Precision Rifle Gear Arken 4-16 for lightweight .308?

[MotleyDemolisher]

Relatively new to firearms, and not particularly financially well-off. I’m setting up a Smith and Wesson M&P 10 18” .308 rifle as a (relatively) lightweight hunting rifle/SAPR. Looking for optics options that give me a broad magnification range without breaking the bank. At less than $500 the arken optics EPL 4 4-16x seems almost too good to be true. Anyone have any experience with it, especially in regards to durability and customer service? I’d also consider a durable, lightweight 3-18 magnification FFP scope at under $1000 but from searching forums there don’t seem to be too many of those that people aren’t complaining loudly about.

 

[FuhQ]

Relatively new to firearms, and not particularly financially well-off. I’m setting up a Smith and Wesson M&P 10 18” .308 rifle as a (relatively) lightweight hunting rifle/SAPR. Looking for optics options that give me a broad magnification range without breaking the bank. At less than $500 the arken optics EPL 4 4-16x seems almost too good to be true. Anyone have any experience with it, especially in regards to durability and customer service? I’d also consider a durable, lightweight 3-18 magnification FFP scope at under $1000 but from searching forums there don’t seem to be too many of those that people aren’t complaining loudly about.

I own an EPL4, it’s junk. The first one has terrible CA, and so did the replacement scope. Not impressed for the money, like I was with my EP5.

Get this instead. I have several of these as well. You won’t beat it at the sale price.

Burris Xtreme Tactical XTR II 5-25x50 Illum SCR Mil Scope 201051

Burris Xtreme Tactical XTR II 5-25x50 SCR Mil Scope 201051 | Only at EuroOptic.com!

www.eurooptic.com

Or, if you want 3.3-18x50, you won’t beat this one on sale either…

Burris Xtreme Tactical XTR III 3.3-18x50mm Non Illum SCR MIL, XT-100, MRAD Windage Matte Riflescope 201200

FREE SHIPPING on Burris Xtreme Tactical XTR III 3.3-18x50mm Non Illum SCR MIL, XT-100, MAD Windage Matte Riflescope 201200

www.eurooptic.com

Both are under your max budget, and are exponentially better optics over the Arkens. For reference, I own 5 Arkens…At least one of each model.

 

[Ape_Factory]

I have the Arken EPL4 as well and I'm a bit disappointed but I purchased solely for paper punching/load development. Take a look at the Athlon Helos Gen 2 2-12x44. Really good reticle for hunting, good glass quality and fairly light.

I have a Meopta Optika6 3-18x50 on my .308 gas gun and I absolutely love that scope for it's reticle (MRAD RD), clarity and brightness. But it isn't super lightweight or small being a tad longer than the Burris, same weight but has illumination. It's actually a hair longer than my Athlon Cronus BTR Gen 2 4.5-29x50. It's just always a pleasure to get behind and I get zero eye fatigue with it. If I go hunting, I'll switch to the 2-12 which has a 1MOA center dot and is lighter.

 

[MotleyDemolisher]

I have the Arken EPL4 as well and I'm a bit disappointed but I purchased solely for paper punching/load development. Take a look at the Athlon Helos Gen 2 2-12x44. Really good reticle for hunting, good glass quality and fairly light.

I have a Meopta Optika6 3-18x50 on my .308 gas gun and I absolutely love that scope for it's reticle (MRAD RD), clarity and brightness. But it isn't super lightweight or small being a tad longer than the Burris, same weight but has illumination. It's actually a hair longer than my Athlon Cronus BTR Gen 2 4.5-29x50. It's just always a pleasure to get behind and I get zero eye fatigue with it. If I go hunting, I'll switch to the 2-12 which has a 1MOA center dot and is lighter.

I own an EPL4, it’s junk. The first one has terrible CA, and so did the replacement scope. Not impressed for the money, like I was with my EP5.

Get this instead. I have several of these as well. You won’t beat it at the sale price.

Burris Xtreme Tactical XTR II 5-25x50 Illum SCR Mil Scope 201051

Burris Xtreme Tactical XTR II 5-25x50 SCR Mil Scope 201051 | Only at EuroOptic.com!

www.eurooptic.com

Or, if you want 3.3-18x50, you won’t beat this one on sale either…

Burris Xtreme Tactical XTR III 3.3-18x50mm Non Illum SCR MIL, XT-100, MRAD Windage Matte Riflescope 201200

FREE SHIPPING on Burris Xtreme Tactical XTR III 3.3-18x50mm Non Illum SCR MIL, XT-100, MAD Windage Matte Riflescope 201200

www.eurooptic.com

Both are under your max budget, and are exponentially better optics over the Arkens. For reference, I own 5 Arkens…At least one of each model.

