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Rifle Scopes Arken SH4 Gen2 6-24x50 VPR MIL

Funds are kinda low right now. Bought a bunch of stuff I probably shouldn't have 🤣 at least according to my beautiful Southern Belle. I may have to wait till the little chinamen invade & steal an EP5 off one of their rifles.....
 
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Oh, I see how it is. Fukn shills get the good scopes! I got shit.....wait, I didn't order one yet.....never mind😟
Hey, I'm only batting at .750 right now... We're only 3/4 for 1st round ringers. 😂 But let me tell you, this replacement one seems REALLY nice. You gotta get on it before the price jumps up on March 16... I saw it posted on Arken's IG stories, so it will be going up. And if you don't like it, sell it when the price goes up, so you make money on it. 😂
 
Funds are kinda low right now. Bought a bunch of stuff I probably shouldn't have 🤣 at least according to my beautiful Southern Belle. I may have to wait till the little chinamen invade & steal an EP5 off one of their rifles.....
I totally understand that. I bought a savage precision 308 and a meopta 5-30x56 last week. That was 2500$ and this scope showed up when she was home and she was ready to cut my dick off. Luckily I had the emails to prove it was a warranty claim. Lol
 
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I totally understand that. I bought a savage precision 308 and a meopta 5-30x56 last week. That was 2500$ and this scope showed up when she was home and she was ready to cut my dick off. Luckily I had the emails to prove it was a warranty claim. Lol
🤣😂 I'd still sleep on my stomach for a few more days
 
Sounds like I should just wait a day or 2 till your wife kills you, then I can pick up your EP5 at the yard sale for a discount 🤣
There will be a bunch of stuff for sale cheap!!
Definitely not market value, cause I didn’t tell her what I really paid for some of this shit. Lol
 
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No spring back in the turrets either
I just checked mine, and while the clicks are still REALLY sharp compared to my SH4 scopes, they are smoother than the 1st EP5 I had. And there is noticeably LESS spring-back, no high-pitched spring-back like on my 1st one... My first one was just all jacked up. 😂 But Arken made it right, and went above and beyond for their CS to ship me out a replacement.

We basically swapped scopes today. My new one arrived this morning, the old one finally made it to them this afternoon. 👍🏼
 
I just got an order in for the ep5 5-25x in mil.
Been using and liking my sh4 gen2 4-16, so I figured I can't go wrong.
Had to get in before the price hike.
On my rpr with 20moa base and 20 moa 1 piece arken mount, I have about 25 mil of elevation left, which should exceed the cartridge capabilities of 6.5cm.
 
Anyone know what the prices are increasing to?

...with a potential 12 week delivery date, purchasing now will lock it in. If for any reason you need to cancel before then, I didn't see anything on their website indicating no reimbursement (and doubt they would deny anyway). With the "SAVE$170" code still applicable, it's still the best "bang for the buck" IMHO.
 
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...with a potential 12 week delivery date, purchasing now will lock it in. If for any reason you need to cancel before then, I didn't see anything on their website indicating no reimbursement (and doubt they would deny anyway). With the "SAVE$170" code still applicable, it's still the best "bang for the buck" IMHO.

I'm still a wee bit on the fence about the larger 56mm objective. I got the 2 SH4 6-24×50mm's out again today & still love'em!! Guess I got about 2 weeks to make up my mind. 🤔
 
....I was "somewhat concerned" what the difference would be for the low end 4x -vs-5x settings. but after actually looking at what 4x -vs-5 on my SH4 was like, it's virtually no difference one way or the other. Comparing the weight, lengths and FOV at min/max between the SH4 Gen2 4-16 and the EP5, the majority of my questions have proven to be moot. I'd still like to see them offer a QD mount, hopefully it's part of their future offerings..... or at least a conversion kit for the existing mount. 🙏
 
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....I was "somewhat concerned" what the difference would be for the low end 4x -vs-5x settings. but after actually looking at what 4x -vs-5 on my SH4 was like, it's virtually no difference one way or the other. Comparing the weight, lengths and FOV at min/max between the SH4 Gen2 4-16 and the EP5, the majority of my questions have proven to be moot. I'd still like to see them offer a QD mount, hopefully it's part of their future offerings..... or at least a conversion kit for the existing mount. 🙏
ADM make decent QD’s with a variety of MIL elevation cant, cantilever styles, etc if price is a concern.
 
