Arken 5-25x56 thoughts!

[Sako man]

Just out of curiosity I picked up an Arken 5-25x56, I wanted to see what the hype was about. Mind you I have have had some high end glass, SnB, Kahles, Zeiss, NF blaaa blaaa..etc.. And I am not a big fan of Chinese wears but I figured the other guy did the dirty work for me already so second hand ain't so bad. Ok, all this said, here's my 2 cents on this optic.

Turrets: Pretty good, they are easy to set, and the feel is nice and positive, with very discernible clicks, I like them, besides the fact that any turret with just white lines as rev indicators kinda suck. It tracks spot on so far, to me this is one of the most important features. A second rev indicator would take the turrets to another level. Score - 7/10

Retical: Very good, it's not too fat at max magnification, it does not obscure your image, it has nice subtensions right where they should be, a nice center dot for precision application. Score 9/10

Parallax: Is not accurate, it's got that Nightforce issue where the numeric value on the turret is no where near the actual distance value of your focused parallax unison. Granted accurate parallax settings are one of the hardest things to recreate. Score - 5/10

Glass: Not bad at all, sure it's not like my higher end optics but it's clear enough to see blades of grass at 500y, at a mile I can just about read the company name on a porta potty. It's got a wide field of view and a pretty forgiving eye box. I would say it's about the same clarity as the NX8 NF series and maybe just a pinch under the MK5HD but closely behind. Score - 6.5/10.

Build Quality: Seemingly pretty good, it's got a solid 34mm tube, it has a solid feel and the accessories that you can get for it are solid like the scope caps and throw lever. The mounts and rings are pretty good as well. A big plus is if it shits on you then it has a lifetime warranty, that beats the SnB warranty by a long ways. Score 7/10.

If you just laid the optic in my hands and didn't tell me anything about it, besides the fact that it's got Japanese ED glass, and just said "test this out," I would have come back to you and said it's probably worth about $1200 to $1400 bucks. Then if you told me that it came in at under $600 bucks I would be shocked. It gets projectiles down range accurately and very affordably. The moral of the story is that this optic is going to shake things up for the competition, maybe Riton, Sightron, Burris, Athlon and Vortex..etc, is it a good scope? YES it is! is it an SnB or ZCO, no it's not, that said it doesn't have to be.

 

[hafejd30]

I have one on my B14R and Tikka T1X. Especially for .22 I’m very pleased

 

[Graywolf.260]

I have one on my B14R and Tikka T1X. Especially for .22 I’m very pleased

also thinking about this for a T1X, how close does the parallax go down to?

 

[Sako man]

also thinking about this for a T1X, how close does the parallax go down to?

Good question? I didn't go closer than about 40 yards. I will check.

 

[DarinC]

I’ve been running one for a year and agree 100% with your review.

It’s definitely not the weak link in my system. I am!

 

[Mxridr]

I think you are spot on. I looked thru my buddies yesterday and was impressed. Perfect for nrl 22. Plus I think he paid under 400 with rings. I will grab one for my Bergara.

 

[Earnhardt]

Great review!

 

[Ronws]

The Arken EP5 is very competitive in its market. It is also something of a "crossover" scope. Good for hunting and some long range.

The Arken has one problem that is a design problem, not a model problem. And I am not the only one to experience it. The turrets are held with set screws. And they can back out from the vibration of use at the range. There are some reviews on YouTube that address this. So, don't believe me, a guy who owns 4 Arken scopes, watch someone "official."

I had this problem on more than one unit, and yes, I know how to tighten properly in an alternating pattern. An email to tech support at Arken got a reply to use Vibra Tite on the screws. Which has worked, so far. I have not had to do that with other optics that hold the turrets on differently.

So, once you get a zero with your chosen ammo, a little dab'll do ya.

 

[GIXXER2000]

I was looking to buy 2 EP5 so I called Arken and got no answer. I emailed them and was told they are to busy to answer questions on the phone but I could email them... They are the ONLY optics company that was was to busy to talk with a potential customer I have ever contacted.
So I have no use for that company. Just my thoughts.

