Scope upgrade ,maybe?

L

Lawolfiie

Private
Minuteman
Dec 20, 2020
24
2
Los Angeles
#1
Trying to decide for a new scope while at work 😎 swampfox kentucky or arken sh4? Sightron seems there but it seems is pricier. I have a 4-16 primal from riton at the moment . Blackhound looked good in glass but reticle is too thick for my taste. I want to upgrade but not another vortex😂😂 advise? Thoughts? For a howa 1500 223 in chassis from trybe. Trying to keep it under 500 but i want ffp and illuminated if possible, moa
 
#4
Lawolfiie said:
Trying to decide for a new scope while at work 😎 swampfox kentucky or arken sh4? Sightron seems there but it seems is pricier. I have a 4-16 primal from riton at the moment . Blackhound looked good in glass but reticle is too thick for my taste. I want to upgrade but not another vortex😂😂 advise? Thoughts? For a howa 1500 223 in chassis from trybe. Trying to keep it under 500 but i want ffp and illuminated if possible, moa
Click to expand...
Arken EP5
 
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#5
I have a Swampfox Kentucky that I run on a .17 HMR rifle. For whatI paid for it I have been very impressed. It spends a lot of time bouncing around in my truck or side by side when working on the farm and has never lost zero. Turrets have always been repeatable and accurate.
 
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#7
thetruthcaliber said:
For a Howa 1500 223 chassis, it is just right to complete the setup with an Arken SH4 scope. Incredibly versatile scope for an amazing gun. I must warn you, you might spend a little extra for the range for the rest of the year.
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Do you have one? I am curious as many, should say most reviews seem to praise it, but i have seen a couple about really blurry glass at certain magnifications, more than the usual to be expected i think, i am leaning towars the sh4 as i still need bigger rings n such as cost is always something to consider
 
#8
Lawolfiie said:
Do you have one? I am curious as many, should say most reviews seem to praise it, but i have seen a couple about really blurry glass at certain magnifications, more than the usual to be expected i think, i am leaning towars the sh4 as i still need bigger rings n such as cost is always something to consider
Click to expand...
I have 5 Arkens (3 SH4’s, 1 EP5, and 1 EPL4). If you get a lemon, their customer service is top-notch, and they’ll give you the option for replace or refund, if you’re not satisfied. Both my EP5 and EPL4 were unsatisfactory right out of the box, and they swapped them out no questions asked. The replacement scopes have been perfect. 👍🏼
 
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#9
Curious, i am leaning towards arken. I see the ep5 is 5-25 while the sh4 gen2 is 4-16. What would be your opinion for a 223 caliber with 20 inch barrel? My goal ia to see how far i can shoot it while actually hitting the target. I understand the ep5 is better on paper but i would like some input in what others think for zoom range.
 
#11
Thank you for the suggestion, i liked their reticles but due to surgery, my old eyes dont do well with fixed power scopes. My current riton primal 4-16 x 44 does ok but looking to upgrade to ffp as all my other scopes are currently sfp. I am inclined for the sh4 gen 2 so far but still looking around😎
 
#14
Lawolfiie said:
Curious, i am leaning towards arken. I see the ep5 is 5-25 while the sh4 gen2 is 4-16. What would be your opinion for a 223 caliber with 20 inch barrel? My goal ia to see how far i can shoot it while actually hitting the target. I understand the ep5 is better on paper but i would like some input in what others think for zoom range.
Click to expand...
They offer an SH4 in 6-24x50 as well. Buy direct, not off of Amazon. Because if you're buying off of Amazon, you're still buying direct from Arken. Might as well buy directly from their website, and have more options to choose from.

SH4 GEN2 6-24X50mm FFP MIL VPR

www.arkenopticsusa.com www.arkenopticsusa.com
 
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#16
Lawolfiie said:
Any thoughts on this one vs the sh4?
www.bushnell.com

Match Pro 6-24x50 Long Range Riflescope | Best Budget First Focal Plane Scope

Purpose-built for competition shooting, The Match Pro 6-24x50 riflescope has all the features you need to compete with confidence and bring home the win. Shop today!
www.bushnell.com www.bushnell.com
Click to expand...
Personally I won't buy Bushnell, and their customer service has been horrendous according to many reports from users here on the forum. I think I remember someone saying they refused to fix his scope under lifetime warranty, but offered him 1/2-off another one. That's a pretty shitty thing to do, IMO.
 
