far, it's awesome.
Thanks for that info. Think it's made my mind up which one to go with. DNT and new Arken are the same price over here in the UK £650.00 ! (Probably import tax🤦) I have an EP5 which I love. They're £500.00, but I also have a couple of similar size Discovery Opt's that are pretty close to the Arkens but only £300.00. I suppose they're coming direct from China unlike the Arkens which are probably coming via the States.
I've had one for a couple of months. I also have ATACR and razor g3. It is not a 3000 scope. Compared to other 2 it has very shallow parallax - needs to be adjusted every few feet; lense resolution and clarity is not uniform across the field - ok in the middle and subpar in outside 1/3 of radius; color trueness isn't there - yellows greens and light shades of blue tend to blend in; chromatic aberration is also worse than in hi-end scopes, especially in incoming light( if you are looking through tree leaves with light background, sky for instance, don't expect to see any details. Magnification ring gets very stiff if you don't use it for a day or two, so be prepared to buy a throw lever. On the positive side - there aren't many scopes in that price range that can compete with quality and features of arken. Well built, great set of features, you will see everything you need to see for plinking and starting level competing. I like mine and would never regret buying it.
I call that the KB32 Zero. He taught me that many years ago. Scope looks great from my screen man. So many people pushin them like they're on O-Light, they gotta be doing a hella bidness. If they get down to 450 ish i might jump on, at 6 beans there's other stuff I want. Thanks for the review
Mine is on it's way and I'm expecting it next week. Stoked about it. I love your video. No BS, no sales pitch, just your honest - and quite insightful - opinions. As we've come te expect from you. Love you shoutout to Cyclops, the guy deserves it. (yes I used his affiliated link ;-)
I have had my 7-35 for about 3 months. I have done the tall target test out to 40 MOA. at 40 MOA it was .12 inches below the line for a 3 shot group. That is about a -.6% error which is a fantastic number. I then went down 40 MOA and shot the final shot which landed in the center ring of a 1 inch peel and stick. Basically in the starting 3 shot group. I did all of this testing on my F-Class rig and this weekend I am going out to 1000 yards. We will see how it performs. At 600 it was very clear. I normally shoot a NF NXS 8-32 with a MOAR-T reticle on this rifle. My only comment is that the reticle on the Arken is thicker than the NXS but the dot is clearly within the X ring so it is still good enough to shade the x ring or any other ring with accuracy.
I’d like to know how it compares to an Element Titan or a Bushnell MPED or similar (Meopta Optika6 maybe?) “punches-above-its-weight” scopes. I know it’s not a Zeiss or Razor and it can’t be one quality-wise, but modern times brought quality formerly reserved for higher-end optics to the low cost in the past decade+ or so.
This Arken vs. Bushnell Match Pro? I have both, and to tell the truth, still favor the MP more, even with 5X less magnification. The subtends seem a tad bit finer too. I sure wish Arken would start going the lockable turret route too.
Josh, thanks. I have an Arken EPL4 6-24. Like the scope for the money, just wish it was designed with a "toolless" zero stop. Those stop screws are a pain for me. You might feel differently. Just my 2 cents.
I got one of these when it first was released. I mounted it on an Anschutz 54.30 benchrest rifle. I primarily shoot this rifle at 100 and 200 yards and it allows me to see bullet holes at 200 on an NRA 200 yard small bore target. Saves me from bringing a spotting scope to see the bullet holes. Scope, titanium rings, bubble level and throw lever all for a little over $600. I'm impressed with it.
I was about to commit to buying one of these but now DNT have a version out with a fully illuminated reticle they call DNT "TheOne". Thought Arken were doing the optical scopes and DNT were doing the digital scopes🤷🏻♂️ Would love to know what's going on. Perhaps you or Joe could find out.
So on my centerfire rifles I have Vortex Gen 2 and Gen 3 Razors. My 457 has the EP5 5-25 and for the money it’s an amazing value. I’d assume the 7-35 is only an improvement
@PursuitofAccuracy yeah I understand that I was more concerned about the stock to start with and then see if I needed to buy aftermarket barrel That's one reason why I'd like to meet you since we both live fairly close together and see how I like the chassis versus the MTR chassis cuz primarily bent shootings all I'm going to do
@@GummeeH3people don’t know what people don’t know. I think people that rave about Arken haven’t looked through top tier glass or simply bs about it. Looking through a Arken vs nightforce, sightron Zeiss etc isn’t even comparable and won’t be.
