Rifle Scopes Arken Light Weight Hunting version
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Probably…. They do sell direct, so I wouldn’t see why they wouldn’t let you do that. They seem to be pretty good guys. Every time I’ve talked with them they were extremely helpful and willing to go above and beyond.
Vortex has let me do this once before with a discontinued product that I sent in for warranty repair/replace. I paid $99 and upgraded to a different model of current production scope, of higher quality with better features.
Nice. Anyone got one yet?
Mine will be here tomorrow, according to USPS. But we all know how reliable that is.
I asked. They sent a nice note saying it was past my 30 days and I can't exchange or return it.
i responded in other thread - just received it.
for now all i can say - it feels like eyebox is very tight, but i do not have it on a rifle yet, so, it may be a false impression, just from holding it in my hands.
but i do not think so. if they want to push it as a hunting scope - it is a joke, it is not a hunting scope eyebox.
i think most will conclude same that i feel now, initially - it is a downsized slightly inferior copy of sh4, not a miniaturized ep5.
but until i take it to the 300yds range on a cloudy day - it is difficult to say anything for sure.
Good to know about the eye box. Do you have an SH4? If so, how does the glass and eyebox compare?
well, i have 2 EP5s and 1 SH4. i do regret getting the sh4, it is all i can say, comparing it to ep5.
it is not a bad scope, especially at the current sale price, but ep5 beats it on an every aspect when you set them at 300yds. even with the sale prices now i would buy EP5 only, not sh4.
at 100yds it does not matter nor visible on a good sunny day.
i will try to think how to rotate my glass tomorrow and then will compare it better.
This doesn't get me excited... I hope mine is not lackluster, as well. But we'll see. If it's junk I'll send it back and get another one of these new Primary Arms SLX 1-10x28's. This thing is CLEAR! I'm really impressed so far. Can't wait to take it to the range to finalize zero and see how the glass looks outside in the elements...But so far, inside the house, I'm impressed. I'll probably be getting another one for one of my other .300 BLK rifles.My EPL4 was supposed to arrive today, but USPS is doing their normal bullshit where they tell you what day it will arrive, and then manage to clusterfuck everything after that, and it just says "Moving Through Network" and it's anybody's guess where the fuck it actually is. And then they'll spring it on you randomly where it alerts you with "Out For Delivery". I swear they're useless.
I ordered my Primary Arms SLX scope at 11:56 PM on 12/12, and it arrived today via FedEx. Both packages shipped out of Texas, one left days before the other one, and the 2nd one arrived and first one did not.
FedEx is normally fairly bad, but right now they're doing better than USPS. USPS can't even get their shit together enough to tell me where my packages are in their system.i`ve moved scopes around just now, will have now EP5s on 6 dasher and 6.5cm bolt guns - swapped out vortex pst2 there with ep5 and EPL4 will be on a CZ457. i will try to get to re-zero all guns some time next week when weather will stabilize, and then it will be clear of what the EPL4 is worth exactly.
My EPL4 was supposed to arrive today, but USPS is doing their normal bullshit where they tell you what day it will arrive, and then manage to clusterfuck everything after that, and it just says "Moving Through Network" and it's anybody's guess where the fuck it actually is. And then they'll spring it on you randomly where it alerts you with "Out For Delivery". I swear they're useless.
I ordered my Primary Arms SLX scope at 11:56 PM on 12/12, and it arrived today via FedEx. Both packages shipped out of Texas, one left days before the other one, and the 2nd one arrived and first one did not.
i have 2 PA SLx 3-18x50 and EPL4 is much better than those, they are like tunnel vision compared to arken. but i use them on AR10s where those PA SLx fit just right.
Hopefully mine will actually show up tomorrow, and I can go to the range this weekend, so I’ll be able to give an opinion, as well.
There’s no tunnel vision with that SLX 1-10x28 34mm LPVO. I was looking at my TV on 1x at about 15 feet away, and it has a ridiculously clear and sharp image and reticle. No discernible CA, and color replication was perfect.
I’m pretty damn impressed so far. Can’t wait to get it outside to look through it. If it’s clear outside, I’ll probably order another one.
all that glass is good enough not to see any issues when you look at it individually.
you got to line up all those rifles and then look sequentially, one after another. the difference between sh4 and ep5 shows well on 300yds.
at 100yds on a sunny bright day - anything will look ok.
and, if one does not shoot on longer than 100yds ranges - also - it makes much less point to fuss about those scopes.
