Rifle Scopes Match Pro vs. Strike Eagle 5-25 vs.....

[Evlshnngns]

Looking for a FFP 4-24+ magnification scope in the 4-700$ range. Not many reviews of the Match Pro.

https://www.bushnell.com/riflescopes/match-pro/match-pro-6-24x50-riflescope/BU-MP6245BF2.html


https://vortexoptics.com/vortex-strike-eagle-5-25x56-ffp.html?vortex_reticle=1500

Thanks for any input.

 

[Hollywood 6mm]

I've been running a Match Pro from the original production batch last year, and no complaints so far. We threw it on a buddy's TC Compass in 308 and shot out to 1047 for it for giggles, but mine lives on my NRL22 rifle.

 

[Evlshnngns]

This will go on a 6.5 or 6mm, maybe a 22lr someday. And I know the match pro is centerfire rated.

Why is everyone selling there strike eagle in the classifieds? On the otherside, they sell quick.

 

[soap11x]

I work at a gun store. I had a few strike eagles come back. What I did hear great things about is the new diamondback! I know it is a step down but the diamondback tactical is around 400 bucks and really great for the price. Also meets all of your requirements.

 

[Hollywood 6mm]

I work at a gun store. I had a few strike eagles come back. What I did hear great things about is the new diamondback! I know it is a step down but the diamondback tactical is around 400 bucks and really great for the price. Also meets all of your requirements.

I've played with a Diamondback side by side with the Match Pro. The MP has noticeably better glass, and 10MIL turrets not 6MIL.

 

[Muriner]

I'm happy with my Match Pro. It sits on my 22. I can't compare it to the SE as I've never had one, though. But I should mention that the glass on MP is not as bright as it is on my Leupold. However for the price MP is hard to beat, IMO.

 

[FuddLuck]

If I remember correctly, the Match Pro has the same glass as the Forge. So glass wise, it should be great bang for the buck.

 

[Gee Kay]

Why is everyone selling there strike eagle in the classifieds? On the otherside, they sell quick.

i was literally just thinking the same thing.

i've been quite happy with my eagle even though i haven't had much time behind it due to shoulder surgery and have to wait for friends to become available to carry things for me. the limited time i've had behind it has impressed me over the ares that the eagle replaced. night time the eagles glass edges out over the ares. and the reticle is much clearer at lower power than the ares. thats my perspective on the eagle with the minimal time i've had behind it.

once i my shoulder comes good i'll have more time to do a better comparison, for myself, between the ares and the eagle against my pmii. yes i know they wont hold a candle to the pmii but it would be a good test.

 

[Team RCBS & Bushnell]

If you have some specific Match Pro questions let me know!

 

[B21TLB]

Good Morning, what is the country of origin for the Match Pro?

 

[Team RCBS & Bushnell]

Good Morning, what is the country of origin for the Match Pro?

That one's China.

 

[Neurotic]

That one's China.

How does the glass / optical quality compare to the other Bushnell offerings (e.g. Nitro, Engage, Forge, etc...)?

 

[Team RCBS & Bushnell]

How does the glass / optical quality compare to the other Bushnell offerings (e.g. Nitro, Engage, Forge, etc...)?

This sort of thing gets pretty subjective, but I'll put my experience. I'd say light trans is slightly lower than Forge, but I'd give the Match Pro the edge on color contrast and resolution. Match Pro beats Nitro and Engage in everything to my eye.

 

[Hollywood 6mm]

This sort of thing gets pretty subjective, but I'll put my experience. I'd say light trans is slightly lower than Forge, but I'd give the Match Pro the edge on color contrast and resolution. Match Pro beats Nitro and Engage in everything to my eye.

When I had both (My Forges are all gone now), I honestly couldn't see a difference to speak of between the Match Pro and Forge on glass. That could just be my eyeballs, tho.

 

[Neurotic]

How is the eye box and CA in the Match Pro?

