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Rifle Scopes FFP 3-15ish for $1600ish?

Jjensen

Jjensen

Best mediocre shooter you'll never meet.
Full Member
Minuteman
Feb 17, 2017
27
4
MN
Hey all,

Looking for a scope to put on my new TC Icon 6 creed build. I’m looking for something that falls within the following parameters.

FFP Mil/Mil
3-15ish power range
Clean reticle
Good glass
Zero stop
Sub 30oz
Locking turrets or capped Windage preferred.

Currently my list includes:
Mark 5hd 3.6-18
Steiner T5XI 3-15
March F 3-24
Bushnell LRTSi 4.5-18

Anything I’m missing? No Athlon, Toric, Etc.
 
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I’ve got a Premier LT I’d part with. Just got back from Armament for a cleaning and have the illumination checked out so it’s covered by their warranty.
 
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Jackomason said:
USO B17, although I'm still not sure what people think of these scopes in comparison to others in their price range.
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I find them to be very long, I’m hoping for something a little more compact since it is a hunting rifle.
 
Jjensen said:
Doug, do you know if they have fixed some of the tracking issues that these scopes were having when they first came out?
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The P4Xi scopes never had any tracking issues that I am aware of. Some of the very early release 3-15 had some grey reticle issues and the early 5-25 were known to have some parallax and focus issues, but as far as I know, the P4Xi did not have issues. The Steiner scopes are solid choices these days.
 
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lash said:
The P4Xi scopes never had any tracking issues that I am aware of. Some of the very early release 3-15 had some grey reticle issues and the early 5-25 were known to have some parallax and focus issues, but as far as I know, the P4Xi did not have issues. The Steiner scopes are solid choices these days.
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I believe the P4Xi was pulled for some reason, though I don't recall if it was a tracking or a parallax issue.
 
Basher said:
I believe the P4Xi was pulled for some reason, though I don't recall if it was a tracking or a parallax issue.
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It may have been parallax. I don’t quite remember but i was looking at them a couple months ago and found a thread on it.
 
I'm looking for the same scope with about that budget. I think I'm going with the mark 5 with non illumination tmr.

I kind of want the illum for hunting but my choices that include it would have been a amg or nightforce 4-16 atcr and that blows the budget.
 
Sig Tango 6 3-18

It's heavier than 30 oz though.

I'm curious what Steiner/Burris have coming with the sales they've been running lately. The PX4i 4-16 deal is very tempting.
 
Mark 5. I have 3 in different platforms and love them for the $$$. Glass is fine, features are great, elevation turret is great, weight is low. Hard to beat for $1500ish depending on where you buy and what reticle you get. Only downfall for guys that have 34mm rings is having to go to 35mm for the Mark 5.
 
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Nik Blomquist said:
Mark 5. I have 3 in different platforms and love them for the $$$. Glass is fine, features are great, elevation turret is great, weight is low. Hard to beat for $1500ish depending on where you buy and what reticle you get. Only downfall for guys that have 34mm rings is having to go to 35mm for the Mark 5.
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What reticle did you go with and how do you like it?
 
None of the above. If you want something that isn’t a gamble or a piece of shit pick up a used NXS F1 3-15.

I’m not sure the exact weight but for that performance who gives a shit.
 
hypno02 said:
None of the above. If you want something that isn’t a gamble or a piece of shit pick up a used NXS F1 3-15.

I’m not sure the exact weight but for that performance who gives a shit.
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The Nightforce SHV 4-16 F1 is a solid option not to overlook. The glass is the same as the NXS if my internet lore is remembered correctly.
 
Just mounted a MK 5 CCH 3.6-18 to a Fix, zeroed it yesterday. Got it out to 500 before it was time to go. Surprise birthday party. Truly an impressive optic. Clarity, sharpness, turrets, all aspects of the optic where better than I expected. Shot with a good friend that has countless years behind all kinds of glass, he was really surprised with the performance of the MK 5! This won't be my last MK 5!
 
Another vote for the Nightforce SHV. It’s a quality offering and under your budget. You can sell it when you get a little extra coin and upgrade to an ATACR. I hate to sound like a fanboy but never being let down is worth a few ounces.
 
JLP83 said:
Another vote for the Nightforce SHV. It’s a quality offering and under your budget. You can sell it when you get a little extra coin and upgrade to an ATACR. I hate to sound like a fanboy but never being let down is worth a few ounces.
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How's the glass compared to vortex pst 2 or a sig tango 4 6-24 if you've looked through any of these?

I've never looked through a shv. I have used a nxs and atacr.
 
Honestly out of that bunch i would chose the MK5. I have looked through a handful of x18 and x25 and they are great for the price. I am not crazy about the reticles. The glass is sufficient for the price, the turrets are good, and the eyebox is nice.

I really liked the T5Xi but it has had too many issues for me to recommend anymore. The first had a grey reticle, original tracing issues, and finally succumb to a parallax failure. The second was new from Steiner, which I sold.

If weight wasn’t a considerable factor I would really look at the Vortex gen 2 Razor 3-18.
 
bgavin said:
How's the glass compared to vortex pst 2 or a sig tango 4 6-24 if you've looked through any of these?

