Precision Rifle Gear 2023 BigJimFish Reviw/Article blog: Arken, HiLux, Bushnell, Primary Arms, Optisan, nVisti, Sightron, Levels

[BigJimFish]

2023 has come, as has the first of this years review products so I guess it’s time to start up the 2023 BigJimFish review thread. As with the previous 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019, and 2018 threads, the purpose of this thread is to provide a catalog of this years reviews and articles, give you a behind the scenes look at what I'm working on as I'm working on it, provide a place for input and comments, and, of course, give you something to bookmark that will ping you when a new article is done.

The majority of this years reviews will essentially be part two of the series of sub $1k long range scope reviews I did in 2018 and 2019. It’s been a number of years since then and we now have a whole new crop of products in the category. I'm excited to see if there has been progression in the performance at this price point over that time or if perhaps Bidenflation has pushed things the other way. My expectation is that progression will be the order of the day.

Sub $1k long range scope reviews:

This years series of sub $1k scope review scopes from left to right: The Arken EP5 5-25x56, Hi-Lux PR5 5-25x56, Primarly Arms GLX 3-18x44 and 4.5-27x56, Optisan EVX Gen2 4-16x44 F1, and Bushnell March Pro ED 5-30x56 as well as some previously reviewed scopes used for optical comparison: Leupold Mark 5HD 5-25x56, Athlon Midas TAC 6-24x50, Sig Sierra 6BDX 3-18x44

Arken EP5 5-25x56:
Arken is pretty new to the scene. In fact, they were just getting their start as I was finishing up the last series of $1k scope reviews. However, in that time, I've basically heard good things about them so I decided to take a look at them during this round. The EP5 5-25x56 I'm looking at sure comes in at a competitive price at $529.99 direct from Arken and this gets even more competitive if you add in the "combo pack" to your cart with the scope using discount codes NSF$170 or Save$17 at your time of purchase. This gets you that whole combo pack for $41.99. That adds up to a scope, sunshade, bikini, rings, bubble level, throw lever, caps, ditty bag, lens cloth, and a tee shirt for $571.98.

Hi-Lux PR5 5-25x56 FFP:​

It’s a bit surprising that this is the first Hi-Lux scope I have reviewed. For a number of years I have met with Christopher and John at ShotShow and spoken to them about their products. The company and it’s history are rather interesting and I have always wanted to take a closer look. There was just never a particular product that lined up with what I was doing on a particular year. We are aligned this year though and I’m excited to take a look at their PR5 riflescope.


Bushnell Match Pro ED 5-30x56:
It really seems like Bushnell has been on a tear lately. It wasn’t so long ago I remember them having very little interest in the long-range precision world. When they decided to enter it though, they did so in a big way. They have done product collaborations with long time precision rifle guys, PRS Match sponsorships, and shooter sponsorships. I was totally impressed with their XRS3 6-36x56 I looked at last year and I hope to be so with the Match Pro ED 5-30-56 this year.

Primary Arms GLx 3-18x44 and GLx 4.5-27x56:​

Primary Arms Optics is probably best known for their many LPVO and low magnification optics for the AR market. They have been undergoing an expansion recently and are now offering considerably more products for the precision rifle market such as these GLx 3-18x44 4.5-27x56 rifle scopes. PA also has some very nic looking red dots for pistol use I saw at ShotShow 2023.

Optisan EVX G2 4-16x44F1:​

Optisan is a Taiwanese optics manufacturer that does a lot of OEM work for many scope brands you are familiar with and also has a small, in-house brand of it's own. Many of you remember the reticle I designed a few years ago for the Optisan CX6 1-6x24 rifle scope. I caught up with the Optisan folks again this year at ShotShow liked the look of a new small ffp hunting scope that represents the direction I see hunting scopes going in general. Since it fit into the price bracket of this years reviews I thought it might make a nice crossover hunting / precision rifle inclusion.

nVisti, Applied Ballistics device integration and laser rangefinding technology:
This article became a podcast with Frank on the everyday sniper podcast. The material came both from my visit to nVisti a couple of months ago and last years reviews of the Sig Kilo 10k laser rangefinding binoculars and Leica Geovid pro 32 rangefinding binoculars. nVisti is the partner company of Applied Ballistics and does all the device integration for the Applied Ballistics solver. In addition to that, nVisti does some laser rangefinding research, device design, and data analysis. This article talks a little about the future of laser rangefinding as well therefore.

Sightron S6 5-30x56​

This year Sightron launched an entirely new line of mid-ranged scopes with new and improved optical designs and ED glass called the S6 line. These will be made in their Japanese facility and the 5-30x56 should have an MSRP of $1,699. I’m excited to see what these offer as they should have even better resolution than the already good SIII line with substantially improved DoF and FoV resulting from the new optical design optimized for PRS type use instead of F-class.

Riton Optics 3 Primal 3-18x50mm Crossover scope
Riton Optics 7 Conquer 4-32x56
Frank has been quite pleased with his experience with Riton optics and asked me to take a look at a couple of their new offerings. The 3 Primal 3-18x50mm is a crossover hunting / precision rifle scope that has the zero stop, exposed turrets, FFP, and mil/mil (or MOA/MOA) of a precision rifle scope but in a smaller form factor and sub 30oz weight suitable for hunting. I’m a big fan of this concept as I have encountered at least some optics light enough to be of hunting use that really don’t give up any important long range features or even optical performance to get there. I also see the added distance compensation potential of scope with precision rifle features as a huge benefit for hunters allowing them to greatly extend their ethical kill range. The second scope, the 7 Conquer 4-32x56 is a high end Japanese made optic in the ~$2k price range with a huge magnification range and fairly high 32x max magnification. This is very much in the current higher magnification trend popular amongst competitive shooters.