Hey Josh love the channel shouting out from South Carolina I have a question 🤔 I shoot ARA precision rimfire bench competition factory class my main 2 rifles are a CZ MTR and a Bergara B14 R 22lr and I use Arken EP-5 5-25x56 scopes we only shoot 50 yards and do you have any recommendations to up my game only been doing it a handful of matches and have been stuck at 2400 point cards what can I do that still keeps me in factory classification I mostly use SK standard plus or rifle match in the CZ and Lapua pistol king or SK rifle match in the Bergara B14 and I tried a bunch of Elley ammo and more expensive Lapua and haven't found anything that the rifles love if you have any suggestions to get me to my 2500 card would appreciate it thanks !
@@ejerry74 id suggest either keep looking for ammo it loves or consider getting it to a gunsmith to check the crown and chamber. Im not sure how legal that is but ive seen other factory rifles at the gunsmith before lol
@PursuitofAccuracy Thanks for taking the time to respond so quickly yeah also just found out ARA rules I could also bed both rifles and they will still be legal for factory class
I had a gen 2 EP5 on my B14r, keyword is had. The reticle was my biggest complaint, at 25+ magnification the center dot of the reticle is too big and covers the target too much.
I like your scope reviews because you have no skin in the game. Too many people represent a scope to be a lot better than it actually is. I'm in the market for a budget scope and don't need super clarity. I've only been able to get a look at a couple that have rave reviews and the eye box was just horrible and the max magnification was unusable. People don't really talk about the eye box on the budget scopes in the reviews I've been seeing. It'd be nice to see a best of or top 5 for under 1k. I'd rather trade clarity for an eye box bigger than 2 millimeters.
It’s a $500 scope at best. It’s no night force or Sightron or any of the higher scopes and I think you did hit the nail on the head with that one. My thing with Arken is that they have this cult following for some odd reason and people more than just a few compare them to higher end scopes and I think it gives us false advertisement that they’re better than what they really are. I shoot ARA and I think I’ve seen one guy have a Arken scope. I would never use one in serious competition.
People make similar statements about Kel Tec and I can attest my PMR runs flawlessly. The Sub2K Gen III runs just as good. The lack of 'flash' that others ridicule is what I appreciate. Practicality & function carries more weight with me especially when I drop my own cash and give it an honest chance.
Great Video Man . Everything you said I agree 1000% . PS thanks for the Shout Out Josh
@@mattreardon5648apparently not
@@ImOldGregg i sent him the unpublished link to make sure he was ok with me plugging his code
Josh sent me a link before it was public . He’s a great Dude and I love his honesty
@@CyclopsJoeVideos Nice, you are the best review
I love the Cyclops vids too
Big thanks to Arken, love my Arken SH4J 6-24X50!
Me to
I've been shooting my EP5 G2 for a couple months now and would have to agree with you. We shoot out to 300 yards and our shooting lanes are shaded in the summertime which makes it challenging for any scope much less a sub $1000 scope. IMHO Arkens give you good bang for the buck and punch above their weight. Just my $0.02 worth. YMMV
Thanks for posting an actual honest review, definitely looks good for the money.
I have a factory stainless hammer forged bull barrel. Ruger 10/22
. Haven't tested it on paper in years but I'd hit a golf ball every time at 110yrds & even my son did at around 12yrs. old. I love the idea of these precision rifles. Who knows what can be achieved. My scope at that particular time last shooting was a Leopold VX2 3x9.
Super curious to see what the future holds for them, I really hope to see a higher end optic from them to see what they can really do for the money!!
There’s a knife reviewer named Nick Shabazz that has a catchphrase, “quality is about effort, not geography.” Geopolitics aside, Far East optic OEMs, especially some of those in China, have made insane improvements in the last five years across all product categories.
