Got an opportunity to look through one at a training class. Substantially better glass than my Sig Tango 6. Had I known the difference I would have gladly paid the $800 difference. Next scope for sure.
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Rifle Scopes Kahles 525i is the real deal
- Thread starter LC 6.5 Shooter
- Start date
The ATACR line is yes. It compares favorably and is very similar to the resolution in my Schmidt and benders
I have to disagree there, of course this is anecdotal and subjective. For me at least, less something has changed in the ATACR lineup i've yet to look through one that resolves as well as the new Kahles. The K624i? Yes. the K525i? Not quite. Haven't seen many disagree there either. The new Kahles have their drawbacks, small FOV, shallow DOF, loss of resolution on the top end in the K525i but under 20x it's above any ATACR 5-25 i've been behind. I haven't seen the 7-35 yet but you'll find differing opinions about every optic outside TT/Hendsoldt. Other than TT/Hendsoldt though of the aforementioned, they're all similar priced. I'd pick the reticle/turrets you like best and run with it. I want to see a 7-35 ATACR and am super eager to see the new NX8s.
FWIW the Mil-XT might be my favorite reticle. I'm not wild about the 1/2 mil dots on the vertical but the way NF incorporates their opposite side 2/10th deviations i absolutely love. It's hard for me to get away from the SKMR3 and Kahles Elevation turret, despite my complaints with the new generation Kahles. Also when the SKMR4 inevitably hits a simple reticle switch will be easier than losing money and flipping optics. If the NX8 pans out though i'll have a 2.5-20x50 in a heartbeat or at least be on the wait list for one.
FWIW the Mil-XT might be my favorite reticle. I'm not wild about the 1/2 mil dots on the vertical but the way NF incorporates their opposite side 2/10th deviations i absolutely love. It's hard for me to get away from the SKMR3 and Kahles Elevation turret, despite my complaints with the new generation Kahles. Also when the SKMR4 inevitably hits a simple reticle switch will be easier than losing money and flipping optics. If the NX8 pans out though i'll have a 2.5-20x50 in a heartbeat or at least be on the wait list for one.
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If you think it’s worth the 800 more than sign, check out a zcomp. It’s a better mousetrap than a kahles and 800 or less more than the kahles.
K525i is awesome in and of itself though.
K525i is awesome in and of itself though.
You can’t spell kahles without CA. Just saying. White targets, bright day good luck seeing impacts. The NF resolves then much better. We had 5 people our comparing various scopes. The kahles was the first one dismissed from the comparison. All agreed the NF and others were far superior to the kahles in terms of CA and resolving ability at high power. At mid power like 15x the kahles is quite good.
the kahles is very good for me here in ireland the k525i is 2300 and the nf atacr 5-25 f1 is 3200 and the 7-35 atacr is 3800 quite a price difference i think there closer price ways for you in the us
Bruh it’s spelled with a K ? (JK) so y’all drew a conclusion of the optic at its most unused mag setting? Where it’s optically at its worst. CA control is fine on the new kahles and I’ve had no issues seeing impacts. Its disingenuous to act like it’s purple haze like the k624i. It’s not absent but it’s nothing like the k624i. Granted i don’t stay at 25x. But even then the drop off is not that exaggerated. Noticeable? Yes. Does it all of a sudden become unuseable? No. I’ve been behind 3 ATACRs. They’re great optics. Contrast of that lineup is probably my favorite. Resolution is good right up there with the k624i without the drawbacks like CA that the k624i suffers from. But intermittent mag range (where most of our shooting is done) i have to disagree. In that area the kahles is extremely good. Giving up pretty much nothing in edge to edge clarity, contrast, and resolution to the ZP5 i had it against two weeks ago. It’s clear we’re not going to agree on this but the K525i is not some terrible optic. Not trying to come off like a Kahles homer i just think the K525i is getting a bad rep for the wrong reasons. It has limitations that are keeping it from being what we wanted it to. I.E. small fov, shallow DOF, and loss of resolution on the top end. And for the price i get the disappointment it would be hard to spend $3300 on one. $2500-2800 yeah anything over 3k for the k525i at least I’d have a hard time. I would say the same for the ATACR though also personally speaking, I'd probably just drop the extra money on ZCO at this point if i was looking at spending over 3K. That or jump the gap and get TT. K318i right now is in a class by itself, for ultrashorts until the ZCO 4-20 hits shelves, but being the same price and weight of the k525i it makes it a hard sell as well less you need the ultrashort.
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These scopes are so good they all resolve incredibly well at 15x. you really need to crank them up to max power to see tiny little details at long distances to see the differences. The distances we are shooting on 10-15x you're so close honestly the glass in a 1000 dollar scope would be good enough. You are paying this high dollar to get pristine glass because flaw are magnified as you go up in magnification. We looked at them at both 15x and 25x and even said we specifically looked at them at 15x. The Kahles still had awful CA. The NF and schmidt have wayyyy less CA than the kahles 525. Yes its way better than the 624i but still absolutely unacceptable for a scope in this price range IMO.
You say the Kahles has good edge to edge clarity at mid powers. Well I sure hope so as you'er edge to edge of a straw. My nightforce has like an extra 2 mils of field of view over the kahles 525.
