Putting scope in rings isn't rocket science. Perhaps you aren't doing it correctly and need instruction. You are making a conclusion that isn't the most solid footing. There are some great videos out there on doing (vortex has a couple for example).
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Putting scope in rings isn't rocket science. Perhaps you aren't doing it correctly and need instruction. You are making a conclusion that isn't the most solid footing. There are some great videos out there on doing (vortex has a couple for example).
First of all, if you're a "scope snob," just pay too much money for whatever you're getting and "say it's name." If you're looking for the best bang for your buck, then pick one up and give it a whirl.... They have a great sale going on right now at 30% off in stock items, I scored a Gen2 6-24x50 and a 20MOA base for under $400.... I have two others, one on a .223 and one on a .308, BOTH are as good as I can ask for.... The glass is very capable 1000+ yard glass, and both are 1000 yard successful in my semi-capable hands. After reading a "help" post earlier on another site from a guy with a $1500 scope that only has 40 MOA of internal elevation adjustment, I'd say the 108 MOA that is in my Gen2 is pretty good, or maybe he just was a "fool and his money being parted." Whomever calls one "junk," can come and shoot any of my rigs that are wearing one and see if they can have the same success behind them that I, and everyone I've taken to the range has had with them... I'll never be a "scope snob," or a "rifle snob," as I have found that nearly every modern rifle I've lain my hands on, is far more capable than I am, and if the "dummy behind the gun," does his/her job, the gun can do it's job.... One particular rifle I have, Savage Axis .223 was a $150 used purchase, that I'd heard many people call "junk," but at 1000 yards with one DOPE adjustment, I was on target, at 700 yards after 2 dope adjustments using cheap steal case mil-grade ammo, it was 5 for 5..... It's usually not the equipment, but the dummy using it.... I've found success with nearly every piece of equipment I've used, because most times equipment doesn't work, it's a USER error.
I have scopes that are cheap(came with the purchase of an Air rifle) to scopes that cost 2-3k(Cronus, Razor, Minox ZP5) to scopes that cost over 3k(ATACR, ZCO), and lots of scopes in between - point is, I am not biased for or against Arken in anyway.
My honest take on the Arken EP5:
Pros:
1) The ED glass clarity is amazing, it is comparable to my Athlon Cronus and Razor Gen 2
2) Turrets are tactile for sure, nice clicks
3) Eye box is quite forgiving
Cons:
1) The illumination is worthless - worst I have experienced - I have cheaper scopes that provide better reticle illumination
2) The turrets are tactile, but they have a "bounce" spring back when it lands.
3) Magnification ring is on the tight side
Did I say the illumination is worthless and unusable? So if you don't use illumination frequently, the Arken EP5 is great value for money.
To get a better deal that the Arken EP5, one would have to get lucky on flash/clearance deals from Doug at Cameralandny...
My honest take on the Arken EP5:
Pros:
1) The ED glass clarity is amazing, it is comparable to my Athlon Cronus and Razor Gen 2
2) Turrets are tactile for sure, nice clicks
3) Eye box is quite forgiving
Cons:
1) The illumination is worthless - worst I have experienced - I have cheaper scopes that provide better reticle illumination
2) The turrets are tactile, but they have a "bounce" spring back when it lands.
3) Magnification ring is on the tight side
Did I say the illumination is worthless and unusable? So if you don't use illumination frequently, the Arken EP5 is great value for money.
To get a better deal that the Arken EP5, one would have to get lucky on flash/clearance deals from Doug at Cameralandny...
I agree with most of this except the illumination. I have owned 3 EP5’s and still have 2 of them. All have decent illumination that’s fairly usable during the day. I say decent because there’s better out there to include dual NV settings and “true daylight brightness” but frankly o don’t expect either in this scope. I wonder if you have a QC issue with your illumination? Useless certainly doesn’t describe any of mine, not what others have posted. It’s several steps above their SH4 G2 model’s.I have scopes that are cheap(came with the purchase of an Air rifle) to scopes that cost 2-3k(Cronus, Razor, Minox ZP5) to scopes that cost over 3k(ATACR, ZCO), and lots of scopes in between - point is, I am not biased for or against Arken in anyway.