My Forge is very fatiguing to stay behind for extended time periods due to the tight eye box and CA. Where the CA is very sensitive to parallax adjustment and eye alignment; I think I adjust parallax to minimize CA rather than focus. My LRTS exhibits none of this and is very easy to spend time behind.

 

[Team RCBS & Bushnell]

I felt the CA was better controlled in the Match Pro vs the Forge. Eyebox I didn't really do a side by side unfortunately.

 

[Dan1775]

Following this closely. I don't have any experience with either, but one of the two is going to be my next scope to go on a Bergara B-14R. I can say that I found the Diamondback Tactical 6-24x50 somewhat disappointing, even for the price.

 

[Muriner]

Since this has generated a lot of interest I'll add few more impressions about the MP. The turrets feel solid to me, nice clicks and they seem to track and return to zero well. There is ample of internal travel - it sits on a 25 MOA rail on my CZ. I got the illuminated reticle version - it retrospect I probably shouldn't have (would have saved $50) as I don't use illumination much, but it certainly doesn't hurt. The $30 sunshade/cap kit Bushnell sells fits ok, it's not the nicest but does the trick - can't complain for the price. The scope is certainly on the heavy side, but maybe it just seems so on my fairly light rifle. At 200 m one can tell that the glass is not the very top class, but it's still very usable and probably beats others in this price range and I definitely don't blame my misses on the scope. Somebody was asking about CA, I don't recall CA issues with mine. I don't run it on max magnification (18-20 at most) and that probably helps a bit. Eyebox is ok, not as good as on some of the other ones but I don't get eye strain/fatigue. Note that I don't spend more that 30-45 mins behind it during a single shooting session.

 

[Drew M]

I'm considering a Match Pro myself.

Can I get delivery to Australia from Bushnell ?

 

[Gee Kay]

Can I get delivery to Australia from Bushnell ?

if they're not restricted by ITAR rules yes.

 

[Drew M]

As far as I'm aware normal scopes are not ITAR restricted.

Was more asking the question of Bushnell because I thought I had read on here that they were not currently sending outside the USA & the Match Pro is through them only.

 

[Gee Kay]

As far as I'm aware normal scopes are not ITAR restricted.

Was more asking the question of Bushnell because I thought I had read on here that they were not currently sending outside the USA & the Match Pro is through them only.

i've noticed on optics planet, they list if something is under ITAR regulations or not. but i suspect its at the sellers discretion if not under ITAR regulation. trust me i've asked for spare parts that have nothing to do with ITAR and the answer has been no. but not harm in trying.

 

[Team RCBS & Bushnell]

I'm considering a Match Pro myself.

Can I get delivery to Australia from Bushnell ?

We aren't shipping through our site outside of the U.S.
However, we are starting to send these out to some distributors outside the U.S. as demand was so high. The pricing that they'll be outside the U.S. is an unknown to me though. As for Australia you'd have to check with your local distributors to see if they've ordered any.

Regarding the part where they're through us direct only, that does still apply for the U.S. market at this time.

 

[Drew M]

Thankyou for your reply,
As a guess it will be at least $1000 AUD by the time it gets to a dealer here in Australia going off other Bushnell scope prices here.

For example ,

US....
Model: ET36215H
ELITE TACTICAL DMR II 3.5-21X50 RIFLESCOPE
3.9 out of 5 Customer Rating
5.0 star rating2 Reviews



$1,299.99

Australia...

BUSHNELL
BUET36215H
ELITE TACTICAL HDMR II
3.5-21X50
34MM TUBE
ZS SF
H-59 RETICLE
NEW $2225

I understand that distributors & dealers need to make a living but when there is so big of a price difference you can understand why people shop overseas on some things when they would rather support the local shop.

Thanks Again
Drew

 

[Hollywood 6mm]

Thankyou for your reply,
As a guess it will be at least $1000 AUD by the time it gets to a dealer here in Australia going off other Bushnell scope prices here.