I just want to see an EP5 with a 50mm objective option. Keep everything the same 5-25x, 10 MIL turrets, etc... Just offer them in both a 50mm and 56mm option. I'm alright with just a 50mm. Some folks still believe that bigger is always better, but personally, I see no real advantage given most people's needs, for a 56mm over a 50mm. The glass inside of the tube is only going to transmit SO MUCH light anyway... So, I wonder how much REAL advantage a 34mm tube has with 56mm over a 50mm. I'd be willing to bet it's negligible...
 
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I just want to see an EP5 with a 50mm objective option. Keep everything the same 5-25x, 10 MIL turrets, etc... Just offer them in both a 50mm and 56mm option. I'm alright with just a 50mm. Some folks still believe that bigger is always better, but personally, I see no real advantage given most people's needs, for a 56mm over a 50mm. The glass inside of the tube is only going to transmit SO MUCH light anyway... So, I wonder how much REAL advantage a 34mm tube has with 56mm over a 50mm. I'd be willing to bet it's negligible...
Whats the weight difference between the SH4's vs. the EP5's?
 
ADM make decent QD’s with a variety of MIL elevation cant, cantilever styles, etc if price is a concern.
....understood. For certain parts I prefer to go with companion parts from the same manufacturer as I believe the design and engineering for fitment & compatibility between parts is potentially of a higher degree if produced by the same manufacturer and not outsourced. It also enhances the guarantee/warranty aspect for both items IF a problem crops up that can be attributed to one or the other. I'm of the thought that a manufacturer will do their best to engineer/design their companion products to perform at the highest level of compliment. If one piece underperforms, it negatively affects the overall system and gives both a bad rep, undeservedly.

Ultimately, I prefer the QD primarily for convenience, not necessity.
 
Whats the weight difference between the SH4's vs. the EP5's?
SH4 6-24x50 - 36.6
EP5 5-25x56 - 39.2 oz

For me, it's not so much about the weight, but the fact that 1.) It gets difficult finding mounts that are compatible to keep it high enough off the barrel, and 2.) Because of the first fact, it also makes it difficult keeping the scope mounted low enough for your line of sight and cheek-weld, on rifles that don't have adjustable stocks, or adjustable combs...

They say it's 3oz heavier, but my .260 is noticeably more "beefy" feeling with the 56mm on there, than the 50mm... With both scopes setup identical, and everything else being the same on the gun. I'm sure the beefy Seekins Precision 34mm rings adds some weight to that, as well, compared to the Arken Halo rings, and I guess once you add that up with the added weight of the larger sunshade, the heavier Arken flip-caps, and the heavier 56mm scope, you probably are looking at a good 3/4-1 lbs. added weight over the 50mm SH4 6-24 scope.
 
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....understood. For certain parts I prefer to go with companion parts from the same manufacturer as I believe the design and engineering for fitment & compatibility between parts is potentially of a higher degree if produced by the same manufacturer and not outsourced. It also enhances the guarantee/warranty aspect for both items IF a problem crops up that can be attributed to one or the other. I'm of the thought that a manufacturer will do their best to engineer/design their companion products to perform at the highest level of compliment. If one piece underperforms, it negatively affects the overall system and gives both a bad rep, undeservedly.