 

[6.5SH]

The Arken EP5 is very competitive in its market. It is also something of a "crossover" scope. Good for hunting and some long range.

The Arken has one problem that is a design problem, not a model problem. And I am not the only one to experience it. The turrets are held with set screws. And they can back out from the vibration of use at the range. There are some reviews on YouTube that address this. So, don't believe me, a guy who owns 4 Arken scopes, watch someone "official."

I had this problem on more than one unit, and yes, I know how to tighten properly in an alternating pattern. An email to tech support at Arken got a reply to use Vibra Tite on the screws. Which has worked, so far. I have not had to do that with other optics that hold the turrets on differently.

So, once you get a zero with your chosen ammo, a little dab'll do ya.

It took just short of a year of use then had the zero stop screws loosen during a match which kept me from dialing back down. I thought the turret had went bad it felt so off.

An email to them suggested re-adjusting the zero stop and use of Vibra-tite VC3 as well. So far so good since readjusting it.

 

[YotaEer]

The Arken EP5 is very competitive in its market. It is also something of a "crossover" scope. Good for hunting and some long range.

The Arken has one problem that is a design problem, not a model problem. And I am not the only one to experience it. The turrets are held with set screws. And they can back out from the vibration of use at the range. There are some reviews on YouTube that address this. So, don't believe me, a guy who owns 4 Arken scopes, watch someone "official."

I had this problem on more than one unit, and yes, I know how to tighten properly in an alternating pattern. An email to tech support at Arken got a reply to use Vibra Tite on the screws. Which has worked, so far. I have not had to do that with other optics that hold the turrets on differently.

So, once you get a zero with your chosen ammo, a little dab'll do ya.

Well I’m glad I found this. Just picked up my first ever Arken, the 30mm EPL4 6-24x. Put it on my 6 arc, zeroed it and took it out to 700 yard steel range I have.

3 shots and the turret came loose and fell off. Probably from the 3.5 hour ride in the back of the truck. Never had this happen with any other scope.

With that said, I paid $375 for this scope along with the combo pack. An outrageous value for what it is. Really solid glass, solid eye box, FOV and DOF, turrets are good if they stay on lol. I held over with the reticle and had consistent hits at 700 with an 18” 6 arc, so the reticle is accurate.

I’ll add some vibra tite to the elevation turret and hopefully that does it.

 

[Ronws]

Well I’m glad I found this. Just picked up my first ever Arken, the 30mm EPL4 6-24x. Put it on my 6 arc, zeroed it and took it out to 700 yard steel range I have.

3 shots and the turret came loose and fell off. Probably from the 3.5 hour ride in the back of the truck. Never had this happen with any other scope.

With that said, I paid $375 for this scope along with the combo pack. An outrageous value for what it is. Really solid glass, solid eye box, FOV and DOF, turrets are good if they stay on lol. I held over with the reticle and had consistent hits at 700 with an 18” 6 arc, so the reticle is accurate.

I’ll add some vibra tite to the elevation turret and hopefully that does it.

This right here, exactly. It is good enough for the money, for sure. And if it is working, it is working even if it is not the most expensive gucci item out there,

 

[Sako man]

It took just short of a year of use then had the zero stop screws loosen during a match which kept me from dialing back down. I thought the turret had went bad it felt so off.

An email to them suggested re-adjusting the zero stop and use of Vibra-tite VC3 as well. So far so good since readjusting it.

Yeah, I saw that in a video where some SEAL guy was comparing the optic to his ATACR and he suggested putting some Vibratite or Locktite on the turret screws, I believe he had the same issue, probably not a bad idea to do that. I think turrets popping off and zero set screws backing off is all the same issue. That said I would have turret set screws on both my PM2's backing out and my Zero going to shit, so it happens across any optic that has a similar set screw design I think. Not defending Arken as it's definatly a weakness.

also thinking about this for a T1X, how close does the parallax go down to?

