Rifle Scopes Leupold mk4hd 2,5-10

A

Ac-13

Private
Minuteman
Aug 14, 2023
5
1
Europe
#1
Hello everyone

For a new short .223 bolt action I’m looking at the leupold mk4 2,5-10x42. Rifle’s job will be foxes and maybe roe deer from 30 yards (thicker brush) up to say 160 yards on the larger clearings) I’d love to know of anyone has had any experience with these and would be able to give me some advice if the ffp-version is usable at low mag without the illumination, do I even need ffp for those ranges? I’ve used hold over before when using air rifles to dispatch pests and do enjoy the speed it provides me in securing a shot so the dials are of less importance to me. If there are Any other sub 2000 usd. Similar options, please make the suggestions.

Kind regards
A.
 
#2
.223 doesn't drop hardly at all at 160yds. My gas gun shows only 0.2 at 160yds or top of head hold max on a fox size skull. Taking a heart and lung shot.....basically aim dead on. Your stated use case requires little holding at all unless super windy. Close in, the size of the animal eats up most if not all of your holdover/holdunder.

I would ALWAYS get FFP. But that's just me. Your cartridge is easily capable to reaching out much farther. If your worried about holds.....get a .204 ruger based rifle instead. Much flatter shooting and hits harder. Possibly too hard if keeping fur.
Screenshot_20240831_045625_Shooter.jpg
 
#3
DFOOSKING said:
.223 doesn't drop hardly at all at 160yds. My gas gun shows only 0.2 at 160yds or top of head hold max on a fox size skull. Taking a heart and lung shot.....basically aim dead on. Your stated use case requires little holding at all unless super windy. Close in, the size of the animal eats up most if not all of your holdover/holdunder.

I would ALWAYS get FFP. But that's just me. Your cartridge is easily capable to reaching out much farther. If your worried about holds.....get a .204 ruger based rifle instead. Much flatter shooting and hits harder. Possibly too hard if keeping fur.
View attachment 8491323
Click to expand...
Hi, thanks for your tips! Starting speed for my 18 inch bolt 223 is 3060’ish with the rws soft points I’m running. That puts me +- 1 inch low at 160(according to my ballistic calculator). have not translated it to mils yet / done the full ballistic workup but would love the option to use the scope to shoot further as my confidence builds or other permissions become available. The rifle is short and light so the current heavy steiner (was on my 308 that is now my driven game gun) is contradictory to the idea of the build.

Not too worried about holds etc I regularly shoot air rifles out to 90 yards and the pests we take out have killzones of about .5 inch for a drt so I’m very accustomed to using the mil-scope on that for holdover or holdunder. I don’t like dialing, takes too much time. I guess that may have ruined me for powder burner hunting where kill zones are larger and projectiles more forgiving.

I’d love to go ffp ( would be my first) but am worried for the usability on low mag. (My main focus rn is a woodland where shots are limited to about 50 yards.) any tips on similar scopes or other are greatly appreciated!
 
#4
Stay away from FFP scopes for your use. Your concerns are warranted.

Here is a through scope shot using a 3-15-44 Vortex PST Gen 2. At 3x the reticle is just usable in good light and this is with the thick and very bold .06mil EBR-2D reticle this scope uses. Most FFP scopes are using much thinner .03mil thick reticles that are colored much lighter than what I posted. It’s the perfect recipe for a disappearing reticle.

3x with a bolder and thicker reticle than industry standard pointing at the sky. (Scope lenses were fogged over from condensation)
IMG_2018.jpeg


Same reticle pointing across open land to a tree line 125yds away. Remember most reticles will be much lighter and thinner than this example.
IMG_2017.jpeg
 
#5
I have the 2.5-10 mk4hd in ffp and it’s perfectly fine for hunting. The reticle is plenty thick enough even at 2.5x. I was worried about that but after getting it, it’s great. My 4.5-18 is too thing on lower power
 
#6
Jmccracken1214 said:
I have the 2.5-10 mk4hd in ffp and it’s perfectly fine for hunting. The reticle is plenty thick enough even at 2.5x. I was worried about that but after getting it, it’s great. My 4.5-18 is too thing on lower power
Click to expand...
For the close in brush hunting FFP scopes are inferior to even a regular thick duplex SFP reticle. At low power, FFP scopes all suck in comparison. It’s really he only disadvantage and can be a decider depending on use.

Leupold does offer some options with thicker reticles as well. I’m glad you brought those up as an option. There are very scope manufacturers left that do.
 
#8
redneckbmxer24 said:
Fixed it for you.

The MK4 2.5-10 FFP has plenty thick of a reticle for use on low mag in hunting scenarios. Like the other guy, I actually have one.
Click to expand...

@Ac-13 is concerned with reticle visibility and FFP scopes are handicapped here at low power. This isn’t subjective.

Only a dishonest man would argue that this:
IMG_2017.jpeg


Is better than this for close up low light shooting. It’s not even close.
IMG_2019.jpeg
 
Last edited:
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#10
Let’s be honest. If you are in Europe buy a European scope such as a Schmidt and Bender, Zeiss or Swarovski. The light transmission will be far better. Zero an inch high and you will be in the kill zone of a fox or roe deer. You won’t need to worry about holding or dialing. A centre fire is very different to an air rifle as I’m sure you know.
 
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