Thank you, i love my Arken 6-24
Hi Josh. I was waiting for you to check out the EP5 Gen ll. I ordered one last week and in the meantime, I just purchased a DNT 7-35X56, which is made by the same OEM that makes the Arken. I have it mounted up on my R700 Varmint rifle in 243 W and will take it to my range tomorrow.
A few 'cool' things I like about the DNT:
- they moved the Windage 0 indicator up 45 degrees. It is SO much easier to see. Brilliant.
- it comes with a short (nice) throw lever
- the entire reticle (improved) is now illuminated
Guess what? Same price as the Arken ($599) and $100 LESS than the Amazon DNT price.
We'll give it a test tomorrow. BTW, I have 4 EP5s and have been 100% happy with them, they make my new Vortex Strike Eagle ($800) look like a Wal-Mart Tasco.....
VERY impressed, so far!
I appreciate your honesty and all your videos.
Hi Josh, just a couple of comments. I was able to get the DNT scope zeroed today, despite a serious lack of cheek weld with my Boyd's thumbhole varmint stock. When I mounted the DNT, I didn't realize how much more height I needed. This, despite using low 0.97" rings and a low Pic rail. Anyway, once I correct this issue, I'll comment again on my feelings. Certainty NO fault of the scope!
Comments:
- the 45 degree offset of the Windage zero point was genius!
- the fully lit reticle is awesome.
- however, like another early owner, I found one of the setscrews for the elevation turret had a stripped wrench hole. Luckily, the other chap was able to get the screw out with a Torx T8. I was also able to get mine out.
These are some really 'odd' screws you ain't gonna find these at Lowe's.
The DNT rep has been made aware of this issue. The factory may have a wrench which is worn out. Who knows?
- the fit/finish is excellent, just as I expected since DNT states these scopes are made by the same OEM to their specs.
So far, it's awesome.
Thanks for that info. Think it's made my mind up which one to go with. DNT and new Arken are the same price over here in the UK £650.00 !
(Probably import tax🤦)
I have an EP5 which I love. They're £500.00, but I also have a couple of similar size Discovery Opt's that are pretty close to the Arkens but only £300.00.
I suppose they're coming direct from China unlike the Arkens which are probably coming via the States.
I've had one for a couple of months. I also have ATACR and razor g3. It is not a 3000 scope. Compared to other 2 it has very shallow parallax - needs to be adjusted every few feet; lense resolution and clarity is not uniform across the field - ok in the middle and subpar in outside 1/3 of radius; color trueness isn't there - yellows greens and light shades of blue tend to blend in; chromatic aberration is also worse than in hi-end scopes, especially in incoming light( if you are looking through tree leaves with light background, sky for instance, don't expect to see any details. Magnification ring gets very stiff if you don't use it for a day or two, so be prepared to buy a throw lever.
On the positive side - there aren't many scopes in that price range that can compete with quality and features of arken. Well built, great set of features, you will see everything you need to see for plinking and starting level competing. I like mine and would never regret buying it.
GREAT VIDEO JOSH ... !!!!! I'M A ARKEN FAN ... !!!! CYCLOPS GOT ME STARTED... !!!!! JOE HAS SOME GREAT DEALS.... !!!!!!!
I call that the KB32 Zero. He taught me that many years ago. Scope looks great from my screen man. So many people pushin them like they're on O-Light, they gotta be doing a hella bidness. If they get down to 450 ish i might jump on, at 6 beans there's other stuff I want. Thanks for the review
How would you compare this scope to the Bushnell MatchPro ED? These are the two I'm considering right now.
Mine is on it's way and I'm expecting it next week. Stoked about it. I love your video. No BS, no sales pitch, just your honest - and quite insightful - opinions. As we've come te expect from you. Love you shoutout to Cyclops, the guy deserves it. (yes I used his affiliated link ;-)
I have had my 7-35 for about 3 months. I have done the tall target test out to 40 MOA. at 40 MOA it was .12 inches below the line for a 3 shot group. That is about a -.6% error which is a fantastic number. I then went down 40 MOA and shot the final shot which landed in the center ring of a 1 inch peel and stick. Basically in the starting 3 shot group. I did all of this testing on my F-Class rig and this weekend I am going out to 1000 yards. We will see how it performs. At 600 it was very clear. I normally shoot a NF NXS 8-32 with a MOAR-T reticle on this rifle. My only comment is that the reticle on the Arken is thicker than the NXS but the dot is clearly within the X ring so it is still good enough to shade the x ring or any other ring with accuracy.
