I got my new SH4 Gen II in tonight. Very impressed so far with the turrets and over all. I will know more in the daylight. Turrets feels very good, nothing mushy. I hope the glass will be close to my Strike Eagle. Looking forward to it in the daylight.
Rifle Scopes Arken SH4 Gen2 6-24x50 VPR MIL
- Thread starter FuhQ
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You will enjoy the SH4, they're good scopes. From my experience, you should find it to be VERY close with the Strike Eagle. I have found that my EP5 glass is slightly better than my Strike Eagle.
I got to look through my new scope today on a very bright day. It is not mounted on a rifle as of yet. I am impressed with it so far. All of the knobs turn without much resistance, not a single problem in that respect. Elevation and windage turrets are solid and have good audible clicks. Parallax adjustment is not exact to the printed yardages, but that is not a major issue for me. Illumination in the shadows is useless. I turned the scope to the darker foliage at approx. 95 yards and when turned on to 6 on the illumination scale, it could not be seen at all. I will try a new battery to just check on that. That so far would be my only complaint of it. I can not see a very big difference in it with my SE Vortex. For the money, the Arken is the winner so far in my book. That is from a working class guy that can have more than one scope at the sale prices. If the illumination was stronger, I would be putting a 4-16 on my hunting AR.
From my understanding in the Arken optics, the only way to purchase them are directly from Arken. If that is the case in fact, it makes so much sense and it saves money to the purchaser. When the middleman is cut out of the overall cost, it saves a great deal to the purchaser. I know of another optics company that has that same model and it works very well.
From my understanding in the Arken optics, the only way to purchase them are directly from Arken. If that is the case in fact, it makes so much sense and it saves money to the purchaser. When the middleman is cut out of the overall cost, it saves a great deal to the purchaser. I know of another optics company that has that same model and it works very well.
My SH4 G2 illumination is weak also. Not sure if that’s just the way they are or not. The EP5 is leaps ahead on my two.
Illumination on my 2sh 4S works perfectly for what it was designed for, low light or night.
It’s just how they are. The EP5 has better illumination, but it’s still not as bright as Vortex, or other brands. If I could give 1 major gripe to the Arkens, it would be to fix the illumination, and make it significantly brighter.
So far, I can't complain about a scope that is in this price range. Very good so far.
I did get to look through it this evening. Just can't complain on anything. Illumination works fine in the late hours. Was able to see distance targets fine.
Mine came in yesterday. Cant believe I got this many features for $370 mount included
SH 4 #3 showed up Friday (a day early
). Mounted & sighted in today, works well. Parallax is just slightly off the dial numbers, but no biggy.
). Mounted & sighted in today, works well. Parallax is just slightly off the dial numbers, but no biggy. Last edited:
Apparently the 30% off sale is still going on... If it's still going on this weekend, I might snag another SH4 6-24 VPR MIL...
It is truly hard to believe the features and the quality that the SH4 boasts and at a price point of much lesser scopes. Arken Optics offers a lifetime warranty on all their products and has responsive customer service. You can not ask for more in a scope!
Not just a lifetime warranty, but also a Precision Tracking Guarantee, AND since you buy direct, they even offer full-rufunds if you're not happy with your purchase. I don't know any other optics company that offers a refund option.
Well, since none of us in here work for Arken, you'd probably be better off discussing that with them. We can't help you in here.
But it sounds like you'd probably be better off getting some other brand optic more suited to your needs...
Got mine mounted up. Out to 200 yds, I can’t tell the difference between it and the ep-5. Both look real good/clear. I do see the colors you’all have reported but when focused at distance, looks real good.
There is some slight CA with the Arkens, but honestly, for the price, it's very livable, IMO. Some might be too picky, but the only real gripe I have about them is the illumination not being bright enough to use during daylight hours, BUT it was designed to be used at night, and with NV clip-ons, so it wasn't designed to be used during the daylight, so I suppose it functions exactly how it was designed to. I can't afford a NV or thermal clip-on, so that doesn't get to be tested by me yet... Someday I will have one.
Earlier today I dropped the rig that this scope is a part of ..
dropped from hip height / landed hard on left side on a door jam..
Ouch
Not sure of this rigs weight but its in a Bravo w/ harris s-brm w/ 12oz. lead added, tenacity action & pva barrel nut mtu @ 26"
Took it to verify and had to correct w/ a left adjustment of .2mil. / I just shot it this morning & it was ON!!
