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Rifle Scopes Leupold mark 5 or vortex razor gen 2?

BoulderE89

BoulderE89

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Jul 26, 2019
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Got some Christmas money to spend on a new rifle scope and am down to either the Leupold mark 5 5-25 (probably cch reticle) or a vortex gen 2 4-27 (either ebr 2 or ebr 7). Tracking and clarity are the most important for me. Weights are pretty different but not really a deciding factor for me. Any advice, experiences or opinions on either of these is greatly appreciated.
 
The Mark 5 is better optically. The vortex has been around awhile and holds up well.

if it was my money, I would buy the Leupold.
 
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I had the same dilemma last month. I went with the razor gen ii. Got it for $1850 new with the ebr7c reticle. I much prefer that reticle to the reticle offerings the mk5 has. Also even with the VIP pricing I have through Leupold getting the illuminated reticle of choice I would had to spend $600 more than I did with the razor. I like the turrets more and the parallax is way better on the razor. my Eyes seemed to prefer the razor as well. If I were you I’d go mess around with both at your local gun store.
 
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tracktrash said:
I had the same dilemma last month. I went with the razor gen ii. Got it for $1850 new with the ebr7c reticle. I much prefer that reticle to the reticle offerings the mk5 has. Also even with the VIP pricing I have through Leupold getting the illuminated reticle of choice I would had to spend $600 more than I did with the razor. I like the turrets more and the parallax is way better on the razor. my Eyes seemed to prefer the razor as well. If I were you I’d go mess around with both at your local gun store.
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I’ll be doing just that tomorrow! The input and opinions are helpful, thank you
 
My BiL gets 40% off (Leo) on Vortex optics. That could be the deciding factor if you are, or know someone who is LEO. Then again, I have a 50% off cert for Leupold, so my next optic will be a Mark 5.
 
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BoulderE89 said:
Does it have more than the razor?
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That shit is so blown out of proportion. The Mark 5’s have better glass than Razors all around.

The 3.6-18 Mark 5 has a little bit of CA. It’s certainly not “bad” though and unless you’re looking for it you’ll never notice it. The 5-25’s have none.

To get a better 5-25 than the Mark 5 you need to spend almost twice as much to the a S&B and while the S&B is overall a better scope, there’s still a couple things the Mark 5 does better like not tunneling and and weighing less.
 
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BoulderE89 said:
Does it have more than the razor?
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For me it the CA in the MK5HD resides on the threshold of acceptable. It's present, but not distractingly present if that makes sense. At least not on my copy. The MK5HD is exceptional in every way (lightweight, compact and feature rich), but not sure if the overall durability is on par with a Razor. Just wish Leupold wasn't stingy about illumination and offered an illuminated CCH reticle.
 
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Blackfoot 7 said:
For me it the CA in the MK5HD resides on the threshold of acceptable. It's present, but not distractingly present if that makes sense. At least not on my copy. The MK5HD is exceptional in every way (lightweight, compact and feature rich), but not sure if the overall durability is on par with a Razor. Just wish Leupold wasn't stingy about illumination and offered an illuminated CCH reticle.
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These are all good points to know, seriously grateful for all your guys input. I’m gonna go look through them today and see. Everyone seems to agree Leupold nailed it with the mark 5. Makes me pumped!
 
I’ve had both the 3.6-18 mk5 and the 3-18 g2. I sold the razor, got the lupy, sold the lupy, and bought another razor. I don’t care for any leupold reticles tho and that’s just personal preference. Turrets were good on both. Glass was good on both but I liked the rzr a little better.
 
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levi8599 said:
I’ve had both the 3.6-18 mk5 and the 3-18 g2. I sold the razor, got the lupy, sold the lupy, and bought another razor. I don’t care for any leupold reticles tho and that’s just personal preference. Turrets were good on both. Glass was good on both but I liked the rzr a little better.
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I’m torn between the clarity I hear on the Leupold and the reticle of the razor.
 
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BoulderE89 said:
I’m torn between the clarity I hear on the Leupold and the reticle of the razor.
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Razors are plenty clear. When I got my first Razor II I put it up next to a S&B PMII and showed it to 6 or 7 guys I knew at different times at my old range. Side by side they said they couldn't tell the difference and that is plenty clear for me.
 
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redneckbmxer24 said:
That shit is so blown out of proportion. The Mark 5’s have better glass than Razors all around.

The 3.6-18 Mark 5 has a little bit of CA. It’s certainly not “bad” though and unless you’re looking for it you’ll never notice it. The 5-25’s have none.

