-
Having trouble using the site?
Contact support
Rifle Scopes So, what about Leupold Mark 5 ?
- Thread starter longshot2000
- Start date
I would like to add some info on my experience with my 3.6-18×44 Tremor 3 illuminated.
First, I have to commend Leupold for their illumintion. Leupold used to have some of the worst illuminated reticles in the industry. Many years ago I used a Mark4 illuminated 3.5-10× scope and not only did the illumination run the battery dry the first time you forgot to turn it off, but it had uneven illumination on the small center of the crosshair with the horizontal and vertical hairs being vastly different in brightness and that caused one stadia to blur when illuminated. This new illumination system Leupold used with the Tremor3 is really something else, there are TINY sections that are so dim yet consistently lit to allow a glare free use of the reticle at night it boggles my mind. Then there are the center floating dot and the bright dots at every 2 mils down the reticle, plus some mover holds. By adjusting the brightness down, you can JUST see the bright dots and nothing else, if you want. I also inadvertently left my illumination on for weeks and while MUCH dimmer, the illumintoon still works. I can understand the amount of effort these illuminated reticles must have required and for me at least in part, I can understand the price... a little.
Next the scope has serious purple CA fringing. .. or none at all... or serious orange CA fringing. The scope has NO CA if you have a perfect head position and perfect eye relief; however, the color of fringing and its amount is directly related to how far from that .1mm sweet spot you are. Move your head closer than petfect you get one color fringing, back it up and its gone, back up more you get the opposite color fringing. To have so much magnification, so much magnification range, so little shift in eye relief as magnification changes, and such a small objective, such short overall length, so much elevation travel, etc. The scope has reached some finite limits in optical design. The Mark 6 scope has even more magnification range and FOV but trades a shifting eye relief and more general CA and image issues but the Mark 5 CAN be perfect... its just very picky.
Used the scope a couple days ago to shoot some .5-.8 MOA groups with my .223 16" precision lightweight AR at 320 yards. That center floating dot was pretty easy to put on 1" shoot and see stickers for a near perfect overlap at that range.
The reticle is NOT daytime bright when illuminated, but should not be, IMO. The Tremor3 is a little fine at 3.6x but a dream at full power with 5 mils of the tree useable.
Mine has been tracking well and trouble free so far... and optically great if I do my part.
First, I have to commend Leupold for their illumintion. Leupold used to have some of the worst illuminated reticles in the industry. Many years ago I used a Mark4 illuminated 3.5-10× scope and not only did the illumination run the battery dry the first time you forgot to turn it off, but it had uneven illumination on the small center of the crosshair with the horizontal and vertical hairs being vastly different in brightness and that caused one stadia to blur when illuminated. This new illumination system Leupold used with the Tremor3 is really something else, there are TINY sections that are so dim yet consistently lit to allow a glare free use of the reticle at night it boggles my mind. Then there are the center floating dot and the bright dots at every 2 mils down the reticle, plus some mover holds. By adjusting the brightness down, you can JUST see the bright dots and nothing else, if you want. I also inadvertently left my illumination on for weeks and while MUCH dimmer, the illumintoon still works. I can understand the amount of effort these illuminated reticles must have required and for me at least in part, I can understand the price... a little.
Next the scope has serious purple CA fringing. .. or none at all... or serious orange CA fringing. The scope has NO CA if you have a perfect head position and perfect eye relief; however, the color of fringing and its amount is directly related to how far from that .1mm sweet spot you are. Move your head closer than petfect you get one color fringing, back it up and its gone, back up more you get the opposite color fringing. To have so much magnification, so much magnification range, so little shift in eye relief as magnification changes, and such a small objective, such short overall length, so much elevation travel, etc. The scope has reached some finite limits in optical design. The Mark 6 scope has even more magnification range and FOV but trades a shifting eye relief and more general CA and image issues but the Mark 5 CAN be perfect... its just very picky.
Used the scope a couple days ago to shoot some .5-.8 MOA groups with my .223 16" precision lightweight AR at 320 yards. That center floating dot was pretty easy to put on 1" shoot and see stickers for a near perfect overlap at that range.
The reticle is NOT daytime bright when illuminated, but should not be, IMO. The Tremor3 is a little fine at 3.6x but a dream at full power with 5 mils of the tree useable.
Mine has been tracking well and trouble free so far... and optically great if I do my part.
