Rifle Scopes So, what about Leupold Mark 5 ?

Hard to tell much from the picture but low light capability looks promising as does clarity around the edges, thanks for the picture! Excited for my backorder to get here mid March ish!

I agree and might try setting something up my DSLR to get a good image through it.
 
Size/weight is perfect for my application.

Don’t care for the 35mm tube, but it is what it is.

Rear ocular crisp and the throw lever is a very nice addition. Also like how the throw lever does not interfere with a 90 degree bolt throw.

Adjustments are better then the mk6 variants, but still not in the same realm as a NF/Khales/S&B/razor/etc... audible, positive clicks but still slightly spongy.

*no time in the day to look through the glass.

*no time with the parallax.

*tmr does not have the floating dot, just an open center.

Capped windage is nice.

Overall it’s a decent piece of glass. I’d put it between a Bushnell hdmr and a NF 4-16... right where the price puts it.

Now hopefully it tracks:
 

Attachments

  • E5B28BD0-253A-484A-B0F4-BAAD202F1917.jpeg
    E5B28BD0-253A-484A-B0F4-BAAD202F1917.jpeg
    460.5 KB · Views: 264
  • 948DC5D1-926D-4D9F-93F7-B08BA6A60E69.jpeg
    948DC5D1-926D-4D9F-93F7-B08BA6A60E69.jpeg
    595.5 KB · Views: 292
  • 1B358409-590E-49E0-BBE0-D5EE5CABFE67.jpeg
    1B358409-590E-49E0-BBE0-D5EE5CABFE67.jpeg
    429.5 KB · Views: 281
Bushnell 3-21 g3, mk5 and then NF 4-16

If I’m not mistaken the Bushy’s sell for $1500 ish (new) $1200 used. NF 4-16 mil-r (c) $2000 (new) $1800 used...

It’s competitively priced.

Comparing apples to oranges but my NF’s 7-35 are by far a much better optic.
 
Bushnell 3-21 g3, mk5 and then NF 4-16

If I’m not mistaken the Bushy’s sell for $1500 ish (new) $1200 used. NF 4-16 mil-r (c) $2000 (new) $1800 used...

It’s competitively priced.

Comparing apples to oranges but my NF’s 7-35 are by far a much better optic.

See i had heard people compare the 7-35 ATACR, 5-25 S&B, and the MK5 and walked away with the MK5 because it represented such a good value. Again had some say it's right there with the Gen II razor and fairs well against the AMG. So to hear it compared to the DMR2 (i'm assuming cause of the G3 reticle) makes me nervous.

How's the CA?
 
The mk5 is not the same caliber of optic as the other heavy hitters.

I can’t say anything on the glass with full confidence. As I need more time with it, but it looks clean. Again, it’s not S&B/NF/or the like.
 
Bill also says he thinks it's better than his Gen II razors in that post. 5-10 business day shipping sucks..i'm ready to see it. Going to put it against a friends Gen II 4.5-27x56 when it gets here.
 
  • Like
Reactions: TheChief
I owned 2 and never paid over $2100 brand new with rings. But that’s neither here or there...

The NF 4-16 is a superior optic compared to the mk5...

I wonder if at worst its comparable to the Cronus? Which is right behind the Gen II razors to me. Really happy about the eyebox, thinking i'm going to have a 3-18 for the SPR this summer, makes for a perfect semi-auto optic.
 
No time with Athlon Optics..

Such a subjective topic, but I’m comparing the mk5 to a number of high dollar optics I’ve personally owned (S&B’s 3-20/5x25’s/ NF 4-16/5-25/7-35’s, premier 5-25, vortex 4.5-27’s, kahles 6-24’s...).

The mk5 is a good buy at $1400-1700. Getting in the $1850 and up range, I’d take my money elsewhere. Just my humble opinion.

That said, I did talk my father in law into one. Speaking right to the strengths of the 3.6-18 (size and weight) to keep his hunting rifle right around 12-13 lbs loaded.
 
No time with Athlon Optics..

Such a subjective topic, but I’m comparing the mk5 to a number of high dollar optics I’ve personally owned (S&B’s 3-20/5x25’s/ NF 4-16/5-25/7-35’s, premier 5-25, vortex 4.5-27’s, kahles 6-24’s...).