Oh I know how to compare scopes, I also own tier-one German glass, as well. I just like the budget stuff to test and mess around with to see if I can find a hidden gem. So far, this SLX 1-10x seems like it might be one. But we'll see for sure upon further testing.
my 1-10x is the swampfox arrowhead, with the crosshair mil reticle, it is pretty decent. i think i got it before pa slx 1-10x was available.
at the time of 1-8x scopes only i think arrowhead glass was a bit better, but they are all close.
Yeah, I don't know if this is a new one, or not, but I'd never seen it on their website before. Glad I stumbled upon it now.
Me either, I was hoping since they say it has ED glass that it would be better than the lack luster SH4. Was looking forward to putting the EPL on my yote AR.
My EPL4 was supposed to arrive today, but USPS is doing their normal bullshit where they tell you what day it will arrive, and then manage to clusterfuck everything after that, and it just says "Moving Through Network" and it's anybody's guess where the fuck it actually is. And then they'll spring it on you randomly where it alerts you with "Out For Delivery". I swear they're useless.
I ordered my Primary Arms SLX scope at 11:56 PM on 12/12, and it arrived today via FedEx. Both packages shipped out of Texas, one left days before the other one, and the 2nd one arrived and first one did not.
SLX is below the GLX in terms of quality and performance
It's supposed to be, but I don't think it's good as far as value goes. My GLX cost around the price of my Midas TAC and EP5, but comes nowhere near the quality or performance. I thought the Helos BTR was better than the GLX. I'm happy with my PLX compact though.
SLx was always a good buy in that segment, as it was always kinda bare.
GLx issue is - it was elevated too high, and with some effort you could find a discounted vortex pst2 specimens with older reticles for same price, and a discounted pst2 is a way better deal.
still, comparing the slx to ep5 - ep5 wins hands down in all categories EXCEPT weight, and it is a serious 'except' for pretty much any application other then competition shooting where you instead want a boat anchor for a rifle. 2lbs 13oz is no joke for a scope.
i just pulled it off my cz457 in the mdt lss gen2 chassis, as it made the 8lbs rifle straight uncomfortable to shoot hand held standing up - an every pound matters. but on a 6 dasher MPA gun - a 19lbs total weight - it is fitting in just fine.
USPS has managed to clusterfuck everything and it's stuck in limbo apparently, and I have no clue when it's going to arrive at this point. It just says "Moving Through Network" and the last scan update was 3 days ago in Texas. Not sure if USPS decided to go on strike, or what? For all I know, it could very well show up tomorrow......Or next week?
I think it depends on whether or not you really want a "hunting scope." I hunt every season but I use FFP scopes with big magnification and objective. Sure, it weighs more. And I have a better sight picture and instant ranging capability. So, I don't think I will get the light weight version. If I really want light weight and just aim and shoot, I would stick with my Vortex 3-9X40 Dead Hold with the stove pipe reticle. Or even zero it for MPBR and only hold half a hash mark for wind if constant full value 3 or 9 o'clock.
But I like my Venoms and my Arkens. The only other scope I could be tempted to get for hunting is the Primary Arms Glx series for it's easy-to-use ranging reticle.
Otherwise, I will range a tree in the target range with my Vortex Crossfire HD 1400 rangefinder and scan the woods and bushes with my Vortex Diamondback 12X50 binocs. I love those things. I have no idea how I hunted through just a scope before.
But I like my Venoms and my Arkens. The only other scope I could be tempted to get for hunting is the Primary Arms Glx series for it's easy-to-use ranging reticle.
Otherwise, I will range a tree in the target range with my Vortex Crossfire HD 1400 rangefinder and scan the woods and bushes with my Vortex Diamondback 12X50 binocs. I love those things. I have no idea how I hunted through just a scope before.
All of my true [deer] hunting rifles, have Zeiss or Kahles on them.
My new EPL4 will probably end up landing on my CA Ranger 22 for LR plinking and squirrel/varmint hunting. But I’ll need to compare it to the glass in my Viper HS-T that’s on it first. All the other features of the Arken EPL4 seem superior to the Viper HS-T 6-24x50 VMR-1, especially the zero-stop & turrets.
Looking forward to your assessment. I have bought and sold three Vortex scopes including a PST II because I thought the hype didn’t live up to the cost and performance. I use Leupold on my hunting rigs. They have great glass and are ultra light. I use Arken and high end Bushnell (DMR II, Forge) on my bench and tactical rigs.
One of my bosses is also an avid and more successful hunter and he likes Leupold scopes on his stuff. He took his .300 Win Mag to a ranch in south Texas that offers big horn sheep. Got an Aoudad there at about 200 or 225 yards. Used a .25-06 for an antelope and .22-250 for a fox.
