What should I do with my mark 5hd?

[03machstock]

Hi guys,
I’m newer to the precision rifle world amd after a year with my rem 700 in a McMillan a3-5 I bit the bullet and ordered a zermatt/bighorn origin barreled action from pva, but this is about my scope.
Iv currently got a leupold mark 5hd 5-25 with a pr1 moa reticle. I want to get more into prs style/ tactical shooting and I like the looks of the pr2 reticle, and I want to make the switch to mils. Iv currently got my scope up on the classifieds to trade my pr1 moa for a pr2 mil scope. Should I ,
1. keep it up and hope to find a trade
2. Sell It and buy a used pr2 mil mark 5
3. Buy a used pr2 mil and keep my pr1 moa and build a hunting rig I definitely don’t need but always talked about
Or 4. Sell my mark 5 hd and put the money towards something like a zco 527.

I just don’t know how much I’ll benefit from something like a zco at this point in my shooting “career” and I probably won’t ever try to compete seriously so it’ll all just be for fun/ shtf anyway.

Any suggestions?

 

[CSTactical]

@03machstock feel free to call us at 916-670-1103x2 and we can answer your questions in more detail
Richard@CST

 

[Lug Nut]

The extra brain work required to switch between Mil and MOA will make you a smarter person.



So, there’s that.

 

[Lightning8]

Sell it to a hunter

 

[338dude]

Call Leupold how much would it be to change reticles in the scope you have and is it even something they will do?

 

[acudaowner]

find a really hot chinese spy and tell her it's a secret military scope and your willing to trade it for sex while it might not be the smartest move it could be the funniest one send pics lol

 

[Jakeweb09]

Sell it and run mils on everything. Trust me it will do nothing but mess with you to switch back and fourth. Mils are better anyways for everything. Not many people switch from mils to moa so finding that trade will be unlikely. And on a final note..you absolutely will not regret the zco..8 splurged on one awhile back and now somehow I have 3. They’re absolutely amazing optics.

 

[koshkin]

Both MOA and mrad work, but switching back and forth is a pain in the ass. Pick one and stick with it. I am decidedly a mrad guy, so I lean that way, but angles are angles and both work if you are competent.

Waiting for the right trade might take some time.

Mark5 is a nice scope. Going upmarket will get you a better scope, but won't make you a better shooter. In terms of stepping up, the next logical step up is probably Razor Gen3, with ZCO or Tangent being another small step up.

I use the Gen3 and Tangent personally (there is a lot of personal preference here in terms of turrets and reticles) and couldn't be happier.

A lot really depends on what you can get a better deal on. I'd start looking at prices on Mark5 with PR2 mil and Razor Gen3 with mrad reticle.

ILya

 

[cas6969]

Sell it and run mils on everything.

Some people have smaller everything's than others.

 

[bbhank]

Call Leupold how much would it be to change reticles in the scope you have and is it even something they will do?

Leupold won't change the reticle.

 

[03machstock]

Ok, thanks for the replies. I’m thinking I’ll sell it and stick with the mark 5 but with pr2 in mils. Maby I’ll upgrade to the zco down the line and buy a can instead for now.

 

[Ronws]

find a really hot chinese spy and tell her it's a secret military scope and your willing to trade it for sex while it might not be the smartest move it could be the funniest one send pics lol

Heck yeah. It worked for me!

 

[gebhardt02]

Get the ZCO! That's my vote.

 

[Glassaholic]

find a really hot chinese spy and tell her it's a secret military scope and your willing to trade it for sex while it might not be the smartest move it could be the funniest one send pics lol

Pretty sure Hunter Brandon already did this, but DOJ has all but ignored it so there’s that, even had pics on his laptop but FBI won’t touch it… I digress.

For OP, just be patient and you’ll find someone who wants to buy your moa scope. Given your situation I would not recommend the ZCO, if you get a ZCO you will want more which will bankrupt you. The Leupold is plenty good for the price and you’ll miss the same targets you’d miss with the ZCO

 

[FuhQ]

All my German glass (hunting rifles) are MOA, and all my tactical and target rifles are MILs... I wish they were all MILs, but we can't have everything our way.

