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Rifle Scopes Kahles K16i Who has one?

Moose

Sergeant
Full Member
Minuteman
  • Jul 3, 2005
    2,309
    1,125
    NJ
    The more i read about this scope the more I'm interested.I could use some input from owners,I like the weight, also like that it is 2nd focal plane.How is the glass, the eye box, the red dot, what reticle do you have, what kind of warranty do they have and so on.I like the SM1 reticle.
     
    I was looking at a lot of scopes in 1-6. Kahles was among the ones I looked at. I settled on the following two scopes

    Vortex Razor Gen IIe: 21 oz, amazing clarity, amazing eyebox, amazing FOV, SFP, thin reticle, capped turrets, no zero stop
    Zeiss Conquest V6: 17 oz, also amazing clarity, SFP, thin reticle but not as thin as Vortex Razor, elevation turret exposed, windage turret capped, has zero stop, FOV is not as wide as Razor, eyebox about the same

    I did not pick K16i because the reticle in Razor and Zeiss is better suited for my use.

    I know this is not what you asked for but I hope you find the information helpful anyway.
     
    The more i read about this scope the more I'm interested.I could use some input from owners,I like the weight, also like that it is 2nd focal plane.How is the glass, the eye box, the red dot, what reticle do you have, what kind of warranty do they have and so on.I like the SM1 reticle.
    I have one with SM1 reticle. I love it. Glass is fantastic. Eyebox is great. Very easy to get behind. My favorite scope in that magnification range. Dot is very nice. Daylight bright except for super sunny days
     
    I was looking at a lot of scopes in 1-6. Kahles was among the ones I looked at. I settled on the following two scopes

    Vortex Razor Gen IIe: 21 oz, amazing clarity, amazing eyebox, amazing FOV, SFP, thin reticle, capped turrets, no zero stop
    Zeiss Conquest V6: 17 oz, also amazing clarity, SFP, thin reticle but not as thin as Vortex Razor, elevation turret exposed, windage turret capped, has zero stop, FOV is not as wide as Razor, eyebox about the same

    I did not pick K16i because the reticle in Razor and Zeiss is better suited for my use.

    I know this is not what you asked for but I hope you find the information helpful anyway.
    Im also looking at the gen11e razor,Is the power lever as hard to turn on the 1x6 gen11e as it is on the 4.5x27 gen11? it would be nice if vortex made a 1x8 amg scope at around 17oz
     
    I have one with SM1 reticle. I love it. Glass is fantastic. Eyebox is great. Very easy to get behind. My favorite scope in that magnification range. Dot is very nice. Daylight bright except for super sunny days

    It's still one of our favorite 1-6's overall for those reasons, @Moose if you're looking to pick one up than feel free to give us a call at 916-670-1103 :)
     
    I have one with SM1 reticle. I love it. Glass is fantastic. Eyebox is great. Very easy to get behind. My favorite scope in that magnification range. Dot is very nice. Daylight bright except for super sunny days
    Is the power lever easy to turn on the kahles?
     
    I have one. It's pretty easy to turn,we still make a lever for it due to numerous requests, but I'd classify it as a much softer turn than the Razor Gen II. it has great glass and is pleasant to look through.

    We can hook ya up with one with a lever and level at a great price.
     
    I may need to look at k16i again, the FOV is even better than the razor, and SM1 reticle doesn't look all that bad now that I am looking at it again. Thanks OP.
     
    I just wanted to thank everyone for the input on the kahles.
     
    I have one on my SCAR. The glass and eyebox are better than anything else I’ve tried in a 1-6x or 1-4x scope. I have a SM-1 reticule and it works for me. Daylight bright illumination. You can’t go wrong with it.
     
    It is fantastic. I have had the K16i, Razor II, Mark 6 1-6, NF NX8, and a pile of 1-4s. The Kahles is an easy favorite. I would suggest the G4B or new 3gun reticle if daylight brightness and wind holds are a concern. The deal above from CS is very good.
     
    3GR reticle here on my K16. This is my most favoritist optic I every purchased. ?
     
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    I own two of these, one with the sm1 and one with the new 3gr. I much prefer the new reticle but the sm1 is still great. The new reticle has wind holds and 2 center dots, one low for close up shots (I’ve been using this much more than I thought I would.) As everyone is saying, glass, fov, weight, and eyebox are all best in class. 1x with the illum cranked up is like a red dot but with a huge fov through the scope, the tube disappears. My only nit is the turrets, they are a little mush but not a big deal because they live under the caps once zeroed.
     
    I own two of these, one with the sm1 and one with the new 3gr. I much prefer the new reticle but the sm1 is still great. The new reticle has wind holds and 2 center dots, one low for close up shots (I’ve been using this much more than I thought I would.) As everyone is saying, glass, fov, weight, and eyebox are all best in class. 1x with the illum cranked up is like a red dot but with a huge fov through the scope, the tube disappears. My only nit is the turrets, they are a little mush but not a big deal because they live under the caps once zeroed.
    I agree with everything you said,And also wish the turrets were just a little bit better.But it is a sweet ass scope.
     
    Im wondering what lens caps you guys are using, on this scope.
     
    Last edited:
    Yes, they are.
    I have a couple sets.
    Seems like stupid money for lens caps until you try them.
     
    Thanks for the info on the lens caps.I will be ordering these this week.
     
    The more i read about this scope the more I'm interested.I could use some input from owners,I like the weight, also like that it is 2nd focal plane.How is the glass, the eye box, the red dot, what reticle do you have, what kind of warranty do they have and so on.I like the SM1 reticle.
    I've owned 3. SM1, all 3 times.