Levels for long range shooting:
I’ve been thinking about writing an article for a while on the use of bubble and electronic levels for long range shooting. It will feature the different level types and mounting arrangements. I’ll also give some methods for properly mounting your scope and level so they are level with each other. Advice I have seen on this topic on the web has often been sub par. I’ll also talk some about the Pros and Cons of different arrangements, pitfalls to avoid in their use, and some numbers on how much error you can introduce by failing to have the scope level. I’ve assembled most of the relevant level types and arrangements. I just need to put it all together.

I’ll admit, all written out this certainly seems like a full year. I also wanted to go back and do an Everyday Sniper episode on laser rangefinding sort of summing up the Sig 10k and BDX reviews, the Leica Geovid Pro review, and the nVisti article as well as a second episode on the ~$2k scope reviews from two years ago. We’ll see how much gets done.

 

[BigJimFish]

Update 2-5-2023:​

The first of the sub $1k scopes arrived yesterday. Man was that fast. Another scope is in rout as well. I’m stoked. I’ve never been able to get this early a start on the years reviews before. Typically, I’m already in to my busy work season when things get rolling. This is so much better.

Arken EP5 5-25x56 and “combo pack" unboxing

The first scope to arrive is the Arken EP5 5-25x56 and it’s quite substantial “combo pack". Man is that ever a nice offer from them. The costs to purchase separately vital add on items such as rings, levels, and caps is quite a substantial portion of the overall cost of the sighting system when dealing with lower cost optics. Often, these costs are mostly due to the inefficiency associated with these separate items being separately packaged, advertised, purchased, and shipped. Scope caps, for instance, are less than a buck of plastic. What your paying for when buying them is almost entirely the base cost associated with the logistics of bringing any product to market. Bundling these items this way is just a huge savings and lets face it, you’re not really gaining a bunch of utility when your purchasing them separately. You’re probably going with cheap scope caps, medium-ish height rings, and a strap on bubble level. I'm guessing you would rather save most of the cost than be picky about the exact versions of each of these products you get. If not, Arken’s mechanism even gives you an opt-out by just not adding the “combo pack”.

 

[LR1845]

Tagging in....very curious to hear what you think about the Arken EP5 and the Bushnell Match Pro.

 

[r.tenorio671]

...eagerly awaiting your review results, thanks for doing this and kudos to Arken for getting you product so fast...

 

[TacT-MecH]

@BigJimFish I always enjoy your findings and the detail and most of all the effort you put forth for this community. Thank you, sir.

 

[BigJimFish]

Update 2-10-2023​

The Hi Lux PR5 5-25x56 arrived today. Boy, the Hi Lux guys must have even less faith in UPS than I do. This things packaging is like a challenge to the manhood of all dedicated package destruction professionals. I mean, I’m not even sure U.S. airport baggage handlers could take it out. A slip cover holds tight the heavy duty card stock box encasing custom cut thick closed cell phone. It’s like one step down from a Pelican box.

Hi Lux PR5 5-25x56 FFP in it’s remarkably complete packaging

 

[BigJimFish]

Update 3-1-2023​

The Bushnell Match Pro ED 5-30x56mm arrived today. Amusing that this was the scope I opened immediately following the Hi Lux. I went from the most packaging I have ever seen around a scope to the least. There sure isn’t a lot of the cost going to the box on the Match Pro. It reminds me a little of the plain white boxes the U.S. Optics scopes used to come in back in the day.

Bushnell Match Pro ED 5-30x56 Unboxing

With 3 scopes in hand now, in addition to a few of the scopes from the last time I looked at this price point, I will probably start to get some of the testing going. ETA on the Primary Arms GLx is also not too far off. I should have that by the end of the month. No ETA yet on the Optisan.

 

[BigJimFish]

Update 3-2-2023​

I was expecting to get a set of rings in the mail from Primary Arms today but ended up with not one but two surprises in addition to that. The first surprise was that the GLx 3-18x44 scope for review arrived with the rings. The second was that it brought it’s big brother the GLx 4.5-27x56 with it. I think I may have gotten my wires crosses a little with the Primary Arms guys when setting up the review. I was a bit indecisive on which model I wanted most to take a look at and by the time I decided I think they were both on the way. The upshot is that I'll get to take a look at both. It may end up for the best as most of the scopes in the lineup are of the higher power, larger objective variety like the 4.5-27x56 but I personally have an affinity for smaller objective mid power stuff. It’s going to be a busy couple of weeks between getting my business ready for the year, finishing taxes, and taking a look at these new optics.

Primary Arms GLx 3-18x44 and 4.5-27x56 rifle scopes

In other article news, I have been rattling the cage a bit on NDA stuff to get the nVisti article cleared for publication. Having so many companies involved has really made this like pulling teeth and it has taken so long that I now need to update the article as nVisti and Applied Ballistics are merging.

Also in need up updating is the Mesa Precision Arms Crux review. Mesa Precision Arms has changed it’s name to Pure Precision basically to avoid confusion with other similarly named arms manufacturers. They have also been expanding significantly and have some new products I'll be putting information up on with the update to that review when their paperwork with the ATF is done. Dudes have been busy.

 

[BigJimFish]

Update 3-6-2023

The gang is all here. Friday I got a surprise box from big brown and in it was the last of the sub $1k scopes for this years reviews, the Optisan EVX Gen II 4-16x44F1. This scope sure is light and small. It’s definitely a hunting / precision crossover design. The weight is 26.2oz making it the lightest scope I have reviewed in a long time. Should be fun to take a look at. I am quite pleased to see precision rifle features start to invade hunting scopes.

Optisan EVX Gen II 4-16x44F1 in it’s comfy box

 

[ma smith]

Looking forward to see range reports !