It's easy for me to swap with a little trick I do. I know 1 MIL is roughly 3.6" @ 100 yards. So that means each .1 MIL click is about 1/3 of an inch. And each 0.250 click on my MOA scopes is 1/4", because 1 MOA is roughly 1" @ 100 yards.

So, on my scopes dialing 1 click is 0.1 MIL = 1/3", and 0.25 MOA = 1/4" @ 100 yards. And everything multiplies from there.

Also, being that my hunting rifles are MOA, which means 1" is only 4 clicks, it's easy to know in inches how many clicks to dial up when it's cold as fuck, and you're brain is only half-functioning at 6am when the sun finally peeps out, and the coffee hasn't really kicked in yet. For example, if you need a 2.5" drop, that's 10 clicks... MOA is simple math. MILs are a bit more complex, but I prefer MILs.

 

[Glassaholic]

^^^ I would get away from thinking mils or moa in inches, I know it's "easy" to do that but it is not effective especially as distances increase. Capture your DOPE and print out cheat sheets if you don't trust your ballistic calculator.

 

[spife7980]

All my German glass (hunting rifles) are MOA, and all my tactical and target rifles are MILs... I wish they were all MILs, but we can't have everything our way.

It's easy for me to swap with a little trick I do. I know 1 MIL is roughly 3.6" @ 100 yards. So that means each .1 MIL click is about 1/3 of an inch. And each 0.250 click on my MOA scopes is 1/4", because 1 MOA is roughly 1" @ 100 yards.

So, on my scopes dialing 1 click is 0.1 MIL = 1/3", and 0.25 MOA = 1/4" @ 100 yards. And everything multiplies from there.

Also, being that my hunting rifles are MOA, which means 1" is only 4 clicks, it's easy to know in inches how many clicks to dial up when it's cold as fuck, and you're brain is only half-functioning at 6am when the sun finally peeps out, and the coffee hasn't really kicked in yet. For example, if you need a 2.5" drop, that's 10 clicks... MOA is simple math. MILs are a bit more complex, but I prefer MILs.

An easier rule of thumb to convert between the angular measurements without introducing linear conversions is that .3 mils is 1 moa, multiply or divide by 3 is all.

 

[viking78]

All my German glass (hunting rifles) are MOA, and all my tactical and target rifles are MILs... I wish they were all MILs, but we can't have everything our way.

It's easy for me to swap with a little trick I do. I know 1 MIL is roughly 3.6" @ 100 yards. So that means each .1 MIL click is about 1/3 of an inch. And each 0.250 click on my MOA scopes is 1/4", because 1 MOA is roughly 1" @ 100 yards.

So, on my scopes dialing 1 click is 0.1 MIL = 1/3", and 0.25 MOA = 1/4" @ 100 yards. And everything multiplies from there.

Also, being that my hunting rifles are MOA, which means 1" is only 4 clicks, it's easy to know in inches how many clicks to dial up when it's cold as fuck, and you're brain is only half-functioning at 6am when the sun finally peeps out, and the coffee hasn't really kicked in yet. For example, if you need a 2.5" drop, that's 10 clicks... MOA is simple math. MILs are a bit more complex, but I prefer MILs.

What German scopes you do have?
Zeiss V6 and V8 are MIL, V4 is MOA, but it is made in Japan.
Kahles, Swarovksi are from Austria, and like Zeiss, Z6i and Z8i are also MIL adjustable.
Just a thought.
.
But i also agree, sell the L and buy ZCO.
You dont need to be a super hero competitior to have one, like to shoot with the best optic ain´t sin.
I love my ZCO scopes, and i am not shooting competition, just love to shoot, but not reload the ammo for my rifles

 

[Baron23]

I have a Mk 5 5-25 with CCH reticle and a ZCO 5-27 with the 3x reticle.

While I do like the clarity, parallax, locking ocular, glass on the ZCO very much, I do not believe I shoot better with one versus another and while I do think that ZCO and other high end scopes are worth it (to me at this time), they really are a metric ton of $$.

