Rifle Scopes Arken SH4 Gen2 6-24x50 VPR MIL

I wonder if Arken will be allowed in the the club if they have Kenco or LOW build them a scope. ?
This China scope is a ground up build not a cookie cutter scope, but sticking a name on a Japanese oem is acceptable.
Don’t forget Razor and bushy elites are helping support China.
 
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You are only looking at glass. There is also illumination, how the controls feel, size, mag range, etc. The Mk5 is a straight pos with idiotic 10.5 mil turrets and costs way more if you get illumination. The AMG is more than $2000. The lrts is not illuminated and the knobs feel cheap. The dmrs aren't illuminated either.

I’m not saying the ep5 is better. Just that the more expensive scopes have shitty controls.
Why is 10.5 mil turrets idiotic? It makes it so you can have large whole numbers on the turret that don't overlap. It also uses an excellent 2nd and 3rd rev indicator so you always know where you are.
 
I feel like I’m having deja vu.

....yep, the drama is creeping back into the conversation 🤦‍♂️

...IMHO, when a review starts comparing one product to another, it becomes disingenuous. When a review focuses only on the merits of the item being reviewed it's more meaningful, to me at least. I could never afford a $3K scope so it's a moot point to me if the product compares to brand X $3K scope....I want to know what are the pros & cons of the item being reviewed are, i.e., "very clear at the X-to-X range but 'whatever' at Z-to-Z range"., "click spacing good/bad", etc.
 
....yep, the drama is creeping back into the conversation 🤦‍♂️

...IMHO, when a review starts comparing one product to another, it becomes disingenuous. When a review focuses only on the merits of the item being reviewed it's more meaningful, to me at least. I could never afford a $3K scope so it's a moot point to me if the product compares to brand X $3K scope....I want to know what are the pros & cons of the item being reviewed are, i.e., "very clear at the X-to-X range but 'whatever' at Z-to-Z range"., "click spacing good/bad", etc.
I dont think there's an issue with objective comparisons of scopes in different price points.

Athlon Cronus was repeatedly compared to the Nightforce when I did my research before buying one, and its still brought up as a common comparison here.. There is a point where someone will ask "I get that the more expensive one is better but is it $1,000+ better?"

There's a lot of guys who dont compete or shoot professionally, so in many cases, they probably aren't getting $1000+ worth of value in the more expensive scope, and for most of us watching the reviews, it helps solidify how much value an "inferior" product may have for the average shooter.

Like it or not, the chinese scopes on the market (or Japanese LOW) are bringing more expensive features, and higher quality product, to shooters who could never get into that kind of product to begin with, like the $3000 scopes you've mentioned, and sometimes its nice to know that they punch above their weight class in the overall value.
 
To which scopes in the $1000-2000 range does it lose and how?
Right off the bat...Bushnell Elite Tactical DMR2/DMR3/LRTS...Leupold Mark5HD...NF NX8

I love my Arken SH4 Gen 2 4-16...but Arken isn't going to beat these guys on performance alone...when you factory in dollars and what you are getting...the Arken is one tough to beat optic...and I am in the camp of...my SH4 Gen 2 costs $400...and for $400 bucks I am getting a TON OF VALUE with some of the best turrets I've felt and I am hard pressed to spend an extra $1000 to gain maybe 5-10% in glass...

Now if I am a competitive shooter and I earn a living doing it...I would need that 5-10% advantage...but I have said this over and over...the last few years some of these value driven optics have really closed the gap to mid tier optics AS LONG AS it is the RIGHT mag range with the proper erector design...

Take Arken 6-24 vs the 4-16...the 4-16 will spank it all day in the glass department...essentially the same optic but the mag range/erector is better optimized...

I actually prefer my Arken 4-16 over my M5XI 3-15...but my goodness I wish I had my old 3-12 LRTS non-illuminated scope back...best freaking bang for your buck optic...Bushnell never should have discontinued it...
 
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Why is 10.5 mil turrets idiotic? It makes it so you can have large whole numbers on the turret that don't overlap. It also uses an excellent 2nd and 3rd rev indicator so you always know where you are.

