Rifle Scopes March Scopes rumors - New scopes are going for final testing

[Denys]

I just learned the three concepts scope that were revealed at SHOT Show 2020 are just a few weeks away from going into final testing.

The three scopes are: March-FX 4.5-28X52 with HM lens system and a Wide Angle eyepiece; the March 1.5-15X42, a new design SFP that's only about 10 inches long; and the March-F 1-10X24 FFP with some neat features and only 8.5 inches long.

This means they should be near release.

 

[Mordamer]

Can anyone with experience on March scopes comment on the turret feel? I have never even seen one in person and I'm wondering how they compare to something like a Nightforce ATACR turret?

For example, do they turn really easy and are likely to get accidentally dialed when bumped against something or do they require a firm positive action like the Nightforce turrets?

 

[steve123]

The ones I've owned had firm twisting turrets so not easy to turn like some scopes.

 

[Earnhardt]

That March 1.5-15x, would be nice on an AR!

 

[Denys]

Here is the announcement.

Several new production models of March Scopes will be available soon!! 4.5-28×52, 1.5-15×42, 1-10x24Shorty | Exhibitions | MARCH Scopes | DEON Optical Design CorporationMARCH Scopes | DEON Optical Design Corporation

MARCH Scopes Official Site

marchscopes.com

 

[308pirate]

March-F 1-10X24 FFP with some neat features and only 8.5 inches long

I just noticed that the reticle focus has diopter values on it. Pretty smart.

 

[Denys]

Yes, March has started doing this with their fast focus eyepieces, it look like.

I noticed the Dual Reticle in that 1-10X24, an FFP and SFP. That should be quite interesting.

 

[dirthead1]

Can anyone with experience on March scopes comment on the turret feel? I have never even seen one in person and I'm wondering how they compare to something like a Nightforce ATACR turret?

For example, do they turn really easy and are likely to get accidentally dialed when bumped against something or do they require a firm positive action like the Nightforce turrets?

I had a 3-24x52 for a while. Honestly, the turrets were fantastic. Very firm and tactile clicks. I've had just about every scope out there at some point, and can honestly say the March turrets were the 2nd best I've ever felt, behind Tangent Theta. I just didn't like the finicky parallax adjustment, but that has nothing to do with the turret quality.

 

[S12A]

would be interested in the 1.5-15 tactical model if it cam in FFP Mil

 

[Denys]

would be interested in the 1.5-15 tactical model if it cam in FFP Mil

My understanding is that the 1.5-15X42 is a brand new design in the objective lens area. They are introducing it first in an SFP design but I'm sure they would love to hear if it's something that is wanted in an FFP format.

 

[S12A]

yeah for sure, i guess it will be popular if it is usable reticle wise, would be hard to make work i imagine but the are the kings of high magnification ratios so im sure they will figure it out!

 

[S12A]

I'm actually in the process of looking to replace my competition scope for precision service rifle her in Aus, have done well with the S&B 5-25 but its time to try something new and more manoeuvrable, this might be it if they tick those boxes!

 

[Denys]

I'm actually in the process of looking to replace my competition scope for precision service rifle her in Aus, have done well with the S&B 5-25 but its time to try something new and more manoeuvrable, this might be it if they tick those boxes!

I think you will want to look closely at the new March-FX 4.5-28X52 HM WA. It has a wide angle eyepiece for the widest FOV of any scopes in that magnification range, High Master lens system, 36MIL of elevation adjustment and a brand-new reticle designed specifically for PRS competitors.

 

[gnochi]

Well I THOUGHT there was a Vortex 1-10 in my future, but that March Shorty sounds fantastic. And it has adjustable parallax too!

 

[CrabsandFootball]

Doubt it will be $1700 like the Razor 3.

 

[S12A]

designed specifically for PRS competitors.

I hear ya, but i don't shoot PRS and have no plans to start so this would be good i think.

 

[Shootin Stuff]

but only if the reticles aren’t weird like all march reticles seem to be.

This^^^

The March ticks a lot of boxes and I would buy one tomorrow if it weren’t for their crack smoking reticle design guy........