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#17
FuhQ said:
Personally I won't buy Bushnell, and their customer service has been horrendous according to many reports from users here in the forum.
Click to expand...
Good to know, i am really inclined for the sh4. But i am thinking the 4-16 instead of 6-24, so you have a 6-24? How forgiving at high magnification? The 4-16 has more elevation as well and they have it moa, the 6-24 is mil but i soeak moa
 
#18
Lawolfiie said:
Good to know, i am really inclined for the sh4. But i am thinking the 4-16 instead of 6-24, so you have a 6-24? How forgiving at high magnification? The 4-16 has more elevation as well and they have it moa, the 6-24 is mil but i soeak moa
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I have 3 of the 6-24 SH4 Gen2 VPR MIL scopes. And a 6-24x50 VHR MIL EPL4 scope, and a 5-25x56 EP5.

I prefer MILs, but I can use both. I have numerous German hunting scopes that are only offered in MOA, so I’ve had to learn both systems.

SH4 GEN2 6-24X50mm FFP MOA VPR

www.arkenopticsusa.com www.arkenopticsusa.com
 
#20
Lawolfiie said:
What are your thoughts on a 4-16 vs 6-24 for shooting 223? My concern is that higher magnification may make it more difficult to deal with the eye box
Click to expand...
My personal opinion on magnification…

It’s better to have it and not need it, then to need it and not have it.

I always opt for maximum magnification. Even my hunting rifles wear 6-24x scopes, because I can always dial it back down to 6x if I need to for 100 yard shots. I don’t typically shoot deer closer than 100 yards, and 6x is fine for that. Also, on the low end, there’s not much difference between 4x and 6x…But there’s a very large difference between 16x and 24x. 👍🏼

Also, it doesn’t matter if it’s a $500 scope, or a $5,000 scope…Eye boxes get tighter when you increase magnification…Period. That’s just a nature of the beast. Don’t let folks fool you into thinking there’s some huge difference, because there isn’t. There is a noticeable difference, but it’s not earth-shattering like some folks will lead you to believe.
 
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#22
FuhQ said:
My personal opinion on magnification…

It’s better to have it and not need it, then to need it and not have it.

I always opt for maximum magnification. Even my hunting rifles wear 6-24x scopes, because I can always dial it back down to 6x if I need to for 100 yard shots. I don’t typically shoot deer closer than 100 yards, and 6x is fine for that. Also, on the low end, there’s not much difference between 4x and 6x…But there’s a very large difference between 16x and 24x. 👍🏼

Also, it doesn’t matter if it’s a $500 scope, or a $5,000 scope…Eye boxes get tighter when you increase magnification…Period. That’s just a nature of the beast. Don’t let folks fool you into thinking there’s some huge difference, because there isn’t. There is a noticeable difference, but it’s not earth-shattering like some folks will lead you to believe.
Click to expand...
I ended pulling the trigger last night and ordered the 6-24 sh , although the ep5 is better; i wanted to save a bit, my t1x will get the riton now and pending how i like the sh, maybe that one will move to mt mk ii ao i can justify getting the ep5 or one of the epl models😎
 
#23
FuhQ said:
Personally I won't buy Bushnell, and their customer service has been horrendous according to many reports from users here on the forum. I think I remember someone saying they refused to fix his scope under lifetime warranty, but offered him 1/2-off another one. That's a pretty shitty thing to do, IMO.
Click to expand...
While a small sample I sent 2 scopes back recently, a ancient 1-3 weaver that they replaced with a 1-4 4500, a 1-8 forge that the illumination failed on and they gave the retail price credit since they didn't have anything I wanted available.
 
