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Rifle Scopes Best ~$2k scope? NX8 4-32 vs. Razor Gen 2 vs. 50% Minox ZP5
- Thread starter Tac Beard
- Start date
Update:
Went ahead with the ZP5/MR4. It was a process, to be sure, but overall I’m glad I went this way. After a couple days on the range with it, I have some thoughts.
I had been concerned about the turret feel. My fears were quickly put to rest. These turrets feel great, pretty much exactly like the video that @wjm308 posted a while back. The checkering/knurling/whatever you call it is super aggressive and feels great, like 20lpi checkering on a 1911 frontstrap . They are very stiff, which is how I like it (TWSS). The windage turret is a bit stiffer than the elevation, but that doesn’t bother me in the least; it’s hard to imagine a scenario where it would move accidentally. There is a tiny bit of play, but the clicks are very distinct, and you absolutely can’t stop between clicks— on purpose or otherwise.
Minor turret gripe: I do wish the zero stop could be changed to something other than 0.7 under, just for some more flexibility. Having said that, it’s super easy to re-zero with a 2mm Allen wrench— loosen two screws, set the turret where you want it, and you’re done. Zero stop is permanently set and always 0.7 mils below your zero. I have 25.8 mils available elevation travel up from zero on a 20 MOA Seekins base.
The hated second-rev stiffness is present from about 13.5-14.2 mils. I don’t love it, but it doesn’t bother me. I can stop anywhere in that range on the first try without back-dialing. I guess I don’t see the problem with it. Especially since 13.2 gets me to 1200. One quick note, when I unboxed the scope, it was zeroed on the second rev. It hit a hard stop around 13 mils; first I thought it was the second-rev stiffness everyone talks about, then I saw the white second-rev indicator. Popped the turret off and fixed that issue in a few seconds.
Parallax seems very good, not quite set-and-forget, but far better than the NXS it replaced. The locking diopter is awesome.
Glass isn’t my area of expertise, but the eyebox is very forgiving and the scope is easy to get behind. Two days in a row the ZP5 allowed me to start shooting well before sunrise. The sight picture is bright and clear, better than anything I’ve seen in those conditions. My eyes couldn’t detect any CA whatsoever. FOV was outstanding, I could easily spot steel hits at 300 yards on 25x. Flip side of that, I made three hits on the 36”x36” gong at 1000 yards on 5x, just because. The reticle was awfully small, but the illumination helped a lot in the pre-dawn light.
Speaking of which, the illumination control sucks. Mushy, indistinct. It works, I guess, but it’s not up to the standard set by the rest of the controls. For what this thing costs, the illumination control is way subpar. Minox needs to fix this. The illumination itself is fine, though it’s not quite daylight bright on its highest setting. There’s no bleed-through at all. I’d like to have a green option, á la NF Digillum.
I like the MR4 reticle a lot, still getting used to it but no major issues yet. Maybe it’s a little thin against dark backdrops? Illumination helps. Love the center dot. I do wish the .2 mil hashes didn’t all look the same. This is something the Mil-C and XT do better IMO. Also, the L-shaped ranging figure in the upper right quadrant seems extraneous. It’s thin and hard to see, except when it’s blocking something else you’re trying to see. Maybe I’ll learn to use it and it won’t bother me. Hell, it doesn’t really bother me now, I’m just nitpicking.
Overall, I’m thrilled with the ZP5, and it seems like an incredible deal especially at 50% off. I feel like I stole an alpha scope. So that’s my mini-review, if I think of something else I’ll add it. Thanks to everyone who helped with my decision, you guys make SH a wealth of knowledge.
Went ahead with the ZP5/MR4. It was a process, to be sure, but overall I’m glad I went this way. After a couple days on the range with it, I have some thoughts.