It’s not intuitive. All those numbers are a mess. And the turret clicks aren’t all that great. It’s a C plus scope worth no more than $1250. Overpriced piece of shit.
 
That’s right. You don’t think.
Do you really not know DMR2 has an illuminated reticle? If you don't even know what you're talking about what relevance is your opinion? Your other point is "knobs feel cheap" for the other Bushy. Wow, great contribution! Very insightful!

You're making false statements and have demonstrated you don't know what you're talking about.
It’s not intuitive. All those numbers are a mess.
I bet simple numbers are a hard thing for you.
 
Right off the bat...Bushnell Elite Tactical DMR2/DMR3/LRTS...Leupold Mark5HD...NF NX8

NF FFP NX8 and Leupold are more than $2000. Leupold with illumination is even more expensive. Current Bushnells are without illumination and the turrets and reticles aren’t all that great. Yeah the glass is a little better but at 3 times the price?
 
Do you really not know DMR2 has an illuminated reticle? If you don't even know what you're talking about what relevance is your opinion? Your other point is "knobs feel cheap" for the other Bushy. Wow, great contribution! Very insightful!

You're stating simply false statements and have demonstrated you don't have knowledge of what you're talking about.

I bet simple numbers are a hard thing for you.

As reading comprehension is for you
 
I will admit that... 10.5 MIL revs on a turret is stupid. Just make it 10 like everyone else. Who wants more shit to keep up with mentally while shooting? Seems counterproductive to what they were trying to accomplish.
 
NF FFP NX8 and Leupold are more than $2000. Leupold with illumination is even more expensive. Current Bushnells are without illumination and the turrets and reticles aren’t all that great. Yeah the glass is a little better but at 3 times the price?
Did you bother to read my whole response to that or just selecting certain things of a response?

I wouldn't and won't buy high end optics new ever never again...optic prices tank way too fast and I'll wait for a good deal online when I am ready to get one...however this Arken I got is going to keep me going for a loooooong time.
 
Did you bother to read my whole response to that or just selecting certain things of a response?

I read your whole response. I am taking issue with you moving the goal posts in that you included mid-$2000 scopes and scopes that do not directly compare to the EP5.

If $2000 is a price limit, let’s stick to it. Also, let’s compare apples to apples and exclude scopes that don’t go up to 25x or compare them all at the same common magnification.
 
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Like everyone else? Everyone?
Leupold 10.5
ZCO 15
ATACR 12
Minox ZP5 15
PMII 14
Xtr3 pro 12
Khales 16
M7Xi 15
Nobody ever claimed that everyone who designs top-tier scopes is smart... Numbers like 5, 10, 15, 20...These are easy to keep up with. 10.5, 12, 14, 16... All stupid random numbers. At least ZCO, Steiner, and Minox were smart enough to make even numbered revs. 🤣

As much as I love Kahles and NF scopes, that's just stupid odd turret rev numbers. Personal opinion... Is what it is.
 
Never heard of this guy before, but YT just recommended them randomly...They're pretty interesting. The EP5 is noticeably better than the SH4 in this video. Makes me excited to get mine, if it will ever ship!?!?!?


 
Good point. They should take notes from $400 Chinese scopes sweeping the competition circuits.
No, they should take notes from common fucking sense, instead of constantly competing with each other to 1-up the next, which is how you end up with a 10.5 MIL turret revolution. We can't be standard like everyone else with 10 MILs, we gotta 1-up everyone and be unique. 10.5 Mils... "Oh man ZCO is only doing 15 MIL turrets...We'd better do 16 MILs...Even though it's more math to keep up in your head while shooting, we still one-upped those bastards!" That's some bubba math bullshit. 🤣
 
I don't see any difference in the arken scopes
What I saw in the video, the EP5 was a lot sharper and crisper throughout the mag range. Also, WAY less CA around the edges when he was shaking with the camera. And the eye box seemed slightly more relaxed on the EP5, than the SH4 Gen2.

Maybe it was just me? Could have been his camera? 🤷🏼
 
What I saw in the video, the EP5 was a lot sharper and crisper throughout the mag range. Also, WAY less CA around the edges when he was shaking with the camera. And the eye box seemed slightly more relaxed on the EP5, than the SH4 Gen2.