Thank you both very much for sharing your experience and for the scope recommendations. This time I think I’m going to cheap out and go for the athlon 2-12, for the sake of price and weight (which are my primary considerations for setting up my hunting rifle), and the fact I wouldn’t feel bad about putting it on my 16” AR-15 one day if I can ever afford a nightforce 2.5-20 to put on my ar-10. I’m definitely going to keep the Burris and Meopta optics in mind for if I get into long range precision rifle shooting with a high-powered bolt gun from a bench rest one day, as the weight won’t be as much of a limiting factor for that philosophy of use. Once again, thanks for taking the time out of your days to help a newb not waste his limited funds, I appreciate it.

 

[MotleyDemolisher]

I have the Arken EPL4 as well and I'm a bit disappointed but I purchased solely for paper punching/load development. Take a look at the Athlon Helos Gen 2 2-12x44. Really good reticle for hunting, good glass quality and fairly light.

I have a Meopta Optika6 3-18x50 on my .308 gas gun and I absolutely love that scope for it's reticle (MRAD RD), clarity and brightness. But it isn't super lightweight or small being a tad longer than the Burris, same weight but has illumination. It's actually a hair longer than my Athlon Cronus BTR Gen 2 4.5-29x50. It's just always a pleasure to get behind and I get zero eye fatigue with it. If I go hunting, I'll switch to the 2-12 which has a 1MOA center dot and is lighter.

Sorry to ping you again, but what kind of scope rings do you use for the Helos? Never set up a scope before and the terminology is a bit confusing. Don’t want to guess wrong about optic height and not sure what they mean about MOA when they’re talking about the mounts.

 

[Ape_Factory]

I'm a one-piece kind of guy. I have a few different ones, most are expensive. For a 308, I'd get something a bit beefier. Primary Arms makes a very good scope mount with their PLx line. It's still very light weight at under 6oz. but is built like a tank. I just got one to go with my PLXc 1-8x24 and am very impressed with it. You'll need 30mm scope "rings". MOA is often built in and it's an actual slope to the scope. You'll want a 0 MOA mount like the one below.

Home

DetailsAs part of the PLx line, these 30mm mounts meet the exacting demands of professional use, offering impeccable craftsmanship and advanced features.PLx Scope Mounts are 100% US-made from 7075 Aluminum and feature grade 12.9 steel hardware with a proprietary Electroless Nickel coating for...

www.primaryarms.com

Other than that, I use a Scalarworks LEAP 08 on the 308 gas gun but it's pricey, round $400. I've used less expensive mounts like the Aero Precision but the 308 can be pretty hard on those.

You'll like the 2-12. Does everything right EXCEPT the center dot is too large for getting really small groupings on paper (like when developing a hand load) since it's a 1MOA dot (size of the dot, what it would cover up at 100 yards). Other than that, in the real world, it'll do well on the 308 and the AR. I do feel the reticle is a bit thick with illumination set high but again, it's a hunting scope and does very well in that roll as it would hitting steel, etc...Plus I never really use illumination on high so there's that!

 

[FuhQ]

Sorry to ping you again, but what kind of scope rings do you use for the Helos? Never set up a scope before and the terminology is a bit confusing. Don’t want to guess wrong about optic height and not sure what they mean about MOA when they’re talking about the mounts.

You didn’t tag me, but I can help. I’ve been doing my own scope mounting my whole life. Get a nice torque wrench (inch-lbs)…I recommend a set of Fix-It-Sticks. Get a nice proper set of levels (also Fix-It-Sticks brand). And the easiest rings to learn how to mount and level a scope in are the American Rifle Company M-Brace rings & 1-piece mount. They use 55 inch-pounds for both the cap screw and base screw (to keep it simple), and the scope doesn’t twist when torquing-down the cap screws (due to the design). They’re amazing rings & mounts, too. Midway USA sells them.

 

[Ape_Factory]

I can second FuhQ's recommendation of the ARC mounts. I use the one piece mount on my bolt 308 and it's exceptional but admittedly heavy. The separate rings are likely quite a bit lighter.

 

[MotleyDemolisher]

You didn’t tag me, but I can help. I’ve been doing my own scope mounting my whole life. Get a nice torque wrench (inch-lbs)…I recommend a set of Fix-It-Sticks. Get a nice proper set of levels (also Fix-It-Sticks brand). And the easiest rings to learn how to mount and level a scope in are the American Rifle Company M-Brace rings & 1-piece mount. They use 55 inch-pounds for both the cap screw and base screw (to keep it simple), and the scope doesn’t twist when torquing-down the cap screws (due to the design). They’re amazing rings & mounts, too. Midway USA sells them.

