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Introducing The 5-30x56 Match Pro ED
- Thread starter Team RCBS & Bushnell
- Start date
This scope is just the ticket for my CZ, over the LRHS2 I’m using now. I’d like the extra magnification for the smaller and farther targets. I’ve just got to move a couple unused optics first. The contracting economy says I should do that.
I expedited shipping in hopes to get a little review out before the weekend. I'll post some thoughts when it gets here (looks like on Monday).
I have a credit with bushnell, match pro ED is the only thing that interest me but from what I understood I couldn't use the credit on it because of demand so I'll be waiting.
They shipped mine same day, I got it in 3 days.
I will have to wait, I have two work travels coming up
Well here is my copy. 29.5 mil of elevation travel. Smooth magnification ring, not too tight. Turrets are not as crisp or loud as an arken. 1/4 click of play in the turrets. Turrets are locking. Came with a sunshade, allen keys etc, and a lens cloth.
Plain cardboard box.
Putting it on a tactacam fts soon for some photos.
Update looks like my tactacam fts don't like this scope, won't align properly. I think it's the fts problem. Works with some scope but not others.
Plain cardboard box.
Putting it on a tactacam fts soon for some photos.
Update looks like my tactacam fts don't like this scope, won't align properly. I think it's the fts problem. Works with some scope but not others.
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Nice. I would be interested in a comparison between this, the Arken, and the Strike Eagle 5-25 if you have those.
I mounted mine up today and started a quick load development before a match tomorrow. So far I'm really impressed with it. The glass is great, although tomorrow I'll have it out to 1k and give my thoughts then too. There are a lot of features in this thing. You'll especially like it if you like the Elite series because it reminded me of the DMRs, and XTRs that I've had. If tomorrow goes well I'm going to order another
Attachments
I do not have an Arken, but I have a couple Strike Eagles and Gen2 PSTs. the Bushnell glass is noticeably better/clearer than the Strike Eagles. The Bushnell is on par with the my PST Gen 2's glass. Of course everyone's eyes are different. I only took it and sighted in and left at 100, I ran out of time and couldn't take it out to look at 100-400. I had a friend look through, and I asked for opinion (before I gave him mine) and he had the same to say.
I will take to my other range and go out to 1k,, but that'll be a bit.
Ok, shot a match on Thursday out to 1k and the conditions were bright and sunny. It tracked perfect, going from zero to about 8.5 mils. Clarity was great. Easy to spot hits and misses. It's about a perfect range of magnification. Between about 25-30x the image was just a tad hazy, but did not darken like my NX8, so it was still very usable and nice to use. I've noticed with the Strike Eagle and Arken l, it gets tough at max power with mirage, but the Match Pro was able to do better. It really is great glass.
The reticle has become my favorite with the .2 marks for windage, and helped with tricky and fluctuating calls.
The turrets were a little soft for my liking tho. The 6-24 Match Pro had much more tactile clicks, but both very different designs and feel. The 5-30 reminds me of the XRS / DMR turrets which are fine. They are locking so that is nice if you need it.
So overall I stand by my initial thought of, I'll get another one for sure. Even the 6-24 is a solid deal. These have replaced with Strike Eagles and Arkens for my go to budget options. I'm going to leave the 5-30 on my main match rifle for the season.
The reticle has become my favorite with the .2 marks for windage, and helped with tricky and fluctuating calls.
The turrets were a little soft for my liking tho. The 6-24 Match Pro had much more tactile clicks, but both very different designs and feel. The 5-30 reminds me of the XRS / DMR turrets which are fine. They are locking so that is nice if you need it.
So overall I stand by my initial thought of, I'll get another one for sure. Even the 6-24 is a solid deal. These have replaced with Strike Eagles and Arkens for my go to budget options. I'm going to leave the 5-30 on my main match rifle for the season.
Thanks for the write up. I think if I can sell my SE for a good price I’ll pick one up.
It's good to hear good feedback at 1k yards though!
Agreed, they are a tad mushy, but not bad at all,, actually good for budget price range.
I will be defiantly be selling off a couple PST's when I can find more Match Pro ED's.