Enjoyed watching you shoot today
I’d like to know how it compares to an Element Titan or a Bushnell MPED or similar (Meopta Optika6 maybe?) “punches-above-its-weight” scopes.
I know it’s not a Zeiss or Razor and it can’t be one quality-wise, but modern times brought quality formerly reserved for higher-end optics to the low cost in the past decade+ or so.
DNT 7-35 > EP5GenII > Match Pro > EP5 > Optika6 (I haven’t tried Titan myself, but there are some reviews comparing it to EP5)
Great review as usual, mine just shipped today
Love your honesty. Great video.
My Berg loves tac-22. I can usually get consistent .3 groups. It has done as well as 1.75" at 300 multiple times.
Arken is a good for the money for sure. I kinda lean more towards the Athlons and Vortex options.
I have a Arken 7-35 and its great
I'd like to see a better reticle and full illumination in Arken scopes for nrp/prs. For hunting i like them a lot.
This Arken vs. Bushnell Match Pro? I have both, and to tell the truth, still favor the MP more, even with 5X less magnification. The subtends seem a tad bit finer too. I sure wish Arken would start going the lockable turret route too.
Cool to see the Manael sedajo getting some screen time 👌 They have a couple of other new chassis models out now too that are also excellent
@@stuartgillahan sweet
Ohh ... I want... 😆
Thanks for the review bro
Nice review Josh
Replaced my Gen 1 EP5 with one of theses Gen 2's and it's excellent. I shoot club rimfire competitions and it's plenty good enough for that.
Joes a good ole guy!!
I just got mine in yesterday
Josh, thanks. I have an Arken EPL4 6-24. Like the scope for the money, just wish it was designed with a "toolless" zero stop. Those stop screws are a pain for me. You might feel differently. Just my 2 cents.
Nicely done!
I got one of these when it first was released. I mounted it on an Anschutz 54.30 benchrest rifle. I primarily shoot this rifle at 100 and 200 yards and it allows me to see bullet holes at 200 on an NRA 200 yard small bore target. Saves me from bringing a spotting scope to see the bullet holes. Scope, titanium rings, bubble level and throw lever all for a little over $600. I'm impressed with it.
Nice vid. Do you see any difference between the Norma Tac-22 and the Tac-22 Match?
Great shooting Josh, Guys are here saying> Hey Guys get in here watch this guy!!
Great review brother!! And beard game is strong!! Fear the beard!! Ha
@@damonday-006 going away in a few days unfortunately
@@PursuitofAccuracy Thought you chiefs were immune to 670-1 ;)
I'm glad you reviewed these im thinking about getting one for a F/TR 223. How would you compare the glass to a Strike Eagle?
@@chrismuncey3861 ive never played with the strike eagle
Its hard to believe what you can get for the price these days as compared to just 10 years ago!
I was about to commit to buying one of these but now DNT have a version out with a fully illuminated reticle they call DNT "TheOne". Thought Arken were doing the optical scopes and DNT were doing the digital scopes🤷🏻♂️
Would love to know what's going on. Perhaps you or Joe could find out.
So on my centerfire rifles I have Vortex Gen 2 and Gen 3 Razors. My 457 has the EP5 5-25 and for the money it’s an amazing value. I’d assume the 7-35 is only an improvement
@@billbee235 it is a marked improvement from the 5-25
Wonder, if Arken scopes can handle the weird recoil of spring air rifles.
Josh how do you feel it looks at 200-300 yards. Will I be able to see my 22 holes?
How does it compare to the Bushnell Match Pro ED?
Based on my sample of 1, the EP5 Gen II is better than Match Pro. But I’m going to get the DNT 7-35 which has a much better reticle design
Are you coming to the night match in December at Strategic Edge in Chappell hill Tn ?