Ultimately, I prefer the QD primarily for convenience, not necessity.
You don't have to worry about ADM, they're awesome, and very high-quality. American made products, by Americans, from American steel/alloys. I run their QD mounts on a few guns, including a QD mount on my little 7.5" 5.56 pistol with a Holosun 507C-X2 reflex on it. VERY solid stuff. Mounts like a rock, doesn't move, holds zero after moving it on and off the weapon. 👍🏼
 
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You don't have to worry about ADM, they're awesome, and very high-quality. American made products, by Americans, from American steel/alloys. I run their QD mounts on a few guns, including a QD mount on my little 7.5" 5.56 pistol with a Holosun 507C-X2 reflex on it. VERY solid stuff. Mounts like a rock, doesn't move, holds zero after moving it on and off the weapon. 👍🏼

....I don't disagree, they are excellent.
 
Well I walked in to renew my range membership and looky what was under the counter.
I’m gonna die!
Had to swipe the card so telling her I won it in a raffle won’t work this time. Lol
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...does anyone have pics of an EP5 (or a SH4 Gen2) using the 0.92" medium HALO rings mounted on an AR?
That’s WAY too low for an AR or anything with a continuous-height rail/handguard on top. It won’t even fit. You will need at least a 1.5” AR mount to clear the EP5, and I recommend it for the SH4, as well.
 
Well… I got out to shoot today, and I’m disappointed in the Arken. It did not earn a spot above the Strike eagle.
Everything works great, the glass is pretty nice, I’d say right there with the SE, but the eye box sucks at max power, if you move your head just slightly everything goes to shit. CA gets bad, things get blurry and caused eye fatigue pretty quickly trying to stay in the eye box. The SE doesn’t have that problem at all it was easy to stay behind, no eye strain and the eye relief was better. I like the Arken, but out of my two samples the strike eagle is a better scope. My meopta blew them all away in every regard with DMR2 coming in second, SE third ep5 fourth, sh4 fifth, but the sh4 was easier to stay behind than the ep5 but the glass wasn’t as nice. I really like the features of ep5 but it needs some work at max power. The turrets can easily be overturned and you can skip a few clicks if your not careful, you have to twist it like a beer cap, where the SE you can turn with two fingers and count the clicks without breaking position. Overall the SE is a better scope in my opinion.
 


I'll throw in my 2¢. I met with Arken at their booth at Shot Show the other month and after getting a hands on with their newest scope models, they agreed to send me a SH4 Gen2 to test out since they were heavily back-ordered on the EP5. So this is take. No, these are not AS GOOD as a $2000 Leupold, Nightforce, Zeiss, or [INSERT HIGH END BRAND HERE]. The glass is about as good as a Vortex Diamondback but the Arken SH4 is certainly almost too good for a FFP scope under $500.

There are still QC issues. The first sample I got had a misaligned reticle. I'm not an optical engineer so I don't know if it was incorrectly etched or the lens was not attached properly but the reticle was not centered in my field of view (slightly to the left of center but only noticeable at 24x). I contacted Arken via their generic [email protected] email and within minutes got a reply and a ship-back mailing label which I printed out. I mailed it back. They shipped me a replacement within a week at no cost to me.
 
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I'll throw in my 2¢. I met with Arken at their booth at Shot Show the other month and after getting a hands on with their newest scope models, they agreed to send me a SH4 Gen2 to test out since they were heavily back-ordered on the EP5. So this is take. No, these are not AS GOOD as a $2000 Leupold, Nightforce, Zeiss, or [INSERT HIGH END BRAND HERE]. The glass is about as good as a Vortex Diamondback but the Arken SH4 is certainly almost too good for a FFP scope under $500.

There are still QC issues. The first sample I got had a misaligned reticle. I'm not an optical engineer so I don't know if it was incorrectly etched or the lens was not attached properly but the reticle was not centered in my field of view (slightly to the left of center but only noticeable at 24x). I contacted Arken via their generic [email protected] email and within minutes got a reply and a ship-back mailing label which I printed out. I mailed it back. They shipped me a replacement within a week at no cost to me.