Did they come back in stock this past week? I've been checking the website on the hour, and it's showed out of stock.
I was trying to read all the info I could before deciding on the match pro ed (while they were in stock last weekend), and they have been out of stock for a week now. I did sell my pst 2, so going to need some glass soon.
Damn, was about to buy a strike eagle and came across this. Now to decide if it's worth it to wait or just move forward with the strike eagle to throw on the double deuce.
unfortunately no one seems to know the timeline on when they will be available again. This last batch was a loooong time coming, add to that they seem to have no estimates (that I know of, anyways) I'd guess it will be quite a while,,, again, just a guess.
To me the SE is a $569 dollar scope.. it is not hard if you shoot a decent amount to get a cert. That is still a great scope for that money. I no longer have mine because I have become a snob… but it truly would have been I all really needed.. I do want to try the ED though, I really like the reticle for some reason.
Took my new MPED out yesterday, and maybe I had higher expectations but not super impressed. I changed my strike eagle 5-25x56 for the MPED on my prs rimfire setup.
Likes: MPED glass is good glass and so far seems to track well. I like the reticle and illuminations. Turrets are a little mushy, but honestly feel pretty good.
I don’t like: eyebox seems small. Depth of field is extremely short. I need to change parallax all the time or different targets blur out easier that other scopes, especially at closer distances like for rimfire matches. Also the marks on parallax don’t really coincide with the actual distances. The ocular lens has play, you can see the reticle move slightly when adjusting.
I’m curious how others experiences have been. I’m going to try it for a while, but I thought this would be an upgrade from my strike eagle, but honestly I don’t know (and I paid WAY less for the vortex).
Likes: MPED glass is good glass and so far seems to track well. I like the reticle and illuminations. Turrets are a little mushy, but honestly feel pretty good.
I don’t like: eyebox seems small. Depth of field is extremely short. I need to change parallax all the time or different targets blur out easier that other scopes, especially at closer distances like for rimfire matches. Also the marks on parallax don’t really coincide with the actual distances. The ocular lens has play, you can see the reticle move slightly when adjusting.
I’m curious how others experiences have been. I’m going to try it for a while, but I thought this would be an upgrade from my strike eagle, but honestly I don’t know (and I paid WAY less for the vortex).
Maybe you have a bad copy of this, because it's not my experience at all. Also the price shouldn't be all that different unless you bought yours out of a van.
Strike Eagle was about 40% less (actually slightly less). If you know where to look, you know vortex can easily be found 50% off msrp.
That said, I just got back from shooting my first prs rimfire match with the MPED. Really quite happy with it. But the narrow depth of field is really a big ding in my opinion. Parallax was moderate with it when engaging multiple targets without time to adjust between shots, and the numbers didn’t align great on the parallax knob.
Otherwise pretty happy with it. Glass is just really crisp. Tracking had no issues. Zero stop was awesome.
They are back in stock and I snatched one..couldn't fight the urge..
Gone again it appears.
For anyone with one in-hand, can you measure the length without sunshade? Conspicuously missing from Bushnell's site. Thinking about grabbing another one.
I have noted that I am a snob, and it may not stay in my hands long..
I got the scope today.. put it thru some paces.. I have said I was a little snobby.. my eyes like what they like. I am not a professional reviewer like some people are on here.. I do like the scope, what is weird is I like it even though DOV doesn’t seem to be that great.. still useable, It might be bothersome in a match but also might not be, I will have to try it. Everything else is damn good, it’s clear, everything is smooth. I personally like the reticle, the turrets I think are “fine”.. for $700 more than happy with the scope.. Surprised me how much I liked it honestly. I will say I have not checked tracking yet but if that pans out, it’s a deal imo
Hello new to the forum and had been a lurker just mostly reading and purchased the Bushnell based on everyone's enthusiasm and first hand experience which appeared to be more than satisfactory but now I really wonder based on my own personal experience.