Sell the Mk 5, I think looking for a trade to the same scope with a diff reticle is far to specific to gain much traction.

Sell it and buy another Mk 5, new or used.

By the by, if MIL or LEO (vet or current) then Leupold has a great VIP discount program. If you qualify, check it out.

Cheers and best of luck.

 

[FuhQ]

What German scopes you do have?
Zeiss V6 and V8 are MIL, V4 is MOA, but it is made in Japan.
Kahles, Swarovksi are from Austria, and like Zeiss, Z6i and Z8i are also MIL adjustable.
Just a thought.
.
But i also agree, sell the L and buy ZCO.
You dont need to be a super hero competitior to have one, like to shoot with the best optic ain´t sin.
I love my ZCO scopes, and i am not shooting competition, just love to shoot, but not reload the ammo for my rifles

Several older German Zeiss Conquest scopes (German parts & glass, USA assembled), 3 new V4’s (German design, Jap made), a Kahles Helia KX (Austria)…

I don’t own just cheap Arken and Vortex scopes like everyone thinks. I do have a bunch of them, because they fit a certain roll, and I’ve explained my position on target scopes vs. Hunting scopes many times. Killing a live animal…Best glass possible. Killing paper and steel, buy whatever works, but it doesn’t have to be alpha-tier if you’re not competing, unless you just want to drop the coin, which is perfectly fine…

 

[FuhQ]

^^^ I would get away from thinking mils or moa in inches, I know it's "easy" to do that but it is not effective especially as distances increase. Capture your DOPE and print out cheat sheets if you don't trust your ballistic calculator.

I run dope charts, and calculate for the distance factor. All I was saying is that it’s an easy way to remember, not perfect, or recommended for anything more than a couple hundred yards.

 

[NewsShooter]

Both MOA and mrad work, but switching back and forth is a pain in the ass. Pick one and stick with it. I am decidedly a mrad guy, so I lean that way, but angles are angles and both work if you are competent.

Waiting for the right trade might take some time.

Mark5 is a nice scope. Going upmarket will get you a better scope, but won't make you a better shooter. In terms of stepping up, the next logical step up is probably Razor Gen3, with ZCO or Tangent being another small step up.

I use the Gen3 and Tangent personally (there is a lot of personal preference here in terms of turrets and reticles) and couldn't be happier.

A lot really depends on what you can get a better deal on. I'd start looking at prices on Mark5 with PR2 mil and Razor Gen3 with mrad reticle.

ILya

Listen to this guy!!!!

 

[OREGUN]

You aren’t competing and it’s just for plinking and SHTF? Don’t change anything. Your scope is fine. As much as I respect @gebhardt02 and love my ZCO, you won’t see a difference. The only reason to switch to mil/mil scopes is to reduce the dialing needed on the clock in competition. It absolutely does not matter what your hash marks mean as long as your reticle and turret are “in” the same unit.

 

[Chickentoast]

Sell and get either an XTR Pro or a G3. Better glass and much better FOV than MK5. ZCO and TT are both great, but I sold both and bought another G3. Very very diminishing returns for a lot of extra money.

 

[BuildingConceptsllc]

Sounds like a great excuse to buy a zco. You won't regret it. I'd just switch everything to mils as you can and be done with it. That's what I did years ago and I'm so glad I did. You should be able to sell that leupold scope so that's what I'd do then just replace them as you can with zco as money allows or a G3 ect...

 

[viking78]

Several older German Zeiss Conquest scopes (German parts & glass, USA assembled), 3 new V4’s (German design, Jap made), a Kahles Helia KX (Austria)…

I don’t own just cheap Arken and Vortex scopes like everyone thinks. I do have a bunch of them, because they fit a certain roll, and I’ve explained my position on target scopes vs. Hunting scopes many times. Killing a live animal…Best glass possible. Killing paper and steel, buy whatever works, but it doesn’t have to be alpha-tier if you’re not competing, unless you just want to drop the coin, which is perfectly fine…

V4 is not a bad scope, i have sell several of those, budjet price Zeiss, just made in Japan.
One of the brigtest illumination in any scope on V4.
1-4 would be very nice on driven hunt.
I had a Zeiss Duralyt 3-13x50 in hunting use, liked a lot that scope.

