Rifle Scopes Kahles K624i vs K525i

[AManWearingAHat]

Hello again,

Still shopping around for some high end glass for my Savage. I've come across a few used K624i's in my browsing. Is there a big quality jump between the 624 and the 525 that justifies the extra price? For my light duty application, I know I probably can't go wrong with either, but I'm hoping some owners can chime in a bit on these.

 

[CSTactical]

Hello again,

Still shopping around for some high end glass for my Savage. I've come across a few used K624i's in my browsing. Is there a big quality jump between the 624 and the 525 that justifies the extra price? For my light duty application, I know I probably can't go wrong with either, but I'm hoping some owners can chime in a bit on these.

I'd be happy to go over the pros and cons of each with you, please give me a call at 916-670-1103

 

[jcam]

The Kahles 5-25 I bought is still in transit. I’ll give thoughts on it once I get some time at the range with it.

 

[FALex]

IMHO, no, there is not a "big quality jump" between the 624's and 525's. Kahles makes great optics. I had a couple 525's, and a couple 624's, but quite honestly, I couldn't tell much of a difference, if any, in the glass quality department.

I ended up getting out of the 525's but still own a 624.

I've been seeing some used 624's with SKMR 3's or AMR's going for 1800-2k. That's a lot of optic, especially at the 1800 end.

 

[Dburns]

IMHO, no, there is not a "big quality jump" between the 624's and 525's. Kahles makes great optics. I had a couple 525's, and a couple 624's, but quite honestly, I couldn't tell much of a difference, if any, in the glass quality department.

I ended up getting out of the 525's but still own a 624.

I've been seeing some used 624's with SKMR 3's or AMR's going for 1800-2k. That's a lot of optic, especially at the 1800 end.

Well said I have also moved back into the 6-24 from the 5-25 Both great optics I just love the Amr reticle

 

[jcam]

Kahles 5-25 with SKMR3 reticle was a nice upgrade from my NXS 3.5-15F1. The extra magnification was a plus, I never knew what I was missing. 1 MOA steel targets at 550, 646, 790 & 866 yards was relatively less difficult with the extra magnification plus I can see my impacts vs just seeing the steel target swinging at bullet impact. I had no trouble adjusting with the glass or the reticle. Tuesday was my first time at the range with the Kahles, it didn’t disappoint at all.

 

[Glassaholic]

The Kahles K624i Gen III with SKMR series reticles are fantastic scopes, especially for the price you can get them used today. Their biggest drawback was the heavy CA (Chromatic Aberration) for their price class; however, if you're a shooter who typically does not see CA then it probably is not going to bother you. The new K525i appears to control CA better than the previous scope and while it offers a 5x erector vs. the older 4x erector, it comes at the sacrifice of FOV and that appears to be the biggest drawback of the K525i - narrow FOV for it's class. Some have also said the K525i begins to drop in image quality (IQ) above 20x, not bad but noticeable when compared to other scopes in its class. My recommendation would be this, if you are looking to buy new, I would steer you toward a ZCO as they are only a couple hundred different in price and the ZCO offers a much more solid solution than the Kahles. If you're looking to buy used, you can find some great deals on the Kahles (due to the aforementioned issues) in the low to mid $2k range for the K525i and even under $2k for the K624i, but if you're open to another scope brand there are also some great deals to be had with some scopes that I feel are better than the Kahles in some respects.

 

[danbar54]

Based on a spec for spec comparison between the K525i and the ZCO (5-27) of the FOV, (7.1m-1.5m and 6.4m-1.37m, respectively), I see little difference, in fact the K525i may be better, although, ZCO did not spec their FOV at 25x. Does real world testing really cripple the use of the K525i? Also I am apprehensive at purchasing a $3,500 scope from a new company without a few years of experience.

 

[Glassaholic]

Based on a spec for spec comparison between the K525i and the ZCO (5-27) of the FOV, (7.1m-1.5m and 6.4m-1.37m, respectively), I see little difference, in fact the K525i may be better, although, ZCO did not spec their FOV at 25x. Does real world testing really cripple the use of the K525i??

While the Kahles does show favorable specs they are not always indicative of how the scope performs throughout the range. For example, the Nightforce ATACR F1 5-25 has horrible FOV at 5x; however, picks up throughout the mag range to be pretty impressive by 25x, the new K525i seems to almost be the opposite, where it loses FOV as you increase magnification. I have personal experience with the K624i but I do not with the K525i so am basing my comments on those I know who've owned this scope. Does it mean the Kahles is unusable, certainly not, I'm just pointing out that this has been a point of contention with the new Kahles 5x scopes (I can verify the K318i is hampered by FOV as I did extensive tests and reviews with this scope). If you'd like fair and honest feedback on the K525i I recommend you contact @5RWill

You can also watch ILya's review of these high end scopes

 

[tndonor]

The biggest jump in appreciable quality, IMHO was between the Gen II and Gen III 624s. I would be highly suspect anyone could pass a blind test of image quality from a Gen III 624 and 525.