Took it down to about 25y today and it focused clearly, anything below that is just fuzzy.

I was looking to buy 2 EP5 so I called Arken and got no answer. I emailed them and was told they are to busy to answer questions on the phone but I could email them... They are the ONLY optics company that was was to busy to talk with a potential customer I have ever contacted.
So I have no use for that company. Just my thoughts.

I just had this same issue with American Defense Manufacturaing (ADM), they used to be out of Texas and had a phone number you could call to order stuff. Now they only have an email address, I tried to order something via email and the order got all screwed up. I was not very fucking happy about their lack of customer service, though they do make some good stuff. Someone did reach out to me to apologize and offer me a discount coupon. Either way I don't care for it when companies don't want to talk over the phone anymore.

 

[Sako man]

Well I’m glad I found this. Just picked up my first ever Arken, the 30mm EPL4 6-24x. Put it on my 6 arc, zeroed it and took it out to 700 yard steel range I have.

I am pretty sure that the 6-24 is not Japanese glass, that said from what I hear it's not far behind the 5-25. The nice thing about the 6-24x50 is smaller and lighter. I will probably get one of each of the optics in their lineup. For a little over $1100 you can pick up three Arkens. I am interested in the long term reviews of these things to see if they hold up.

 

[MadDuner]

It took just short of a year of use then had the zero stop screws loosen during a match which kept me from dialing back down. I thought the turret had went bad it felt so off.

An email to them suggested re-adjusting the zero stop and use of Vibra-tite VC3 as well. So far so good since readjusting it.

Sounds like a good reason for me to snug mine up before going out with it next.

 

[hafejd30]

The turret screws loosening is a common report. Not the first I’ve heard of this. A touch of purple or blue loctite I’m sure would solve the issue. I didn’t do that with mine as I’m sure as I run different lots of .22 I’ll have different zeros. So when I do buy a crap ton of one lot I intend to make my turret zero more permanent

 

[Sako man]

The turret screws loosening is a common report. Not the first I’ve heard of this. A touch of purple or blue loctite I’m sure would solve the issue. I didn’t do that with mine as I’m sure as I run different lots of .22 I’ll have different zeros. So when I do buy a crap ton of one lot I intend to make my turret zero more permanent

The cool thing with the Vibratite is that you can still adjust stuff, it just snugs things down, it's reusable, the loctite is more stiff in my experience.

 

[hafejd30]

The cool thing with the Vibratite is that you can still adjust stuff, it just snugs things down, it's reusable, the loctite is more stiff in my experience.

I’ll have to try that. I’ve always run blue loctite and it does the same. Never an issue loosing anything and it certainly adds resistance to keep the screw in place

Otherwise nothing a good helping of green or red wouldn’t hold down

 

[YotaEer]

I’ll have to try that. I’ve always run blue loctite and it does the same. Never an issue loosing anything and it certainly adds resistance to keep the screw in place

Otherwise nothing a good helping of green or red wouldn’t hold down

Yea I’m just going to check/rezero mine and blue loctite all the screws.

 

[hafejd30]

I came from vortex viper pst Gen 1. So I know all to well the feeling of turning an elevation turret and the little fucker just giving out

Except this shouldn’t be the scope internals. And I won’t get a free tshirt when it happens

 

[Ronws]

Yeah, I saw that in a video where some SEAL guy was comparing the optic to his ATACR and he suggested putting some Vibratite or Locktite on the turret screws, I believe he had the same issue, probably not a bad idea to do that. I think turrets popping off and zero set screws backing off is all the same issue. That said I would have turret set screws on both my PM2's backing out and my Zero going to shit, so it happens across any optic that has a similar set screw design I think. Not defending Arken as it's definatly a weakness.

And that was another point I meant to make and you brought it up. Other scopes that use set screws for turrets probably also experience similar problems. So, I am not crapping on Arken or similar scopes, just offering advice.

 

[Ronws]

The cool thing with the Vibratite is that you can still adjust stuff, it just snugs things down, it's reusable, the loctite is more stiff in my experience.