Is it normal for the new MPED's image quality to start to get soft past 24x and get noticeably dark well below 30x? Reason I ask is the cheaper priced Athlon Ares BTR 4.5-27x50 currently on sale looks noticeably brighter and have a much sharper crisper image quality at it's maximum magnification by comparison when viewing them side by side and also when the Bushnell Match Pro ED is set at 27x. I've also noticed the infinity doesn't seem to resolve good enough IQ past 800 yards and am really unsure if it's due to the limitations of the glass Bushnell uses or if I just received a bad one or if of all the MPED'S are like this while my Athlon Midas Tac and Ares BTR also Chinese with only HD glass can easily resolve clearly past 800+ yards no problems when set on infinity the MPED I personally have a very difficult time seeing good enough past 800-1000 yards on high magnification it's like trying to look through fog. The IQ does start to go south past 24x on the MPED and it's turrets are really mushy when compared directly to the Athlons even with a much cheaper 6-24x50 Midas Tac. Reminds me a little like the Vortex Diamondback Tactical turrets but not quite as terrible. I really don't feel that it's worth paying $699.99 for JMHO based on the bad IQ on high magnification and relatively mushy turrets for the price paid. Even the lowly and much despised Arken EP5 literally blows it away in turrets and optically up to around 20x or so.
I have also recently read that Bushnell electronics only have a one year limited warranty on illuminated reticles in their scopes and it really worries me a lot since I thought this scope comes with a lifetime warranty when I purchased it but in reality, expected it to be a lot better than what it actually is TBH disappointed. After digging further I was shocked to read that Bushnell has an F rating according to the BBB for what appears to be very unethical lifetime warranty denials and extremely poor customer service practices. I'm seriously thinking of sending it back either for an exchange or a refund if all of the MPEDS are like this with mushy turrets and very poor IQ on maximum magnification since I bought this specifically for long range shooting at least past 800-1000+ yards which my Athlon's have absolutely no problems doing so and they only have HD glass while the Bushnell is supposed to have ED glass which doesn't seem as though they use ED glass according to my own eyes and not even as clear as the Athlons' Chinese HD glass either.
I'm planning on buying the newly released Primary Arms GLx 4.5-27x56 34mm I found a good deal on for around the same cost as the MPED and it's made in the Philippines not China and hope it's at least better than the Chinese Athlons I've already been using and as bright and clear at it's maximum magnification specifically to use well past 1000 yards.
Does anyone have both the Athlon Ares BTR and MPED or at least a Midas Tac to compare their MPED to so I can know for sure whether or not my MPED is defective or or it's totally normal to be not crystal clear on high magnification? I expected it to have perfect image quality on high magnification when I made the decision to buy it knowing that it's made in China otherwise I would have just purchased another lighter weight Athlon Ares BTR with much clearer glass and with far superior turrets for almost $100 cheaper or spent $100 more for a Meopta Optika 6 instead that's not made in China then I just found the new Primary Arms GLx made in the Philippines for around the same price of the MPED. Does anyone have both the newly released PA GLx model and the Athlon Ares?
Is it normal for the new MPED's image quality to start to get soft past 24x and get noticeably dark well below 30x? Reason I ask is the cheaper priced Athlon Ares BTR 4.5-27x50 currently on sale looks noticeably brighter and have a much sharper crisper image quality at it's maximum magnification by comparison when viewing them side by side and also when the Bushnell Match Pro ED is set at 27x. I've also noticed the infinity doesn't seem to resolve good enough IQ past 800 yards and am really unsure if it's due to the limitations of the glass Bushnell uses or if I just received a bad one or if of all the MPED'S are like this while my Athlon Midas Tac and Ares BTR also Chinese with only HD glass can easily resolve clearly past 800+ yards no problems when set on infinity the MPED I personally have a very difficult time seeing good enough past 800-1000 yards on high magnification it's like trying to look through fog. The IQ does start to go south past 24x on the MPED and it's turrets are really mushy when compared directly to the Athlons even with a much cheaper 6-24x50 Midas Tac. Reminds me a little like the Vortex Diamondback Tactical turrets but not quite as terrible. I really don't feel that it's worth paying $699.99 for JMHO based on the bad IQ on high magnification and relatively mushy turrets for the price paid. Even the lowly and much despised Arken EP5 literally blows it away in turrets and optically up to around 20x or so.