I've never looked through a shv. I have used a nxs and atacr.
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I can’t compare it to either of those. The SHV glass is on par with an NXS but they cut costs on the eyepiece adjustment and the turrets aren’t as crisp. Still track perfectly in my experience.
 
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JLP83 said:
I can’t compare it to either of those. The SHV glass is on par with an NXS but they cut costs on the eyepiece adjustment and the turrets aren’t as crisp. Still track perfectly in my experience.
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Thanks
 
I really don’t care for the SHV. Hence why it didn’t make the list. I’m leaning towards the MK5 or a Steiner of some sort, I’d love to find a M5xi MSR for a decent price but those are few and far between.
 
Oops, yes 4-14 on the SHV F1. If you range of the reticle, the MIL-R is fabulous in my opinion.

When you settle in on something, drop the fine folks at Liberty Optics a line. They do it right for us here, and you may be surprised at some of the numbers they throw at you.
 
Nik Blomquist said:
Mark 5. I have 3 in different platforms and love them for the $$$. Glass is fine, features are great, elevation turret is great, weight is low. Hard to beat for $1500ish depending on where you buy and what reticle you get. Only downfall for guys that have 34mm rings is having to go to 35mm for the Mark 5.
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What height rings did you go with?

I would be mounting on a tikka ctr with 20 moa base.
 
Have you considered the Eotech Vudu 3.5-18? A little heavier than 30oz (33.6) and no capped windage but checks all the other boxes. Another member here recently compared it to his Mark 5 and found the glass on the Vudu to be better.
 
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BCP said:
There's a guy with a mark 6 3-18 for 1400 in the classifieds

I'm in a similar situation and will likely get the nightforce shv or nxs if I can find a deal on a used one
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I saw that, a little hesitant to pull the trigger on a Mark 6 with some of the previous issues. But the FOV looks awesome on 3x
 
Used Nightforce ATACR 4-16x42 ticks all boxes except it's 2 oz over weight. Very clean reticle options in either Mil R or Mil C. Has locking zerostop and capped windage. Used for around $1750-1850 very common, especially with the bigger 50mm objective just released.

I have one and it's been exceptional for it's purpose. Also have Burris 3-15 and it's very good for the money (800ish new and less used). Glass is good but not great, rest of the features (perfect tracking over 5000+rounds, great reticle IMHO, solid zero stop and solid construction) make up for glass to an extent.

Sig Tango 6 4-24 has been good but I'm not a huge fan of the locking (pull type) elevation and softish click detents. Standard reticle is nice with dot center but locked elevation cap is slower to operate in field and competition.

The Leupold Mark 5HD I looked through was nice but haven't gotten to put rounds through one.

Let us know what you end up getting! Cheers!

SubWRX300
 
I'd go with a MK5 but reticle wise like the Mil-C a lot for that purpose and if you can find an ATACR be it the F1 4-16x42 or 4-16x50 variant under $2000 i'd get it. Granted NF's pricing doesn't really fluctuate so that might be easier said than done.
 
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I would pass on the CCH reticle in the mark 5 for a hunting rig. I bought 3 of them and sold two after using one on a elk hunt. The reticle is way way to thin without illumination for any low light hunting early am and later PM. You need to be at 10x at least to use the thing. If I was buying a MK5 again for hunting, it would only be in the illuminated TMR. I have also owned the ATACR 4-16 with Milr and I like that much better then the mk5 for a hunting rig. Reticle is much more usable and illumination is good too. Also, for the money the LRHSi is hard to beat and I recommend it. The March 3-24 is a great LW optic. I sold mine in short time as for the price I preferred the Minox ZP5 3-15 over it. You can get one for 2k new from Minox, Blaser-USA right now. I think that is a better overall optic then any on the list. I have the M5xi with MSR also and it is a great optic... But, I still recommend the Minox.

You really have a great list of optics and all will work. Just do not get the CCH reticle in the MK5 if you are hunting with it. That's a big mistake I made that I will tell others to NOT do! Cost me a ton of money.
 
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I ended up grabbing a MK6 for a great price. Pretty happy with it so far.
 
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Nightforce NXS 3.5-15 FF1
New or used might be closer to your price point.
Awesome glass, have on multiple .308 rifles.
 
Nik Blomquist said:
Mark 5. I have 3 in different platforms and love them for the $$$. Glass is fine, features are great, elevation turret is great, weight is low. Hard to beat for $1500ish depending on where you buy and what reticle you get. Only downfall for guys that have 34mm rings is having to go to 35mm for the Mark 5.
Click to expand...
this+
 
I'm a Bushnell fan, and I'm actually planning to put the LRTSi on my rimfire trainer. That said, have you also considered the DMR2? You can get a little more magnification and still be under budget. Edit: Whoops, missed the weight requirement. Disregard the DMR2.
 
Read people..... Read..... Picked up a MK6
 
How about your choice of:
Sig Tango 6 3-18x44 for $1,199.99
or
Sig Tango 6 4-24x50 for $1,399.99

Give a call and we can get one on the way to you
Doug
516-217-1000
 
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