For example ,

US....
Model: ET36215H
ELITE TACTICAL DMR II 3.5-21X50 RIFLESCOPE
3.9 out of 5 Customer Rating
5.0 star rating2 Reviews



$1,299.99

Australia...

BUSHNELL
BUET36215H
ELITE TACTICAL HDMR II
3.5-21X50
34MM TUBE
ZS SF
H-59 RETICLE
NEW $2225

I understand that distributors & dealers need to make a living but when there is so big of a price difference you can understand why people shop overseas on some things when they would rather support the local shop.

Thanks Again
Drew

Don't forget exchange rates in that. Right now, $1 US is worth almost $1.40 AUD. Exchange rate alone takes that DMR2 from $1299.99 US to $1,795 AUD. Plus any extra costs in export/import, shipping, etc.

 

[Drew M]

Don't forget exchange rates in that. Right now, $1 US is worth almost $1.40 AUD. Exchange rate alone takes that DMR2 from $1299.99 US to $1,795 AUD. Plus any extra costs in export/import, shipping, etc.

Yes well aware of the exchange rates but there is no way that the Aus distributor is paying US retail & that $2225 Australian is one of the cheapest shops here others are up to $2500+

Even at the $2225 that allows $430 for shipping & fees + profit on each scope sold, provided our distributor was paying retail.

These type of price discrepancies are common for imported products here with some costing triple what they should.

An other example is when in Japan I bought a couple of RC cars for my kids @ $100 Au each, when I got home the exact same thing here was $360 each.

Somebody is making good money.
Even IKEA got caught out price gouging here.

 

[Drew M]

And to be fair, here is the Vortex strike Eagle comparison from the same shop.

US...

STRIKE EAGLE®
5-25X56 FFP
EBR-7C (MOA) Reticle | 34 mm Tube
SKU
SE-52503

4.6
(14)

MSRP $799.99

Aus...

VORTEX
STRIKE EAGLE
5-25X56
ILLUMINATED RETICLE FFP
34MM TUBE
SE-52504 EBR-7C MRAD NEW $1115
SE-52503 EBR-7C MOA NEW $1115

Currency conversion $799 US = $1102.07 Aus

Seems like Vortex can be competitive enough to buy locally in Australia.

 

[acudaowner]

or the arken optics 6x24 ffp for your price could fit in there

EP4 6-24X50 FFP MIL EPR Reticle with Zero Stop - 34mm Tube

8-10 Week - Order Lead Time ARKEN EP4 6-24X44 FFP MANUAL Lifetime Warranty Precision Tracking Guaranteed Extra-Low Dispersion Japanese Glass First Focal Plane ( FFP ) Zero stop Specification: Magnification: 6-24x Objective Diameter: 50 mm Eye Relief: 3.62 - 3.15 inches Field of View: 20.9-5.2...

arkenopticsusa.com

the mil versions seem to be sold out but the moa version show in stock if that suits you
I liked the scope I am just not so much a fan of only 24x's but the price at 600+ shipping was hard to beat and the glass was far better than I thought it would be .
also
https://www.swampfoxoptics.com/ had some neat looking pieces
as well as quite a few other companies .
good luck with which ever you decide to go with .

 

[Gee Kay]

get the strike eagle when its back in stock Drew, no bum lube needed with vortex pricing here

 

[308pirate]

These type of price discrepancies are common for imported products here with some costing triple what they should.

An other example is when in Japan I bought a couple of RC cars for my kids @ $100 Au each, when I got home the exact same thing here was $360 each.

So you mean the importer is supposed to eat taxes, duties, and freight? LOL.....I guess you've never run a business?

Somebody's making good money

Probably your government

 

[Tortuga]

Meopta has a couple of scopes in their Optika 6 line that fit your parameters, a 4.5-27x50 and a 5-30x56. I haven't spent much time behind either of them, but I thought they were good at their price point and some of the more reputable judges of scopes out there have liked what they saw.

 

[Drew M]

So you mean the importer is supposed to eat taxes, duties, and freight? LOL.....I guess you've never run a business?