 

[BigJimFish]

Laser Rangefinders, Snow, and the Sig 10k Fog mode

A while back I had a question from a member on laser rangefinding use in the snow. Of course, it wasn’t winter then so I could do little but look it up. For this I went through some white papers on the topic of which this paper had the best information on the effects of snow on both 905 and 1550 nm lidar. Most consumer units, including both the Sig 10k’s and the Leica Geovid Pro's are 905nm but a few of the $5k+ units such as some from Steiner and Vectronix are 1550nm.

Reflectivity of snow on 905nm light is quite high. Not quite as high as visible light, but similar. The same article also indicates that the military grade LRF 1550nm light is simply virtually totally absorbed by snow and returns essentially no signal at all. In the case of 905nm such as the Sig or most commercial RF units use though, you will get a great signal return from this reflection. Twice what you get from bare earth. That being said, stray 905nm ambient light is relatively common from the sun. This will also be quite effectively reflected by snow. So, you should expect both the signal and the noise to be higher in the case of the use of 905nm LRF units in the snow as compared with snow free conditions. I would therefore expect that in low light, you will actually be able to range further on snowy hillsides than snow free but in bright sunlight you would not get results as far. I would also expect 905nm laser rangefinders to have trouble when it is actively snowing. As for the 1550nm units, they are going to suck in both conditions.

Heavy snow through the Leica Geovid Pros. They read 30yds in these conditions regardless of target distance.

This week I was able to test these hypotheses out in both light and heavy snow with both the Sig 10k’s and Leica Geovid Pro’s. Here is a qualitative but not quantitative summation of my experience. Keep in mind that snow conditions constantly change minute to minute and second to second. There is really no way to do this in a quantitative way. I think that the experiences I will relate are nevertheless helpful.

With Snow actively coming down, both units experienced dramatically reduced range. They do tend to return a range however. It’s just wrong and short. They like to throw distances of around 30yds regardless of what your pointing at. The Leica has only one rangefinding mode and so you really can’t fiddle with anything on this. It just doesn’t range well with snow coming down. The Sig 10k however has a “Fog” mode that clearly should be renamed "Fog / Snowfall". Utilizing this mode it's performance is dramatically improved and it can sometimes range targets I cannot make out though the snow such as a privacy fence at 245yds. I know where this target is and how far because I range off my back porch all the time but I couldn’t actually see it some of the time I was ranging it with the Sig 10ks on Fog mode. I don’t think there is any real rule of thumb I can give you on the limitations of the Leica or Sig in standard mode except to say that you will still be able to make out some targets though snowfall that are well within the normal rangefinding capabilities of the unit but that you cannot range due to the snowfall. This is not so with the Sig 10k’s in fog mode. They appear to be able to range more than you can see through the snow anyway. So, if you see game that is in range, you will be able to range it. I’m sure your overall range capability is dramatically reduced, but so is your visibility so your not really loosing anything. If you can see it, you can range it. It doesn’t really get any better than that. Fog mode is a game changing feature for folks hunting in the snow.

Sig 10k’s in fog mode ranging an outdoor display board in moderate snow.

As for ranging snow covered ground, both units didn’t seem to have any problem. I’m sure if it gets whiteout bright enough your going to see some reduced maximum range performance like you would have in bright sunny desert situations from reflected solar interference but in the overcast snowy conditions I had I was getting totally snow covered hillsides fine during lulls between the flakes. I might add I would expect no return from a 1550nm laser in these conditions as absorption by snow in the first few inches is far above 90%.

 

[RLinNH]

Following...

 

[Milf Dots]

Ditto.

 

[EscapeVelocity]

Curious to see how the Match Pro 5-30 does. The 6-24 that I have is fantastic for the money with great glass.

 

[BigJimFish]

Update 5-5-2023

I’ve been doing a lot of testing on the sub $1k scope review articles. Boy is there a lot more variance in performance this time around than with the last set. This is true both optically and mechanically. Obviously, this is a lot better for some of the scopes than others. It will make for some good reads when I’m done though and all the testing is humming along. I had a fun time at the range last weekend with the Arken, Optisan, and Primary arms scopes. Also, I continue to be super impressed with how good those Applied Ballistics custom models are right out of the gate. So many of the ones I have tested have been correct all the way out to transonic without any truing. This has not been my experience with ballistic models in the past.

Arken EP-5 5-25x56 @700yds on the Kelbly Atlas

At the same time I’ve been working on the scope reviews I have also been doing the level use article. That article has me creating some alternate optical test boards. This has ended up staving me a bunch of time relative to using the big 4’x8’ plywood test board. It is also much easier to quickly switch out different test target boards in the stand in order to have different testing arrangements. Lastly, you can easily precisely level the vertical axis for calibration when mounting levels to scopes. This has been quite useful given how many levels I am messing with for the article on their use and is the reason for the new boards in the first place. I honestly doubt I will be bringing back the big 4’ x 8’ again.

Leveling one of my new optical test boards

Lastly, the nVisti article…. You know, that article that sat around so long the company it was about merged requiring the article to be updated. It’s still not done because I still need now both information and approvals from others. This thing is becoming a never ending saga. I’m still waiting on updates from others to be able to get it up. You’ll get it when I do.

 

[EscapeVelocity]

Update 5-5-2023

I’ve been doing a lot of testing on the sub $1k scope review articles. Boy is there a lot more variance in performance this time around than with the last set. This is true both optically and mechanically. Obviously, this is a lot better for some of the scopes than others. It will make for some good reads when I’m done though and all the testing is humming along. I had a fun time at the range last weekend with the Arken, Optisan, and Primary arms scopes. Also, I continue to be super impressed with how good those Applied Ballistics custom models are right out of the gate. So many of the ones I have tested have been correct all the way out to transonic without any truing. This has not been my experience with ballistic models in the past.