    -Glass was okay, more CA than any other LPVO (or any optic, for that matter) I've used except my NXS 1-4. (VCOG, MK6, Eotech G33 magnifier+T2). Light gathering was okay. On par with MK6. Clarity was excellent. Color rendition was good.

    -Illumination was ho-hum. Not in-line with the price paid. $5-700 territory is where I'd put it.

    -Mechanical properties (dial feel, etc.) was also $5-700 territory.

    -Durability was acceptable for light use. One got a decent dent when a spare 14.5" M4 barrel rolled off a shelf a couple feet above it. It still functioned fine. I feel that it shouldn't have dinged so bad, so easily.

    -Weight is excellent for features offered.

    -Image "flatness" was excellent, especially given the FOV

    -Diopter focus was exceptional. Easy and fast, with no detectable shift across the magnification spectrum.

    -"Feel of the footprint" is average, given actual dimensions. The MK6 "feels" much smaller to me, even though data suggests parity.

    I see no reason to buy this optic unless you're a FOV whore and that's the only thing you care about. The weight vs. the Razor "E" just isn't a justification in my book, considering that people are buying 7.2oz Super Precision and 10oz SPUHR mounts when Nightforce 5.4oz Unimounts exist. Don't try to sell me the "but muh 3.5oz!" line when I see G-mounts and SPUHR on your shit.
     
    These. No other ring cap comes close, IME. Are they worth the money? Well, if you want the best, they earn it. If you don't care...ButlerCreek, yo!

    Seriously though, I'm heavily considering dumping caps and going with Scope Coats for LPVO's.

    Why? Because why do you need caps? Do you flip them up after every target for you gamers? Do you flip them up when actively on-scene for you LE types? Do you patrol with the caps closed for all you MIL guys? Do you sit in the stand with them closed, for you hunters?

    Noone I know "actively uses" scope caps. They are "admin protection" used in transit, or on the way to the deer stand, or in storage. A scope coat is not only faster to remove than caps are to flip up, but when the optic is in use it's 100% out of FOV, it's cheaper, and it works better.

    Get to the stand/scene, and pocket your scopecoat. Put it on when you leave/are done with what you need to do. If you emergently need to remove it, it's 1 simple thing, not two caps with little tabs.
     
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    We havea Trade Show Demo K16i: Kahles K16i 1-6x24 G4b Reticle $1515.60 give us a call at 916-670-1103 if you want to grab this one.
    This is below dealer cost, I believe, or RIGHT AT IT. If you want one, helluva deal!
     
    I've owned 3. SM1, all 3 times.

    -Glass was okay, more CA than any other LPVO (or any optic, for that matter) I've used except my NXS 1-4. (VCOG, MK6, Eotech G33 magnifier+T2). Light gathering was okay. On par with MK6. Clarity was excellent. Color rendition was good.

    -Illumination was ho-hum. Not in-line with the price paid. $5-700 territory is where I'd put it.

    -Mechanical properties (dial feel, etc.) was also $5-700 territory.

    -Durability was acceptable for light use. One got a decent dent when a spare 14.5" M4 barrel rolled off a shelf a couple feet above it. It still functioned fine. I feel that it shouldn't have dinged so bad, so easily.

    -Weight is excellent for features offered.

    -Image "flatness" was excellent, especially given the FOV

    -Diopter focus was exceptional. Easy and fast, with no detectable shift across the magnification spectrum.

    -"Feel of the footprint" is average, given actual dimensions. The MK6 "feels" much smaller to me, even though data suggests parity.

    I see no reason to buy this optic unless you're a FOV whore and that's the only thing you care about. The weight vs. the Razor "E" just isn't a justification in my book, considering that people are buying 7.2oz Super Precision and 10oz SPUHR mounts when Nightforce 5.4oz Unimounts exist. Don't try to sell me the "but muh 3.5oz!" line when I see G-mounts and SPUHR on your shit.

    From this post, I now know your ARF handle, haha. Mine is obviously the same. While we disagree on the K16i of course, you nailed it on the mounts. And I also think the unimounts are highly underrated. I spent stupid money on a Scalarworks, when the Unimount was there all along. I bought one recently for my 6.5CM build and am very happy, plus you can run a RAP. Another thing is, they make one of (if not THE) lowest 30mm cantilever on the market, another thing that is not advertised at all. Hey NF, advertise your mounts!
     
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    From this post, I now know your ARF handle, haha. Mine is obviously the same. While we disagree on the K16i of course, you nailed it on the mounts. And I also think the unimounts are highly underrated. I spent stupid money on a Scalarworks, when the Unimount was there all along. I bought one recently for my 6.5CM build and am very happy, plus you can run a RAP. Another thing is, they make one of (if not THE) lowest 30mm cantilever on the market, another thing that is not advertised at all. Hey NF, advertise your mounts!
    Stay tuned RE: NF and mounts.

    That said, I am not a fan of Scalarworks attachment method for anything but the T-series optics on 5.56 platforms. Their products are works of art, though.
     
    Stay tuned RE: NF and mounts.

    That said, I am not a fan of Scalarworks attachment method for anything but the T-series optics on 5.56 platforms. Their products are works of art, though.
    Have you actually had one of their mounts slip?
     
    The 3GR is super clear. Have run a SM1 for a year on a 223W carbine with no problems, not thats on a 300BO SBR. For me, the eyebox and the weight are the best elements of the K16i.
     
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    Also, these optics really shine on 1.93, 2.00+ mount.
     
    I got my aadmount lens caps today, you guys were right money well spent. Thanks Again