I have also recently read that Bushnell electronics only have a one year limited warranty on illuminated reticles in their scopes and it really worries me a lot since I thought this scope comes with a lifetime warranty when I purchased it but in reality, expected it to be a lot better than what it actually is TBH disappointed. After digging further I was shocked to read that Bushnell has an F rating according to the BBB for what appears to be very unethical lifetime warranty denials and extremely poor customer service practices. I'm seriously thinking of sending it back either for an exchange or a refund if all of the MPEDS are like this with mushy turrets and very poor IQ on maximum magnification since I bought this specifically for long range shooting at least past 800-1000+ yards which my Athlon's have absolutely no problems doing so and they only have HD glass while the Bushnell is supposed to have ED glass which doesn't seem as though they use ED glass according to my own eyes and not even as clear as the Athlons' Chinese HD glass either.
I'm planning on buying the newly released Primary Arms GLx 4.5-27x56 34mm I found a good deal on for around the same cost as the MPED and it's made in the Philippines not China and hope it's at least better than the Chinese Athlons I've already been using and as bright and clear at it's maximum magnification specifically to use well past 1000 yards.
Does anyone have both the Athlon Ares BTR and MPED or at least a Midas Tac to compare their MPED to so I can know for sure whether or not my MPED is defective or or it's totally normal to be not crystal clear on high magnification? I expected it to have perfect image quality on high magnification when I made the decision to buy it knowing that it's made in China otherwise I would have just purchased another lighter weight Athlon Ares BTR with much clearer glass and with far superior turrets for almost $100 cheaper or spent $100 more for a Meopta Optika 6 instead that's not made in China then I just found the new Primary Arms GLx made in the Philippines for around the same price of the MPED. Does anyone have both the newly released PA GLx model and the Athlon Ares?
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No one has an Athlon Midas Tac (6-24x50) or Ares BTR Gen 2 (4.5-27x50) to compare their MPED to?
Forgot to mention there are reviews that seem really misleading. The Bushnell MPED isn't in the same league as the Meopta Optika 6 and Athlon Cronus BTR Gen 2. There are reviewers who mentioned the MPED is on par or clearer than these scopes which is an outright lie or they simply don't know what they're talking about by not being able to recognize obviously superior glass and don't personally own all of them to actually know the difference or are just outright shilling for Bushnell. I'm not brand loyal anymore and used to really like Bushnell and Vortex in fact most of my scopes are Bushnells and Bushnell has good value per dollar but only when they go on sale and I wouldn't buy Vortex unless they're at least discounted for half price and I'm no longer a fan of any of their Chinese made optics due to actually having to use their best warranty in the business due to no fault of my own but outright defective products. It's a real pain in the butt and hassle to have to waste a lot of ammo.
Their much cheaper older Match Pro has superior turrets compared to the MPED even though it doesn't have a zero stop and the cheaper Engage that doesn't even use HD glass seems to have clearer image quality than the MPED believe it or not. This is shooting past 1000 yards and spotting hits on maximum magnification where the MPED appears to have a haze or fog while the Engage appears less foggy. The fogginess/haziness is similar to what my Bushnell Forge looks like on it's 27x maximum magnification when using past 700-800+ yards. There are many similarly priced and even cheaper scopes I have that don't exhibit this fog on high magnification except for the crappy Athlon Argos BTR and Vortex Diamondback Tactical 6-24x50.
I gave it to a buddy for the past few weeks for a second opinion since he actually showed interest/curiosity in buying it but I was completely honest about it by disclosing I think it might be defective some it's not at all crystal clear on 30x maximum magnification and that it's image quality starts to get soft past 24x and he used Bushnell's warranty before and fortunately he didn't get screwed over by them so he's still fine I'm regards to dealing with them. In fact it was due to my original post he read that he contacted me on of I wanted to sell it and he could deal with Bushnell if it was indeed a defective scope with it's glass fogginess on high magnification to exchange it under warranty.
I'd really appreciate it if other MPED owners could chime in if theirs is clear at 30x and comparable to the Athlon Cronus and Meopta Optika 6 glass like some revweres stated that's the very reason why I bought it but was not as clear not even close.