 

[delfuego]

 

[ormandj]

That 1-10x24 checks all my boxes assuming the reticle design is good. I've been looking for a nice scope for my 6mm ARC SBRs and 18" rifles, and this seems like a great fit. The size/weight is excellent.

 

[Denys]

The PDK and LDK reticles look excellent. It’s about time March came out with some modern reticles that aren’t doing anything weird and distracting. Such a shame they decided to make them non illuminated though.

All three of the scopes look great. Excited to see more on all of them.

My understanding of the reason behind the decision to go non-illuminated for the PDK and LDK is that there is a minimum width required for illumination. The designers wanted to provide the clearest, uncluttered picture with consistent and easy to see but not overwhelming lines and marks. PRS shooters will be able to monitor their impacts and misses and so on.

If you really want this scope with an illuminated reticle, it comes with the excellent ILya-designed illuminated FML-TR1.

 

[Denys]

That 1-10x24 checks all my boxes assuming the reticle design is good. I've been looking for a nice scope for my 6mm ARC SBRs and 18" rifles, and this seems like a great fit. The size/weight is excellent.

I've seen some drawings of the DR reticle and I think you will like it. The FFP has a scale and the SFP has the crosshairs and the fiber dot. When they are merged together it's an awesome combo. The crosshairs stay the same size throughout the zoom range and the scale increases and decreases as you zoom up and down.

 

[gnochi]

I've seen some drawings of the DR reticle and I think you will like it. The FFP has a scale and the SFP has the crosshairs and the fiber dot. When they are merged together it's an awesome combo. The crosshairs stay the same size throughout the zoom range and the scale increases and decreases as you zoom up and down.

I have been waiting for this exact thing for years. Assuming March sticks with their recent style of tree reticle.

 

[ormandj]

I've seen some drawings of the DR reticle and I think you will like it. The FFP has a scale and the SFP has the crosshairs and the fiber dot. When they are merged together it's an awesome combo. The crosshairs stay the same size throughout the zoom range and the scale increases and decreases as you zoom up and down.

That sure sounds excellent. I'll have to try and find pictures of the reticle [Edit: I was unable to find any info]. Is it a tree-style? I don't like dialing windage or elevation when at reasonable ranges. Guess I'll go ahead and order the Scalerworks in 30mm for my NXS 2.5-10x42 to hold me over until this comes out.

 

[B-P-UU]

Any idea on price point of the 1.5-15?

 

[Denys]

Any idea on price point of the 1.5-15?

I believe that has not been set as of yet, but keep in mind this is a March scope.

 

[ormandj]

Another user pointed out something - what kind of mount would you use with the 1-10x24? @koshkin any info on the DR-1 (is it tree-style?) or the mounting situation with the 1-10? I'm guessing it's like the 1-8 with a single mount such as seen here: https://opticsthoughts.com/?p=2410

 

[db2000]

Another user pointed out something - what kind of mount would you use with the 1-10x24? @koshkin any info on the DR-1 (is it tree-style?) or the mounting situation with the 1-10? I'm guessing it's like the 1-8 with a single mount such as seen here: https://opticsthoughts.com/?p=2410

One 10 screw ring on QD mount.

 

[SRPowah]

1.5-15x in FFP is just asking for a lot of compromise issues with the reticle... but I would rather manufactures innovate so go for it. Can't wait to see if someone can make it work.

 

[ormandj]

1.5-15x in FFP is just asking for a lot of compromise issues with the reticle... but I would rather manufactures innovate so go for it. Can't wait to see if someone can make it work.

I agree, I hope people attempt it. I've got 0 interest in a SFP 1.5-15, but if someone could pull it off, I'd buy a couple of them.

I just wish March would figure out that people want locking or capped turrets on these types of scopes.

 

[Rocketmandb]

I just noticed that the reticle focus has diopter values on it. Pretty smart.

Is this a patent thing or something? This is such an obvious feature, I've wondered forever why this isn't table stakes on optics.