I never said the 525 is terrible. In fact I think it's an amazing optic, especially the mechanics of it and fit and finish and size. But for that price they sell for I and all of my friends that have used them all agree there are better options in this price range. If they improved the top end resolution and field of view it would certainly be a formidable scope. I agree with you the Khales and even NF are not worth over 3K. For what schmidts are selling for nowadays it's almost a no brainer in my mind to go that route.
Even if the Schmidt was 2400 bucks? It has equal or better glass, better eyebox than NF, more FOV and more forgiving parallax than Kahles. What makes you like the Kahles more? Elevation turret and overall size is the only thing I could say is honestly better on the Kahles
I personally would take a kahles k624 for $2000 over a Schmidt for $2400. Prefer the reticle more (skmr3), and both track well. In my experience the kahles had more forgiving parallax and eyebox. The Schmidt had touch better resolution but not enough to make any difference in ability to hit targets. I could care less about CA, and I shoot in the snow a lot.
Pretty subjective stuff honestly.
Pretty subjective stuff honestly.
I couldn’t deal with the nonexistent eye relief on the 624. Yea def subjective as I wouldn’t even put those two scopes in the same category. I’d honestly compare the 624 to Bushnells and that level scope. CA bothers me a lot and I’ve noticed covers up bullet holes on targets that would help
Me With a correction.
Me With a correction.
Fair enough. 15-20x for the K525i is GTG past 20x it's underwhelming. I still disagree about CA though it's controlled enough for me not to be disgusted. Not as good as NF admittedly but it was to the levels of my MK5 which was good enough and i'm much like you i hate CA. ILya noted to reduce CA they used a field stop which is why you see the "ring" or "Tube" when looking through the new Kahles, which in turn reduced the FOV. The K318i is still the more impressive optic between the new Kahles. Admittedly i'd like to get behind a ATACR 5-25 with the new Mil-XT. If the SKMR4 isn't on the horizon for sometime i could see that reticle making me switch. It honestly is my favorite reticle on the market right now. Hope they offer it in the NX8.
Although glass quality is a very subjective, I've had the opportunity to look though many high end scopes and owned a few myself and the new K525i is up there with the best of them. Don't let anyone convince you otherwise. There is a reason why Khales k525i and k624i are the preferred glass of many pros.
Best Scope – What The Pros Use
I recently surveyed the top ranked shooters in both the Precision Rifle Series (PRS) and the Nationa...
precisionrifleblog.com
Glass is too subjective, as I would take the Kahles 624i over the NF 5=25 ATACR any day of the week... but I wasn't shooting at bright white paper. At the moment, I own 3 NF and 0 Kahles.
I would LOVE to get my hands on a K318 considering how they are talked up...
I would LOVE to get my hands on a K318 considering how they are talked up...
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Hope you didn’t pay close to full price cause the ZCO is substantially better lol actually not gonna lie the 525i may be the least impressive optic in the ~$3k price range I’ve looked at.
But if you’re happy with it rock on!
You made an excellent choice and don’t listen to the haters. Ask anyone who does any type of long range professional shooting about any scope in the Kahles line and they will tell you is top notch, that’s why they’re used so much in competition.
I have both and they’re awesome. Give the edge to the NF because I like the option to go 35X.
Good choice man. Enjoy it. As you have seen there are plenty of haters. But you got a great optic. And it will do the job just as good as any of the others mentioned.
I used sb theta zcomp etc. Dont know if im color blind or just dont what to look at..i cant see CA on my k525 lol..mine was first batch maybe i was just lucky
Too much internet in this thread.
Yes, I like my reticle in my ZCO the best of any scope I’ve owned to date; most of them discuses in this thread. That said, I really don’t “see” the target better, all these scopes in the 3k range are fucking solid options.
If you are missing corrections or targets because of some perceived lack of FOV or CA on a Kahles, you might be better off if you practice more and go shoot a few more matches a month, coupled with “interneting” way less..
Yes, I like my reticle in my ZCO the best of any scope I’ve owned to date; most of them discuses in this thread. That said, I really don’t “see” the target better, all these scopes in the 3k range are fucking solid options.
If you are missing corrections or targets because of some perceived lack of FOV or CA on a Kahles, you might be better off if you practice more and go shoot a few more matches a month, coupled with “interneting” way less..
Yes sah!!! Maybe i more focus on my capabilities and result vs on scope or pointing the blame on those crap people complaining about kahles...shell stay
I bought a k318i and it is an upgrade to a Steiner t5xi. So far it's awesome but haven't really done more than mount up and use it for some dry fire practice. It's clear, robust build, feels really like a quality scope.
I love the Steiner MSR reticle so the SKMR3 will take a little adjustment to a more tree style. But it's not that bad, a d seems to be less busy than a Horus59
I love the Steiner MSR reticle so the SKMR3 will take a little adjustment to a more tree style. But it's not that bad, a d seems to be less busy than a Horus59
Ain't that the truth.
It's hard not to nit pick when dropping that kind of cash though. I can understand people want the best for their dollar. I will also say that FOV is my only real complaint with it. That is one feature that i do find extremely useful in competition. Granted perceived lack of movement form having to go down to lower magnification than it's competitors for the same FOV could help me in hitting targets off barricades.
None the less i i'm interested to see ILya's thoughts on it when he finishes this high end write up.
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