Forgot to mention there are reviews that seem really misleading. The Bushnell MPED isn't in the same league as the Meopta Optika 6 and Athlon Cronus BTR Gen 2. There are reviewers who mentioned the MPED is on par or clearer than these scopes which is an outright lie or they simply don't know what they're talking about by not being able to recognize obviously superior glass and don't personally own all of them to actually know the difference or are just outright shilling for Bushnell. I'm not brand loyal anymore and used to really like Bushnell and Vortex in fact most of my scopes are Bushnells and Bushnell has good value per dollar but only when they go on sale and I wouldn't buy Vortex unless they're at least discounted for half price and I'm no longer a fan of any of their Chinese made optics due to actually having to use their best warranty in the business due to no fault of my own but outright defective products. It's a real pain in the butt and hassle to have to waste a lot of ammo.
Their much cheaper older Match Pro has superior turrets compared to the MPED even though it doesn't have a zero stop and the cheaper Engage that doesn't even use HD glass seems to have clearer image quality than the MPED believe it or not. This is shooting past 1000 yards and spotting hits on maximum magnification where the MPED appears to have a haze or fog while the Engage appears less foggy. The fogginess/haziness is similar to what my Bushnell Forge looks like on it's 27x maximum magnification when using past 700-800+ yards. There are many similarly priced and even cheaper scopes I have that don't exhibit this fog on high magnification except for the crappy Athlon Argos BTR and Vortex Diamondback Tactical 6-24x50.
I gave it to a buddy for the past few weeks for a second opinion since he actually showed interest/curiosity in buying it but I was completely honest about it by disclosing I think it might be defective some it's not at all crystal clear on 30x maximum magnification and that it's image quality starts to get soft past 24x and he used Bushnell's warranty before and fortunately he didn't get screwed over by them so he's still fine I'm regards to dealing with them. In fact it was due to my original post he read that he contacted me on of I wanted to sell it and he could deal with Bushnell if it was indeed a defective scope with it's glass fogginess on high magnification to exchange it under warranty.
I'd really appreciate it if other MPED owners could chime in if theirs is clear at 30x and comparable to the Athlon Cronus and Meopta Optika 6 glass like some revweres stated that's the very reason why I bought it but was not as clear not even close.
I can’t answer any of your specific questions. I can give you what I experienced with my MPED this weekend.
I have it on a Modacam Vudoo that I was breaking in. I had it turned up all the way, and I could easily see my hits at 300 on steel with a 22lr, crystal clear. At 425, I could not see them very clear but I think that was the mirage (400-600 range is a totally different direction than 300 and in) . I could see some but was not confident on all them. At 500 I never saw the hits, never even thought I saw hits but I could usually see the splash which is a feat in itself considering it was a 22.
It is in noway close to my high end scopes or even my Burris Pro.. but for $700 I was more than happy.. FOV seems small but other than that it out performed my expectation..It’s pretty damn clear. I like, well liked my strike eagle when it came to just slapping a scope on something to test or try out but the MPED is way better to my eyes..
If you're familiar with the Vector Optics Continental 34mm they focus down to 10 yards and the newly introduced Viridian Xactus are near identical twins to the Vector Optics brand Continental and prices a lot cheaper $549.99-$599.99 before 10% Optics Planet discount code which is easily obtained by using their chat and just asking for a current 10% off discount code. The Viridian Xactus reticle is different compared to the Vector Continental. It's more like an Arken style reticle and the reticle photo used in their description is wrong.Great discussion, thanks for all the input.
➠ I'm in the market for an economic 5-30x or 4-24x scope — with a parallax of 10y or 15y — so the MPED is an option I'm seriously looking at.
Matthias
The Viridian Xactus is clearer than the new Bushnell Match Pro ED when both were compared on their mid to high magnification and the Xactus has much better turrets based on what I personally compared. The Viridian Xactus cost $539.99 with 10% discount code and the Bushnell Match Pro ED cost $699.99. The Viridian Xactus is the better Chinese scope between both. It did not exhibit the haze or fogginess the Bushnell MPED had when compared both at distances past 800+ yards. The Viridian uses German glass. Assuming it's Schott that the Vector Continental version uses.