 

[duckhunter175]

Can anyone with experience on March scopes comment on the turret feel? I have never even seen one in person and I'm wondering how they compare to something like a Nightforce ATACR turret?

For example, do they turn really easy and are likely to get accidentally dialed when bumped against something or do they require a firm positive action like the Nightforce turrets?

Turrets are firm and tactile, excellent for a hunting scope.

As many have mentioned before the parallax is finicky and takes some getting used to. The adjustment on my 3-24x42 is smooth enough I think it could easily move out of place during a hike or ride in.

 

[koshkin]

Turrets are firm and tactile, excellent for a hunting scope.

As many have mentioned before the parallax is finicky and takes some getting used to. The adjustment on my 3-24x42 is smooth enough I think it could easily move out of place during a hike or ride in.

On the new 5-42x, the parallax locks in place for transportation.

ILya

 

[ormandj]

On the new 5-42x, the parallax locks in place for transportation.

ILya

Do you know if the 1-10 will have locking turrets and if the DR-1 is a tree reticle?

 

[duckhunter175]

Who imports/distributes March?

America | MARCH Scopes | DEON Optical Design CorporationMARCH Scopes | DEON Optical Design Corporation

MARCH Scopes Official Site

marchscopes.com

 

[steve123]

1.5-15x in FFP is just asking for a lot of compromise issues with the reticle... but I would rather manufactures innovate so go for it. Can't wait to see if someone can make it work.

People would be bitching that the reticle is too thick if they made one to work. This scope would be a great hunting scope in SFP as is and in FFP with a thicker reticle which is not a bad thing for that purpose! I mean why would someone buy a scope like this with a reticle which couldn't be seen well on low mag??? I'd be plenty happy using a thick reticle in FFP because I like FFP and I understand the compromise. I don't need to shoot at golfballs 600 yards away, I just need mils to be true on 8x or whatever magnification suits a quick shot and shoot game at similar distances give or take a little so a thin reticle means nothing to me for this type of application.

 

[steve123]

View attachment 7405055

I hear some Hide members helped design this reticle, and to them I say - Great Job man!

 

[steve123]

Well I THOUGHT there was a Vortex 1-10 in my future, but that March Shorty sounds fantastic. And it has adjustable parallax too!

The side focus parallax adjustment knob is the main reason I'd buy this 1-10! My current 1-8 FFP of another brand without any adjustment gets really wonky at 8x on closer targets, and no I don't always want to use lower mag even though I'm kinda forced to, heck 8x can be considered low mag, lol. Also it always seems to have some parallax no matter what I do.

Just one of my pet peeves not having a side focus.

 

[308pirate]

Is this a patent thing or something? This is such an obvious feature, I've wondered forever why this isn't table stakes on optics.

I doubt it's patented. It's one of those things that nobody at the scope companies ever seemed to give a shit about until someone else does it.

 

[duckhunter175]

Thanks. Happen to know who the importer is?

They are importing directly from Deon- per the website at longrangesupply. Apparently the previous importer is now out of business so it seems the ones listed above are getting product directly from Deon. That was also my impression from www.darklordofoptics.com

 

[Denys]

Deon just posted a story about the Dual Reticle in the March 1-10X24.

You can see it here: https://marchscopes.com/news/5780/

It is not tree reticle, and for the life of me I can't see how a tree reticle would be useful for anything for most of the zoom range.

The DR-1 reticle can be used as dot scope due to its high intensity illuminated dot and the scales of the FFP become visible as the magnification grows.

 

[koshkin]

Deon just posted a story about the Dual Reticle in the March 1-10X24.

You can see it here: https://marchscopes.com/news/5780/

It is not tree reticle, and for the life of me I can't see how a tree reticle would be useful for anything for most of the zoom range.

The DR-1 reticle can be used as dot scope due to its high intensity illuminated dot and the scales of the FFP become visible as the magnification grows.

I'll play with the scope soon, so it will be interesting to see how well the reticle works.

Generally, there is a reason all of the most successful high erector ratio LPVOs of today offer a tree reticle. Hopefully, March will add that option in the future.