Took it to 290, 500, 609, 790, 900 & 1004 All checks out ok!
It was a Mighty hard and solid hit on a solid surface.. knocked the clamp on arken level about 10 degreees out.. was able to reset that easy enough
Looks like the parallax/illum turret & level frame took the brunt of the hit..
Went and shot the EP5 again today...No work on the job site today. Still holding up strong after hundreds of rounds on the 5R .260. No issues, glass is still great, tracking is still perfect. Just felt like posting a random update.
Finally received the EP5 5-25X56 MIL I ordered back in April. I spend most of my days on calls for work and work from home. Played around with the scope for over an hour and a half this morning during a call and this is more than a worthwhile scope. ED class is nice and clear. Experienced no issues with parallax or other. I have a large 70-acre parcel outside my office window and cows and a few barns assisted in rough viewing at various distances. I had planned to run it in a 34mm American Rifle Company M-Brace Scope Mount but that is a nonstarter with the little doohickey sticking out of the bottom of the EP5. After some rough American Rifle "Penny Estimates" decided to go with Medium M-Brace Scope Rings. I'll report back once I have had a chance to mount and shoot it.
Interested to hear your thoughts once mounted.
Another Bluetooth call and I stood out in our yard working the bolt and the scope at various distances. If you have spent time behind scopes you know what you like, you don't like ...what works and what makes its use good, bad, or workable. I am not finding anything I outright dislike about the EP5. You lose clarity at 25 power but it's usable. For those interested, American Rifle 34MM Medium rings work fine and gave me more than enough clearance on a 20MOA rail. (Bighorn TL3)
The full reticle can be clearly used at slightly over 12 power (13-14?) and for those of us old folks who used 10x professionally, you'll feel at home. I could see leaving it there for most use. At that power setting, I could clearly see targets and definitions at 450 yards. I'll run rounds through Sat seeing I have to RSO at our local range and will provide feedback after.
The full reticle can be clearly used at slightly over 12 power (13-14?) and for those of us old folks who used 10x professionally, you'll feel at home. I could see leaving it there for most use. At that power setting, I could clearly see targets and definitions at 450 yards. I'll run rounds through Sat seeing I have to RSO at our local range and will provide feedback after.
Reporting back in the simplest terms, buy with confidence if you are looking at an EP5.
I am of the opinion the scope hits well above its weight class and is a rock solid performer. While some will complain about the illumination, it has never been a requirement of mine. Ever. It will more than suffice in low light conditions. I SMH when people expect daylight bright illumination on a scope for long distance. Red dots are the only place I expect daylight bright abilities.
I was easily hitting 6 inch steel at 400 with a 6.5CR and didn’t have the time to play with further distances. Clarity is more than acceptable. I can see why people like it. Turrets are positive and smooth. Should I locate a detracting, I’ll share it as soon as I can locate one.
I am of the opinion the scope hits well above its weight class and is a rock solid performer. While some will complain about the illumination, it has never been a requirement of mine. Ever. It will more than suffice in low light conditions. I SMH when people expect daylight bright illumination on a scope for long distance. Red dots are the only place I expect daylight bright abilities.
I was easily hitting 6 inch steel at 400 with a 6.5CR and didn’t have the time to play with further distances. Clarity is more than acceptable. I can see why people like it. Turrets are positive and smooth. Should I locate a detracting, I’ll share it as soon as I can locate one.
Any updates from anyone?
I've been down with "the rona" for the last 12 days, so I haven't been to the range the last 2 weekends, forcing myself to quarantine. My boss insisted on going to lunch 2 weeks ago, and sitting in the restaurant discussing the current work project in close proximity for several hours, and he had caught it from being around his son and didn't know it, and passed it along to me.
I'm much better now, and I'll probably hit up the range next weekend for sure. Been debating on going tomorrow, since I'm well beyond the contagious point, and not really exhibiting anymore symptoms, other than some stubborn sinus congestion that seems to persist. Should dissipate over time.
I've been down with "the rona" for the last 12 days, so I haven't been to the range the last 2 weekends, forcing myself to quarantine. My boss insisted on going to lunch 2 weeks ago, and sitting in the restaurant discussing the current work project in close proximity for several hours, and he had caught it from being around his son and didn't know it, and passed it along to me.