View attachment 8134973
Arken EP-5 5-25x56 @700yds on the Kelbly Atlas

At the same time I’ve been working on the scope reviews I have also been doing the level use article. That article has me creating some alternate optical test boards. This has ended up staving me a bunch of time relative to using the big 4’x8’ plywood test board. It is also much easier to quickly switch out different test target boards in the stand in order to have different testing arrangements. Lastly, you can easily precisely level the vertical axis for calibration when mounting levels to scopes. This has been quite useful given how many levels I am messing with for the article on their use and is the reason for the new boards in the first place. I honestly doubt I will be bringing back the big 4’ x 8’ again.

View attachment 8134974
Leveling one of my new optical test boards

Lastly, the nVisti article…. You know, that article that sat around so long the company it was about merged requiring the article to be updated. It’s still not done because I still need now both information and approvals from others. This thing is becoming a never ending saga. I’m still waiting on updates from others to be able to get it up. You’ll get it when I do.

The ole' 711 stage at Rayners. Just dial a bunch of left, even if you don't see any wind. Lol.

 

[Gohring65]

Update 5-5-2023

I’ve been doing a lot of testing on the sub $1k scope review articles. Boy is there a lot more variance in performance this time around than with the last set. This is true both optically and mechanically. Obviously, this is a lot better for some of the scopes than others. It will make for some good reads when I’m done though and all the testing is humming along. I had a fun time at the range last weekend with the Arken, Optisan, and Primary arms scopes. Also, I continue to be super impressed with how good those Applied Ballistics custom models are right out of the gate. So many of the ones I have tested have been correct all the way out to transonic without any truing. This has not been my experience with ballistic models in the past.

View attachment 8134973
Arken EP-5 5-25x56 @700yds on the Kelbly Atlas

At the same time I’ve been working on the scope reviews I have also been doing the level use article. That article has me creating some alternate optical test boards. This has ended up staving me a bunch of time relative to using the big 4’x8’ plywood test board. It is also much easier to quickly switch out different test target boards in the stand in order to have different testing arrangements. Lastly, you can easily precisely level the vertical axis for calibration when mounting levels to scopes. This has been quite useful given how many levels I am messing with for the article on their use and is the reason for the new boards in the first place. I honestly doubt I will be bringing back the big 4’ x 8’ again.

View attachment 8134974
Leveling one of my new optical test boards

Lastly, the nVisti article…. You know, that article that sat around so long the company it was about merged requiring the article to be updated. It’s still not done because I still need now both information and approvals from others. This thing is becoming a never ending saga. I’m still waiting on updates from others to be able to get it up. You’ll get it when I do.

Did you already do a review of the Athlon helos gen2 6-24x56? Interested in your thoughts.

 

[newageroman]

great comparison so far. looking forward to the Sightron review.

 

[BigJimFish]

Did you already do a review of the Athlon helos gen2 6-24x56? Interested in your thoughts.

I have not checked that one out. Judging from the stats, Athlon is probably using a different OEM than the one used on the Midas TAC and Ares products I have reviewed in the past. As such, I don't think the optical performance of those products is probably much of a guide and I don't have an educated guess as to the Helos optical performance.

 

[Gohring65]

I have not checked that one out. Judging from the stats, Athlon is probably using a different OEM than the one used on the Midas TAC and Ares products I have reviewed in the past. As such, I don't think the optical performance of those products is probably much of a guide and I don't have an educated guess as to the Helos optical performance.

Looks like a great option in the sub 1k line up. There’s a couple reviews out there that shows glass is holding its own against the ep5, I have no doubts the tracking should be good given athlons QC standards and warranty.

 

[TheBigCountry]

Following

 

[BigJimFish]

The ole' 711 stage at Rayners. Just dial a bunch of left, even if you don't see any wind. Lol.

It's definitely a stage that questions the utility of any stationary wind meter at the shooter. That line of trees to the left of the shooter is a substantial wind break at the shooters position and the hill you are on itself creates currents at the top that are not representative of those flowing through the valleys. Add all this to the substantial depth of that valley resulting in your flight path being way off the ground for most of the shot and you have a recipe for poor wind calls. It does seem the that you reliably need to hold or dial a bunch more left than you think. It was pretty windy that last day we were out though so for once I wasn't surprised. I was still off a full mil to the right with my first shot.... I just wasn't surprised. I was already holding several mils and knew I was pretty much guessing.

BTW, the testing is done for the first several of the Sub $1k scopes for the year and I've started the write ups. Hopefully I can get the first one, the Arken EP-5, up before too long. I've been pleased with both the scope and the quality of the rings, level, and other stuff in the "combo pack" purchasers can elect to purchase with a discount code when they buy the scope from Arken.

 

[Scopeye]

Have the new MPED and pretty disappointed optically on high mag it's a no go according to my own eyes and prefer the Athlon Ares BTR much clearer on maximum magnification without the fog that the MPED exhibits on long distances past 800-1000 yards. Plus can't get past such mushy turrets on the MPED as well compared to the Athlons and the Arken EP5 turrets literally spank the MPED. I found the Bushnell lacking good resolution past around 24x or so in contrast compared to the Athlon Ares which is clear all the way to it's maximum magnification. I'd never consider ever buying an Athlon Helos due to it's inferior non HD glass for the price they charge but it's not as terrible cost ratio as the MPED cost to what you actually get and pretty disappointed spending $699.99 for it honestly the glass and turrets are sub par IMHO compared to my Athlon's and I think the Helos and MPED glass would probably be neck and neck if the Ares and Midas Tac optically smokes them both. It's Athlon's Midas Tac HD or bust for me when willingly buying anything Chinesium.

Really looking forward to the Primary Arms GLx 4.5-27x56 since it's not Chinese and let's see what their new improved ED glass looks like on maximum magnification. Hope it's at least better and have clearer glass than the Chinese Athlon Ares BTR which is the minimum high magnification scope my own eyes can actually tolerate without fatigue or giving me a headache like how Arkens or this new MPED on maximum magnification tend to do.