I put my Arken SH4 GEn 2 6-24X50 back on my TC Compass II .308 Win. I was going to go hunting this morning but got involved with some food prep. I had re-zeroed the scope at home. In the house, from my computer desk to the kitchen is one long room and the backsplash of the stove is 10 yards away. Used my Strelock to calculate what that would be. Bore sighted with my laser and the slipped the turrets to 13 MOA plus 2 more clicks. Then, I could rotate back to zero and set the zero stop. So, at the range this morning I was able to confirm. Elevation was dead-on. Windage needed about 2 MOA adjustment (indoor range, no wind.) Then I spent the rest of my 40 rounds to just practice. I was tempted to make a smiley face like Sgt. Riggs in "Lethal Weapon."
Then I got home and put some Vibra Tite on the turret set screws and tightened those puppies down but good. I have had those screws back out. So, lesson learned, use that fabulous zero stop for what it is for. At the end of each session or just dry fire and working with the optic, return to zero. If the screws back off, no problem, the scope is zeroed. Just return to the alignment mark and tighten again. However, I may not need to. Arken tech support suggested the Vibra Tite VC-3 (which I got) and the 122. So far, so good. Real test comes from letting the rifle set for a while.
I put my Arken SH4 GEn 2 6-24X50 back on my TC Compass II .308 Win. I was going to go hunting this morning but got involved with some food prep. I had re-zeroed the scope at home. In the house, from my computer desk to the kitchen is one long room and the backsplash of the stove is 10 yards away. Used my Strelock to calculate what that would be. Bore sighted with my laser and the slipped the turrets to 13 MOA plus 2 more clicks. Then, I could rotate back to zero and set the zero stop. So, at the range this morning I was able to confirm. Elevation was dead-on. Windage needed about 2 MOA adjustment (indoor range, no wind.) Then I spent the rest of my 40 rounds to just practice. I was tempted to make a smiley face like Sgt. Riggs in "Lethal Weapon."
Then I got home and put some Vibra Tite on the turret set screws and tightened those puppies down but good. I have had those screws back out. So, lesson learned, use that fabulous zero stop for what it is for. At the end of each session or just dry fire and working with the optic, return to zero. If the screws back off, no problem, the scope is zeroed. Just return to the alignment mark and tighten again. However, I may not need to. Arken tech support suggested the Vibra Tite VC-3 (which I got) and the 122. So far, so good. Real test comes from letting the rifle set for a while.
USPS finally updated their shit, and it says it will be here Monday. Of course, AFTER the weekend. 
If my EGW base shows up tomorrow, I will mount, boresightit. And then confirm zero at 100 on Saturday, and do some outside comparisons. I will be comparing it side-by-side to my new Zeiss Conquest V4 6-24x50 that was built by LOW and has ELD glass, and some other scopes.
It’s home will be temporary on the rifle that it will be going on, as its merely a placeholder/test mule until I order my new Zeiss V4 6-24x50 for it, to match my other 2 main lightweight hunting rifles. I like to keep things consistent on my hunting rifles, that way its familiar and muscle memory to operate on those cold mornings when the coffee still hasn’t kicked-in yet.
Here’s the new test mule… Christensen Arms Ridgeline FFT 20” 7mm-08 Rem (bottom). It will be getting the exact same scope setup as its big brother, my 24” Ridgeline .280 Ackley (top).
Rail showed up, and got it mounted and boresighted and ready for some temporary fun living on a really nice rifle for the next week, until my new Zeiss shows up for it.
Even with the Nomad-LT, heavy HAD thermal wrap, and beefy scope setup with the new EPL4 6-24x50… This rifle is so lightweight that it still feels like a toy! This would make an amazing rig for rough terrain or mountains hunting, or somewhere where you’d be walking a lot.
I’m going to do some initial load development tomorrow with the Berger 175 Elite Hunters & Varget in Nosler brass. So, we’re going to see how well she groups tomorrow. Hopefully it won’t take very many shots to break-in and settle the barrel for groups.
I’ll give my initial thoughts on the EPL4 after having actually used it.
Even with the Nomad-LT, heavy HAD thermal wrap, and beefy scope setup with the new EPL4 6-24x50… This rifle is so lightweight that it still feels like a toy! This would make an amazing rig for rough terrain or mountains hunting, or somewhere where you’d be walking a lot.
I’m going to do some initial load development tomorrow with the Berger 175 Elite Hunters & Varget in Nosler brass. So, we’re going to see how well she groups tomorrow. Hopefully it won’t take very many shots to break-in and settle the barrel for groups.
