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Rifle Scopes New March-FX 4.5-28X52 HM WA
- Thread starter Denys
- Start date
I had a pre-production model, it would not be wise to do a comparison, I will have the production model in a few weeks hopefully and will be doing a full review then.
I just squeaked in under the wire on the shot show deal. Don at long range Supply hooked me up.
I’m also interested in this cause I heavily debated going with the NX8 4-32 to save a few bucks but ultimately decided to jump to the March 4.5-28.
It was the 4-32×50.
I hated the eye box, literally had to position my eye so close to the scope that I actually caught it in the face on a 300 mag, hadn't done that since I was a teenager..
The image quality was poor, and the parallax was a bitch to get right.
The scope would darken noticeably above 20 x.
I compared it to my mk5 5-25 extensively and the mk5 is just so much better to get behind
The biggest difference I see between the NX8 4-32 and the Mk5 is how much easier it is to get on target without tunneling.
I can just about put my cheek anywhere on the stock and get an effortless sight picture with the mk5, this makes it really easy to spot my shots.
I have an incredibly hard time doing that with the nx8, plus the parallax is terrible..
I'm hoping the new march won't have those issues being a 6x zoom, and it'll definitely be nice having better glass
March has informed me my 4.5-28x52 has shipped! Now we just have to wait for it to travel from Japan to US through a distributor and then to me... I'm anxious to do a full review on a production model for everyone, stay tuned... If anyone has something specific they'd like me to test/focus on please let me know, I can't guarantee I'll be able to address all requests but will do my best.
I'm supper curious to know how it stacks up against a S&B 3-20US in the parallax and "eye box" department. I was seriously close to getting one of the ZCO offerings but the more i looked at this one on paper it looks like a nice blend of both ZCO scopes in one package. Cant wait for your review of the new glass. Thanks for all the great info.
I will certainly give my thoughts on how it stacks up to ultra shorts and traditional (long) scopes as I am right there with you, this is a hybrid design that bridges the gap between the traditional 5-25 and ultra short 4-20 range. I do not expect it to best a TT/ZCO but I do hope it's close to something like the S&B US 3-20.
It depends on what you mean by "that much better". Schmidt has greater FOV, but ZCO has higher resolution at higher magnifications. For me the biggest deficit of the Schmidt was their turrets, but now that they have the DT II+ turrets (some of the best out) it greatly increases the value of the Schmidt in my book. I still think the ZCO is the best overall ultra short on the market, but the Schmidt with DT II+ is a serious contender if you like the Schmidt reticle offerings.
Wow, thanks for the info. Thats great. I do know my 3-20 resolution does drop off significantly at about 17-18 power. I keep hearing that about the new DT II+ turrets and cant wait to give them a go.
Curious what makes the new S&B DT II+ turrets so good? I dont know anything about turrets and i only have a sample of two for top end scopes, a K525i and a S&B 3-20 US with the 18mil MTC turrets. I actually like the 525i turrets a lot more for feel but when i have to dial fast the S&B turrets dont seem to be all that bad but the clicks are way to close at 18mil per rev. Are the new turrets just a better "feel" or are the mechanics of them different. Just wondering if an upgrade would be worth it.
I never used to think of myself as a turret purist as long as the turret could get me where I needed to go. The older MTC design caused me to over/under travel a couple clicks and then I’d have to dial back, then the 18 mil DT came out and like you mentioned the clicks are too close together, not very distinct and overall just a meh experience. The DT II+ are a different animal, clicks are very distinct and precise, locking mechanism can be left on or turned off and MTC is the best I’ve felt from Schmidt with no over/under travel. Is it worth the $800ish upgrade, only you can decide, but if you find yourself bothered/hindered by the existing turrets then maybe so; however, if you feel like you can live with them then don’t worry about the upgrade.
Also, the new turrets are a bit higher and the knurling is much nicer to get a good grip with or without gloves.
Think of the new DT II+ as having the convenience of the nice distinct click values as your Kahles but with the slight bump of MTC. I’d put the DT II+ up there close to TT, and the new March 5-42 turrets right up there as well with a slight preference for the March due to the wider spacing of the 10 mil per rev design.
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The locking lever on the DT II+ turrets actually has three positions.
It can be locked.
It can be unlocked and allow the MTC (more tactile click) every full mil.
It can also be unlocked without the MTC activated.
Very nice design.
It can be locked.
It can be unlocked and allow the MTC (more tactile click) every full mil.
It can also be unlocked without the MTC activated.
Very nice design.
but does not different turrets have different elevation on S&B Ultra Short rifle scopes?
on their page it says:
so does it means that with different turrets we get different maximum elevation with it?
on their page it says:
| Adjustment | DT27 MTC LT / ST ZC CT |
| Adjustment value/Click | 1 cm / ¼ MOA |
| Elevation (Turret) | 270 cm/100 m / 66 MOA |
| Windage (Turret) | ±60 cm/100 m / ±15 MOA |
| Adjustment | DT35 MTC LT / ST ZC CT |
| Adjustment value/Click | 1 cm / ¼ MOA |
| Elevation (Turret) | 350 cm/100 m / 84 MOA |
| Windage (Turret) | ±60 cm/100 m / ±15 MOA |
| Adjustment | DT II+ MTC LT / ST II ZC CT |
| Adjustment value/Click | 1 cm / ¼ MOA |
| Elevation (Turret) | 305 cm/100 m / 77 MOA/td> |
| Windage (Turret) | ± 60 cm/100 m / ±18 MOA |
so does it means that with different turrets we get different maximum elevation with it?
Got mine yesterday wont have a chance at the range with it till next week, but what a nice piece of work I'm impressed by it. Beautiful craftmanship, great glass, excellent turrets and illumination.