 

[Gohring65]

I have the helos 6-24 gen2 34mm and a ep5 and the helos gives up nothing to the Arken. It’s got slightly better glass and really good turrets. The glass in the gen 2 series’s is not the same glass as the argos/helos gen 1s. The helos is priced higher than the Arken so it’s to be expected. If I was going to buy another 500$ scope I’d have a hard time not choosing the helos gen 2.

 

[BigJimFish]

Really looking forward to the Primary Arms GLx 4.5-27x56 since it's not Chinese and let's see what their new improved ED glass looks like on maximum magnification. Hope it's at least better and have clearer glass than the Chinese Athlon Ares BTR which is the minimum high magnification scope my own eyes can actually tolerate without fatigue or giving me a headache like how Arkens or this new MPED on maximum magnification tend to do.

It will be a few months before the PA GLx reviews are up as I write and post in the order the scopes arrived and they were the 4th and 5th to arrive. However, I have tested them side by side with the Athlon Midas TAC which is only a hair different optically than the Ares BTR. The Midas TAC and Ares BTR are optically better than the PA GLx.

 

[Scopeye]

How do the GLx optically compare to the Burris XTR3s?

 

[newageroman]

I had an interesting discussion on saturday while painting targets at 1k. The dude riding cart was talking optics. I asked him what mag range he shot at for 1250 and such. He said around 18x usually and I guessed that it was to spot shots and he confirmed. he said he would sometimes zoom in to 30 or so but mostly 18x. This was also confirmed by another long rang mentor of mine I was chatting with about optics. Both of those guys just "assumed" that the optical clarity was somewhere in the middle of mag range. I know because I asked both of them very specifically which mag range do scope companies design their optical clarity for - both answered some form of "it doesn't matter its all good glass". Well it matters to me. I want to spend my $$$ on the best glass(and mag range) so I went to Sightron's contact page (not Faschistbook forum) and asked the engineer where the best optical clarity is and...

Hey Brandon,
Thanks for reaching out!
Yeah, on the SFP S6 5-30 your best power for ranging and such will be x30.
As far as rings go, we recommend whatever your comfortable with. We use American Defense MFG Recon mounts for our shows but have also used Warne in the past. Depends on preference.
Main point when mounting is to ensure you torque to 15-18inch lbs.

Very Respectfully

That may not be true for all mfgs but at least I know what to buy for Sigthron. Based on that and the fact that I can jsut barely spot shots with my current 20x scope I will most likely drop down to a cheaper 24x model and spend the other $ on a spotter scope or a CZ race pistol. My old one got trashed this Saturday when it rolled off the bench due to wind.

Just a note. I thought it was relevant since you will be testing Sightron specifically.
Hope all have a great week!

 

[LeftyJason]

I had an interesting discussion on saturday while painting targets at 1k. The dude riding cart was talking optics. I asked him what mag range he shot at for 1250 and such. He said around 18x usually and I guessed that it was to spot shots and he confirmed. he said he would sometimes zoom in to 30 or so but mostly 18x. This was also confirmed by another long rang mentor of mine I was chatting with about optics. Both of those guys just "assumed" that the optical clarity was somewhere in the middle of mag range. I know because I asked both of them very specifically which mag range do scope companies design their optical clarity for - both answered some form of "it doesn't matter its all good glass". Well it matters to me. I want to spend my $$$ on the best glass(and mag range) so I went to Sightron's contact page (not Faschistbook forum) and asked the engineer where the best optical clarity is and...

Hey Brandon,
Thanks for reaching out!
Yeah, on the SFP S6 5-30 your best power for ranging and such will be x30.
As far as rings go, we recommend whatever your comfortable with. We use American Defense MFG Recon mounts for our shows but have also used Warne in the past. Depends on preference.
Main point when mounting is to ensure you torque to 15-18inch lbs.

Very Respectfully

That may not be true for all mfgs but at least I know what to buy for Sigthron. Based on that and the fact that I can jsut barely spot shots with my current 20x scope I will most likely drop down to a cheaper 24x model and spend the other $ on a spotter scope or a CZ race pistol. My old one got trashed this Saturday when it rolled off the bench due to wind.

Just a note. I thought it was relevant since you will be testing Sightron specifically.
Hope all have a great week!

Could it also be for that specific scope he said that because it is second focal plane?

 

[Tx_Aggie]

Could it also be for that specific scope he said that because it is second focal plane?

^^This

The mention of ranging in reference to a SFP scope suggests that response was related to the reticle and had nothing to do with the scope's optical clarity. Especially since there's no mention of optical clarity at all.

 

[ma smith]

Gonna agree that letter is being read more as wish fulfillment , not read as to the words it says.

 

[newageroman]

Good point, they specialize in F class scopes, so that is a possiblity. I will check some other scope mfg and see what they say.
Edit: Crow don't taste very good, even with Sweet Baby Ray's BBQ sauce.
Sightron called me back and said that the optics were optimized evenly throughout the range.Saving for Glass (and the new Holosun)

 

[BigJimFish]

Update 6-17-2023



The Arken EP5 5-25x56 review is now live. Boy, this scope has really generated some sentiment on the Internet. I have heard everything from (paraphrasing but only slightly) “It’s almost as good as my ZCO” to “it’s like looking though a dirty coke bottle.” I can’t remember any optic this divisive since maybe the old IORs. I find this strange as I don’t think anything about either the company itself, or the scopes performance should illicit such hyperbole. I guess I really don’t understand the internet. If I did, I would probably have to be institutionalized though. For my part, I found the Arken a great value for the money and a pleasant scope to use but not one that immediately springs to mind as a comparison to a ZCO.

Plate rack though the Arken EP5 5-25x56

Next up on the review schedule will be the Primary Arms GLx scopes. I went a little out of order as the rings for the Bushy were behind schedule putting that review behind and I need to do some more testing on the Hi-Lux as well.