Probably your government

I would expect to pay more because of tax, duties & freight.
Importer does not pay retail in country of origin.
For the retail price to go up by more than triple, on the example that you just quoted is unreasonable.

Yes I have worked in a company that did plenty of importing & distribution.
Landed cost price to wholesale price could be anywhere from 250% to over a 1000% markup depending on the product with the retailer generally making another 30% on top of that.




Government takes the tax & duties.

Happy to pay a fair price,
Just look at the Vortex comparison above as it shows that it can be done.

 

[beetroot]

So you mean the importer is supposed to eat taxes, duties, and freight? LOL.....I guess you've never run a business?



Probably your government

I live in New Zealand and we do get gouged down here. When its considerably cheaper to pay full retail from the USA and pay all the required taxes, shipping, exchange rates etc, the importer is just taking the piss.

Not to mention usually get better service from Brownells or other US based companies theres little reason to buy local.

 

[308pirate]

I live in New Zealand and we do get gouged down here. When its considerably cheaper to pay full retail from the USA and pay all the required taxes, shipping, exchange rates etc, the importer is just taking the piss.

Not to mention usually get better service from Brownells or other US based companies theres little reason to buy local.

Your answer is the correct one in a free market.

 

[308pirate]

I would expect to pay more because of tax, duties & freight.
Importer does not pay retail in country of origin.
For the retail price to go up by more than triple, on the example that you just quoted is unreasonable

What's unreasonable to you is perfectly reasonable to some else in the supply chain. This line of complaints achieves nothing.

 

[Gee Kay]

$360 for a lyman ultrasonic cleaner vs $110 for a local auto spares ultrasonic cleaner. both made in china.

the difference? one says lyman and is grey in colour and the other says toolpro and is black in colour. which do you think i bought?

 

[Gee Kay]

oh i just remembered, we don't have what you guys call "street prices", we don't have set retail pricing here. no retail set by importers means open slather on pricing here. and its not like the majority of the country own firearms, lafo are approx 1,000,000 to an approx population of 26,000,000.

no we don't have the luxury of "fair" pricing or "street" pricing as the states have. our pricing doesn't include bum lube.

 

[Team RCBS & Bushnell]

FYI if you happen to order an illuminated Match Pro right now - It's backordered and should ship the middle of next week. If that timeline changes I'll update. The non-illuminated is still in stock.

 

[beetroot]

Your answer is the correct one in a free market.

Indeed.
Needed to buy a Ford oil pump for my 4x4, local Ford dealer wanted $650 for a new one, on Ebay can get a Genuine one from Ford in Australia for $185 plus $40 shipping.

I don't complain about it I just jump on Google and buy things from overseas, usually its the local businesses complaining we aren't buying their overpriced products.

 

[Neurotic]

Getting back to the OP's question, I went looking for something similar (>20x & FFP) with a soft $500 cap and also found these. So, perhaps more options to consider...

- Burris Veracity 5-25: goofy 23MOA turrets and MOA, but from what I can gather it's a 30mm tube XTR2
- Athlon Midas Tac 6-24: good reviews, does not include sunshade or covers, 5-25 more spendy but nicer
- Sightron SIII 6-24: nice glass and light, I already have one and really enjoy it, but wanted something different
- Bushnell Match Pro: didn't want to repeat my Forge experience
- Burris RT-25: what I probably should've gotten... same reticle as XTR3 which is likely my next large purchase, but they're in limited supply and they didn't pop up in my searches until after I bought something

 

[CrooksNbigBeaver]

Primary Arms GLx 6-24x is another good option.

The Athena reticle is one of the better ones out there imo, the optical quality is excellent, the turrets are incredible in the price range, and warranty is comparable to the Strike Eagle. It is however 30mm tube and 50mm obj, if that matters to you.

You are looking at $800 however. The sunshade is also an extra $40, which is quite annoying...

 

[littlepod]

At the $800 range, get a used Athlon Ares ETR. Best glass sub $1200 with other features that work well.

