Re: Is ARD Useful?
<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: slyfox</div><div class="ubbcode-body">I am looking at ordering an sn-3 tpal soon from uso. I will most likely want to get some sort of sunshade for it. The question is, should I get ARD? I don't so much care about masking my position and I have heard there is some loss of resolution in the sight picture. Thoughts? </div></div>
<span style="font-style: italic">With some ARDs' there is indeed a perceptable degradation of the image.</span> This image degradation can be caused by a reduction in light transmission or by the (slight) blockage of the image by the ARD insert, or both. If you compare a Tenebraex insert to a USO insert it is obvious which insert will allow better light transmission and block less of the image. The "honeycomb" design of USO's ARD insert is highly-efficient and as picky as I am I never noticed any image degradation with one installed. Because of this I always left the ARDs' installed on my personal SN-3 and Heritage and continue to do so with the ARDs' on my PMIIs', even at night.
<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: slyfox</div><div class="ubbcode-body">I mean I dont plan to engage many live targets but I was wondering if the ARD helped in full sun better than a traditional sunshade. Basically I didn't know if there is any other benefit other than anti reflection when looking at the objective. </div></div>
My "view" differs from those of <span style="font-weight: bold"><span style="font-style: italic">"sawman556</span></span> and <span style="font-weight: bold"><span style="font-style: italic">"fastman"</span></span>. I would get a 2.0" <span style="text-decoration: underline">USO</span> ARD whether you need to mask your position or not. USO ARDs' are very efficient, and USO claims that their 2.0" (2.25" actual OAL, 2.0" <span style="font-style: italic">installed length</span>) ARD works as well as a 4.0" Sunshade. I haven't done the math but in my experience USO ARDs' work very well. I've used 4.0" and 2.0" USO ARDs' on SN-3 3.2-17X44mm ERGOs' and T-PALs', a 4.0" USO ARD on a a 5-25X58mm T-PAL, 2.0" USO ARDs on Premier Heritage 5-25X56mms', and 2.0" USO ARDs' on PMII 5-25X56mm scopes.
I only shoot on a "one-way range", so my USO ARDs' serve two purposes for me: (a) Help keep dirt, rain, and other crap off of the Objective Lens. This minimizes the chance of having to clean the lens, which reduces the necessity of lens cleaning, which reduces the chance of scratching an (expensive) lens, and (b) The ARD actually helps sharpen the target image because off-axis light is prevented from entering the scope (off-axis light reduces image quality and can "wash-out" the image). This effect is noticeable whether I am shooting from a covered firing line or in full sun.
The actual ARD <span style="font-style: italic">Insert</span> and the Housing that USO uses are also quite robust. From what I've seen, the build-quality as well as the performance of the honeycomb design in the USO ARD unit is better than that of the Tenabraex ARDs'. I have USO ARD's on three PMIIs', and I also used one on a [56mm] Premier I owned. USO actually borrowed my Premier to measure the threads for the 56mm Premier ARD prototype several years ago. I haven't used the S & B units so I can't comment on their performance.
USO ARDs' consist of three (3) components:
(1) A threaded, Type III hard anodized aluminum Housing, (which by itself is the USO Sunshade).
(2) a high-efficiency anti-reflective <span style="font-style: italic">"honeycomb"</span> Insert that is expoxied into the aluminum Housing.
(3) an aluminum "Stop Ring" that limits the depth of the honeycomb Insert within the Housing.
The <span style="font-style: italic">actual</span>, OALs' of the Housings are .25" longer than the <span style="font-style: italic">installed length</span> (male .25" threads into scope). Therefore, the OAL of a Sunshade (or an ARD) of a 2" USO Sunshade or ARD is actually 2.25".
<span style="font-weight: bold"><span style="font-style: italic">USO 2" ARD for 56mm Schmidt Bender:</span></span>
<span style="font-weight: bold"><span style="font-style: italic">Tac Ops X-Ray 51 w/metalworkwork in Tac Ops OD Green-T & Black-T w/PMII 5-25X 56mm & USO 2" S & B 56mm ARD:</span></span>
<span style="font-weight: bold"><span style="font-style: italic">USO 2" ARD for 56mm Premier:</span></span>
<span style="font-weight: bold"><span style="font-style: italic">Full-custom SS MOA 10/22 w/Premier 5-25X 56mm & USO 2" Premier 56mm ARD:</span></span>
<span style="font-weight: bold"><span style="font-style: italic">USO 2" ARD for 44mm USO:</span></span>
<span style="font-weight: bold"><span style="font-style: italic">USO 4" ARD for 44mm USO:</span></span>
<span style="font-weight: bold"><span style="font-style: italic">FNH A3 G w/SN-3 3.2-17X 44mm ERGO & USO 4" ARD:</span></span>
Keith