The mk5 is a good buy at $1400-1700. Getting in the $1850 and up range, I’d take my money elsewhere. Just my humble opinion.

That said, I did talk my father in law into one. Speaking right to the strengths of the 3.6-18 (size and weight) to keep his hunting rifle right around 12-13 lbs loaded.

It indeed is. All i can hope for is solid resolution, edge to edge clarity, and no CA. Most reports are very positive though so it goes without saying that it has good glass. I'd say the range of quality you said it is in, is where the Cronus sits. It's nipping at the heels of the Gen II razor and far above the HDMR II. The HDMR comparison just worried me a bit. My goal is and pretty much has been Gen II razor quality of glass without the associated weight, which would scream for me to go with the AMG. I just love leaning on a crutch like the H59 for a no dial stage. Anything more than that is just icing on the cake. So if it's in that realm as many claim i'll be pretty stoked.

I'm still curious about the clicks, i wasn't expecting Kahles, but i hope it's better than the DMR/HDMR II. My EREK knob has pretty tactile clicks albeit not that audible. If it's like that i'd be happy. I haven't really messed with the knobs on the NF series, i didn't think they were known for being that great like the Razor Gen II, AMG, Kahles, or March. Is there any play? Like the mark 6 had? That would be bothersome to me.
 
It indeed is. All i can hope for is solid resolution, edge to edge clarity, and no CA. Most reports are very positive though so it goes without saying that it has good glass. I'd say the range of quality you said it is in, is where the Cronus sits. It's nipping at the heels of the Gen II razor and far above the HDMR II. The HDMR comparison just worried me a bit. My goal is and pretty much has been Gen II razor quality of glass without the associated weight, which would scream for me to go with the AMG. I just love leaning on a crutch like the H59 for a no dial stage. Anything more than that is just icing on the cake. So if it's in that realm as many claim i'll be pretty stoked.

I'm still curious about the clicks, i wasn't expecting Kahles, but i hope it's better than the DMR/HDMR II. My EREK knob has pretty tactile clicks albeit not that audible. If it's like that i'd be happy. I haven't really messed with the knobs on the NF series, i didn't think they were known for being that great like the Razor Gen II, AMG, Kahles, or March. Is there any play? Like the mark 6 had? That would be bothersome to me.

There’s some play. But there is a definite click that is audible and easily felt... The detent is not deep enough or the tolerances are just to loose to hold the turret dead nuts solid like a kahles and the like.

At least they line up ?*improvement over the mk6 line..
 
  • Like
Reactions: 5RWill
Looked into the Mil/LE program through Leupold because I’ve been one of their biggest critics but some of these reviews from people I trust have intrigued me. Based on their reviews I’m impressed but still not for the price they charge. After looking at the Mil/LE program I would consider them a huge value based on those prices and probably more inline with what they should be charging everyone.
** Please DO NOT pm me with questions about price. By the rules I cannot discuss those. If you are Mil/LE then send them an email and you will receive the price list.

I ordered the 5-25 TMR illuminated to see for myself. Only down side to the program is they gather the orders in batches so I’m most likely looking at a 6-12 week wait, maybe longer.
 
  • Like
Reactions: lawofsavage
The Mark 5 would be a good value, if you could get the illuminated version for a "normal" price. At the premium Leupold charges for illumination, I'll be sticking with Nightforce. (The views and opinions expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official position of SH et al. :p )!
 
Is 4 mils really a tracking test? I thought most quality scopes show basically no error within the first 10 mils and you gotta push it out to see
They are on the PX all the time for around 2k.. there is a guy selling 4 of them right now for 2200 with both MIL-C and MIL-R
I meant new from a dealer. I'm taking this off topic though, let's get back to Mk5 discussion.
 