@@ericlaplante7326 i am
Josh I want your opinion on which 457 would make a good factory ARA benchrest rifle with a 24-in barrel
@@timothytrexler1896 its gonna be a gamble. Its a factory barrel so there is a factor of luck with how good the barrel is.
@PursuitofAccuracy yeah I understand that I was more concerned about the stock to start with and then see if I needed to buy aftermarket barrel That's one reason why I'd like to meet you since we both live fairly close together and see how I like the chassis versus the MTR chassis cuz primarily bent shootings all I'm going to do
@PursuitofAccuracy I like the at one stock with the 24-in heavy barrel and then if need be I could get a 0.95 or 1 in aftermarket barrel
Nice scope for the money, no everyone has $3k for a scope .......................... thanks for sharing !!
💯
Not everyone can tell the difference when they're new.
@@GummeeH3people don’t know what people don’t know. I think people that rave about Arken haven’t looked through top tier glass or simply bs about it. Looking through a Arken vs nightforce, sightron Zeiss etc isn’t even comparable and won’t be.
Hey Josh love the channel shouting out from South Carolina I have a question 🤔 I shoot ARA precision rimfire bench competition factory class my main 2 rifles are a CZ MTR and a Bergara B14 R 22lr and I use Arken EP-5 5-25x56 scopes we only shoot 50 yards and do you have any recommendations to up my game only been doing it a handful of matches and have been stuck at 2400 point cards what can I do that still keeps me in factory classification I mostly use SK standard plus or rifle match in the CZ and Lapua pistol king or SK rifle match in the Bergara B14 and I tried a bunch of Elley ammo and more expensive Lapua and haven't found anything that the rifles love if you have any suggestions to get me to my 2500 card would appreciate it thanks !
@@ejerry74 id suggest either keep looking for ammo it loves or consider getting it to a gunsmith to check the crown and chamber. Im not sure how legal that is but ive seen other factory rifles at the gunsmith before lol
@PursuitofAccuracy Thanks for taking the time to respond so quickly yeah also just found out ARA rules I could also bed both rifles and they will still be legal for factory class
Wonder when scopes will actually become longer than the rifles 😁
@@Nifilheimur were only a few sunshades away lol
Glass Mark4hd or this scope
@@fhadfhad7152 mark4
It looks like once again the reticle is .25 mill marks and then goes to .5, just not the detail I want. Its too bad they seem very good for the money.
Their website list for $799.
@@bryanrupple7441 i think any of the codes bring it down under 600
I had a gen 2 EP5 on my B14r, keyword is had. The reticle was my biggest complaint, at 25+ magnification the center dot of the reticle is too big and covers the target too much.
If you had $2K to spend on a PRS rimfire / NRL scope what would you buy?
@@davidwagoner2631 2k at full retail id be looking at the tractor toric or the mk 4. If i had slightly more the theos or razor gen 3, then zco etc
If only they would put 2/10ths marks and light the whole reticle
Check DNT 7-35. That’s an improved version of EP5 Gen II.
I like your scope reviews because you have no skin in the game. Too many people represent a scope to be a lot better than it actually is. I'm in the market for a budget scope and don't need super clarity. I've only been able to get a look at a couple that have rave reviews and the eye box was just horrible and the max magnification was unusable. People don't really talk about the eye box on the budget scopes in the reviews I've been seeing. It'd be nice to see a best of or top 5 for under 1k. I'd rather trade clarity for an eye box bigger than 2 millimeters.
It’s a $500 scope at best. It’s no night force or Sightron or any of the higher scopes and I think you did hit the nail on the head with that one. My thing with Arken is that they have this cult following for some odd reason and people more than just a few compare them to higher end scopes and I think it gives us false advertisement that they’re better than what they really are. I shoot ARA and I think I’ve seen one guy have a Arken scope. I would never use one in serious competition.
People make similar statements about Kel Tec and I can attest my PMR runs flawlessly. The Sub2K Gen III runs just as good. The lack of 'flash' that others ridicule is what I appreciate. Practicality & function carries more weight with me especially when I drop my own cash and give it an honest chance.
I totally agree however I also agree it punches above its weight . ( not a traveling competitor but won the local mil tac class with a arken)