I am about to pick up a Bushnell Match Pro for a NRL22 base class rifle as it's the best glass with the MSRP of $449. I had deals on Nitros for like $300, but the MSRP on the Nitro is much higher.

I think the Bushnell Match Pro, is basically a true street value $400 scope - puts it in the same area as like an Ares BTR, above the Diamondback (street value $300), and about the same as the Strike Eagle. Though Strike Eagle's MSRP is like $700 so bumps it way out of Base class.

 

[CrooksNbigBeaver]

At the $800 range, get a used Athlon Ares ETR. Best glass sub $1200 with other features that work well.

I am about to pick up a Bushnell Match Pro for a NRL22 base class rifle as it's the best glass with the MSRP of $449. I had deals on Nitros for like $300, but the MSRP on the Nitro is much higher.

I think the Bushnell Match Pro, is basically a true street value $400 scope - puts it in the same area as like an Ares BTR, above the Diamondback (street value $300), and about the same as the Strike Eagle. Though Strike Eagle's MSRP is like $700 so bumps it way out of Base class.

ETR definitely a good choice if you find one at that price. If looking used you have may many good options, potentially.

Are people really getting Strike Eagles for 400? I havent seen one below 6 and generally closer to 7, but i also dont scour for them often. Seems like an incredible deal at $400.

 

[littlepod]

ETR definitely a good choice if you find one at that price. If looking used you have may many good options, potentially.

Are people really getting Strike Eagles for 400? I havent seen one below 6 and generally closer to 7, but i also dont scour for them often. Seems like an incredible deal at $400.

Strike Eagle / used / street price is about $500. Given Vortex Optics is lifetime no questions asked, I don't see why any one would pay $799 msrp for it.

 

[Jclark65]

I bought a SE for just under $500.00 to my door with mil, le discount.

 

[308pirate]

Let me ask you guys who want to pay less than $1000 for scopes with 24X and higher top end........why do you do it?

Why do you sacrifice optical and mechanical quality to have a 24X (or higher) magnification in which the image looks like shit?

Maybe you can spend that money on a scope of lesser (but still sufficient) magnification which usually means optical and mechanical quality hasn't been sacrificed as much.

 

[Evlshnngns]

Let me ask you guys who want to pay less than $1000 for scopes with 24X and higher top end........why do you do it?

Why do you sacrifice optical and mechanical quality to have a 24X (or higher) magnification in which the image looks like shit?

Maybe you can spend that money on a scope of lesser (but still sufficient) magnification which usually means optical and mechanical quality hasn't been sacrificed as much.

I really like the magnification for punching paper.

 

[308pirate]

I really like the magnification for punching paper.

Even though what you see is dark, full of chromatic aberration, creates eye strain, and it's difficult to get behind the scope?

 

[beetroot]

Even though what you see is dark, full of chromatic aberration, creates eye strain, and it's difficult to get behind the scope?

I've had the PST G2 5-25 and 3-15 versions, the 5-25 definitely exhibited some of those "features" above 22x, from 5-20 it was pretty good.

I sold the 5-25 and bought the 3-15 which is a very nice little scope but I do wish it had more magnification.

I really feel that 4-20ish scopes in this lower price bracket would offer the best performance for cost and size.
Unfortunately for one reason or another manufacturers and consumers don't seem to agree.

 

[littlepod]

Even though what you see is dark, full of chromatic aberration, creates eye strain, and it's difficult to get behind the scope?

As long as you can see the hole in the paper I watch people shoot a round, and then go to the spotting scope to see where they hit, back and forth and back and forth...

I also think there's a fine line between usable and total utter garbage. My Athlon Ares BTR 4.5-27x50 worked well enough at the 20x to make out 22lr holes on paper at 100 yards, not really good enough clarity/zoom at 200 yards though. My Athlon Ares ETR 4.5-30x56 can make out little 22lr holes at 200 yards.

The Ares ETR is pretty decent, 200yards, 30x.