Exactly. It is designed to be a thread holder, not thread glue. It is reusable, as it were. That being said, I do not use thread locker on scope rings. The fluidic nature when you first put it on can throw off torque readings. Same with dried glue. I have not had a problem with properly torqued rings. But I also spend the extra money for precision match rings. I am a poor guy, so I am not saying to others to go be poor somewhere else. Just use good rings.

Which is another factor for Arken. Their rings are good and do not let go and I have also not used thread locker on them.

If your order from Arken and use a discount code, you can often get the bag of goodies, including rings, for free.

 

[918v]

I bought one when they first became available. The eyebox was atrocious. The image had a lot of CA. It was unusable.

To compare it to a NF is a thought crime.

 

[Ronws]

Another advantage that Arken has is more elevation than a competitor, such as the Vortex Venom. Not only does it have more elevation but more is available precisely because of the style of turret and zero stop. The Venom uses a ring that allows to complete revolutions. Arken allows more than that because it is a screw against a lug. Point being, from a zero MOA rail, you can easily dial for 1,000 yards on my .308 , needing, I think, 39 MOA.

As opposed to the Venom, where you either need a 20 MOA canted rail or you dial 345 MOA and hold over 5 MOA in the reticle.

 

[YotaEer]

I bought one when they first became available. The eyebox was atrocious. The image had a lot of CA. It was unusable.

To compare it to a NF is a thought crime.

Honestly, I think the Arken EPL4 has less CA than both a Burris XTR3 and Burris XTR pro. The overall glass quality isn’t the same (of course) but CA control is impressive for the price

I’m extremely sensitive to CA, so I really pay attention to it.

 

[Ronws]

Honestly, I think the Arken EPL4 has less CA than both a Burris XTR3 and Burris XTR pro. The overall glass quality isn’t the same (of course) but CA control is impressive for the price

I’m extremely sensitive to CA, so I really pay attention to it.

And I am not sensitive to the CA. Some have said Arken has atrocious CA. I cannot see it. I also know that in the YouTube videos comparing, a lot has to do with the camera capturing the "chromatic aberration."

Also, humans are lying sacks of shit. But, to be fair, they are only lying on days that end in the letter 'y'.

 

[FuhQ]

I am pretty sure that the 6-24 is not Japanese glass, that said from what I hear it's not far behind the 5-25. The nice thing about the 6-24x50 is smaller and lighter. I will probably get one of each of the optics in their lineup. For a little over $1100 you can pick up three Arkens. I am interested in the long term reviews of these things to see if they hold up.

All of the EP series scopes are Japanese ED glass. Including the EP4, EP5, and EPL4 series. The SH4 series is Chinese HD glass. Still pretty good quality glass for the price. I have 3 SH4 Gen2 6-24x50's, an EP5 5-25x56, and an EPL4 6-24x50 (all MIL). Not a big fan of the EPL4...Its ED glass is just not quite on quality with the EP5. My SH4 Gen2's are all older models, and they're solid, with good glass. Noticeable CA, of course, but it's still extremely useable, even at LR distances.

If you want more info, I have a huge Arken thread I started a few years ago. There's tons of info in there, and lots of unbiased opinions and experiences from many forum members. Me personally, I've but thousands of rounds through my Arkens, and they've held up just fine. I haven't even experienced the turret set-screw issues that yall have. I have, however, had 2 that were lemons straight out of the box, and had to be returned for replacements. Which is done without issue, and without any hesitation on Arken's part. I've never had an issue with their CS or getting in touch with anyone, and their CS team has been on point, even through emails.

Rifle Scopes - Arken SH4 Gen2 6-24x50 VPR MIL

*** Alright... Let's try this one more time... Maybe they have gotten it out of their system, and this time folks can be mature about this and act civil, and not accuse people of "shilling", and start hating on what other people spend their own personal money on. *** *** I am not sponsored...

www.snipershide.com

 

[hafejd30]

I’ll give you an unbiased opinion in a bit. Putting a ZCO527/NF7-35 and Arken EP5 against each other in low light right now.