I bought the newer Leupold Mark 5 M1C3 Rifle Scope 35mm Tube 7-35x 56mm Side Focus Zero Stop First Focal Impact 60 reticle and it is far and away the best scope I'ver ever put on any of my rifles. I don't have any of the color problems, in fact it looks like the lens coatings take out color rendition ever-so-slightly.
The 5-25 (and I’d imagine the 7-35) are much better at controlling CA than the 3.6-18. I’m sure it’s because of the short design. It doesn’t bother me at all when shooting my 3.6-18, but I can tell the CA is gone when I switch to my 5-25
It’s kinda buried like 3 layers deep on Leupold’s site, here you go:
I was surpised to find the Mark 5 7-35 available on their website; normally all their new stuff shows up in my feed. Same dimensions as the 5-25, only a few ounces heavier. Save hundreds over an ATACR. Don't know what I would put it on, might have to spec a rifle just for that purpose.
Play with the screws and you can get it. Mine ended up on the left edge, but carries it through the entire revolution so I'm not bothered.
I've had my 5-25 for 9 months now. I can't live without the capped windage and locking turret. I see a bunch of vx-5's in line for my hunting rifles.
MPA chassis, Curtis action, Atlas bipod... that's exactly what I'm running! You have good taste! ?
Do you shoot PRS with that rig? I've done a few competitions with mine and I'm about to swap out my Sig TANGO6 for another optic. Seriously considering the Mark 5HD 5-25x56. It's made in the USA (I'm in Portland and Leupold is based out here, so I like the fact that I can support local business), they have a good reputation and have been in the scope business for decades.
The one thing holding me back is that no one else at the competitions I've been to are running Leupold. My shooting partner runs Vortex Razor HD GenII (I see a lot of those), another guy has Schmidt & Bender, and Nightforce, US Optics, and Kahles are also really popular. I want to support Leupold in PRS so they keep making scopes for us, but I also don't want to run the "wrong" scope if there's a reason why the PRS community isn't choosing it for their rigs.
If you have competed with that setup, is there anything about the Mark 5 that you felt was holding you back? Like the time to get on target, changing magnification, adjusting dopes between shots, etc.? Thanks!
I do actually shoot prs with this rig. So far the scope is amazing. Not a ton of people running them yet but i am seeing more and more people starting to use them. The clarity is phenomenal and so far the tracking is spot on. Ive taken it to 1100yds and back multiple times. I came from using a burris xtr ii and its a night and day difference. The amount of travel i still have is crazy. Like 28 mils of travel left after zeroing. I havent found anything i don't like about it just yet. But to be fair I havent taken it out a ron with it being the end of the season and me moving houses lol. I dont think you will be dissapointed at all if you got the mark 5
I agree with you on this. I dont think its any better or worse than any of the other scopes in its class. I think the cost is great for what you get along with the elevation. Some of the features like the locking zero are great if you like em or not so great if you dont like em. Its all preference and what you can afford these days
Thank you both for your input!
The reason I asked about the Mark 5's utility in regard to PRS is that I'm only going to be using this scope for PRS, so I don't care how good it is for hunting or shooting from a bench, etc., so the fact that I don't see many (or any) of them being used at matches makes me curious as to what the reasons might be before I drop a couple grand on one and end up wondering if I'd been better off following the Vortex/NF/S&B herd.
The reason I asked about the Mark 5's utility in regard to PRS is that I'm only going to be using this scope for PRS, so I don't care how good it is for hunting or shooting from a bench, etc., so the fact that I don't see many (or any) of them being used at matches makes me curious as to what the reasons might be before I drop a couple grand on one and end up wondering if I'd been better off following the Vortex/NF/S&B herd.
Get the 5-25 with the CCH reticle. You won’t need illumination. I’ve been running one for over a year in matches. Why a bunch of people don’t used them? Who knows, but everyone who’s ever spent time behind my Mk5s wants one.
A ton of people run Vortex, but I wouldn’t use one if you gave it to me. I’ve seen way too many Vortex products all across the line go down. I won a Vortex at a match this year and promptly traded it for a TBAC cert from a shooter 3 places behind me. I’m not saying NF, S&B, ZC or the like aren’t better than a Mk5, but the extra price isn’t worth the difference for me.
That's great news, thank you! My next decision was going to be reticle/illumination. I'm excited to get this! The TANGO6 is a decent scope, but nothing to write home about. I'll use it on my .223 trainer I'm building, and put the Mk5 on the comp rifle.