Lastly, I’ll be recording an EveryDay Sniper podcast next week with Frank on the Laser Rangefinding stuff I did last year. This will include the Leica Geovid Pro, Sig 10k, Sig BDX and nVisti facility tour and should go pretty deeply into the state of rangefinding in general today. If that goes well I may go back an podcast some other stuff such as the ~$2k scope review series and the sub $1k scopes this year and in the past.

 

[Gohring65]

Great review as always. I commented on the review page but not sure it went thru. I’m in zanesville and grew up a few miles from rayners. I know how far it is from Columbus to rayners and I know you put a lot of out of pocket money in to do this. But it really does help people choose scopes based on testing and unbiased research, not from shills or add/commercials from companies. I’d like to seen the helos gen2 in the line up, I truly believe it’s a sleeper scope that has a lot to offer for the price. Maybe in the future.

 

[BigJimFish]

I did an Everyday Sniper podcast Wednesday with Frank on the subject of laser rangefinding. We talk about recent trends and products in the industry. We discuss distance gains from improved signal processing, Applied Ballistics and nVisti, integration of ultrasonic wind meters, LOS wind technology, and ballistics integration. We also discuss the products I reviewed last year. These were the Leica Geovid Pro 32's, Sig Kilo 10k-ABS, and the Sig BDX system. Lastly, we discuss the Leica's update of the .com products to the new Leica Ballistics App.

 

[Scopeye]

Update 6-17-2023



The Arken EP5 5-25x56 review is now live. Boy, this scope has really generated some sentiment on the Internet. I have heard everything from (paraphrasing but only slightly) “It’s almost as good as my ZCO” to “it’s like looking though a dirty coke bottle.” I can’t remember any optic this divisive since maybe the old IORs. I find this strange as I don’t think anything about either the company itself, or the scopes performance should illicit such hyperbole. I guess I really don’t understand the internet. If I did, I would probably have to be institutionalized though. For my part, I found the Arken a great value for the money and a pleasant scope to use but not one that immediately springs to mind as a comparison to a ZCO.

View attachment 8164669
Plate rack though the Arken EP5 5-25x56

Next up on the review schedule will be the Primary Arms GLx scopes. I went a little out of order as the rings for the Bushy were behind schedule putting that review behind and I need to do some more testing on the Hi-Lux as well.

Lastly, I’ll be recording an EveryDay Sniper podcast next week with Frank on the Laser Rangefinding stuff I did last year. This will include the Leica Geovid Pro, Sig 10k, Sig BDX and nVisti facility tour and should go pretty deeply into the state of rangefinding in general today. If that goes well I may go back an podcast some other stuff such as the ~$2k scope review series and the sub $1k scopes this year and in the past.

Arken EP5 for $397 with current 25% off discount code may be a worthwhile budget scope buy for some if they aren't sensitive to eye fatigue and stress when using sub par glass. They supposedly use Japanese ED glass but according to my own eyes they don't really seem to be since they can't hold a candle to the glass used in my real Japanese made scopes including cheaper older non ED Japan made scopes. The Bushnell Match Pro ED also was a real disappointment for me and moreso due to it's much higher $699.99 price and its it's like the Arken EP5 glass which is not clear on it's higher magnification and image quality starts to go south past 24x plus even more disappointment with the Bushnell's Match Pro ED's mushy turrets. I should have just bought another superior lighter weight Chinese Athlon Ares BTR 4.5-27x50 for $565.49 at Walmart online or the Meopta Optika 6 4.5-30x56 MRAD RD for $799.99 DEMO at Scopelist or EuroOptic or $849.99 brand new from Sportsman's at least i/the Meopta is not made in China.

 

[EscapeVelocity]

Arken EP5 for $397 with current 25% off discount code may be a worthwhile budget scope buy for some if they aren't sensitive to eye fatigue and stress when using sub par glass. They supposedly use Japanese ED glass but according to my own eyes they don't really seem to be since they can't hold a candle to the glass used in my real Japanese made scopes including cheaper older non ED Japan made scopes. The Bushnell Match Pro ED also was a real disappointment for me and moreso due to it's much higher $699.99 price and its it's like the Arken EP5 glass which is not clear on it's higher magnification and image quality starts to go south past 24x plus even more disappointment with the Bushnell's Match Pro ED's mushy turrets. I should have just bought another superior lighter weight Chinese Athlon Ares BTR 4.5-27x50 for $565.49 at Walmart online or the Meopta Optika 6 4.5-30x56 MRAD RD for $799.99 DEMO at Scopelist or EuroOptic or $849.99 brand new from Sportsman's at least i/the Meopta is not made in China.

You my friend, want $2k quality on a $500 budget. I get it, you should probably just manage your expectations.

 

[Scopeye]

You my friend, want $2k quality on a $500 budget. I get it, you should probably just manage your expectations.

Simply want the absolute best bang for the buck in their respective price points and at least one that outshines the Chinese Athlon Ares BTR Gen 2 4.5-27x50 in the $565.49 price point.

I already own higher end scopes from March (which is in fact my favorite high end brand) Kahles Nightforce and Sightron SVIII Vortex and middle class Athlon Cronus Tract Toric Sightron SIIIs and a lot of lower end sub $1000 scopes. I've returned a lot of scopes for refund too. You actually won't believe how many I've returned and exchanged over the past decades even top of the line S&Bs Kahles and Leupolds.

 

[EscapeVelocity]

Simply want the absolute best bang for the buck in their respective price points and at least one that outshines the Chinese Athlon Ares BTR Gen 2 4.5-27x50 in the $565.49 price point.

I already own higher end scopes from March (which is in fact my favorite high end brand) Kahles Nightforce and Sightron SVIII Vortex and middle class Athlon Cronus Tract Toric Sightron SIIIs and a lot of lower end sub $1000 scopes. I've returned a lot of scopes for refund too. You actually won't believe how many I've returned and exchanged over the past decades even top of the line S&Bs Kahles and Leupolds.