I had been concerned about the turret feel. My fears were quickly put to rest. These turrets feel great, pretty much exactly like the video that @wjm308 posted a while back. The checkering/knurling/whatever you call it is super aggressive and feels great, like 20lpi checkering on a 1911 frontstrap . They are very stiff, which is how I like it (TWSS). The windage turret is a bit stiffer than the elevation, but that doesn’t bother me in the least; it’s hard to imagine a scenario where it would move accidentally. There is a tiny bit of play, but the clicks are very distinct, and you absolutely can’t stop between clicks— on purpose or otherwise.
Minor turret gripe: I do wish the zero stop could be changed to something other than 0.7 under, just for some more flexibility. Having said that, it’s super easy to re-zero with a 2mm Allen wrench— loosen two screws, set the turret where you want it, and you’re done. Zero stop is permanently set and always 0.7 mils below your zero. I have 25.8 mils available elevation travel up from zero on a 20 MOA Seekins base.
The hated second-rev stiffness is present from about 13.5-14.2 mils. I don’t love it, but it doesn’t bother me. I can stop anywhere in that range on the first try without back-dialing. I guess I don’t see the problem with it. Especially since 13.2 gets me to 1200. One quick note, when I unboxed the scope, it was zeroed on the second rev. It hit a hard stop around 13 mils; first I thought it was the second-rev stiffness everyone talks about, then I saw the white second-rev indicator. Popped the turret off and fixed that issue in a few seconds.
Parallax seems very good, not quite set-and-forget, but far better than the NXS it replaced. The locking diopter is awesome.
Glass isn’t my area of expertise, but the eyebox is very forgiving and the scope is easy to get behind. Two days in a row the ZP5 allowed me to start shooting well before sunrise. The sight picture is bright and clear, better than anything I’ve seen in those conditions. My eyes couldn’t detect any CA whatsoever. FOV was outstanding, I could easily spot steel hits at 300 yards on 25x. Flip side of that, I made three hits on the 36”x36” gong at 1000 yards on 5x, just because. The reticle was awfully small, but the illumination helped a lot in the pre-dawn light.
Speaking of which, the illumination control sucks. Mushy, indistinct. It works, I guess, but it’s not up to the standard set by the rest of the controls. For what this thing costs, the illumination control is way subpar. Minox needs to fix this. The illumination itself is fine, though it’s not quite daylight bright on its highest setting. There’s no bleed-through at all. I’d like to have a green option, á la NF Digillum.
I like the MR4 reticle a lot, still getting used to it but no major issues yet. Maybe it’s a little thin against dark backdrops? Illumination helps. Love the center dot. I do wish the .2 mil hashes didn’t all look the same. This is something the Mil-C and XT do better IMO. Also, the L-shaped ranging figure in the upper right quadrant seems extraneous. It’s thin and hard to see, except when it’s blocking something else you’re trying to see. Maybe I’ll learn to use it and it won’t bother me. Hell, it doesn’t really bother me now, I’m just nitpicking.
Overall, I’m thrilled with the ZP5, and it seems like an incredible deal especially at 50% off. I feel like I stole an alpha scope. So that’s my mini-review, if I think of something else I’ll add it. Thanks to everyone who helped with my decision, you guys make SH a wealth of knowledge.
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I don’t think I’m particularly lucky, I did a lot of research and went with what seemed to be the best scope for the money. Did you have a nightmare experience with one?
Haha, you're right about it not being luck but rather lots of research leading to the best option.
After seeing many people talk about their ZP5 the way you did, it makes me dislike mine even more. I've been having some trouble with it and will have to send it in once hunting season is over.
It is extremely difficult for me to get completely clear sight picture regardless of parallax/diopter adjustment. Sometimes I can get one quadrant to look very sharp but another quadrant looks real blurry. Eyebox is also very picky when it comes to my location behind the scope, and I mean extremely picky...
That’s a shame, hope they get you taken care of. The Blaser USA people I’ve talked to seem to be great.
There must be a lot of luck going around, mine is great too.
Lmfao, I was just messing around. These scopes are great optics. You all didn't get lucky, you guys got a quality scope that performs as it should.
I simply became unlucky is all...
I simply became unlucky is all...
Please let us know about your experience with customer service... it’d be good to know what to expect if our luck changes.
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