Rifle Scopes Kahles 5-25 v 6-24: Is it worth the extra money

[TacosGigante]

Hi,

About the pull the trigger on a new scope. I'm left handed so the Kahles ergos work well for me. Debating between a 5-25 and a 6-24 and am curious if people who have experience with both find that the 5-25 is actually worth the upcharge. I'm planning to use it for long range shooting and maybe comp shooting, but I'm not in danger of winning anything, so marginal improvements may not be as valuable to me as to a truly competitive shooter.

Thanks.

 

[CrabsandFootball]

I don't own either but have looked through both and shot the x24.

I would say no. Glass is very similar in both, with the X25 having less CA.

Really good reticle with the SMR3 but IMO these are $2,000 not $3,000 scopes.

Ilya did a review and with a bunch of the top glass and put the Kahles at the bottom with the Mk5.

I think there are much better options in that price range plus you are getting close to ZCO pricing if new.

 

[koshkin]

I don't own either but have looked through both and shot the x24.

I would say no. Glass is very similar in both, with the X25 having less CA.

Really good reticle with the SMR3 but IMO these are $2,000 not $3,000 scopes.

Ilya did a review and with a bunch of the top glass and put the Kahles at the bottom with the Mk5.

I think there are much better options in that price range plus you are getting close to ZCO pricing if new.

Keep in mind that they have a new DLR version that I have not seen. I do not know how it stacks up.

ILya

 

[CrabsandFootball]

Keep in mind that they have a new DLR version that I have not seen. I do not know how it stacks up.

ILya

Yea hopefully it fixes some of the FOV issues.

But at $3500, I don't see how anyone would choose it over a ZCO. Maybe at $2500 it would be worth a look.

 

[Asiparks]

I'm in the same boat, but looking at buying used- from what I've read, the 624 has a wider FOV than the 525 which I'd weight above a small improvement in glass... But then at around $1800, a used 624 is still more than a new Delta Stryker, a new Sig Tango6 5-30 or demo Vudu 5-25 which can be had well below "retail" for $1300 -$1500 ish. ..or should make the jump up to a used PMII or Minox for $2300, though perhaps with a less useful reticle...
I don't need the best glass, 90% of my shooting is within 600yrds ( more often under 300 ) and in the daytime, but I can rationalize around $2k for glass, I just have no opportunity to try before I buy

 

[CrabsandFootball]

Thats the issue. I think the K624 is a much better optic than the ones you mentioned like the striker or shitty sig, and the Vudu 525 has its own sets of issues.

IMO the ZP5 with a MR4 is a superior optic in every way and the best deal going for used around $2-2200.

S&B with either the Grid or Gen 2 XR are going for closer to 3K.'

Honestly I don't see where the Kahles is a good buy at any price bracket. There are simply beter options in used (ZP5) and new (S&B, ZCO).

 

[RobbinsHGray]

Of the top of your head would you happen to know the approximate weight difference between the ZP5, S&B, ZCO, and the Kahles?

 

[CrabsandFootball]

They are all pretty close. Zco is 37oz, zp5 is 34, SB is 40 and k525 is 34.

Weight is probally the least important factor in selecting a high end optic.

 

[TheHorta]

If my maths are correct, it’s worth 20% more.

 

[TacosGigante]

If my maths are correct, it’s worth 20% more.

 

[5RWill]

Short answer: No. About 2 years ago i set out on an optical tirade trying to step up to alpha glass. Went through a MK5, K624i, K318i, K525i (matter of fact that K525i in ILya's video was mine lol), 5-25 ATACR, and ended up settling on two ZP5s which later turned into one ZP5 and an AMG for the hunting rig.

If you're going to spend 3k range, i'd skip Kahles all together and go with an ZP5, ATACR, S&B, or step up to ZCO/TT. It's to note glass quality wise Minox is right there with TT and ZCO and everything else is trailing in some form regarding IQ. I'm not sure if Minox has gotten their QC together, as the first one I had, had mushy turrets. The new one and one I kept has excellent turrets.

But yeah as much as I want to like the Kahles i can honestly say it isn't worth the premium, maybe if you're a lefty or just have to have LSW. But it's not the quality i'd want out of $3000 glass. To be fair they still have my favorite turret on the market of what i've felt (haven't tried TT), and I really like the SKMR3/4. It's just really lacking in IQ for it's price IMHO. I'm by no means claiming it's bad either, just that it's not up to par with the price it commands.

 

[airborne_trooper]

Owned both and the field of view was better with 6-24. Sold both and now have a NF 7-35 and Bushnell tactical elite. I personally don’t think 5-25 is worth the extra coin having owned both at the same time. I’m on the hunt for another used 6-24 for a hunting rig. If kahles could just get the CA under control it would be the perfect used “mid” tier scope.

 

[calshipbuilder]

Make sure you can live with the CA. I really liked the 624i but couldn’t stand the CA. I don’t notice it as much in other top tier scopes.

 

[BigPrince]

Own or have owned most the scopes listed in this thread. For 2-2.5k I don't think you can beat a Kahles with the other options listed. At MSRP the 525 does not compete with ZCO or TT. I personally disliked the Minox. I don't think the ATACR is worth the extra unless you want a different power range(e.g. 7-35) and rotating the whole ocular end of the scope for magnification is dumb. The layout of the Kahles is above the others. The Leupold MK5hd is a good scope for the weight but if weight isn't a concern i thought the finish was poor and until the latest reticle, the reticles were poor. The only thing I think I've ever agreed with in a crabs post is the Kahles is way above the striker or shitty sig, and the Vudu 525. Not the same league.
But, to speak to your earlier question, I have hunted with both 624 and 525 and I think the FOV difference is overhyped. It has not been an issue for me. If the 5-25 is a couple hundred more, it's worth the difference. MSRP, it is not worth 1k more. I actually regret recently selling a 624 as a week later I could have put it on my production class rifle and replaced the Bushnell XRS2 on it.