My honest take on the Arken EP5:
Pros:
1) The ED glass clarity is amazing, it is comparable to my Athlon Cronus and Razor Gen 2
2) Turrets are tactile for sure, nice clicks
3) Eye box is quite forgiving
Cons:
1) The illumination is worthless - worst I have experienced - I have cheaper scopes that provide better reticle illumination
2) The turrets are tactile, but they have a "bounce" spring back when it lands.
3) Magnification ring is on the tight side
Did I say the illumination is worthless and unusable? So if you don't use illumination frequently, the Arken EP5 is great value for money.
To get a better deal that the Arken EP5, one would have to get lucky on flash/clearance deals from Doug at Cameralandny...
I agree that the illumination works somewhat in the day, but i never use illum during the day. I only use illum at low light or at night, during which I see a huge amount of illumination dispersion in the EP5... It could be that my unit's illumination is defective, but IIRC I have read someone complaining about the EP5's illumination also. But for the price of an EP5, I take the glass clarity over the illumination anytime...
Can someone try switch on their EP5's illum at night and let me know if you see wide spread dispersion as compared to a Cronus/Razor/Ares?
Not everything made in China is junk. If I'm not mistaken Apple products are made there. So perhaps there is hope the OP will get a decent Arken scope.
Regarding the illumination, my gripe is that it only lights up the center dot and cross, not the entire reticle like Vortex does.
The SH4 glass is acceptable but nothing spectacular, it struggles with resolving darker targets in shadow or against a darker background.
I like the giant turrets and their readability and feel, the zero stop is great. It is not a $1500+ qaulity scope, but it certainly seems to have more value than what they charge.
The SH4 glass is acceptable but nothing spectacular, it struggles with resolving darker targets in shadow or against a darker background.
I like the giant turrets and their readability and feel, the zero stop is great. It is not a $1500+ qaulity scope, but it certainly seems to have more value than what they charge.
I have a question because I don't know the answer yet: Is Arken actually a Chinese company that just has a presence here in America? Examples of this are Holosn and Swampfox.
A non-Chinese company having stuff made in China is bad, but a Chinese company selling their shooting products here in America is a totally higher level of evil. Because Eff the CCP which controls all China based businesses.
ETA: Often a CCP company will have Americans, sometimes even with SoF backgrounds, as the face of their American presence, to give the false impression they're not a Chinese company.
A non-Chinese company having stuff made in China is bad, but a Chinese company selling their shooting products here in America is a totally higher level of evil. Because Eff the CCP which controls all China based businesses.
ETA: Often a CCP company will have Americans, sometimes even with SoF backgrounds, as the face of their American presence, to give the false impression they're not a Chinese company.
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American, made in China.
They are actually some really good dudes. Had the opportunity to shoot in the squad torture testing them at the 2020 snipers unknown challenge at gti. There were no failures if your wondering.
They are actually some really good dudes. Had the opportunity to shoot in the squad torture testing them at the 2020 snipers unknown challenge at gti. There were no failures if your wondering.
Often a CCP company will have Americans, sometimes even with SoF backgrounds, as the face of their American presence, to give the false impression they're not a Chinese company.
I'll try to chase out the business ties and see what I come up with.
Perhaps my friend @GBMaryland will chime in.
He’s an S&B guy w a good deal of experience w other high end scopes and he was very pleasantly surprised at function and performance incl optical quality.
I’m pretty sure he sold it on…as said, he’s kind of standardized on S&B….but he thought it was a great scope for the $$ if I remember correctly.
He’s an S&B guy w a good deal of experience w other high end scopes and he was very pleasantly surprised at function and performance incl optical quality.