I haven't looked through any new Vortex Diamondback scopes, but I have a buddy that bought one about 10 years ago, and while it wasn't bad for a $120 scope, it certainly wasn't on-par with anything in the $250-300 range. And I have a DB spotting scope I bought back in like 2012, and it's not that great, either... Definitely leaves a lot to be desired. Should have just ponied-up and got the Viper HD spotter back then. Maybe I can send it back and get them to let me upgrade to something since the glass has always been terrible, and I couldn't even hardly get it to focus and read letters on a black target at 100 yards...Yeah, it's that bad. But compared to the junk I was using before that, it was a damn Zeiss! 😂 I'd say the SH4 is about on-par with my Strike Eagle 5-25x56 EBR-7C... But that's just through my eyes... 🤷🏼
 
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If the weather holds-out, I'll be going and zero'ing the replacement EP5 this weekend. Not sure what day yet. Probably Sunday...

Supposed to be a Freeze Warning in effect tonight, and only supposed to have a high of 41º tomorrow with big wind gusts and cloudy. So, yeah...Tomorrow is looking like it's gonna suck, might end up staying inside all day if it's going to be that nasty. 😕

Sunday looks WAY better, clear & sunny with a high of 56º and low winds around 4 MPH. I think that's gonna be the day. 👍🏼
 
The Arken is growing on me. If you can get past the tight eye box, it’s got some decent glass. I bought this savage axis ll precision .308 specifically for the Arken because I didn’t have anything to mount it to. It’s a complete budget setup that I’m going to use in some comps this summer. I’d say both are working well together. I posted two pics of the 5 shot 100 yard group so you clowns wouldn’t blame me for using the dime to cover the flier. 178 eld 47 grains of Rl 17. 😂😂
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I told myself I was gonna stay out of these threads, but I genuinely believe my input is helpful and relevant (which is the opposite of what my wife says, lol). I'm not here to promote anything, fight, argue or bicker, really just trying to help give some insight. I apologize to anyone I was rude to in prior discussions. I've become very well aware that optics discussions can get very serious. I'm only an amateur to most people here, so take anything I say with a grain of salt. But, I'm also not an idiot or poor either.

I now own 3 Arkens total, 2 of those being very recent purchases. One went on my Tippmann 22 rifle and the other replaced my XRSII on my Howa 308. Not because the Arken scope was as good or better than the XRSII, but because I hated the H59 reticle and really like the Arken reticle. It's good enough for what I want to do, which is mainly shooting for groups at 300 yards. I liked the features and the price point.

That being said, my first scope is unfortunately going back for warranty. I've been chasing my tail for awhile with my 457 trying to figure out issues with group size increase on known good match ammo, strange flyers and issues with groups opening up after scope adjustments, where it needs 5-10 shots to "settle in". Along with the parallax needing to be at 150 for a 75 yard focus, I decided to contact Arken yesterday using their form. I explained my concerns and followed up today with an email to confirm they received the form. I later received a very polite & personal email with a pre-paid return shipping label to send the scope back to them.

My 2 new scopes seem to be fine so far and the parallax is accurate. All 3 scopes had the diopter adjusted correctly. The weird thing is that all 3 scopes have correct adjustment at 300 yards, but that first scope needs the 150 at 75 for some reason. I noticed the anodizing is a darker shade on the first scope, the serial number is lower and has a different logo style than the 2 new ones. So maybe it's just an early production issue? I swear the newer scopes have a better feeling detent on the turrets when dialing as well, might just be me. I did notice the one new scope has a tight spot in the windage, but seems to have loosened up a bit with play and is not unusable or a concern at this time.

I also did a tracking test today using a rig I made clamped to my heavy dinner table (don't tell my wife...). I didn't have a leveled/sized target placed at 100 yards or anything, but I did have an aiming point at 75 yards to use for reference. I got the idea from this thread: https://www.snipershide.com/shooting/threads/simple-tracking-test-thoughts.7085642/

What I found was the first scope (XXXX4184) needed 12.2 mil of adjustment to get 12 mil on the reticle, so 98.3% of actual. The 2 newer scopes (XXXX6756 & 6758) needed 12.1 mil to get 12 mil on the reticle, so 99.1% of actual. I also checked windage and all 3 seem to need an extra 0.05 mil at 6 mil (which you can't do because each click is 0.1 mil). So 99.1% of actual. According to a tracking test I read about on here, 98% is considered good still.