I’ll give my initial thoughts on the EPL4 after having actually used it.
I'm anxious for the lightweight Arken too, but I can speak for the Helos 4-20. It's a fantastic little scope. Decent glass, weight, 10 yard parallax, illumination. I'm getting another one of these too.
I just ordered the the epl 4-16. With the combo, it was like $450 shipped... My wallet told me yes, but my brain was telling me HELL NO lol.
Took a chance, hope it performs. I was looking for glass for my 12" 6mm arc build, and didnt want to drop a shit ton. If the glass is ok, and it works, this should be a good combo.
Took a chance, hope it performs. I was looking for glass for my 12" 6mm arc build, and didnt want to drop a shit ton. If the glass is ok, and it works, this should be a good combo.
i zeroed my cz457 that i dropped into the MDT chassis today, with the EPL4. it seems to be fitting well in-between sh4 and ep5 quality wise.
as i was only shooting at 100yds on a bright sunny day - not much to say, other than - no issues with the scope to report. scope is fine.
not as fine as ep5, and FOV is smaller a bit, but more and better than sh4, and it is more than enough for me.
turrets were fine. repeatability from 0 to 1.8 mrad was fine. so far not much to complaint about considering its $400 price.
for parallax to to work as marked you need to adjust the eyepiece out a bit, when it was screwed all the way in - the reticle was slightly out of focus and parallax was off by a ton. rotating it out adds magnification, puts reticle in focus and then parallax matches in fine.
PS. i think i will wait for an year before ordering other one, it really should be may be around $350 on sale, ideally. may be it will, next year, if not - i will not cry too much about it. pure image quality wise EP5 is still the top one.
as i was only shooting at 100yds on a bright sunny day - not much to say, other than - no issues with the scope to report. scope is fine.
not as fine as ep5, and FOV is smaller a bit, but more and better than sh4, and it is more than enough for me.
turrets were fine. repeatability from 0 to 1.8 mrad was fine. so far not much to complaint about considering its $400 price.
for parallax to to work as marked you need to adjust the eyepiece out a bit, when it was screwed all the way in - the reticle was slightly out of focus and parallax was off by a ton. rotating it out adds magnification, puts reticle in focus and then parallax matches in fine.
PS. i think i will wait for an year before ordering other one, it really should be may be around $350 on sale, ideally. may be it will, next year, if not - i will not cry too much about it. pure image quality wise EP5 is still the top one.
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it is obviously not much of a review, but considering i have 2 ep5 and sh4 scopes - i kinda know by now what to look for.
i saw no bad chroma, saw no bad clarity at edges, like i said - nothing to complaint. i had my bergara with ep5 next to it, so going from one to another you can see the differences. looking through epl4 solo - it was fine.
eyebox was comparable to ep5, initially i felt like it wasn't great, but when on a gun - it felt fine. sweet spot clarity wise seems to be around 20x, i think. so, more or less same arken, as all of them. seems to me to be a bit better than sh4, but i did not have it with me today for a direct comparison.
I ordered the 4-16 version the day they were announced. I got it for a budget hunting scope. I live in north GA so 300-400 yds is as far as I can see. I don't need tier 1 glass for that. I'm going to put it on my Tikka superlite and hopefully will make for a nice backup deer rifle.
Some say that the best combo is the 4-16 and really, for 400 yard hunting, it will be just fine. With my abilities and my rifle, I am confident to about 400 yards for center of an 8 inch pie plate. Although I have the bigger scopes. That's just me. As a hunter, I find myself shooting tactically like the instruction I read from Ryan Cleckner's "Long Range Shooting Handbook." Totally based on his experience as a sniper and sniper team leader in the 1st Ranger Battalion 75th Ranger Regiment for some tours in the Sandbox. You have a kill zone of a certain size. Any hit in that area is as effective as any other hit in that area. Granted, there are shooters who compete to take out the x at 800 yards and that is fun, I am sure. But the effectiveness of a hunter is about the same as the effectiveness of a Ranger sniper. The latter has a target box of 20 inches by 24 inches. Any hit in that area will do the job. An elk is about 15 inches of plate.
I agree on the 4-16 for that range for hunting, but it can be done with less, depending on conditions.
Ive hit silhouettes at 800-900 on 5-7x pretty easily but that wasnt trying to be as precise as hunting game.