I’m pretty sure he sold it on…as said, he’s kind of standardized on S&B….but he thought it was a great scope for the $$ if I remember correctly.
No idea who makes their stuff versus who doesn’t make their stuff… I will tell you that the glass in the scopes is actually pretty good. It was a true surprise to see how well the glass compared to high-end glass from Schmidt and from Hendsoldt.
Turrets aren’t super wonderful on the flipside, but for a $600 scope it’s not bad
Turrets aren’t super wonderful on the flipside, but for a $600 scope it’s not bad
My issue with China isn't that it is junk, it's that they want us all dead! That being said, I'm going to order one this month hopefully and I expect to be impressed. It's impossible to get away from anymore, so what do you do? I say get a good value scope, save yourself some money and put it towards ammo you will need when Brandon lets those bastards in here to " officiate" the 2024 election!! To be clear I do not know this as fact, but I've seen a lot of shit in the last year that I would NEVER have guessed I would ever see!
We don't compromise our values just to save a few bucks. There are scopes made in Vietnam, Thailand, Hong Kong, Malaysia, etc.
I’ll go ahead and be “that guy” since you’re being the other “that guy”.
You’re not typing messages on a computer with parts made in China? You don’t own a single thing made in or containing parts made in China. I call bull shit. This gets old reading the holier than though China post. No one hear likes em but most have accepted some shit is gonna come from there sometimes. I’m all for avoiding it when possible but try being realistic.
I'm just being a normal patriotic American with solid values. You on the other hand are being "that guy" who makes the intentional false moral equivalence of stuff "made in China" with "stuff from a Chinese company". While both are bad, those two things are very different in terms of how much money from the purchase goes to the Chinese companies.
Then you commit the second act of propaganda by referring to products outside the shooting sports- consumer electronics... The irony in your example is that we still have a choice to NOT buy shooting products from Chinese companies, and NOT buy shooting products made in China... But we really don't have that choice when it comes to consumer electronics- because too many people like you are fine with buying Chinese.
One of the things people love about Trump and DeSantis is their "America First" attitude. Others just don't give a s%&*.
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The SH4 I tested was beyond garbage. Potato chip lenses and diopter, parallax & magnification rings were all trash. Diopter seemed to lose setting between shots. Parallax knob couldn't even be used to focus at all past ~600yrds. Magnification ring needed >15lbs of pressure to move the throw lever at all. It's what you get when you make a product specifically to separate fools from their money.
Cool story.
I’m sure the shooting industry is a huge contributor to China’s GDP. Especially budget scopes.
I can appreciate your patriotism. I buy American, or other than China, when feasible. Realistically, it’s unavoidable many times as I said. You and others that come on a Chinese budget scope or other product thread beating that drum sound hypocritical. If you don’t like it move on. There’s a whole ZCO thread you can swim in.
Before you get up on that high horse, ask yourself what products do you own from vortex and vista outdoors.
I and most of the American shooting community love spreading the ethical patriot culture- you'll never stop us from putting out facts and logic in defense of our republic.
Just put me on your ignore list if you don't like "America First". I'm putting you on mine because you're for the other team.
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You claim to push an America First patriotic shooting culture full of logic and facts, but you still support Trump? The guy who single-handedly caused all the ATF bullshit we're still dealing with right now, after he emboldened them by listening to the FUDD retards at the NRA and circumvented congress to unilaterally (and illegally) "ban" bumpstocks and reclassify a piece of plastic as "machine guns".
Let's not forget that he also likes to "take the guns first, then ask the questions..." And he doesn't like "silencers" and "would look into banning them..."
All hail Trump, the savior of the 2A...
I'm all for America First, but Trump is no 2A supporter...He's about as 2A as Reagan was...Hughes Amendment and Brady Bill anyone??? Oh, once again, it was the NRA who urged him to sign them... I'm not Sherlock Holmes, but I'm seeing a pattern here with Hollywood actor "Republican" presidents and the NRA screwing law-abiding citizens out of our rights...