I'd have to check with my buddy if he actually sent it in for warranty or if he is just ok with the fog/haze on high magnification. It was compared side by side with many other scopes I had on hand and received before returning most for refund. I'll know for sure if it's defective is anyone else would compare theirs to an Athlon Ares BTR Gen 2.
The
Have you or anyone reading this tried the Sightmark Presidio 5-30x56 yet? They're under $400 with 10% off Optics Planet discount code. The new ones have a zero stop and improved turrets. It's another budget priced scope that I haven't personally tested yet.Great discussion, thanks for all the input.
➠ I'm in the market for an economic 5-30x or 4-24x scope — with a parallax of 10y or 15y — so the MPED is an option I'm seriously looking at.
Matthias
Thank you, Scopeye, for your input! 
I have not heard of the Viridian Xactus till your post. Good to know. From the looks it is just another name printed on the same scope, the 5-30x56 from the Vector Continental X6 FFP 34mm series.
I actually just received the Vector iteration of this scope. And I noticed some cromatic aberration on bright white paper with dark background. So, I had been wondering if I should sell it and try to get the Bushnell Match Pro ED instead.
Your direct comparison has been extremely helpful for me.
Now, I'm still wondering if it's worth getting a Riton 7 Conquer 4-32x56 for those extreme long range shots....
What a great forum we have!
Matthias
I have not heard of the Viridian Xactus till your post. Good to know. From the looks it is just another name printed on the same scope, the 5-30x56 from the Vector Continental X6 FFP 34mm series.
I actually just received the Vector iteration of this scope. And I noticed some cromatic aberration on bright white paper with dark background. So, I had been wondering if I should sell it and try to get the Bushnell Match Pro ED instead.
Your direct comparison has been extremely helpful for me.
Now, I'm still wondering if it's worth getting a Riton 7 Conquer 4-32x56 for those extreme long range shots....
What a great forum we have!
Matthias
The Riton X7 Conquer 4-32x56 were recently on sale for $649.99 at Scopelist and EuroOptic and are currently out of stock but state backorders ok. There had been reports of this model to be prone to defects and unreliable including their replacements under warranty. They aren't made at LOW but at JOL which isn't as high quality. Brownells MPOs and the older Crimson Trace and new Blackhounds and Apex Rivals are also made at JOL. If you don't want to wait for them to get new $649.99 inventory then buy the Blackhound version next time they go on sale for half price directly from Blackhound plus save an additional 15% off using some YouTuber reviewers' discount codes to get down to less than half price.Thank you, Scopeye, for your input!
I have not heard of the Viridian Xactus till your post. Good to know. From the looks it is just another name printed on the same scope, the 5-30x56 from the Vector Continental X6 FFP 34mm series.
I actually just received the Vector iteration of this scope. And I noticed some cromatic aberration on bright white paper with dark background. So, I had been wondering if I should sell it and try to get the Bushnell Match Pro ED instead.
Your direct comparison has been extremely helpful for me.
Now, I'm still wondering if it's worth getting a Riton 7 Conquer 4-32x56 for those extreme long range shots....
What a great forum we have!
Matthias
I don't know if I received a bad Bushnell Match Pro ED but I was really disappointed in the not so good clarity on it's high magnification. If you're fine with less than perfect image quality on high magnification then it might be worth trying the Bushnell Match Pro ED but based on the one I received and tested, I honestly didn't think it was worth paying $699.99 for. The Viridian Xactus has clearer glass and better turrets than the Bushnell Match Pro ED after comparing both side by side. There was very little to no chromatic abherration noticed in the Viridian Xactus. Maybe they use better glassinthe Viridian IDK but it's clearer than the Bushnell.
Nightforce NX8 4-32x50? Not at all cheap and doesn't have a lifetime warranty on it's electronics Illuminated reticle. The 5-40x56 Sightron SVIII also has an 8x erection too but it Seems to handle this very well.8x erectorfrom JOL. Hmmmm. Asking for trouble I’d think but
Yeah not $650 scopes is my main point. Probably should’ve included that. Anyway, $650 8x erector. Hard pass.
