• Watch Out for Scammers!

    We've now added a color code for all accounts. Orange accounts are new members, Blue are full members, and Green are Supporters. If you get a message about a sale from an orange account, make sure you pay attention before sending any money!

S&B vs March ?

Sika64

Private
Minuteman
Feb 24, 2023
11
2
Maryland
Ok, so my 2 choices right now are the S&B 6-36 or the March 5-42 HM. My question is, has anyone got to use both ? And if so, which way would you lean ?
 
Ok, so my 2 choices right now are the S&B 6-36 or the March 5-42 HM. My question is, has anyone got to use both ? And if so, which way would you lean ?

The reticle choices are probably going to be the most important thing at that point.

If you are getting the S&B with the new DT II+ turrets compared to the March with the brand new "shuriken" turrets, it's going to be pretty close.
Price might also be a consideration.
 
The reticle choices are probably going to be the most important thing at that point.

If you are getting the S&B with the new DT II+ turrets compared to the March with the brand new "shuriken" turrets, it's going to be pretty close.
Price might also be a consideration.
The reticle isn't that important, I dial for everything except wind occasionally. So the simpler, the better
 
I have both. And in my honest opinion, the glass on March is far more superior. It’s like comparing a 4K television to an 8K television perhaps you don’t have the need for something that good but just knowing the fact that it is that good and what it is capable of Makes a big difference . I also have to say the Customer Service for March is far more superior than dealing with Schmidt and Bender. If you ever have an issue, you pay to ship your scope to them and they will literally ship it back to you within a couple of days. As opposed to Schmidt and bender. I’ve had my scopes out for service work for weeks if not months.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Sika64
Ok, so my 2 choices right now are the S&B 6-36 or the March 5-42 HM. My question is, has anyone got to use both ? And if so, which way would you lean ?
Of those 2 options... March.

But don't overlook the Vortex Razor Gen3 6-36x, or Zeiss LRP S3 6-36x...
 
Some sayThe March eyebox is great for bench shooting. S&B's have a little more forgiveness when the eye is a tiny bit out of position. So most of us on the Hide would pick the S&B. Many of us would pick the solid reliable Vortex over the March.

So what kind of shooter are you?
 
Which one has the most features you are looking for? What is your intended usage?
It's will be used for hunting out to 1200 or so, and longrange shooting out further. I've always liked scopes that have more magnification then actually needed as I use them as spotting scopes when I have to get a better look then the binoculars will give me
 
Some sayThe March eyebox is great for bench shooting. S&B's have a little more forgiveness when the eye is a tiny bit out of position. So most of us on the Hide would pick the S&B. Many of us would pick the solid reliable Vortex over the March.

So what kind of shooter are you?
Not a Vortex fan, the new top tier might be great but I've had a couple of upper tier that I sent back. So now it's a trust issue
 
  • Like
Reactions: GoingTheDistance
The S&B 3-20 Ultrashort with the DT2+ turrets has become a sweetheart scope for me. Hard to replace. I wish the illumination was daylight bright on it but that's a nice to have and non critical. Super forgiving to get behind, glass is excellent, entire mag range is usable, best in class turrets, great reticle options, etc...I could go on and on. The only other downside, application dependent, is that the footprint of the scope can be a little funny with the seperate illumination knob. For a hunting rifle, you will likely need a full top rail and not the traditional split. Short action it may work, long action I don't think you'll be able to mount it with a split top rail.
 
@Sika64
If you are looking for the March scope, I'd suggest doing some haggling with this guy

 
  • Like
Reactions: Sika64
Ok, so my 2 choices right now are the S&B 6-36 or the March 5-42 HM. My question is, has anyone got to use both ? And if so, which way would you lean ?
You still interested in a comparison? Are you interested in the first generation March 5-42x56 or the new Gen2 5-46?
 
  • Like
Reactions: Sika64
Yes, still interested in a comparison. And not sure on the first gen. I was kinda waiting on your reviews lol
I reviewed the first generation 5-42x56 alongside the Schmidt 5-45x56 and was impressed with center resolution; however, even though the March boasts once of the widest FOV eyepieces in the industry it came at the cost of underwhelming edge to edge performance, meaning that IQ falloff toward the outer periphery of the scope was quite a bit and somewhat negated some of the benefits of having wider FOV. Keep in mind that I am very particular with edge to edge sharpness and many are not bothered by this phenomenon. Anyway, the Gen2 version of the 5-42x56 has optically corrected the outer periphery surprisingly well. How well I suppose is the question on a lot of people's minds and for more definitive results we'll have to wait for the production units to start shipping, but I can tell you from the pre-production model I have had on hand for some time now I am quite impressed.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Sika64
I reviewed the first generation 5-42x56 alongside the Schmidt 5-45x56 and was impressed with center resolution; however, even though the March boasts once of the widest FOV eyepieces in the industry it came at the cost of underwhelming edge to edge performance, meaning that IQ falloff toward the outer periphery of the scope was quite a bit and somewhat negated some of the benefits of having wider FOV. Keep in mind that I am very particular with edge to edge sharpness and many are not bothered by this phenomenon. Anyway, the Gen2 version of the 5-42x56 has optically corrected the outer periphery surprisingly well. How well I suppose is the question on a lot of people's minds and for more definitive results we'll have to wait for the production units to start shipping, but I can tell you from the pre-production model I have had on hand for some time now I am quite impressed.
Any thoughts on the S&B 6-36 yet ? Or are you still evaluating ?