You know, of course, the Brady Bill was signed into law in 1993, by William Jefferson Clinton.You claim to push an America First patriotic shooting culture full of logic and facts, but you still support Trump? The guy who single-handedly caused all the ATF bullshit we're still dealing with right now, after he emboldened them by listening to the FUDD retards at the NRA and circumvented congress to unilaterally (and illegally) "ban" bumpstocks and reclassify a piece of plastic as "machine guns".
Let's not forget that he also likes to "take the guns first, then ask the questions..." And he doesn't like "silencers" and "would look into banning them..."
All hail Trump, the savior of the 2A...
I'm all for America First, but Trump is no 2A supporter...He's about as 2A as Reagan was...Hughes Amendment and Brady Bill anyone??? Oh, once again, it was the NRA who urged him to sign them... I'm not Sherlock Holmes, but I'm seeing a pattern here with Hollywood actor "Republican" presidents and the NRA screwing law-abiding citizens out of our rights...
LONG after Reagan was out of office.
FuhQ, I can't believe I am about to say this but I agree with you. I agree with the points Milf Dots makes, but you are spot on as far as republican support of 2A or lack of support. Many need to wake up, rebublicans in general are just as bad as democrats as far as 2A.You claim to push an America First patriotic shooting culture full of logic and facts, but you still support Trump? The guy who single-handedly caused all the ATF bullshit we're still dealing with right now, after he emboldened them by listening to the FUDD retards at the NRA and circumvented congress to unilaterally (and illegally) "ban" bumpstocks and reclassify a piece of plastic as "machine guns".
Let's not forget that he also likes to "take the guns first, then ask the questions..." And he doesn't like "silencers" and "would look into banning them..."
All hail Trump, the savior of the 2A...
I'm all for America First, but Trump is no 2A supporter...He's about as 2A as Reagan was...Hughes Amendment and Brady Bill anyone??? Oh, once again, it was the NRA who urged him to sign them... I'm not Sherlock Holmes, but I'm seeing a pattern here with Hollywood actor "Republican" presidents and the NRA screwing law-abiding citizens out of our rights...
What has that to do with the brady Bill? You specifically mentioned the Brady Bill and insinuated that it was signed by Reagan. It was not.
Also, may be helpful:
Passed vs. Past: What's the Difference? - Oxford International English Schools
The difference between passed and past is a brilliant example of how the English language can be confusing. Learn how to get it right with our top tips.
www.oxfordinternationalenglish.com 
So you can afford HK firearms but are shopping for optics at the china-mart bargain bin?
Go be poor somewhere else
I made no reference to the Brady bill in any of my postsWhat has that to do with the brady Bill? You specifically mentioned the Brady Bill and insinuated that it was signed by Reagan. It was not.
Also, may be helpful:
Passed vs. Past: What's the Difference? - Oxford International English Schools
The difference between passed and past is a brilliant example of how the English language can be confusing. Learn how to get it right with our top tips.
Sorry, you are correct about that. You responded off topic to my response to a different poster that did mention the Brady bill.
2 months ago I couldn’t visit any shooting site without seeing Arken this and that. I decided to order one, but for whatever reason the site locked up while I was paying and I missed out on a couple of really good deals. Friends got’em, and like ‘em. Now I haven’t seen mention of them in nearly 2 months, weird.
Seen a guy take second in our MARS rimfire match with one, targets running 50-401yds. The example I’ve looked through was remarkable at any price point.
Seen a guy take second in our MARS rimfire match with one, targets running 50-401yds. The example I’ve looked through was remarkable at any price point.
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One thing that’s notable is the lack of secondary Arkens for sale. This has been fairly steady across their lifespan. A few SH4s here and there but rarely ever an EP4 or EP5 in relation to the numbers sold…despite known QC issues…which they mitigate promptly.
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It’s the price, I thought about selling a sh4 a while back. I got it for 300$ when they offered the 100$ off deal. I would have to at least double that to get the same features. Might as well keep it and save some money.