I’m not an optics snob. I’m more reliability than anything. But I’ll give my honest “last light” comparison

 

[Gohring65]

I was able to get some budget scopes side by side last month and really compare them at 650 yards facing directly west at 7 pm. I purposely did this so the sun would be at the worst possible angle for cheap glass.
I was reading license plates, writing on trash cans, an American flag and shingles on a roof. It was Burris xtr3 non illuminated, Athlon midas tac 6-24, a ares btr, a helos gen 2 6-24x56 34mm and the ep5. They all ranked in that particular order. Clarity, CA, brightness and edge to edge blurryness was all noted. The helos really did just as well as the midas and ares, it was really hard to distinguish between them. The eye box was better with all the Athlons and the Burris. One thing I really noticed was I had to constantly adjust the parallax with the Arken, it would go out of alignment/focus just sitting there, none of that with the others. Arken always had a problem with illumination having a halo/shadow effect in the reticle, Athlon was the clear winner with all three units with illumination.
My ep5 was an older unit, I think I got it around spring 2021. After comparing them, I sold it and bought a match pro 6-24. Athlon right now, at least with my particular Arken to compare is just a more refined budget option. That could change I think if Arken would step up QC or pick a different manufacturer to build them.

 

[hafejd30]

Here she is:

ZCO527 vs NF ATACR 7-35 vs Arken EP5- (Last Light Comparison)

First, Im not an optics snob. Reliability is my #1 concern. But I have wondered what my 527, 735 and EP5 would look like against each other at last light. Both the 735 and 527 have been used for the same application. Even though it’s mounted on a Vudoo here Primary use for my high end optics is...

www.snipershide.com

 

[Bcamos]

Just don't spray paint it!

 

[BCP]

Well I’m glad I found this. Just picked up my first ever Arken, the 30mm EPL4 6-24x. Put it on my 6 arc, zeroed it and took it out to 700 yard steel range I have.

3 shots and the turret came loose and fell off. Probably from the 3.5 hour ride in the back of the truck. Never had this happen with any other scope.

With that said, I paid $375 for this scope along with the combo pack. An outrageous value for what it is. Really solid glass, solid eye box, FOV and DOF, turrets are good if they stay on lol. I held over with the reticle and had consistent hits at 700 with an 18” 6 arc, so the reticle is accurate.

I’ll add some vibra tite to the elevation turret and hopefully that does it.

Yeah the little allens coming loose is not unique to them, on my swfa and leupold scopes I put a tiny bit of grease seems to help. Loctite worked too good and stripped the little fucker trying to get it loose.

As for Arken it felt like a 2k dollar scope in my hand at first but after playing with the turrets and stuff you can tell it's cheaper but still a fantastic value, my budget scope choice is still SWFA though.

 

[Ronws]

Yeah the little allens coming loose is not unique to them, on my swfa and leupold scopes I put a tiny bit of grease seems to help. Loctite worked too good and stripped the little fucker trying to get it loose.

As for Arken it felt like a 2k dollar scope in my hand at first but after playing with the turrets and stuff you can tell it's cheaper but still a fantastic value, my budget scope choice is still SWFA though.

I had the same problem and Arken tech support also suggested vibra tite.

 

[Scopeye]

I am pretty sure that the 6-24 is not Japanese glass, that said from what I hear it's not far behind the 5-25. The nice thing about the 6-24x50 is smaller and lighter. I will probably get one of each of the optics in their lineup. For a little over $1100 you can pick up three Arkens. I am interested in the long term reviews of these things to see if they hold up.

I think the EP5 is their only scope actually worth buying on sale for $397.49 but not for their regular selling price. They still seem to use better glass in the EP5 compared to the EPL4s and SH4Js. Decent for their sale price and wkem I state better glass, I mean not great glass but decent for $397.49 when using them specifically as a 5-20x scope.

The good news is as long as Arken remains in business they even pay for your shipping whenever you need to exchange them under their lifetime warranty.