West Desert Shooter rarely gets past 12x in magnification at 1,000 yards. Sometimes, the lower ranged scopes serve a shooter better because you cannot see so much detail, so, you quit chasing the target. Simply find the blob and concentrate on the reticle.
i rarely use any scopes i have at 4x, to be honest, so, to me 4-16x or 6-24x comes down to the question if i ever want to be to able to see the bullet holes in the target. with 16x you may see them at 100 yds, but not much further.
i have 2 3-18x primary arms on my ar10s, 2 others are set on 5-25x scopes, and, got to say, 3x vs 5x at low end - makes no significant difference.
so i would go with 6-24x just because of the hypothetical extra reach that may never be needed.
also, a 6-24x scope will usually (or always
) have a better picture at 16x than a 4-16x scope.from other point of view, it makes no big difference really, as long as reticle is readable and scope is clear. for an actual hunt it is unlikely any magnification over 8x would be that needed, ever. unless you are a pro hitting sables through an eye.
weight is either a plus or a minus. if you want to shoot it handheld - then of course to shave off a whole pound of weight is worth it.
it is a same arken as its predecessors. turrets are not different, zero stop same, reticle is same, finish and exterior seem to be ok, and i did not do a pool submerge test, as i am not a paid reviewer with a free scope to drown.
same as most here i would love to see a good review from somebody who gets paid for that, with more than just an overall impression approach.
I think my EPL4 6-24x50 will replace my old Viper HST 6-24x50 that lives on my CA Ranger 22 rifle.
I will know Sunday when I take it out to the range to finally get some time behind it, and see how it stacks up.
A hunter or shooter should view the major tool, i.e., the rifle system, which includes sights or optics, as the primary concern. For those who worry about the weight of a scope and the overall weight of a rifle, consider carrying a few less snickers.weight is either a plus or a minus. if you want to shoot it handheld - then of course to shave off a whole pound of weight is worth it.
it is a same arken as its predecessors. turrets are not different, zero stop same, reticle is same, finish and exterior seem to be ok, and i did not do a pool submerge test, as i am not a paid reviewer with a free scope to drown.
same as most here i would love to see a good review from somebody who gets paid for that, with more than just an overall impression approach.
Sgt. Nicholas "The Reaper" Irving, 3rd Ranger Battalion 75th Ranger Regiment, retired, carried an SR-25, the Army's Mk 11 Mod 0. With a loaded magazine, it must have weighed 16 lbs. He carried that, spare loaded mags, water, some crackers. And either he or his sniper team leader would be packing the folding ladder.
So, he was not just carrying the 16 pounds of rifle, he was carrying 75 pounds of other crap.
Unlike the movies, an assignment is not days of and days of sneak and wait. Most times, it was either ambush and surprise engagement or providing overwatch. Generally speaking, they were back at the FOB by nightfall. He carried whatever the rifle needed as if his life depended on it.
In his regular kit that could be left at his bunk were a few rattle cans of paint. Vegetation changes at each location and he would repaint to match. Because the rifle was more important than trying to fit a weight profile.
So, I have carried my rifle in my arms while hunting and 11 or 12 pounds does not seem that much to me and I wondered why. I went to my doctor. I was born with a deformity. It turns out I was born with testicles that produce testosterone which causes me to do things like carry rifles without crying and wailing and great gnashing of teeth.
like i said before - i think it will be a great $300 scope next black friday sale. it better be.I think my EPL4 6-24x50 will replace my old Viper HST 6-24x50 that lives on my CA Ranger 22 rifle.
I will know Sunday when I take it out to the range to finally get some time behind it, and see how it stacks up.
i have now 4 arkens, and with the total of 11 rifles, i am in no hurry to get more, for now.
i can see how epl4 would replace all the primary arms ones i got, as those 3-18x are not great at all compared to arkens, but, from other perspective, i did shoot those PAs in the rain, in the snow, had those guns drop on those scopes - not great, but it took place, and those PAs are still working fine. arkens are yet to prove their worth.
i guess it is good to be you.
for rest of us, mere testicle-less mortals, there are carbon wrapped barrels and new generation rifles that are under 6lbs in weight.
my new ruger sfar is under 7lbs and it is just fine as well.
That's good, too. I was just feeling a little sore. My back is tired from carrying this stainless steel sac.
Decided to mount and boresight the EPL4 on my Ranger 22 using my previous zero on the old scope before removal. We’ll see how she does at the range on Sunday & Monday. Weight-wise it is nearly identical to the old Viper HST 6-24x50, but is slightly shorter (which I like), and it’s FFP, and has IR. If the glass is good, it might just end up on there permanently. Only time will tell…
I received mine and so far I’m very surprised and blown away by the glass and overall quality of this optic. I haven’t had a budget optic in years so I didn’t even know it’s possible to produce something like this for this cheap. I haven’t shot with it yet but it’s mounted and ready to go.
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