I'm much better now, and I'll probably hit up the range next weekend for sure. Been debating on going tomorrow, since I'm well beyond the contagious point, and not really exhibiting anymore symptoms, other than some stubborn sinus congestion that seems to persist. Should dissipate over time.
Here's an update.
I have one of the 4-16 that had been riding on top of a 6-BR for a few months.
It's never failed to do exactly what it's supposed to do.
I decided since my wife and a couple of friends have been shooting their 22s at 400yd plates, that I'd have to jump into the game.
Pulled the optic off of the BR and torqued it down on the DIP rail on my Annie.
I was carrying it out to the garage and holding my coffee cup in one hand and had grasped the rifle by the base plate of the bipod with the other.
The rifle has the little hand stop rail on the bottom. I've been using one of the inserts that is a bipod stud.
This one doesn't have a set screw like the one on my B&C stock.
Does anyone see where this is going?
Yep, you guessed it. The stud slid out of the rail because I had only finger tightened the bipod.
My hand was chest high as it started the slip. Of course I tried to raise my arm to stop it. It didn't work.
The rifle landed on the concrete, right on the parallax knob...
Fuck, fuck, fuck!!!
A 4+ foot drop on concrete.
The barrel and the stock took a hit also.
Anyway, I pulled it off and attached it to my scope checker.
By all accounts, other than a severely scratched battery cap, it didn't suffer any damage.
Took it to the range the next day and it's perfectly fine.
Crazy shit.
I have one of the 4-16 that had been riding on top of a 6-BR for a few months.
It's never failed to do exactly what it's supposed to do.
I decided since my wife and a couple of friends have been shooting their 22s at 400yd plates, that I'd have to jump into the game.
Pulled the optic off of the BR and torqued it down on the DIP rail on my Annie.
I was carrying it out to the garage and holding my coffee cup in one hand and had grasped the rifle by the base plate of the bipod with the other.
The rifle has the little hand stop rail on the bottom. I've been using one of the inserts that is a bipod stud.
This one doesn't have a set screw like the one on my B&C stock.
Does anyone see where this is going?
Yep, you guessed it. The stud slid out of the rail because I had only finger tightened the bipod.
My hand was chest high as it started the slip. Of course I tried to raise my arm to stop it. It didn't work.
The rifle landed on the concrete, right on the parallax knob...
Fuck, fuck, fuck!!!
A 4+ foot drop on concrete.
The barrel and the stock took a hit also.
Anyway, I pulled it off and attached it to my scope checker.
By all accounts, other than a severely scratched battery cap, it didn't suffer any damage.
Took it to the range the next day and it's perfectly fine.
Crazy shit.
If you can find one get the 4-16 EP4. Glass is better. If you move into 5-25 then definitely EP5.
EP5 is similar to my DMR3. The 6-24 SH4 not as well.
Well, I guess that lays some credibility to the torture tests we saw on YouTube from several different gun channels. That’s good to know.Here's an update.
I have one of the 4-16 that had been riding on top of a 6-BR for a few months.
It's never failed to do exactly what it's supposed to do.
I decided since my wife and a couple of friends have been shooting their 22s at 400yd plates, that I'd have to jump into the game.
Pulled the optic off of the BR and torqued it down on the DIP rail on my Annie.
I was carrying it out to the garage and holding my coffee cup in one hand and had grasped the rifle by the base plate of the bipod with the other.
The rifle has the little hand stop rail on the bottom. I've been using one of the inserts that is a bipod stud.
This one doesn't have a set screw like the one on my B&C stock.
Does anyone see where this is going?
Yep, you guessed it. The stud slid out of the rail because I had only finger tightened the bipod.
My hand was chest high as it started the slip. Of course I tried to raise my arm to stop it. It didn't work.
The rifle landed on the concrete, right on the parallax knob...
Fuck, fuck, fuck!!!
A 4+ foot drop on concrete.
The barrel and the stock took a hit also.
Anyway, I pulled it off and attached it to my scope checker.
By all accounts, other than a severely scratched battery cap, it didn't suffer any damage.
Took it to the range the next day and it's perfectly fine.
Crazy shit.
Hey guys new here and new to long range shooting. Putting together a somewhat long range build I guess. Was looking at the Arken Scopes and wondered if the EP4 6x24-50 would be a good scope for a Remington 700 SPS tactical AAC with 20 inch barrel would be a good choice for me. I've also considered the newer EP5. Also can I mount a 20 moa rail and be able to dial down to 100 yards as I'm in KY and places I will be shooting will be 100 to 300 yards but I wanted to have the capability to go further also bc I do want to shoot further when I get some practice in at shorter ranges. Hopefully people new to the game are welcome. Have a great day.