Maybe it was just me? Could have been his camera? 🤷🏼
when he had the ep5, the camera much more still and centered but not with the sh4 and I think that created a slight distortion with the sh4 when comparing. I think some is the placebo effect here to be honest. both were pretty clear through the magnification settings. I actually saw the screw he was talking about better with the sh4 when he centered it properly. I'm sure the ep5 is more clear but I just didn't see that much of a difference to jump and down about but again, it's not live
 
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when he had the ep5, the camera much more still and centered but not with the sh4 and I think that created a slight distortion with the sh4 when comparing. I think some is the placebo effect here to be honest. both were pretty clear through the magnification settings. I actually saw the screw he was talking about better with the sh4 when he centered it properly. I'm sure the ep5 is more clear but I just didn't see that much of a difference to jump and down about but again, it's not live
Exactly... Until mine comes in and I can compare it personally side-by-side, I'm not going to say what is or ain't... That's just how it appeared in the video.
 
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Never heard of this guy before, but YT just recommended them randomly...They're pretty interesting. The EP5 is noticeably better than the SH4 in this video. Makes me excited to get mine, if it will ever ship!?!?!?



That’s the video I asked about earlier either in this or the other Arken thread.

Also, the recommendation isn’t random at all, it’s based on your browsing history and cookie data. It’s what I do for work.

Odds are most guys reading this thread or visiting arken’s site will likely be served up that video on YT.
 
Looks like eye box played a big factor in the CA. Which makes sense. The guy seems straight up, I’ve seen him on Facebook quite a bit. One could argue if the Nightforce is worth the extra coin for the intended purpose, but it’s noticeably better, it was much easier for him to get lined up with the Nightforce. Which I’m not surprised. For 2500$ I’m sure they spent a lot of time lining up the assembly for a good eye box.
Apples to oranges though.
Arken needs to have one built in Japan priced in the 2500$ range before I could take the review seriously. No disrespect to Bob, he’s trying to get us some good data.
Tracking
Tracking
Tracking
I never bought my SWFAs because of the stellar glass.
Arken has caused me to buy more rifles.
 
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....yep, the drama is creeping back into the conversation 🤦‍♂️

...IMHO, when a review starts comparing one product to another, it becomes disingenuous. When a review focuses only on the merits of the item being reviewed it's more meaningful, to me at least. I could never afford a $3K scope so it's a moot point to me if the product compares to brand X $3K scope....I want to know what are the pros & cons of the item being reviewed are, i.e., "very clear at the X-to-X range but 'whatever' at Z-to-Z range"., "click spacing good/bad", etc.
I agree but unfortunately “value” is merited based off a control or standard, so folks compare to some measure of control. This is frequently and naturally a competitor’s product. Of course, depending on how high the bar, panties will get in a wad with varying degrees of rage based on the opinion. Bottom line has been stated again and again, and I feel, most everyone is in agreement it’s a good buy.
 
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No, they should take notes from common fucking sense, instead of constantly competing with each other to 1-up the next, which is how you end up with a 10.5 MIL turret revolution. We can't be standard like everyone else with 10 MILs, we gotta 1-up everyone and be unique. 10.5 Mils... "Oh man ZCO is only doing 15 MIL turrets...We'd better do 16 MILs...Even though it's more math to keep up in your head while shooting, we still one-upped those bastards!" That's some bubba math bullshit. 🤣
What math is there? The number is labeled right on the turret. You look up, the big number says 16. Ok time to do some quick math. What mil am I on......it says 16....but I have to do math..... 14 plus 2..... Oh wait, it's labeled 16. I think even Bubba can figure that one out.
 
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How many mils per revolution on the SH Arkens ?
Actually your point is invalid... In my VERY FIRST post on this thread, I stated that was something I was not a fan of, and thought was stupid. So...Yeah... Good luck trying to pin that argument. 🤣

The SH is 8, but the EP4 and EP5 scopes are 10 MILs per rev.
 