No I believe it.

 

[VandelayIndustries]

I did an Everyday Sniper podcast Wednesday with Frank on the subject of laser rangefinding. We talk about recent trends and products in the industry. We discuss distance gains from improved signal processing, Applied Ballistics and nVisti, integration of ultrasonic wind meters, LOS wind technology, and ballistics integration. We also discuss the products I reviewed last year. These were the Leica Geovid Pro 32's, Sig Kilo 10k-ABS, and the Sig BDX system. Lastly, we discuss the Leica's update of the .com products to the new Leica Ballistics App.

Was it Bushnell that you said had something with wind integrated into LRF binos this year? I did some searching and didn’t find anything.

 

[BigJimFish]

Bushy showed a branded calipso ultrasonic wind meter at the show. It was not under NDA but also wasn't on a display. They said this will work with an upcoming AB rangefinder. They did not give me a time scale but it sounded like the not too distant future. They were quite clear that this will work with the rangefinder and be part of the calculations in the rangefinder and Bushy version of the AB app. I may have some more information on this before too long as I have some outstanding information requests in this vein.

 

[VandelayIndustries]

Bushy showed a branded calipso ultrasonic wind meter at the show. It was not under NDA but also wasn't on a display. They said this will work with an upcoming AB rangefinder. They did not give me a time scale but it sounded like the not too distant future. They were quite clear that this will work with the rangefinder and be part of the calculations in the rangefinder and Bushy version of the AB app. I may have some more information on this before too long as I have some outstanding information requests in this vein.

What kind of price point would you Guess this new technology will be at?

 

[BigJimFish]

What kind of price point would you Guess this new technology will be at?

Nobody has mentioned that. I expect the wind meter will be somewhere from $250-$300 based on what mini calipso wind meters run now. I expect for the functionality you will need AB elite but that it won't be any additional cost beyond the $150 that runs. These are all guesses though. Nobody as told me anything.

 

[BigJimFish]

Update 7-3-2023

I have a couple of updates related to the Everyday Sniper podcast.

First, I have learned a bit more related to calypso wind meter integration. In the future, there will be Calypso ultrasonic wind meters that can interface directly with rangefinders that have Applied Ballistics built in. This includes existing rangefinders from a variety of companies with AB built in. In this configuration, the rangefinders will automatically update the wind hold information with the wind from from the Calypso at the time of ranging. When these meters come out, I’ll be sure to pick one up and let you know how it interfaces with the Geovid Pros and Sig 10k’s.

The next update is a mistake I made regarding the calculation engine in the Sig 10k’s. I misunderstood and thought this engine was nVisti’s work. Sig was much more heavily involved in this development than I thought. All of the collaboration and players involved are pretty complicated. The central points are that the central team involved in this development work for Sig but your going to see more rangefinders in the future that have AB in them and calculating capabilities similar to that of the 10k. The 10k’s are the first in a generational change that will allow class 1 905nm laser products to have dramatically better performance than in the past based on improved laser rangefinding engines.

Next, I am adding a couple more review scopes to this years lineup. These are both from Riton Optics. The first will slot right into the sub $1k series. This is the 3 Primal 3-18x50mm crossover scope. This is a sub 30oz crossover hunting / precision rifle scope that is ffp, mil/mil, and has a zero stop. The other scope is a higher end, ~$2k Japanese made precision rifle scope with a huge magnification range. It is the 7 Conquer 4-32x56. Frank has been quite pleased with the performance of the Riton stuff that he has taken a look at so I’m excited to try these out.

 

[carbonbased]

@BigJimFish I listened to you that everyday sniper podcast and tried to read all your latest postings, but I haven’t seen an update on a thing we discussed (through forum posts and/or maybe pms).

The “thing” was a bino + remote windmeter combo that allowed remote changing of DoF from the shooting position (not getting up to recalibrate the windmeter). See my thread on this here.

Anyway, you had said you’d talk to nVisti (or whomever) about such things, and maybe you did and already reported extensively upon the subject and I’ve missed it.

 

[BigJimFish]

@BigJimFish I listened to you that everyday sniper podcast and tried to read all your latest postings, but I haven’t seen an update on a thing we discussed (through forum posts and/or maybe pms).

The “thing” was a bino + remote windmeter combo that allowed remote changing of DoF from the shooting position (not getting up to recalibrate the windmeter). See my thread on this here.

Anyway, you had said you’d talk to nVisti (or whomever) about such things, and maybe you did and already reported extensively upon the subject and I’ve missed it.

I think that there is more than one developmental path being taken with the calipso wind meters and their integration with AB enabled rangefinders. I expect that most of these directions, the ones that involve different companies specific ballistic applications, are under NDA. I expect this because the Bushy guys at Shot talked about their app being integrated with Calipso rangefinders. What I most recently spoke to Nick about was direct communication between future Calipso models and rangefinder units that have AB built in. In this mode, the rangefinder will work with the Calipso directly without having to re-work the smartphone application at all. Since the AB enabled rangefinders can do the ballistic calculations fully onboard they would just take the wind information at time of ranging and integrate that wind information from the Calypso into the ballistic calculation. In the scenario we initially spoke about the calypso is simply oriented in the direction of the target for this and has no compass itself. Lets call this the base usage, where you buy a future model of calypso that is enabled with communication hardware to interface with AB and plug it into pretty much any AB enabled rangefinder and get this base line wind functionality. It is my understanding that this will be independent of whichever AB enabled rangefinder brand you have. They all get the upgraded capability.


