Re: Leupold mk6 3-18 w/ tmr reticle
I can provide a review on this scope as I just got mine earlier this week. The TMR on the MK6 3-18 is appropriately sized especially for a 6x mag ratio. I was more afraid of the reticle being too thick at 18x mag than too thin at 3x.
I'm kind of anal when it comes to glass quality, but thats the price you pay for having good eyesight. Unfortunately this has cost me thousands of dollars upgrading glass and in most cases doesn't improve accuracy, if at all for the ranges I'm shooting at.
For the MK6 the glass is very good. Lots of lower end scopes I've had in the past and even my Nightforce NXS 5.5-22x56 deteriorated when pushed to the upper limits of their range. The picture loses contrast and has that milky, foggy look to it along with the purplish, bluish outline from the chromatic abberation. The MK6 does not lose image quality. It is still remarably sharp and crisp from edge to edge except with a tiny hint of CA which to most would not even notice. The only comment I have is above 14x or so in less than optimal lighting it starts to get a touch dim, although for its relatively small 44mm bell it is certainly admirable.
Speaking of size, compared to my recently purchased Premier Heritage 5-25x56, it is shorter at 2/3 the length but just looks so much smaller and remarkably only 7x less. Although it isn't much bigger than some 3-9 or 4-12x scopes, it is heavier.
I've owned two other Leupolds with TMR reticle. Two MK4s in 4.5-14 and 6.5-20. This reticle is almost identical with the tiny opening in the middle. I would say the reticle thickness is just slightly thicker at 18x. At 3x, it is still visible but difficult to see if in a darker setting. The reticle is more like two crossed black hairs than a dot. If you move your head around at 3x you can see a little image distortion (fishbowl effect) due to the high ratio. However, this was much less noticable than a Bushnell Elite scope I had with also a high mag ratio. Comparing the glass with the MK4s, the MK6 is easily a step up.
One other point I'd like to mention is regarding the elevation turret. It is a pinch and turn style which locks once released. I've noticed that after turning you need to release the buttons cleanly otherwise it can occasionally not lock and continue to turn however unlikely that may be. This turret feels and sounds similar to my M1 knobs on the MK4s except larger. Some might call it a little mushy, I'm fine with it. A little annoyance is that as usual the 0 arrow indicator doesn't perfectly line up with the turret's hash marks. Same thing as on my MK4s. You'd think after this many years Leupold would get the turret marking alignment right...oh well.
Overall the scope is excellent. How they got 3-18x to fit in this small package amazes me. The glass is very high quality, not quite as good as my Premier but it also doesn't cost 3k+. The turret issue is minor, for me. I am glad to know Leupold customer service will take care of me if anything fails like they have in the past.
As we all have different aspects which we feel are most important to us, for reference, mine would rank in order from most important to least something like: glass quality, price, reticle type and thickness, scope size, magnification range, durability, turret, illumination.
When I get a chance later this weekend I can take some high rez pics of the reticle at different magnification. Somebody remind me if I forget.
By the way I also plan on putting this scope on my SCAR
My hand hurts now from typing this review on an iPad