I used to vehemently not buy Chinese. They are going to take over our nation and shoot everyone that survived while they move in. Its going to be awful, and the last Americans are going to die in terror kneeling in front of a mass grave.
Then I got to know the folks pushing LGBTQ+ in my kids schools - the child grooming societies and the leftists and the communists.
After that I was terrified the Chinese might NOT show up and shoot everyone in the neck. So I really like the Arken EP5 a LOT and the SH4 is okay enough.
Then I got to know the folks pushing LGBTQ+ in my kids schools - the child grooming societies and the leftists and the communists.
After that I was terrified the Chinese might NOT show up and shoot everyone in the neck. So I really like the Arken EP5 a LOT and the SH4 is okay enough.
IMHO That seems a little strong. Not everyone can afford to drop thousands of buck on optics. I also believe that their use comes into play. Someone who shoots 2 or 3 times a year when hunting may not need that high dollar scope with supreme accuracy.
I will add my input on the Arken Topic. I won a SH-4 GenII at a PRS match. I put it on an Ar15 (DMR) style rifle. I do like the feel of the knobs, zero stop, the reticle is nice. The eye box is very tight especially at max zoom. The glass is not very good at max zoom, but if you zoom out a little, it is not bad. I keep my zoom around 15x for most of my shooting and zoom in for zeroing. It holds zero and returns to zero. Having said all of that I did win a local DMR match with that scope. There was varying distances from 150 yards to 600. I did a lot of elevation adjusting and holding over using the reticle.
I would put this scope along side the Vortex Diamondback Tactical series. The Vortex might have a little better glass at max zoom and eye box is more forgiving, but the adjustment knobs are much better on the Arken long with the zero Stop. The Arken also feel like a better quality scope, with the bigger knobs and main tube.
Is the scope as nice as my Leupold Mk5, no but it is a solid FFP scope that will get the job done. Just manage expectations with it.
I would put this scope along side the Vortex Diamondback Tactical series. The Vortex might have a little better glass at max zoom and eye box is more forgiving, but the adjustment knobs are much better on the Arken long with the zero Stop. The Arken also feel like a better quality scope, with the bigger knobs and main tube.
Is the scope as nice as my Leupold Mk5, no but it is a solid FFP scope that will get the job done. Just manage expectations with it.
One thing is for sure, there is good Red Chinee and bad RC. Since they have stolen every industries IP (aviation, space, defense, electronics, ships) it's pretty easy to copy/reproduce/clone whatever you want to call it and make good or better than US companies, irrespective of greed of course. Speaking as a red blooded American I can say with utter sadness I am ashamed we have come to this as a country. Totally due to greed, pacifists, communists/socialists and a totally corrupt government.
That being said, it's now a world stage as opposed to a one country solution. I do prefer to put my money towards American companies no matter what I'm buying, also considering there are many parts made in other countries. We gave up our manufacturing power, pride and prowess after WW2. There is no doubt about it. The only thing we have left is to speak with our wallets......
That being said, it's now a world stage as opposed to a one country solution. I do prefer to put my money towards American companies no matter what I'm buying, also considering there are many parts made in other countries. We gave up our manufacturing power, pride and prowess after WW2. There is no doubt about it. The only thing we have left is to speak with our wallets......
The thing with stealing shit is you never really understand since you didn't put in the work.
We see it with Chicom students and other cultures where cheating is rampant. You can steal but if you don't understand why and all the sciences behind it you are never going to be as good. You can't cheat or steal a new/unique idea.
As long as they keep trying to steal and never come up with a unique idea of their own, they will be second and third rate bitches.
We see it with Chicom students and other cultures where cheating is rampant. You can steal but if you don't understand why and all the sciences behind it you are never going to be as good. You can't cheat or steal a new/unique idea.
As long as they keep trying to steal and never come up with a unique idea of their own, they will be second and third rate bitches.