You, and many competitors want more than this though. If you want to change direction of fire without moving the meter or be able to que up a range card with many different shots and have this card update wind holds as the wind changes, the wind meter will need a compass and to do multiple targets with live updates there needs to be APP integration. I don't have any direct information on this and I don't expect to get any before actual products land on the market. However, I know this is on the minds of at least a couple of rangefinder brands and I have pushed for makers to interface directly with competitive shooters in order to orient their software workflow around the demands of competition shooters as I think this will drive overall sales.

 

[BigJimFish]

Update 8-14-2023

I have just posted the review of the Primary Arms Optics GLx 3-18x44 and 4.5-27x56 rifle scopes. My initial plan was to review just one of the GLx series. However, two arrived so I got to sample a bit more variety. Optically, they proved quite similar though so I combined them into a single review. This optical similarity is not uncommon for scopes in a single series. Often, scopes in a series share not only similar quality glass and manufacture at the same site, but even commonality in large parts of the optical system. For instance, It appears to me that these two GLx scopes likely have the same eyepiece design.

Zeroing the Primary Arms Optics GLx 3-18x44 on the Vudoo .22lr

 

[ToddM]

Love these reviews, and look forward to seeing how the Bushnell does. I feel like so often the first year or two these scopes come out they are hyped up and everyone is singing their praises and then a couple years down the road they don't live up to the early hype. The Vortex Strike Eagle is a great example. It would be a great $450-500 optic, but at $750-$800, the PST II spanks it optically, at least both copies I had for basically the same $.

Scary part is the Vortex Razor II 3-18x while long in the tooth and heavy has seen some scary low prices this year, approaching $1000, it's ~$1050 at optics planet right now and I've seen it under $1200 several times in the last few months. I've seen so many of these $500-$1000 scopes that at 25+ power that are so bad after 20x I never dial them past 15-20x anyway. The Vortex Strike eagle 5-25 that so many folks gushed about when it was new is horrible after about 15-18x, worse than a PST II which isn't spectacular to start with. When you consider how durable the Razor Gen 2's have been and all the features, I suspect it would probably be hard to find anything at the $1000 and under price tag that would significantly beat it's total package.

 

[BigJimFish]

Love these reviews, and look forward to seeing how the Bushnell does. I feel like so often the first year or two these scopes come out they are hyped up and everyone is singing their praises and then a couple years down the road they don't live up to the early hype. The Vortex Strike Eagle is a great example. It would be a great $450-500 optic, but at $750-$800, the PST II spanks it optically, at least both copies I had for basically the same $.

Scary part is the Vortex Razor II 3-18x while long in the tooth and heavy has seen some scary low prices this year, approaching $1000, it's ~$1050 at optics planet right now and I've seen it under $1200 several times in the last few months. I've seen so many of these $500-$1000 scopes that at 25+ power that are so bad after 20x I never dial them past 15-20x anyway. The Vortex Strike eagle 5-25 that so many folks gushed about when it was new is horrible after about 15-18x, worse than a PST II which isn't spectacular to start with. When you consider how durable the Razor Gen 2's have been and all the features, I suspect it would probably be hard to find anything at the $1000 and under price tag that would significantly beat it's total package.

The Bushy review will be coming up soon. I wasn't as blown away with it as I thought I might be but it is absolutely a solid choice. I thought it might own the class but it is more like one of several solid choices. I don't think there is really a dominant product in the class. Much like with the ~$2k products there are a number of good choices with different high points that will appeal to different users and use cases. I agree with you on many things having a lot of hype that simply don't live up too it. The Nikon Black fx1000 springs to mind. I can think of a few others as well but I have less personal experience with them and so should shut my mouth or I'll start to speculate without enough data.

It has been a number of years now since I reviewed a Vortex Razor HDII. My thoughts on it's optical performance vs. current stuff are based on a scope I compared to it back in the day that I have since compared to current gen stuff as the Razor review sample returned home long ago. I expect if I had one in hand today, I would find it's optical performance on the low side of the ~$2k scopes. Probably, it would be shy of the Leupold Mk 5HD and Bushy XRS3. I think optically, it would probably be closest to the Sig Tango6 of all the scopes I have looked at recently. This is my estimation.

Certainly, the Razor II's also have an excellent reputation for durability and nice, full featured turrets. If you can get one at around $1k your getting a great deal on a solid scope. I haven't reviewed anything around $1k that I think would be competitive in optics or features with the exception of weight. Since I don't see the Razor II 3-18x on the Vortex website any more I expect they are probably discontinued at this time and that may be the reason for the price. I can never tell what Vortex scopes are intended to sell for these days though. They drop an MSRP of $3.6k on Razor II's 4.5-27x56's and I wonder what they think of our intelligence. $3.6k is an alpha scope and Razor II's are not alpha scopes, at least not in 2023. Then, I hear about people frequently paying in the low $2k range and that sounds more reasonable but also means that the MSRP basically bears no relation to the actual price and is just serving to misinform people. Perhaps, they think they can just take the original $2.5k price from 2015 and apply inflation? There exists tremendously more competition now and that competition shows remarkable improvement in performance per dollar. Despite inflation, a Razor II today is clearly worth less, not more, than it was in 2015. That is how much improvement we have seen in the competition.

 

[ToddM]

All very true, the one thing I like is hearing about how new scopes compare to say something older that's popular like PST II's, or XTR II's is that so many of us have experience with them that it makes a good reference point. Granted obviously optic quality alone isn't everything, lots of things go into a good durable scope.

MSRP is a funny thing, I feel like some companies use it to try and hold the value of their products high through price alone, IE no sales, no discounts, etc. and there's so many people that fall back on most expensive must be best these days that highest price is automatically assumed to be best quality. Other companies seem to use it as a way to motivate sales through perceived discounts, IE "Wow $3600 MSRP for $2k, that's a great deal!"

 

["Kyltro"]

Make regular or garbage riflescope for $800 to force you to pay $3000, to have the standard of reliability that the industry imposes on us...