 

[FuhQ]

V4 is not a bad scope, i have sell several of those, budjet price Zeiss, just made in Japan.
One of the brigtest illumination in any scope on V4.
1-4 would be very nice on driven hunt.
I had a Zeiss Duralyt 3-13x50 in hunting use, liked a lot that scope.

The glass in my 3 Japanese V4’s is right up there with the German Zeiss glass in my old Conquest MC scopes. The retail price of $1,200 is extremely fair for them. The fact Midway USA is having a 1-time blowout sale on the non-illuminated 6-24x50 with the Z-MOA-1 reticle for $799 is the best deal in optics right now. That’s why I bought 3 a them for my main 3 hunting rifles. Plus, the glass is crystal clear (as one would expect of a Zeiss optic), the tracking is true, the zero-stop is mechanical and solid, the turrets feel really nice and smooth, all the adjustments on the scope are butter-smooth, and it’s extremely lightweight. You can definitely tell it’s a high-tier designed & built optic.

My honest opinion having spent a good bit of time behind 2 of my 3… For a LR hunting scope in the $1,000-1,500 category, I’d say it’s in (possibly at) the top of the heap.

 

[YotaEer]

Sell and get either an XTR Pro or a G3. Better glass and much better FOV than MK5. ZCO and TT are both great, but I sold both and bought another G3. Very very diminishing returns for a lot of extra money.

This. The Gen 3 razor and XTR pro are much better than the Mk5, in my opinion. Even the new XTR3i was very comparable to the mk5.

Not that the mk5 is a bad scope, there’s just better ones for the same amount of $ and equivalent ones for less

 

[Dobermann]

Sell it ... and get a ZP5.

 

[reich10]

Leupold won't change the reticle.

Do you know this from experience? I have wondered this myself. If they would change the reticle in the same model scope to something of equal or lesser value that is offered in that line.

 

[03machstock]

Do you know this from experience? I have wondered this myself. If they would change the reticle in the same model scope to something of equal or lesser value that is offered in that line.

Yes, the custom shop has been closed for a few years and that’s who would do that work.

 

[Redfield]

I have a 5HD and a 6HD and they are both quality. If you find yourself struggling with eye relief the 6HD is a little better and I think its 18 vs 15 magnification.

 

[bbhank]

Do you know this from experience? I have wondered this myself. If they would change the reticle in the same model scope to something of equal or lesser value that is offered in that line.

Not exactly however I bought a 7-35 mark 5 and mounted it on my rifle. I noticed that the reticle was off center to the right. I called Leupold and was told to send it in and if there was a problem they would repair it and send it back. Well after sending it in they told me they were just going to replace the entire scope. this leads me to believe that they wont remove and replace a reticles in their scopes otherwise they would repair mine. They dont have a replacement in stock, so for three mondays in a row i've called to see if they were on the production schedule and when they say no i ask them to just repair it and send it back and they just say they wont do that for this scope.

 

[reich10]

Not exactly however I bought a 7-35 mark 5 and mounted it on my rifle. I noticed that the reticle was off center to the right. I called Leupold and was told to send it in and if there was a problem they would repair it and send it back. Well after sending it in they told me they were just going to replace the entire scope. this leads me to believe that they wont remove and replace a reticles in their scopes otherwise they would repair mine. They dont have a replacement in stock, so for three mondays in a row i've called to see if they were on the production schedule and when they say no i ask them to just repair it and send it back and they just say they wont do that for this scope.

Hate that. Hopefully they get you hooked up. I love everything about this Mark 8 but I would just prefer the TMR over the CCH. Maybe they will just replace it if I ask nicely. Lol

 

[bbhank]

Hate that. Hopefully they get you hooked up. I love everything about this Mark 8 but I would just prefer the TMR over the CCH. Maybe they will just replace it if I ask nicely. Lol

They dialed me in with a good deal on a pair of binos i wanted so that should hold me over for a bit!