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#25
blackblue said:
While a small sample I sent 2 scopes back recently, a ancient 1-3 weaver that they replaced with a 1-4 4500, a 1-8 forge that the illumination failed on and they gave the retail price credit since they didn't have anything I wanted available.
Click to expand...
Maybe they got tired of getting blasted on the internet for shitty customer service, and actually stepped up? 🤷🏼
 
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#26
Sadly i have seen a common trend of more well established companies declining when it comes to customer service. I have read good things on that aspect for arken, as well as swampfox , blackhound and vortex. I sure hope i dont have to find out lol
 
#27
I do like the Swampfox brand and have quite few of their red dots and scope. Swampfox has excellent customer serve if one should need it. The nice thing about being directly from Swampfox is their MIL/LEO discount.

I also have a couple of Arken SH4 6-24 MIL scopes. I can't comment on their customer service since I have not had to deal with them. The package deal/discount code is hard to beat considering what all you get.

Now for my personal comparison of the Swampfox Patriot 6-24 MIL scope and the Arken SH4 6-24 MIL scope. I chose the lowest priced from each for comparison.

Glass clarity:
  • Both are pretty equal from 4x to 16x.
  • The Patriot is clearer and has less haze around the outer edge at 16x and above
  • The haze is definitely more noticeable with the SH4 at 24x compared to the Patriot.
Eye Relief:
  • The Patriot wins by a very small amount and slightly more forgiving at max magnification.
  • Eye relief on both scopes gets tight at 16X and above.
Weight:
  • The Patriot clearly wins here. It is comparable to higher priced scope when it comes to weight.
  • The SH4 is heavy and build like a tank
Mounts:
  • Mounts from both companies are good to go
  • Advantage goes to Arken if you are wanting 20 MOA built into the mount.
  • Swampfox does not offer anything but 0 MOA
  • Arken scope bodies are 34mm
  • Swampfox scope bodies are 30mm
Turrets:
  • Both scopes track well when doing the box test
  • The SH4 has huge turrets that one can operate while wearing US Mil issue arctic gloves.
  • The SH4 turret have a more defined click than the Patriot when making adjustments.
Customer Service:
  • Swampfox has great customer service. Out of all the optics I bought from them over the years I have only had to return two and everything went smoothly and fast.
  • While I have not had to use Arken's customer service, they do get good reviews from others.
When I bought the Arken SH4 and the Swampfox Patriot last year they were within $40- $50 dollars in price after all discounts with the Patriot being more. After using both I can say one will not go wrong with either if they are on a tight budget. Neither will compete with a higher end scope so don't expect them too. Neither scope compares to my older Bushnell Elite 4500 6-24 MIL Dot scope, again I did not expect them too for the price.
 
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#28
Swampfox may be my next one. I like the idea of trying new things while making sense of the money spent. I usually take risks in things like this, but as an example; my riton primal scope is actually really good comparing it to my sig whiskey scopes in similar zoom range. Glass is better on the riton and the scope is solid. That will be going to my tikka t1x while i remove the current whiskey 3. If i were to spent similar money between riton and sig, i will choose riton. Arken has had my attention for a while and the input I received here helped me decide. I got my hands in a blackhound genesis 6-24 a week ago and almost got that one instead of the arken but the one thing that bugged me on the blackhound was that the reticles are too thick for my taste. For hunting it looks great, i would replace a duplex reticle any day but i like thinner -cleaner reticles, that was part of the reason i choose the riton to begin with.
 
#30
redneckbmxer24 said:
Old eyes don’t do well with shit tier chinesium glass.

Whether the magnification is variable or not has zero impact with varying eyesight.
Click to expand...
For someone who owned both of the scopes you’re referring to, I can tell you the Arken is leaps and bounds ahead of the SWFA. Like it’s embarrassing.
Saying swfa has better glass is a joke.
As far as reliability and tracking it isn’t any better than Arken. I sent three swfa back for parallax problems, and questioned the tracking on the later models, but didn’t pursue the problem because their outdated brass internals, and I was ready to move on. Fixed power, 5mil turrets with no illumination is taken him back to 2005. The arkens have been tested over and over and are performing just fine.
Fuck!! Even the Athlon argos out performs the swfa.
 
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