I purchased the same date and I haven't either. I reached out to them for an update in which they said I was still in the lead time window, but they plan to be on time.
Yeah, last week I commented on an IG post, and they said, "Oh, you're still within the 2-4 week window..." Not gonna lie, that generic bullshit response ticked me off pretty good.

I'm not anybody special, but you could at least tell me around what purchase dates are currently being shipped, so I have a general idea of where they're at. 🙄
 
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Yeah, last week I commented on an IG post, and they said, "Oh, you're still within the 2-4 week window..." Not gonna lie, that generic bullshit response ticked me off pretty good.

I'm not anybody special, but you could at least tell me around what purchase dates are currently being shipped, so I have a general idea of where they're at. 🙄
I believe I saw that the MOA versions are shipping all the way up to 12/31 on order dates, but the Mil versions are still around the 12/24 dates.
 
Looks like Bob put out a new video...

EP5 at about 1,500 yards... He says 1 Mile, which he's only about 300 yards shy, but still, I think he should have said 1,500 yards instead of 1 mile. But that's my personal opinion. I know he was guesstimating, but I think he was exaggerating a bit for the view clicks... He seems to be growing quickly for putting out Arken videos. So... That's probably what's driving it.

 
Well, my Arken 1.26" rings for my AR10 showed up earlier today. They are some damn nice looking rings! Pretty solid for $59. However, they're going in the scope parts bin for now. Shortly after they arrived, I got an email from Primary Arms poking & enticing me about the Magpul PRS 3 stock I'd been looking at on their site. On sale for $200!! Rotten enabling fuckers!!!😈

Long story short, PRS 3 stock will be here Wednesday......
How do you like your new Magpul stock
 
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I got to finally try my buddy's Arken yesterday. The swag pack it comes with, flip caps, rings, throw lever etc all pretty good value for the money. If you want "best of the best", its not coming free with a $500 scope, but for plenty of people who cant outshoot their existing setup, it will be adequate gear.

glass quality, compared it to the athlon ares, on his Arken, we could see CA even at low magnification, however, outside of that, I thought it was decent scope for the money. Im no pro scope reviewer but I liked the turrets (big, textured, audible click - not the loudest), and the extra large font on them will likely please some as well. On lowest power, I did struggle a little to see the reticle as a little blurry and smallish but maybe thats something that was setup for my buddy's blind glasses wearing self once I got to fondling it.

If you didnt have a better scope to compare to, you wouldnt pick it up and think its junk by any means. This isnt a simmons.
 
How do you like your new Magpul stock
Pretty decent. Definitely good adjustability and I'm getting a good cheek weld now. It did add a couple pounds though LOL. Between the arken scope and the prs-3 stock, that pig weighs in at 19 pounds even, whole case about 35lb.
20220128_231442.jpg
 
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I got to finally try my buddy's Arken yesterday. The swag pack it comes with, flip caps, rings, throw lever etc all pretty good value for the money. If you want "best of the best", its not coming free with a $500 scope, but for plenty of people who cant outshoot their existing setup, it will be adequate gear.

glass quality, compared it to the athlon ares, on his Arken, we could see CA even at low magnification, however, outside of that, I thought it was decent scope for the money. Im no pro scope reviewer but I liked the turrets (big, textured, audible click - not the loudest), and the extra large font on them will likely please some as well. On lowest power, I did struggle a little to see the reticle as a little blurry and smallish but maybe thats something that was setup for my buddy's blind glasses wearing self once I got to fondling it.

If you didnt have a better scope to compare to, you wouldnt pick it up and think its junk by any means. This isnt a simmons.
What I just read, sounded like, "If you're a broke ignorant hillbilly who's used to Tasco & BSA, you'll think it's great, and won't realize that it's really a piece of shit..." 🤣
 
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What I just read, sounded like, "If you're a broke ignorant hillbilly who's used to Tasco & BSA, you'll think it's great, and won't realize that it's really a piece of shit..." 🤣
I think there's some point where people do need to step back, and acknowledge that this is still a $500 scope, and set their expectations accordingly. There are still minimum costs on certain components, and no amount of marketing budget that other larger companies have will change that. You can only squeeze $500 in so many ways, to get "max value" out of it for the consumer, and still be profitable.
 
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