Yeah, I have a Vortex on my .308 (it's a Viper and not a Razor HD, but still) and I'm not too jazzed about it. It soured me on Vortex as a brand and I'm not too keen on running another one. I'd rather support Leupold, personally.
Don’t bother with illumination on a PRS scope. I have an illuminated TMR on my hunting scope, but honestly I really don’t need it, because I can still see the reticle during legal light.
Considering that Leupold is based out of Portland, I thought I'd see more of them at the matches I've been to around here, which is why I've been a little hesitant. But people will see at least one more now since I'll be running one! ?
My TANGO6 has an illuminated reticle, and I've never turned it on during a match. Part of me is tempted to buy it thinking that it's better to have it and not need it than need it and not have it, but you're right. The odds of using it for PRS is basically zero.
When they first came out, a lot of people complained about the 35mm tube. But there are plenty of 35mm ring and mount choices now.
I have a 34mm Spuhr mount and really like it, so I'll get another one in 35mm. Not sure I understand the complaints, though; doesn't a larger tube allow for more elevation adjustment?
I had the first one around here. People thought I was crazy after the m5b2 turret tracking issues on the m6.
There are plenty more showing up now. They weren't the "in thing" because vortex and s&b were owning the "tactical" market.
I'm done with vortex myself. Too hit and miss with qc and needing the warranty.
There are plenty more showing up now. They weren't the "in thing" because vortex and s&b were owning the "tactical" market.
I'm done with vortex myself. Too hit and miss with qc and needing the warranty.
The Mark 5 is a very good scope. They go for good deals on here used. I’ve had 2 3.6-18 scopes. I sold them due to reticle preference. The TMR needs an update into something like the Mil-C. I’d buy another in a heartbeat with a reticle similar to the Mil-C or Bushnell G3. The CCH is too busy for me and I don’t care for Horus reticles that much. There is nothing wrong with the Mark 5 and who cares what anyone else is using. A bunch of people use the Burris XTR-2 and the Mark 5 is a definite upgrade from that scope in my experience.
Here is a value based question for those of you who have an opinion or experience with the Mark 5 HD 3-18 and the S&B 3-18 Ultra Short. I have the opportunity to purchase either for a new rifle. The Leupold is non illuminated with T3 (that's a good thing to me) for 3000 and the S&B has the MSR1 with illumination for 3600. Now that's in Australian dollars so to me the S&B feels like a good price (2500 usd) and the Leupold feels a bit expensive.
What's the view of the hide
What's the view of the hide
i read somewhere that a few hundred of the cost for the 5HD is a premium for that Horus reticle you like. (i use an H59)
without the Horus reticle, they are a bit more reasonable in price.
Last edited:
The Leupold illuminated with T3 is $2600 USD retail. Non-illuminated T3 is $2100 USD retail.
Leupold Mark 5HD Scopes
Leupold Mark 5HD Scopes for Sale! Call 570-368-3920 today for the best price!
I saw one in px earlier for 1850 brand new in wrapper!The Leupold illuminated with T3 is $2600 USD retail. Non-illuminated T3 is $2100 USD retail.
Leupold Mark 5HD Scopes
Leupold Mark 5HD Scopes for Sale! Call 570-368-3920 today for the best price!www.eurooptic.com
I run a Mark 5HD 3.6-18x44 on my FN Scar 20S, with a Surefire brake.
A lot of folks believe the Scar-H is tough on optics, although perhaps the heavier 20S is not quite so bad, and the recoil plate on my scar is some kind of hard rubber, and not the more rigid polymer i have seen on the 17S. in any case, i see no issues so far.
I think the heavy bolt carrier slamming forward is the problem for some scopes, so i am not sure we're comparing apples to apples.
The recoil from the scar is pretty light imo. Although not light like a .223, it is nothing like my .308 lever action.
I run a mk5 5-25x56 on a 300 prc” with a brake” and I haven’t had any issues..
How usable is the illuminated TMR at lowest power? It looks like it would do well for hunting and I like the small dot for precision. I don’t need a complicated tree reticle. I’m looking hard at the 3.6-18 illuminated tmr vs NF ATACR 4-16 milC vs Minox ZP5 3-15 mr5. This would be for a AR15 16” Recce-ish build, with a very accurate Compass Lake barrel, general use, hunting, 3-600yd steel and 1-300 paper.