I can second FuhQ's recommendation of the ARC mounts. I use the one piece mount on my bolt 308 and it's exceptional but admittedly heavy. The separate rings are likely quite a bit lighter.

You guys have given me a lot of helpful information to get started, I really appreciate it. Thanks in particular for mentioning a torque wrench, I didn’t know I would need that. I’ll check out the rings you guys have recommended and see what works for my set up. I’ll probably post back in this thread in a month or so once I’ve had a few trips to the range to give my thoughts on the setup to you guys and anyone else who might be interested.

 

[FuhQ]

You guys have given me a lot of helpful information to get started, I really appreciate it. Thanks in particular for mentioning a torque wrench, I didn’t know I would need that. I’ll check out the rings you guys have recommended and see what works for my set up. I’ll probably post back in this thread in a month or so once I’ve had a few trips to the range to give my thoughts on the setup to you guys and anyone else who might be interested.

Also, when you torque, work your way up… Like 10 in-lbs, then 25, then 45, then finally 55.

Also, every set of rings and every scope has their own torque specs. Every manufacturer should have them listed on their packaging, the rings themselves, or their website. Don’t overtorque. For example, some rings might say 20-25 in-lbs., but the scope you’re mounting might say to not exceed 18 in-lbs. When using traditional 2-piece capped rings, follow the scope manufacturer’s specs. When using the ARC M-Brace rings, use 55 in-lbs. regardless of the scope manufacturers specs, because the design of the rings evenly distributes pressure around the entire tube, not just from top-to-bottom and putting vertical pressure on the tube, like traditional rings. This is why using traditional rings you follow the scopes specs, but with ARC rings, you always use 55 in-lbs regardless of the scope’s specs.

 

[Ape_Factory]

One thing I forgot to mention, you may need the canted mount like the Primary Arms to get the proper eye relief on a gas gun. The ARC may work, just not 100% sure.

Here's a photo of the Arken on top and the Athlon on the bottom. The flip caps on the Athlon make it seem a bit longer than it is.

 

[MotleyDemolisher]

Thanks for following up. I did a bit of research myself and found that consensus in other threads here. Ended up pulling the trigger on a warne precision cantilever msr mount as the primary arms mount was a month or so out on their website and the warne mount was barely heavier and a little bit cheaper when bundled with the scope on optics planet.

 

[Salinas]

Quite happy with my 4-16. I will put it up against similar vortex or bushnell optics anyday

 

[Yondering]

Also, when you torque, work your way up… Like 10 in-lbs, then 25, then 45, then finally 55.

Just a comment on this - don't creep up on the final torque in small increments; it can put your clamp load all over the place, the "stiction" (static friction) can cause a lot of variation when you're trying to adjust torque in small amounts. My method usually is to just go to about 75% of the torque target, then 100%.

Also unless the scope ring/mount manufacturer specifically says not to, I recommend always using a dab of blue Loctite 243 on each screw. Most of the time I'll degrease them too by soaking in lacquer thinner or carb cleaner to get the oil out of the threads. Even if you're not concerned with keeping the screws tight though (in which case you can skip the degreasing step) the Loctite gives more consistent torque-tension results.

I was the fastener testing guy for a major truck manufacturer in a previous job, so I did a lot of torque-tension studies; take that for what it's worth.

BTW, thanks for the link on the XTR II - dang it, there goes another $600....

 

[K2e2vin]

Or, if you want 3.3-18x50, you won’t beat this one on sale either…

Burris Xtreme Tactical XTR III 3.3-18x50mm Non Illum SCR MIL, XT-100, MRAD Windage Matte Riflescope 201200

FREE SHIPPING on Burris Xtreme Tactical XTR III 3.3-18x50mm Non Illum SCR MIL, XT-100, MAD Windage Matte Riflescope 201200

www.eurooptic.com

This is what's on my M&P10 right now(illuminated version though). Scopes I've had on it prior:
Athlon 2-12x Helos BTR G2. Dot too big
PA GLX 4-16x: wasn't happy with eyebox and Chevron didn't work out for type of shooting I did.
Athlon Midas TAC 5-25: More scope than needed/bulky
Arken EP5: Same as above but also because it's a tank! Too heavy
PA PLXc 1-8x: not enough magnification and reticle doesn't work too well for the ranges I was shooting...works better for close work. It sat on my 6.5G AR-15 until I traded it for a Vortex LHT to put on another rifle.

Right now I don't see that XTR3i coming off the rifle any time soon.