A 20 moa rail will not cause any issues.
In fact, I've had my 6-24 on a 45 moa rail and I was able to zero at 100.
I think the 20 moa has become the standard, since it allows easy 100yd zero and will get pretty much any centerfire out well past 1k.
In fact, I've had my 6-24 on a 45 moa rail and I was able to zero at 100.
I think the 20 moa has become the standard, since it allows easy 100yd zero and will get pretty much any centerfire out well past 1k.
If it were me I'd go with the EP5, it has better glass and it has 10 mils per revolution verses 8. I have both and prefer the EP5.
Thank you sir. Any budget rail and rings you would recommend?
Remington 700 Short Action Improved Scope Rail (ISR-SA)
At Area 419 we decided that there were no scope bases on the market that really met our requirements for quality, so we made our own. Its all in the little details that set this base apart from the competition. These are machined in house on our 4-axis HAAS VMC from 7075 Aluminum. Straight...
www.area419.com Probably the best deal on a lugged rail with full slots.
EGW HD 20MOA rail, and if you don’t mind spending a bit more, the Seekins Precision 34mm Low 0.92” rings will work great. I run this same combo on almost every bolt-action I have.
The Arken rings are not bad for the money, I have several sets. But the Seekins rings are definitely tougher, thicker, and more rugged.
The Arken rings are not bad for the money, I have several sets. But the Seekins rings are definitely tougher, thicker, and more rugged.
Mud,
The reason I recommend the EGW/Arken rings pairing is because he asked for budget items.
Based on his question, both the aluminum EGW and the Arken rings fit the bill and won't cause issues providing they are installed according to the directions.
Better is still better, but budget has to be factored in.
The steel EGW rail mentioned by @danr is also nice, but not necessary for a budget install.
If the budget allows, hell yeah, I say go for it.
Ok wrote the EGW down but will think about the rings. I've considered Tally rings. The precision are definitely expensive but man do they look well made. I'm wanting to rush and get it done but funds are an issue I suppose I should take my time and do it right. Thank you sir for the help. I really appreciate it. Actually thank all you for your inputs (;
The HD versions of the EGW rails are 7075 aluminum. The standard ($39.99) models are steel.
Steel stock is cheaper than aluminum stock.And yes, I understand the budget factor, which is why I said if he could afford them, I would recommend them.
Since you are building a LR rig, I would avoid the Talley rings, and look for something stronger and more tactically-geared. Like the Seekins or the Arken rings.
The HD versions of the EGW rails are 7075 aluminum. The standard ($39.99) models are steel.
And yes, I understand the budget factor, which is why I said if he could afford them, I would recommend them.
Gotcha.
And thanks for the clarification on the material. I had them bass-ackwards.
SH 4 #3 showed up Friday (a day early
View attachment 7875112View attachment 7875113
Chuck Norris wouldn’t have mounted the scope so far back.
yeah, them rings didn't work. Had to go with the 1 piece mount to get the scope forward enough. This is it's current configuration
New video... I know it's been a while, but had a death in the family, and I've been having to deal with all the legal, business, and estate stuff (still dealing with it, and will be for a while)... But here's the EP5 on my R700 5R .260 Rem comparing my Nomad-LT with my OCL Hydrogen cans.
Thanks man. It’s been rough so far, but hopefully everything will pan-out.
I am getting mixed input and this seems like a good place to ask this. lol
I am mounting an EP5 on a SIG Cross in .308 with a 16" bbl. What height rings would ya'll recommend? ETA the Cross has a built in 20 MOA rail.
I am also mounting an SH4 GEN2 4-16x50 on a Aero Precision M5 16" bbl (AR10 .308) build. I also want to put a 45 degree RMR mount on it. What height would you recommend for that? Or would you just use the one piece?
I am mounting an EP5 on a SIG Cross in .308 with a 16" bbl. What height rings would ya'll recommend? ETA the Cross has a built in 20 MOA rail.
I am also mounting an SH4 GEN2 4-16x50 on a Aero Precision M5 16" bbl (AR10 .308) build. I also want to put a 45 degree RMR mount on it. What height would you recommend for that? Or would you just use the one piece?
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