EP4 4-16X50 Compact EPR MIL
Wow! These guys are really on to something. This
EP4 from
Arken Optics USA .
They are blurring some lines and ruffling a lot of feathers. This combination of the
EP4, and
Acadian Armament Pantera suppressor is great for a long range precision rig. It pulls together function, dependability and affordability. It will also take the shooter to the mile marker without waking the neighbors.
This is the first of the EP line to come out and is said to be followed by their
EP4 6-24X50. I’ve only had this EP4 for a very short time, but I am a believer. 10 MILS per revolution, and total travel of 32 MILS. First Focal Plane, Zero Stop, and top tier glass clarity. These guys seem to be on a roll putting the most functional features in a nice package that everyone can afford. This scope is designed for the field. Despite this ruggedness, it is very aesthetically pleasing.
The turrets are extremely crisp... feel good! I have no idea how they do this in the $550+ dollar range. I’m selling my more expensive scopes and upgrading my entire collection. The overall fit and finish are on par with brands/models costing thousands of dollars. The EP series also offers a step up in glass quality that is up there with the Japanese and Germans. They really seem to be going after the premium market without the price hit.
The turrets and reticle were absolutely spot on. 0.0% tracking or reticle scaling error. Impressive within this price range. The AZS (Arken Zero Stop) makes it easy to return to ‘0’. Not having to remove the cap to set the AZS is a great feature.
EPR Reticle
The EPR MIL reticle is a grid style reticle with a ranging tree at the top. This has more of a military style and purpose but very cool. To use this feature, you would place the feet of the target at the center point of the reticle and the top of the head would give you a range indication on the scale above the reticle. This reticle also allows ranging with shoulders inside the vertical lines on each side of the range indicators.
Side adjustment parallax is robust and smooth. Very refined with logo cnc'ed on it. Has an arrow indicator over yardage markings, which is personally preferred.
Eye Relief
The 34 mm has very forgiving eye-relief making it somewhat challenging to find scope shadow. It’s there, then it’s not. This takes away the personal internal debate we tend to have when trying to get it right.
Ratings 1 to 5:
Glass Quality - 5
I compared to top tier scopes at 34 mm and clarity and contrast is great. This is always difficult to quantify. Passes my test with flying colors.
Reticle - 5
Very useful for those used to this style of reticle. Some may not like the crowded feeling but this style has become more mainstream, so I get it. They removed the horizontal lines near the center point to provide a better picture of the target. One suggestion would be to add a chevron, something other than the same size dot, to attract the eye to the absolute center.
Turrets - 5
The Zero stop is a great feature to find at this price range. Easy to operate. This should welcome those unfamiliar with the concept. Really paramount to know the position of the elevation knob for obvious reasons. Markings are easy to read and follow. Looks like they also made the revolution indicator more noticeable (so you know the amount of full revolutions the turret has traveled) . Nice detailed upgrade. Very solid mechanically.
Tracking - 5
It tracked perfectly through my entire box test. 10 MILS: Up, Center, Down, Center; 5 MILS: Right, Center, Left, Finishing on Center.
Overall Rating - 5
Very impressed. Only time will tell. I will continue to be a customer if they can keep this up. FFP, Zero Stop, Great glass, 10 MILS/rev. Tracking Guarantee. Lifetime Warranty. Glad I gave them a shot.
arkenopticsusa.com
