This isn't intended to be a review, just a little teaser and a few pics and comments to satisfy those who are waiting for theirs.
First off, Ian and the crew at Kelbly's are great. I had a very good experience dealing with them and wanted to make sure that gets mentioned.
I wish I had a good camera, but all I had was my phone. I took as many pictures as I could and sorted out the decent ones. I attempted to take reticle pictures but they would give you all headaches if I posted them. Sorry.
I shouldn't have been surprised at the size and weight, but I was. It's the size of a Leupy MK4 10X, and about the same weight. The similarities end there though.
The low-profile knobs have 10 mils per turn, with a total travel of 27 mils in this particular scope. There are markings under the knobs that you can use to count revolutions, but it also has a very simple zero stop. You can set it with a coin, just screw it down until it stops and you're set. Knobs are marked every mil, 0 through 9. Turning the knob feels almost exactly like my S&B single turn knob. Clicks are tactile, positive and audible, but not loud or unusually stiff.
The reticle is just like the IOR MP-8 dot, but I like the changes they've made. Increasingly thicker lines as you zoom out makes it easy for the eye to automatically center the reticle, even though the center is very fine. The even numbered mils are marked, should be easy to keep track of.
If there are any optical shortcomings, they are beyond my ability to discern. I was comparing this to an S&B and an IOR, with all of them at 10X, and the only difference I could see was in the tone. The March is a little colder, I guess you could say. The resolution was amazing, and continued to be amazing all the way up to 24X. Everything is sharp and well-defined.
The bummer is I have to work all weekend, so I don't get to play with it for a bit. I have a rifle on the way, should be getting it all set up around the middle of next week. I intend to run the crap out of this scope, hopefully shooting matches, so I will report back on the reliability. I know there are a lot of questions about that.
Anyhow, those are my first impressions.
Jason
First off, Ian and the crew at Kelbly's are great. I had a very good experience dealing with them and wanted to make sure that gets mentioned.
I wish I had a good camera, but all I had was my phone. I took as many pictures as I could and sorted out the decent ones. I attempted to take reticle pictures but they would give you all headaches if I posted them. Sorry.
I shouldn't have been surprised at the size and weight, but I was. It's the size of a Leupy MK4 10X, and about the same weight. The similarities end there though.
The low-profile knobs have 10 mils per turn, with a total travel of 27 mils in this particular scope. There are markings under the knobs that you can use to count revolutions, but it also has a very simple zero stop. You can set it with a coin, just screw it down until it stops and you're set. Knobs are marked every mil, 0 through 9. Turning the knob feels almost exactly like my S&B single turn knob. Clicks are tactile, positive and audible, but not loud or unusually stiff.
The reticle is just like the IOR MP-8 dot, but I like the changes they've made. Increasingly thicker lines as you zoom out makes it easy for the eye to automatically center the reticle, even though the center is very fine. The even numbered mils are marked, should be easy to keep track of.
If there are any optical shortcomings, they are beyond my ability to discern. I was comparing this to an S&B and an IOR, with all of them at 10X, and the only difference I could see was in the tone. The March is a little colder, I guess you could say. The resolution was amazing, and continued to be amazing all the way up to 24X. Everything is sharp and well-defined.
The bummer is I have to work all weekend, so I don't get to play with it for a bit. I have a rifle on the way, should be getting it all set up around the middle of next week. I intend to run the crap out of this scope, hopefully shooting matches, so I will report back on the reliability. I know there are a lot of questions about that.
Anyhow, those are my first impressions.
Jason