I spent many months now with the Razor Gen3 1-10x24 and S&B Dual CC 1-8x24 and for shooting a bit further out (i.e. DMR-type use), the tree is extremely useful.

The de-facto standard configuration for scopes of this type is the following: mild MRAD-tree reticle, covered or locking windage turrets, covered or locking or zerostop elevation turret.

Razor Gen3 is only available with tree type reticle. S&B is available with both tree and mil-scale reticle. Minox ZP8 is available with both tree and mil-scale reticle. ATACR F1 is tree reticle only (NX8 has a mil-scale reticle and exposed turret).

This reticle looks like a solid mil-scale design and a good start, but March will have to add some sort of a tree type reticle to the scope in order to compete eventually.

ILya

 

[ormandj]

Deon just posted a story about the Dual Reticle in the March 1-10X24.

You can see it here: https://marchscopes.com/news/5780/

It is not tree reticle, and for the life of me I can't see how a tree reticle would be useful for anything for most of the zoom range.

The DR-1 reticle can be used as dot scope due to its high intensity illuminated dot and the scales of the FFP become visible as the magnification grows.

The scope is no longer on my list to purchase due to the lack of a tree reticle. It doesn't have to be useful at 1x, being FFP it really wouldn't be visible - that's exactly what you want. For something you'd stick a LVPO on, having to dial elevation so you can correctly deal with windage makes this completely useless to me, that takes way too long when doing engagements at varying distances. With a 1-10, I'd be running 1/3/5/10 most of the time, depending on where I plan to shoot, and dialing elevation every time I change distances at distances where it matters (300+) to correctly hold for wind is a huge PITA. I'd be running at magnifications levels that would make a FFP tree very usable at those ranges.

It is beyond me why March always does this with their reticle selection. They make great scopes, but they always seem to go sideways on the one thing that matters most on a high-end scope - reticle design for the use case! Every LVPO worth purchasing on the market now has a tree reticle as an option for very good reason. March has their head buried in the sand on this.

 

[SRPowah]

This is why there should always be options for reticle selection in high end glass. You have people swearing they need a tree or its useless. Then you have people like me that almost always dial for elevation, or at least close enough to make a reliable wind hold. I actually am impressed with how this reticle looks on paper. Real life could be another story though. This board is always biased towards competition gear, and forgets there is a simpler way of life out there.

Yes, trees can save a lot of time depending on use case. Yes, March needs a tree option available. My use case doesn't need the extra clutter to potentially miss spotting 5.56 splash in my environment.

 

[koshkin]

This is why there should always be options for reticle selection in high end glass. You have people swearing they need a tree or its useless. Then you have people like me that almost always dial for elevation, or at least close enough to make a reliable wind hold. I actually am impressed with how this reticle looks on paper. Real life could be another story though. This board is always biased towards competition gear, and forgets there is a simpler way of life out there.

Yes, trees can save a lot of time depending on use case. Yes, March needs a tree option available. My use case doesn't need the extra clutter to potentially miss spotting 5.56 splash in my environment.

Spot on. Different folks, different strokes. That is exactly why S&B offers both MDR and MDR-T6 reticles.

Given that the scope is new, I am sure they will listen to the market and offer options later on as appropriate. The initial reticle offering looks very usable to me.

ILya

 

[koshkin]

The reticle looks great and that’s exactly the concept I’ve always wanted someone to do for an LPVO. The crosshairs look way too thick. They need to think more razor gen 2 for the SFP part of the reticle but we will see what the final design actually looks like.

Don’t want a tree reticle but it’s not hard to add a few wind dots for the people that think they will need them.

Fiber optic illumination limits how thin you can make the crosshairl; however, since it is the second focal plane, as you ramp up magnification it obscures less of the target. It should work OK, and I will be able to take a look some time in September.

ILya

 

[Denys]

Here's a picture of the March-FX 4.5-28X52 on my FTR AR-15. This is the one with the FML-PDK reticle. I always have a sunshade on my riflescopes; old photographer habits die hard. I also use the Fast Lever for the zoom ring and I added a Middle Wheel to the focus knob to help with arthritis in my left hand.