  • Like
Reactions: beaverpelt
The Mark 5 would be a good value, if you could get the illuminated version for a "normal" price. At the premium Leupold charges for illumination, I'll be sticking with Nightforce. (The views and opinions expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official position of SH et al. :p )!
interesting. A Nightforce ATACR 5-25 (illuminated) is $2600 on OP. The Mark 5HD 5-25 Illuminated (TMR) is $2500 and the illuminated tremor 3 is $2800.

seems to be pretty much in line with the Nightforce in terms of pricing i would say. Am i missing something?
 
interesting. A Nightforce ATACR 5-25 (illuminated) is $2600 on OP. The Mark 5HD 5-25 Illuminated (TMR) is $2500 and the illuminated tremor 3 is $2800.

seems to be pretty much in line with the Nightforce in terms of pricing i would say. Am i missing something?
Not missing anything, in fact that's pretty-much my point: at anything close to even money I'm going with Nightforce... every time! (The views and opinions expressed...)
 
Well damn i wish NF would offer non illum ATACRs with the H59 at $2300 and a Mil-C at $2000.

I have another friend that lives close to me that just picked up an F1 5-25 ATACR so i'll be able to put the Mark 5 up against it as well.
 
  • Like
Reactions: TheMammoth
Well damn i wish NF would offer non illum ATACRs with the H59 at $2300 and a Mil-C at $2000.

I have another friend that lives close to me that just picked up an F1 5-25 ATACR so i'll be able to put the Mark 5 up against it as well.
What i don't like about the ATACR (with illumination off) is how the crosshairs seem to disappear and blend in with the target in low light.
But i guess that is why the only come with illumination haha.
 
NF has a special place in my heart but FFP options sucked until the ATACR F1 line came along. I haven’t gotten around to picking up another NF and I didn’t assume the Mark 5 would have me listing the Kahles or Hensoldt, but it does appear Leupold is changing things up and has a solid offering.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 5RWill
Haven't gotten mine in yet. Will most likely be able to test it out not this weekend but the next and compare it to my Tango6 4-24.

I certainly didn’t and wouldn’t pay anywhere close to what a NF 5-25 w/ an illuminated tremor 3 would cost for the mark 5 5-25 Illum t3 that I bought. I have no idea how much all the retailers will discount the NF’s if you call but I do know there’s a substantial difference between the $3400 street price per eurooptic for the above-referenced NF and the $2800 per eurooptic for mark 5 5-25 illuminated t3. The wholesale price differential is even greater if you have access to distributor pricimg and the mil discount is great too for those that are eligible.

The point of all that rambling ? is that I don’t think that’s a fair comparison at all from a price standpoint to compare the above-referenced two scopes if you want an illuminated tremor 3 reticle.

Edit: the illuminated tmr mark 5 5-25 looks to be about $2500 from eurooptic and the NF 5-25 w/ mil-c looks to be about $3000. So, still not imo a fair comparison for those models either if you don’t care about the Horus reticle. I know you can find gen 2 razors way cheaper but they are listed around $2500 as well just like the apparent street price of $2500 for the illuminated mark 5 5-25 but that will come down to how much you value about 1 pound in weight savings in the mark 5 5-25 vs a gen 2 razor which has its own advantages imo.

I do agree that these would sell better if the illuminated models were priced like the non-illuminated models. The question is how much better though and if I could predict that accurately I certainly wouldn’t be talking about the prices of things on a forum right now??. The math normally doesn’t work out from a business standpoint to lower prices unless a really big increase in sales volume would be expected due to the price reduction. At least they are trying to make an effort to be competitive on features and pricing this time ? compared to the joke pricing of the mark 6’s. It still bothers that they refuse to offer the vx-6hd 4-24 in a decent illuminated mil reticle as that one costs way less, has the level plex feature, weighs less, and has a much better fov.
 
Last edited:
They need to redesign the TMR like the Mil C or something with a center dot and 2/10th hash marks. That would make a $2000 non-illum TMR be quite valuable and represent more value at $2500. I thought the CCH reticle was nearly a carbon copy of the H59 but idk what's going on with the wonky .25 mil hash marks. I mean i guess it would work, just seems strange.

Though honestly the pricing doesn't seem that bad. I also saw a retailer on FB say $1625 for a non-illum TMR 5-25x56. I was kind of astonished at that didn't say Mil/LEO pricing either.

Mine should be here Tuesday according to tracking.
 