$225 to $250 to $299 to $329 to $397.49 were their recent sale prices some prices might still be valid through Amazon. Only buy then at these sale prices or cheaper.

Now you know how much all the Arken shills were earning (the difference in sale prices) compared to their regular prices. They had huge financial motivation to hype them up.

Just surprised how cheap they really must be to manufacture them in China I'd guess around $100 apiece give or take and slightly more than $100 for the EP5.

Makes me wonder how much big moolah's in profits the other brands are actually making by selling their Chinese made scopes under their own brand labels making a real killing on.

This is why I always say only buy scopes when they go on on sale at extremely cheaper than normal prices and from return friendly places.

 

[Sako man]

I think the EP5 is their only scope actually worth buying on sale for $397.49 but not for their regular selling price. They still seem to use better glass in the EP5 compared to the EPL4s and SH4Js. Decent for their sale price and wkem I state better glass, I mean not great glass but decent for $397.49 when using them specifically as a 5-20x scope.

The good news is as long as Arken remains in business they even pay for your shipping whenever you need to exchange them under their lifetime warranty.

$225 to $250 to $299 to $329 to $397.49 were their recent sale prices some prices might still be valid through Amazon. Only buy then at these sale prices or cheaper.

Now you know how much all the Arken shills were earning (the difference in sale prices) compared to their regular prices. They had huge financial motivation to hype them up.

Just surprised how cheap they really must be to manufacture them in China I'd guess around $100 apiece give or take and slightly more than $100 for the EP5.

Makes me wonder how much big moolah's in profits the other brands are actually making by selling their Chinese made scopes under their own brand labels making a real killing on.

This is why I always say only buy scopes when they go on on sale at extremely cheaper than normal prices and from return friendly places.

It's the best optic in its category south of $1000, so you could pay more than $500 and not feel like you got ripped off. So I consider $500 bucks a good deal. If you think you can find something better south of $500, then let us all know.

 

[Scopeye]

It's the best optic in its category south of $1000, so you could pay more than $500 and not feel like you got ripped off. So I consider $500 bucks a good deal. If you think you can find something better south of $500, then let us all know.

Athlon Midas Tac 6-24x50 believe it or not got mine on sale for $450-$460 shipped. I don't recommend paying more than $550 for it though since it's still made in China. Run them side by side with the EP5 you will definitely notice the difference with superior Chinese HD glass and noticeably better turrets as well.

If you are fine with SFP or actually prefer it over a FFP and like to dial in your shots, the Athlon Midas BTR G2 4.5-27x50 often goes on sale for $470 or less. It is also a better scope compared to the EP5. This one might even be worth paying $599 regular price for even though it's also Chinese made especially when you compare it side by side to the EP5 and even the $699.99 Chinese Bushnell Match Pro ED.

I would have recommend the Sightmark Presidio 5-30x56 for $314.98 but the sale on Amazon already ended and the price went back up to $459 but still currently cheaper than the EP5 and Match Pro ED. Never want to pay $459 when it was just on sale for $314.98 with free shipping and free returns though. If paying regular price may as well buy from places such as Midway USA or Walmart online where you have close to 3 months to actually try it out with free returns. In fact the Athlon Ares BTR G2 4.5-27x50 still on sale for $565.49 at Walmart online with free shipping and free returns within 90 days is worth giving that one a try totally risk free. Everywhere else sells it for $869.99 and I highly doubt even Black Friday sale price or EV can beat this current sale price.

 

[Sako man]

Athlon Midas Tac 6-24x50 believe it or not got mine on sale for $450-$460 shipped. I don't recommend paying more than $550 for it though since it's still made in China. Run them side by side with the EP5 you will definitely notice the difference with superior Chinese HD glass and noticeably better turrets as well.

If you are fine with SFP or actually prefer it over a FFP and like to dial in your shots, the Athlon Midas BTR G2 4.5-27x50 often goes on sale for $470 or less. It is also a better scope compared to the EP5. This one might even be worth paying $599 regular price for even though it's also Chinese made especially when you compare it side by side to the EP5 and even the $699.99 Chinese Bushnell Match Pro ED.