 

[blbennett1288]

I preferred the 6-24 over the 5-25, but I was an early adopter of the 5-25 and the DLR resolves a lot of the gripes I had with the 5-25.

 

[Asiparks]

Own or have owned most the scopes listed in this thread. For 2-2.5k I don't think you can beat a Kahles with the other options listed. At MSRP the 525 does not compete with ZCO or TT. I personally disliked the Minox. I don't think the ATACR is worth the extra unless you want a different power range(e.g. 7-35) and rotating the whole ocular end of the scope for magnification is dumb. The layout of the Kahles is above the others. The Leupold MK5hd is a good scope for the weight but if weight isn't a concern i thought the finish was poor and until the latest reticle, the reticles were poor. The only thing I think I've ever agreed with in a crabs post is the Kahles is way above the striker or shitty sig, and the Vudu 525. Not the same league.
But, to speak to your earlier question, I have hunted with both 624 and 525 and I think the FOV difference is overhyped. It has not been an issue for me. If the 5-25 is a couple hundred more, it's worth the difference. MSRP, it is not worth 1k more. I actually regret recently selling a 624 as a week later I could have put it on my production class rifle and replaced the Bushnell XRS2 on it.

which kinda brings me full circle- I own a "shitty sig" tango6 and I've never not hit anything because of it. Glass is pretty good as far as I can tell, reticle is crisp and it seems to track well, despite the spongy turrets- I've not had, ( and probably won't get), the opportunity to look through Kahles or Minox or S&B so I've not had that "holy shit " moment of alpha glass and turrets. So it's a leap of faith to go from about $1k which is what the Sig cost me, to $2+ without being able to spend time behind each option, whilst also knowing that it's not going to make much difference for most of my shooting. Just an itch that needs scratching...

 

[Familydude]

I’m a lefty and had this same question. Like you, I got tons of great advice on here. Looked at a couple reviews as well. After everything, I ended up pulling the trigger on a ZCO. Also have a couple Razor HD 4.5-27s. Not a whole lot of choices for lefties. What I have has worked well.

 

[Asiparks]

You won't get a holy shit moment behind a k624i or even a k525i. Hell my xtr3 5.5-30x56 has better glass than the Kahles for 1400$. The mk5hd does as well. In kahles you get the dexterity, layout, tagibles, that don't come on these cheaper optics, but I really wish they'd up their glass quality. For goodness sakes, they're a subsidiary of Swarovski.

Understood- I'm attracted to Kahles because: high quality, the left side windage makes sense, as does the elevation mounted parallax- and I say that as a righty.
The operation of all controls is said to be tactile heaven, but the glass is supposed to be "OK". Which still might be better than I'm used to.
Minox has by all accounts, great glass and excellently made, nicely tactile conventional controls.
SKMR3 reticle vs MR4- both appear very useful and not over busy.
Would love a TT or ZCO, but that's not on the cards right now.
It's probably just going to come down to availability/price in the classifieds. First world problems.....

 

[TacticalPlinker]

Hi,

About the pull the trigger on a new scope. I'm left handed so the Kahles ergos work well for me. Debating between a 5-25 and a 6-24 and am curious if people who have experience with both find that the 5-25 is actually worth the upcharge. I'm planning to use it for long range shooting and maybe comp shooting, but I'm not in danger of winning anything, so marginal improvements may not be as valuable to me as to a truly competitive shooter.

Thanks.

Just wanted to add recently my rifle dropped very similar to what happened to Philip in the video. In my case it came off a barricade and flipped directly onto hard packed dirt impacting the elevation knob. I checked the zero and my K525i held zero with no visible deviation in POI (Using Spuhr IMS) and no issues with elevation knob rotation.

 

[TacosGigante]

I’m a lefty and had this same question. Like you, I got tons of great advice on here. Looked at a couple reviews as well. After everything, I ended up pulling the trigger on a ZCO. Also have a couple Razor HD 4.5-27s. Not a whole lot of choices for lefties. What I have has worked well.

how is the zco for managing parallax as a lefty? Parallax is the big issue that keeps me anchored on kahles, but nothing says a sufficiently forgiving alternative wouldn't work.

 

[StrayDog]

how is the zco for managing parallax as a lefty? Parallax is the big issue that keeps me anchored on kahles, but nothing says a sufficiently forgiving alternative wouldn't work.

Predictable, because it rolls away to infinity like vortex and NF, and I'm accustomed to that motion, unlike Bushnell. I tend to set and forget parallax when shooting centerfire past 400 anyway.
But, I am also a lefty interested in the DLR for your reasons, but for Rimfire matches. I find parallax is more important in those games. Like this months NRL22 cof has a lot of parallax dialing 25-100y and I wish I could see the knob and #s for a quicker dial estimate instead of dialing for best focus, and seeing those numbers from both strong and weak side appeals to me... #secondsmatter.
It's all in theory though, and not sure I'm gonna pay Zcomp coin for the DLR...