If you have had bad luck with them and voice your oppinion, someone will be triggered. If you have had good luck with them and voice your oppinion, someone will be triggered. If you haven't even touched one and voice am oppinion, someone will be triggered.
Well see if my .223 coyote rifle can kill the little SH4 I just picked up.
Well see if my .223 coyote rifle can kill the little SH4 I just picked up.
But they control our economy via this theft, our government, drug supply etc. while we lag behind in every aspect. It’s time to wake up and at least try and stop the madness. Cheating is their way of winning while the US seeks wokeness and losing our identity in real time…….
All these folks bitching about folks buying Chinese made optics, yet none of them are starting their own scope manufacturing business to design and fully manufacture in the US.
Yea everyone in this thread is going to start their own scope company. Great idea.
If my government let me steal every other scope companies IP... and essentially have free designs to manufacture for far cheaper than the people that actually spent the money and did the hard work... I might. It sounds extremely profitable.
Especially if we can slide some slave labor into the picture.
A few sheep bitching about patriots being vigilant of our republic and the shooting sports, against our greatest external threat the CCP and their predatory trade practices, because none of the sheep will spend a few extra bucks to support optics NOT made in China.
But we're supposed to believe those same sheep would happily spend hundreds if not thousands more dollars to buy optics "designed and fully manufactured in the US." I call BS on the cheap sheep.
At some point, most of us have to reside in the real world.
There are no South Korean or Philippine made optics that meet all of the criteria many folks seek.
Such as 34mm tube, acceptable glass quality, zero stop, windage or locking turret. And no, the XTR II does not have acceptable glass.
If Burris ever decides to actually manufacture the XTR III illuminated model, I'd be inclined to buy one, unless, of course, they source the glass from the same place.
I did a T&E of the strike eagle, part of my feedback to Vortex was that they needed to branch out and manufacture their stuff in countries that are at least more friendly to the US.
I'm still waiting for you to start an optics company and offer a reasonable quality 5-25 FFP scope with a zero stop, acceptable glass and stainless steel internals for less than 600 bucks. I'll buy the first one.
I'm actually on record as saying that you should buy a low end Japanese scope before you buy a high end Chinese one.
Funny how things change, I seem to remember that Japanese actually launched a military attack on a US territory in the hope that we would eventually be destroyed.
Don’t waste your time with people trolling here. They are typing on Chinese phones and computers. They own plenty of products made in China or with parts from China including their vehicles. They’re hypocrites that hide behind “patriotism”.
It’s bullshit. There’s probably Chinese shit all around their house.
I’ll state again, I buy anything but Chinese when possible. Sorry, not dropping $12K on a thermal when $4k gets what I need. If there was an equivocal from Philippines I’d happily buy it instead.
These guys bitching about China products, probably have many vista outdoors products including RCBS, Bushnell, Remington, federal, cci. All those products are under vista outdoors umbrella and they probably have more products made in China than do not.
Thank you for admitting what we patriots already knew about you cheap sheep- that price is what matters most, and not the slave labor nor the predatory trade practices that allow China to NOT compete against us but to predate upon our industries and steal our jobs. Good bye forever, Karen.
So because our own government sold us out decades ago to Communist Red China, and we are beholden to them in most every way despite them being the enemy in reality, we should just give up and bend over?? That is some serious backward thinking.......
I resist as much as possible buying all the cheap shit made in China but if we don't at least TRY to resist we will all be speaking Mandarin soon just like our entire Congress does. And it's not being a fake patriot like you pro China suckups are inferring, it's something we need to fix before it's too late!! Hopefully we can get back to draining the swamp in November
Still haven't opened your factory.
Resist then!
Cancel vista outdoors out of your life.
Don’t be choosy, you can’t trash a one scope company making products in China and then buy from vista or vortex.
Being hypocritical like that changes peoples opinion about your IQ. We all know the facts, we know you have many China products and micro processors from China in so called American outdoor and shooting products.
We know you do, so to come on here and trash Arken is just plain dumb.
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