I would have recommend the Sightmark Presidio 5-30x56 for $314.98 but the sale on Amazon already ended and the price went back up to $459 but still currently cheaper than the EP5 and Match Pro ED. Never want to pay $459 when it was just on sale for $314.98 with free shipping and free returns though. If paying regular price may as well buy from places such as Midway USA or Walmart online where you have close to 3 months to actually try it out with free returns. In fact the Athlon Ares BTR G2 4.5-27x50 still on sale for $565.49 at Walmart online with free shipping and free returns within 90 days is worth giving that one a try totally risk free. Everywhere else sells it for $869.99 and I highly doubt even Black Friday sale price or EV can beat this current sale price.

I have been impressed with the Athlons for sure, however I have not found any of my current top tier ($2-3k) optics to track any better than my EP5, that is saying a lot, so I believe the price to performance ratio is excellent with the Arken. But going back to Athlons, I would agree that those as well have very high price to performance, however I just don't think the turrets are as good or reliable as the Arken.

 

[Zolar]

For the money, it's really hard to beat. Punches up into the $800-1000 range, for the most part.

Bright, clear glass, so if you don't mind the weight...it's a great choice.

 

[Tikkaguy]

I just ordered a ep5 for a precision 10/22 build. I run mostly higher end stuff, pmii, zp5 etc I think for the cash the ep5 is a good rimfire choice. Used to have a sh4 gen ii 4-16. Kinda laughed when I first got it. The thing shouldn’t have been as good as it was optically for the price. I’ve played around with another very briefly comparing it to a bushnell ers 3.5-21x50. It was close optically but I think I would have chose the Arken tbh. I’d say it buys you 1500 in jap glass in the older scopes. I haven’t been behind many newer jap low scopes as of late. Does it come close to the high end German stuff ? No. But I think for the cash for rimfire I think it’s a no brainer. Everyday our dollar is worth less and less with these morons in office. Plus it makes for competition in the market which is always a good thing for us. Forces the big boys to work harder in the r&d and cut the prices.

 

[blksno]

I've run just about every one of my optics on my RimX match rifle. First was my TT 5-25 and last summer I went all the way down to a StrikeEagle. It's worn a Mk5 7-35, Ziess 6-36, a Bushnell 6-36, a Vortex 4.5-27 and 6-36 and currently it's got a 5-30 MatchPro ED.

I just grabbed an Arken 5-25 and it got delivered today...I'll test it out for sure...but at the very least, I'll keep it for a hunting scope. First impressions are pretty good, even if just for the FEEL of the turrets.

 

[FuhQ]

It's the best optic in its category south of $1000, so you could pay more than $500 and not feel like you got ripped off. So I consider $500 bucks a good deal. If you think you can find something better south of $500, then let us all know.

On sale for $569 and better in every single way...

Burris Xtreme Tactical XTR II 5-25x50 Illum SCR Mil Scope 201051

Burris Xtreme Tactical XTR II 5-25x50 SCR Mil Scope 201051 | Only at EuroOptic.com!

www.eurooptic.com

Yes, I've owned every model Arken up until the SH4J came out...I don't have one of those. I've compared them all directly side-by-side with the the XTR-II, and is better in every single way. Glass, parallax, knobs, zero-stop, it all feels more solid and fluid.

 

[Ronws]

On sale for $569 and better in every single way...

Burris Xtreme Tactical XTR II 5-25x50 Illum SCR Mil Scope 201051

Burris Xtreme Tactical XTR II 5-25x50 SCR Mil Scope 201051 | Only at EuroOptic.com!

www.eurooptic.com

Yes, I've owned every model Arken up until the SH4J came out...I don't have one of those. I've compared them all directly side-by-side with the the XTR-II, and is better in every single way. Glass, parallax, knobs, zero-stop, it all feels more solid and fluid.

Especially once you get some vibra tite on them there set screws for the turrets.