They need to redesign the TMR like the Mil C or something with a center dot and 2/10th hash marks. That would make a $2000 non-illum TMR be quite valuable and represent more value at $2500. I thought the CCH reticle was nearly a carbon copy of the H59 but idk what's going on with the wonky .25 mil hash marks. I mean i guess it would work, just seems strange.

Though honestly the pricing doesn't seem that bad. I also saw a retailer on FB say $1625 for a non-illum TMR 5-25x56. I was kind of astonished at that didn't say Mil/LEO pricing either.

Mine should be here Tuesday according to tracking.

The CCH line thickness is .05mil so if you hold the edge of the lines it is a 2/10th mil hold.
 
They need to redesign the TMR like the Mil C or something with a center dot and 2/10th hash marks. That would make a $2000 non-illum TMR be quite valuable and represent more value at $2500. I thought the CCH reticle was nearly a carbon copy of the H59 but idk what's going on with the wonky .25 mil hash marks. I mean i guess it would work, just seems strange.

Though honestly the pricing doesn't seem that bad. I also saw a retailer on FB say $1625 for a non-illum TMR 5-25x56. I was kind of astonished at that didn't say Mil/LEO pricing either.

Mine should be here Tuesday according to tracking.
What about the CCH?
 
The CCH line thickness is .05mil so if you hold the edge of the lines it is a 2/10th mil hold.

I didn't realize that. Still though why .25 hashes? Just seems odd.

What about the CCH?
I mentioned the CCH, though admittedly haven't used one. It's still a $100 premium though over the regular price to my knowledge. Anton said it was his favorite out of the Mark 5s he's seen. I went with the H59 as i'm a fan of it.
 
Had a few Mark 5's come through the store I work at. I got a chance to look through a 5-25 TMR, Tremor 3, CCH and 3.6-18 with Tremor 3. My impression so far is pretty good. Glass is very good and on par with an ATACR and Razor in 5-25 model. 3.6-18 lagged in resolution and clarity imho. That is probably not due to the glass and coatings qualities, but rather the optical/mechanical design of the 3.6-18 and it being so short and compact with such a large zoom ratio and small objective. I'm not an optical engineer though, so that is just a guess.
I did not notice any CA in neither models and image was consistent in clarity and resolution from edge to edge. I like the reticle options and my personal preference would be Tremor3. I did like the CCH reticle, but haven't spent enough time with it to make a conclusion. TMR reticle is poorly sized in my opinion and gets very large at 25X.
I think they did a great job with turrets as far as feel. Very tactile and audible clicks that are very similar to my Kahles, just longer rotational travel per click. Overall I think Leupold did a good job with this line and I think it brings a great value, unless you want illumintion. I spoke to Leupold rep about this line and he sounded like they had a lot of hope for Mark 5. He also mentioned that these are the first in Mark line up of scopes to get HD glass, which was shocking for me because I assumed that Mark 8 had HD glass considering it's price point. That prompted me to grab a Mark 8 we had in stock and compare it to mark 5. After looking at some high rise building around 3 miles away through both for several minutes I came to conclusion that Mark 5 did in fact have better resolution, color integrity than Mark 8. I didn't notice any difference in CA between 2 as they both seemed to handle it great. I also looked through a Razor AMG and ATACR 4-16 for comparison. And think that both are optically superior to 3.6-18x44 model and are comparable to 5-25. Optical clarity is kind of subjective at this price/quality point, so your opinion may vary.
I was also pleasantly surprised to find out that 3.6-18 model had a pretty decent and forgiving eyebox as that was my biggest concern.
If I don't sell all of them by next weekend I intend to do a tracking test and will post my results.
Here are some pictures I took today with my phone. I don't know if you'll find them to be useful as my phone camera is not capable of capturing good enough quality images. Pics were taken 30 minutes before sunset in the following order Mark 5 3.6-18X44 on 18X, ATACR 4-16X50 on 16X and RAZOR AMG on 18X. My mistake I should've had them all on 16X. Hopefully I have contributed something you can find useful.
20180216_214735.jpg
20180216_214935.jpg
20180216_215100.jpg
20180216_173017.jpg