Re: Falcon menace or Leupold Scope
I have a box with a brand new 4.5-14x50mm LR/T sitting here. When comparing it to my Falcon 4-14x44FFP there is not enough of a difference to justify the price.
The optics are a wash. Both perform equally well in daylight and low-light. The Leupold has the option for an illuminated reticle. This is a consideration if you shoot at night a lot. The Falcon reticle is hard to pickup in low light at low magnification. If you don't shoot at night, it doesn't matter.
Both feel beefy and well constructed.
I prefer the feel of the turrets on the Falcon. They are more audible but less tactile compared to the Leupold. Much of this is personal preference. I also prefer the knob design on the Falcon. The drawback is the larger knobs can more easily spin in the drag bag. This isn't a problem if you check your zero when you pull the rifle out.
Lastly there is the SFP v. FFP argument. That is going to come down to personal preference. I like FFP. Less to worry about.
If it were me, I would choose the Falcon. While mine was on my work rifle I never considered switching to a Leupold. The Falcon worked well until it was replaced by my USO SN-3. Hopefully soon the Falcon will get mounted on my AR10. The Mk4 I have here is going on a department owned rifle. If it was my money I would have gone a different route, but the Mk4 is a LE Standard and is taught in many of the schools we attend, so that is what they wanted.