 

[FuhQ]

Especially once you get some vibra tite on them there set screws for the turrets.

I have VC-3 sitting on the bench, but I've never used Vibra-Tite on any set screws for the turrets... Haven't had one back-out in years. Just apply liberal finger-tight torque to it, and don't strip it, and you should be good to go. Plus, I always carry a 4mm mini screwdriver set in my range bag, just in case. I keep one in my range bag, and one on my bench at all times. I also carry a full set of Fix-It-Sticks w/ magnetic levels in my range bag. Anyone serious about shooting, I recommend do the same. Being able to instantly fix something on the fly is invaluable.

iFixIt Mako Screwdriver Kit

 

[Ronws]

I have VC-3 sitting on the bench, but I've never used Vibra-Tite on any set screws for the turrets... Haven't had one back-out in years. Just apply liberal finger-tight torque to it, and don't strip it, and you should be good to go. Plus, I always carry a 4mm mini screwdriver set in my range bag, just in case. I keep one in my range bag, and one on my bench at all times. I also carry a full set of Fix-It-Sticks w/ magnetic levels in my range bag. Anyone serious about shooting, I recommend do the same. Being able to instantly fix something on the fly is invaluable.

iFixIt Mako Screwdriver Kit

Yeah, I am not the only one to have that problem. Certainly not the most important. I have seen this with at least one other guy on YouTube and I have also a read few others having the same problem. The old "you didn't torque enough" just isn't going to suffice. In fact, when I explained the problem to Arken tech support, they are the ones who suggested to me to use Vibra Tite. So, they are aware of the problem.

 

[FuhQ]

Yeah, I am not the only one to have that problem. Certainly not the most important. I have seen this with at least one other guy on YouTube and I have also a read few others having the same problem. The old "you didn't torque enough" just isn't going to suffice. In fact, when I explained the problem to Arken tech support, they are the ones who suggested to me to use Vibra Tite. So, they are aware of the problem.

I know it's not isolated, I've been reading people talking about it for a while. Just never experienced it myself.

 

[Bcamos]

On sale for $569 and better in every single way...

Burris Xtreme Tactical XTR II 5-25x50 Illum SCR Mil Scope 201051

Burris Xtreme Tactical XTR II 5-25x50 SCR Mil Scope 201051 | Only at EuroOptic.com!

www.eurooptic.com

Yes, I've owned every model Arken up until the SH4J came out...I don't have one of those. I've compared them all directly side-by-side with the the XTR-II, and is better in every single way. Glass, parallax, knobs, zero-stop, it all feels more solid and fluid.

I have an XTR2 that's currently back at Burris for a few oddities. Unable to really focus it at the eyepiece, once I do get it focused the parallax is incredibly difficult to set. I really really really hope it comes back and blows my mind. It's older, so I'm not surprised that it has some issues, I'm just really glad that Burris is covering it. As it sat before sending it in, the Arken had clearer glass to me.

 

[blksno]

...and better in every single way...

except FOV and ability to parallax below 50 yds
I haven't even been able to compare them yet, but that's just an objective glance at factory specs.
Amazing they came that far down in price though...might be worth snagging one of those too.

 

[FuhQ]

except FOV and ability to parallax below 50 yds
I haven't even been able to compare them yet, but that's just an objective glance at factory specs.
Amazing they came that far down in price though...might be worth snagging one of those too.

No respectable shooter should be shooting things with a 5x scope below 50 yards. Personal opinion. My pistols get zeroed at 50, and all rifles at 100…Even my .22’s.

FOV difference isn’t even really enough to justify China over Philippines, IMO.

 

[blksno]

No respectable shooter should be shooting things with a 5x scope below 50 yards. Personal opinion. My pistols get zeroed at 50, and all rifles at 100…Even my .22’s.

FOV difference isn’t even really enough to justify China over Philippines, IMO.

Just pointing out objective specs.

 

[FuhQ]

Just pointing out objective specs.
View attachment 8247164

So am I…