I liken it to HDTVs. Static eye resolution is well below what new TVs project to us. When our eyes move, they actually increase in perception. Static focus, our resolution drops. So not only are 8K, super mega tactical resolution, etc a marketing sham......we cannot process the entire resolution they are broadcasting. Think about looking through a scope. Static tunnel vision to a T. Great glass is great glass. Most cannot tell the difference between the upper tier offerings. Get the best you can afford. Even skimp on other things to get the best glass you can and dont look back. It is a purchase you dont want to make twice.

While unsolicited, CSTactical sold me my first high end scope (Gen III 624). He took the time to make sure I got what I needed, and because he was willing to talk extensively no strings attached, I bought from him. Still rocking the 624 on a Defiance 338LM. Just set a personal best of 2.7" group at 800m few weeks ago in the rain with the scope. Love it, havent once considered 525.

On a side note My buddy shoots Schmidts exclusively. Cannot tell the difference.

 

[5RWill]

The biggest jump in appreciable quality, IMHO was between the Gen II and Gen III 624s. I would be highly suspect anyone could pass a blind test of image quality from a Gen III 624 and 525.

You can tell a difference between the 624i and k525i on FOV and CA alone. Especially the former. Even then though i'd give the edge to the new Kahles. It just wasn't a drastic leap in IQ like moving from Kahles to Minox, TT, or ZCO. But i thought it was noticeable. Khales leaves a lot to be desired from the k525i for the money. Everything else on the scope i absolutely love but it lacks a bit compared to the others in it's price range considering the IQ.

 

[Danattherock]

While not scientific, I have a unique perspective that may be of use. I spent the last three to four years since I got into PRS shooting gen 1 razor, Gen 2 razor, and several Bushnell's which I enjoyed immensely. I recently found out I have some vision problems which largely explain my inability to spot misses past 800 yards. So I got new prescription glasses and decided to buy some of the best glass available in an effort to see if it would help me see more.

Last Wednesday I received my Kahles 5-25 and found it very impressive then and now. I shot a 2-day PRS match with it this past weekend and saw things that I rarely if ever see. I was able to clean a few stages that I normally would not have because I saw smoke coming off the target after my impact between 800 and 950 yd. The reticle, skm 3, I absolutely love. The turrets and overall quality are apparent. It will be hard to let this optic go.

Yesterday I received my ZCO 5-27 and the bar was once again raised. anybody that compares this scope to the previous ones I mentioned is an absolute and utter dumbass. I don't care who reviews it, or how lengthy their argument, or how impressive their jargon. This zero compromise optic is utterly superb. The glass is unlike anything I've ever seen. The quality of the controls, the tension on the mag ring, the fit and finish, is impeccable.

So ironically in my case it was the appreciable performance gains of the Kahles 5-25 that made me go all in on better glass and order the zero compromise. Regarding my vision issues, I may have passed the point of diminishing return. I may not see more with this than I did the Kahles 5-25. But to be honest I was desperate enough to try to find out.

My suspicion is I will be selling the Kahles 5-25 and ordering another ZCO 527 soon. With all this said don't let it be lost that good shooters could take any of the aforementioned scopes and do very well. The Bushnell XRS 2 won the king of 2-mile this past year for goodness sakes. That's a lot of butt hurt. But for someone like myself with less than perfect vision I was willing to take a chance and order a zero compromise. I wish I would have done it years ago.


Dan

 

[Glassaholic]

Dan, I liken this to a parallel argument with photography - give an amateur professional equipment and he still takes amateur images and give a professional some amateur equipment and he can still take professional images. As long as the equipment is good enough which many scopes are these days, take for example your experience with the Bushnell and Vortex scopes, but sometimes there are limitations that skill alone has difficulty overcoming. Your experience at distance and being able to see splash is not uncommon from those who’ve experienced alpha glass. Some would also claim it helps them see through mirage, I don’t know if their is a viable explanation for these other than a scopes ability to resolve micro contrast (might be a good discussion with ILya). I am glad you found some glass that will help you with your vision diagnosis. I turned 50 this year and my vision is taking a nose dive rather quickly with presbyopia as well as some issues with distance. The good glass has definitely helped me with distance.

 

[Danattherock]

Thanks man, and I completely agree. The top PRS shooters could take a lesser optic and they would still win. Just like a PGA golfer would still be a world class golfer with off the shelf golf clubs from Dicks. But unfortunately I am not a top PRS shooter, nor a pro golfer.

Although the cost of admission is high, there are benefits to the so called 'alpha' glass. I personally experienced it on several stages this past weekend at a PRS match with the Kahles 5-25. If I have even a similar bump in quality at the 1000 yard range in 9 hours with the ZCO 5-27, I will be very happy.

 

[AManWearingAHat]

So I actually ended up buying a ZP5 from one of the members here. So far I am very impressed, but I do not have it mounted up yet.

 

[CBDR]

Hello again,

Still shopping around for some high end glass for my Savage. I've come across a few used K624i's in my browsing. Is there a big quality jump between the 624 and the 525 that justifies the extra price? For my light duty application, I know I probably can't go wrong with either, but I'm hoping some owners can chime in a bit on these.

I got my 624 from CSTACTICAL love that scope for everything (especially hunting) she is a light gathering SOB. I would put it up against my Z6 Swaro for pulling in those last rays of sunlight. One question I am curious about... At low end of magnification on both optics. What is the difference in FOV at 100m