Elmer
Elmer
Super jealous. Glad to hear it appears to be too notch. Can’t wait to hear more impressions until mine gets here.
Pulling it out of the box and putting it side by side with my TT has made me feel this is going to be a scope I'm very happy with. Turrets are not as good as TT (but what are?) but I'm very happy with the spacing (10 mil per rev), and there is no play whatsoever. The large elevation wheel option is interesting with huge numbers that my aging eyes will appreciate. Parallax seems improved but need more time behind it. I am very much looking forward to conducting a thorough review much like I did with the March 5-42x56 vs. Schmidt 5-45x56... stay tuned, here's some teaser pics
This one tipped the (cheap) scales at 30.0 oz
The large elevation turret option has big (readable) numbers and larger diameter for better grip. It will be interesting to see how well this holds up over time.
Compared to the TT, this is David vs. Goliath for sure
This one tipped the (cheap) scales at 30.0 oz
The large elevation turret option has big (readable) numbers and larger diameter for better grip. It will be interesting to see how well this holds up over time.
Compared to the TT, this is David vs. Goliath for sure
Dude that is such a damn tease!
Wow that thing is compact for sure, hoping I can use Talley mounts and get proper eye relief on a LA..
Can't wait to get my hands on mine next month.
They are ARC M10's, my favorite rings by far. Height depends on rifle, I can get away with lows (.94") on standard actions with picatinny rail and medium Palma style barrels, if I'm mounting a 56mm objective I may need to go with something higher if I'm using a thicker profile barrel, but since the March has a smaller diameter 52mm objective lows should be fine, if you have a continuous rail like a lot of chassis systems you'll need higher to clear the rail.
Comparing the March-FX 4.5-28X52 specs with the ZCO 420 reveals they are similar, but with some notable differences.
In size, they are about the same length: ZCO 12.8, March-FX 12.5 inch.
The ZCO is about 5 ounces heavier at 34.8 compared 29.8.
The objective lens of the ZCO is 50mm, the March-FX's is 52mm.
The power range of the ZCO is 4-20, 5X zoom. The March-FX is 4.5-28, 6.2X zoom.
The FOV at lowest power is interesting: ZCO @ 4X: 28 feet. March-FX @4.5X: 29.1. That wide-angle eyepiece does the trick. So the FOV of the March-FX will be wider at all magnifications, of course.
The minimum focus distances for the ZCO is 25meter, The March-FX is 10yards.
The ZCO is 36mm and the March-FX is 34mm.
They both have 20mil of windage and the ZCO has 35mil of elevation to the March-FX's 30mil.
Keep in mind the March 4.5-28x52 HM is a very unique design, this is a short body (ultra short) high magnification and ultra wide FOV scope. To compare this scope optically to the likes of Tangent Theta or ZCO which are arguably some of the best scopes on the market from a purely optical perspective with the expectation that since it "costs about the same" so it should perform the same is a bit shortsighted. That being said, it is my intent to do just this in my review - compare the March 4.5-28 to both the TT 5-25 and the ZCO 4-20 because this is a scope that covers both magnification ranges (actually exceeds them), I do not expect this scope to be at the same level optically as these scopes, but I do expect it to perform quite well for a scope that satisfies both the traditional 5-25 (long) scope design and the ultra short design.
Perhaps its worth throwing in a S&B 3-20 ultrashort into the comparison as well?
Thank you for doing these kinds of comparisons. I am in the market for a new optic (and you are looking at the top contenders) and its really nice to be able to read the opinion of an unbiased expert.
In my signature is a link to the alpha class Ultra Short review I did a couple years ago with Schmidt 5-20 and 3-20 ultra shorts, ZCO ZC420, Kahles k318i and Minox ZP5 3-15 (it was the reference scope even though I do not consider it an ultra short). I’ve had three Schmidt 3-20 ultra shorts over the years so am pretty familiar with the quality of that scope. In that Ultra Short review the ZCO ZC420 came out on top as the clear winner for me both optically and mechanically; however, that was before Schmidt offered the DT II+ turrets which I personally think are a step above ZCO whereas the previous DT turrets were quite a bit below ZCO. ZCO still holds the edge optically so it still reigns as the ultra short champion in my book. I will be very curious to see how well the March 4.5-28 does in comparison to these.
As long as the glass is similar, the turrets are solid and track, I will be happy with my decision. Size, weight and mag range with wide view check all the boxes. Mine won’t be here until late March early April based on my email.
Got my March 4.5-28 in mid-February. I was shocked when I opened the box. It looked like a little kids scope. Love it so far. The turrets are definetly the best I have turned compared to top tier optics. Came with a box full of goodies and attachments. Love the senior citizen turret attachment. I haven't had a great deal of field time behind it, but am very impressed with it thus far. My only comments comparing it to larger top tier glass would be this. You can't expect to cram a 16+ inch scope into a 12 1/2 " tube and expect it to be better optically. with that said, it is very darn impressive for a 12.5" riflescope.
Excuse me. Who are you calling a "senior citizen" for using the large turret attachment?
Oh, wait....
Never mind.
Yeah, I really like the bigger numbers and the large knobs. Makes it easy for me to see and dial.
One of my few gripes about the Tangent Theta and their massive but superb turrets - why the heck do you put such TINY numbers on there when you have plenty of space for larger, more bold numbers. My guess is everyone at Tangent are 30 something
I'm looking at the March and Tangent turrets right now as I type this and the optional large turret housing that March offers with the 4.5-28 is definitely a benefit.Got some time yesterday when weather was nice (snowing right now) to do some resolution target testing between my March 4.5-28x52 and my Tangent 5-25x56 and I must say I was very impressed... full review coming soon.
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