I also did the nipple twister thing to the scopes along with the above testing and each scope returned to zero every time. I should probably do a live fire tracking test at the range. This is not something I've done before, still new to some of this stuff, past experience I just sighted in a scope at whatever distance I shot at and called it good. I've only recently cared about shooting past 100 yards and worried about dialing elevation, etc. Learn something new every range trip.

View attachment 7720653
I bought the 4-16 and 6-24 with the old logo on the turrets. After watching a couple of You Tube videos on waterproof testing with these scopes, I saw the ones with the old logo failed after being submerged in water. Mine failed too. Arken apparently admitted to a manufacturing flaw with the early scopes that compromised the waterproof ability. I had both scopes replaced with 2 new ones with the new logo, and by all accounts seem to be fine. The waterproof issue rectified.
Just a heads up…..
 
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Recently I was in a position to put 2 x S&B PM2 scopes on my Remington 700 police in 308 and Remington 700 police LTR in 223. $10,000 in Australia for both. Then I had to factor in how much shooting I was actually doing and what were the features I liked. I have both the Arken SH4 Gen2 scopes. I put the 6-24 on the 308 and the 4-16 on the 223. I love them. The turrets feel amazing, tracking tests have proved to be great and while the glass is not perfect, it’s great for me. I can still make detail out on subject matter 12km away on full power. I am more than happy with these scopes for what I need, and saved $8000 in the process. You Tube torture tests have shown they’re pretty tough too! I bought the Arken rings, caps, throw levers and levels and it’s all good quality. And I don’t feel I need a S&B anymore, I’m still shooting 0.5 moa with the SH4 Gen2 scopes. The EP5 looks nice but for marginally better glass and the same functionality - I’ll keep my Gen2 scopes. Cheers.
(Did I mention how good the turrets are??)
 
The Arken is growing on me. If you can get past the tight eye box, it’s got some decent glass. I bought this savage axis ll precision .308 specifically for the Arken because I didn’t have anything to mount it to. It’s a complete budget setup that I’m going to use in some comps this summer. I’d say both are working well together. I posted two pics of the 5 shot 100 yard group so you clowns wouldn’t blame me for using the dime to cover the flier. 178 eld 47 grains of Rl 17. 😂😂View attachment 7825630View attachment 7825631View attachment 7825632

This is how you point out the flyer:
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Friggin life got in the way...Range closes in 50 minutes...And I don't even have time to get my shit together to drive up there. 🤦🏼🤦🏼🤦🏼
 
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Friggin life got in the way...Range closes in 50 minutes...And I don't even have time to get my shit tougher to drive up there. 🤦🏼🤦🏼🤦🏼
Dude, get your SHIT together, PRIORITIES!!!

When it comes to hunting or shooting, especially where new gear is concerned, family, health, surgery, weddings, funerals, $$$$, food, kids, dental emergencies, running from the law, running from your girlfriend's irate pissed off armed husband whom came home unexpectedly early & car/house repairs play 2nd fiddle.......just sayin
 
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Dude, get your SHIT together, PRIORITIES!!!

When it comes to hunting or shooting, especially where new gear is concerned, family, health, surgery, weddings, funerals, $$$$, food, kids, dental emergencies, running from the law, running from your girlfriend's irate pissed off armed husband whom came home unexpectedly early & car/house repairs play 2nd fiddle.......just sayin

Did you leave alcohol consumption on purpose?
😂
 
Dude, get your SHIT together, PRIORITIES!!!

When it comes to hunting or shooting, especially where new gear is concerned, family, health, surgery, weddings, funerals, $$$$, food, kids, dental emergencies, running from the law, running from your girlfriend's irate pissed off armed husband whom came home unexpectedly early & car/house repairs play 2nd fiddle.......just sayin
Probably had one of those strippers spend the night.
 
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