To get a better 5-25 than the Mark 5 you need to spend almost twice as much to the a S&B and while the S&B is overall a better scope, there’s still a couple things the Mark 5 does better like not tunneling and and weighing less.
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I agree 100%. I spent quite a while doing side by side comparison with my 5-25X56 PMII, 5-25X56 ATACR F1, and 2 different 5-25X56 MK5’s one illuminated one not. They all 4 tracked perfectly, all 4 were easy enough to correct parallax and still have a good crisp reticle, the difference came down to reticles (personal choice, I was using the P4F, MilR, CCH, ILL TMR) they all work, turrets which my favorite is easily the PMII DT turret, followed by the NF and last the MK5 but the MK5 turrets are not bad by any means, optically the MK5 is better in every way with my samples (brighter, better in very low light, better resolution, just noticeable better). The MK5 brings a lot to the table, that being said I’m probably going back to the PMII or ATACR only due to the reticle, I cant get to where I like a center dot or open center.
 
I would chalk better IQ up to sample variance. I'm a pretty big fan of the Mark 5 (5-25) wrote a moderately length write up on my thoughts between it and the ATACR i put it next to. For lots of opitcs turret feel, IQ, etc. are subjective. I vastly prefer the L-tec turrets to the Mark 5 turrets. I like the audible click of the MK5 but was not a fan of how they felt. I'm just one that really likes to be able to feel every click. I also like the eyebox better on the Gen II razor, the MK5 was a little tight to me at 25x. Pretty comparable to the AMG. FOV wise the Vortex is hands down the clear choice, MK5 sacrifices a lot in that realm. One attribute i have to give Leupold is the low light performance was outstanding and @redneckbmxer24 and @jbell will attest to this, in bad lighting they're phenomenal. The main reason i don't own one is because Leupold just doesn't have a reticle that i like. I now have an AMG on my hunting rig and it is an amazing optic for it's purpose. Resolution is a little lower than my ZP5 but it really does well in low light considering the objective size. If leupold could just put out something not so cluttered like a TMR competition with zero upcharge, my safe, and rifles would be littered with MK5s.


Here's my comparison followed by a ton of members opinions on the MK5.
 
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I have a gen II razor 3-18, 4.5-27 and a Mark 5 7-35. If you care about weight go with the Leopold, The razor is a boat anchor. The Leopold noticeably lighter and has a nice zero stop system. The razor also has locking windage and elevation turrets. I really like both scopes and would go with whatever reticle you like better if weight is not a concern.
 
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If it’s only tracking and clarity that you’re concerned with like your OP stated then take your pick. I’ve owed both, and have been running both sizes of Mark 5s on hunting rifles that have seen quite a bit of field time over the last 2.5 years. Both scopes are plenty clear, hold up very well and track like a $1700-$2000 optic should. But the Leupold wins in the weight and side profile category if those matter to you.
 
Grease said:
Probably, but the Razor weighing 20oz more than the Mark 5 is the deal killer.
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For some maybe but the other features like reticle might be more important to some.
 
I checked out both before i made my purchase and I chose the Gen2 Razor. Glass seamed equal to me, I prefer the turrets and the locking mech on the razor, and I preferred the weight of the razor. Both are great scopes and you cant go wrong either way.
 
Both great options with the same warranty, though I tend to hear more folks having to use the Vortex warranty (which may be a numbers game). Since weight isn’t a concern, pick the reticle you like. You’ll be happy with either.
 
Thank you to everyone for the advice and opinions. I looked through both yesterday and they were both very clear and easy to use. Honestly hard for me to distinguish much of any difference with my own eyes. I do however prefer the razors reticle choices so I took the advice I got from here and got an ebr7 at a good price. I’m very pumped to get this thing rolling! If anyone has 34mm arc rings to sell let me know! Again, thank you for All the advice. Seriously helped me out as I’m pretty new to precision shooting
 
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Grease said:
You can get a Mark 5 3.6-18x44 and rings from Scott @LibertyOptics for $1589.00

Whats not to like about that.
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Non-illuminated model. That’s what I don’t like. To get the illuminated TMR it brings it to $1850. LOL. And that’s the lowest costing reticle so you make it a h59 illuminated it brings it up another $150. No thanks
 
BoulderE89 said:
Thank you to everyone for the advice and opinions. I looked through both yesterday and they were both very clear and easy to use. Honestly hard for me to distinguish much of any difference with my own eyes. I do however prefer the razors reticle choices so I took the advice I got from here and got an ebr7 at a good price. I’m very pumped to get this thing rolling! If anyone has 34mm arc rings to sell let me know! Again, thank you for All the advice. Seriously helped me out as I’m pretty new to precision shooting
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You won’t be disappointed! Congrats on the purchase
 
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Swoodhouse19 said:
I had the same question....but I was leaning towards the 3.6-18...
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I have the 3.6-18 Mk5 & 4.5-27 razor (not the best comparison). I’d say go for razor unless weight is a concern. Eye box, DoF, FoV are better in the razor to me. Turrets are nice on both, but I prefer the razor. Reticles are personal, but I like offerings from both. Price difference is really minimal between the two, except illumination in the Mk5 is ridiculous.
 
I have a razor and 7-35 mk5. I like the mk 5 better. I think it's a brighter and more crisp picture. If you aren't leo or mil/ can't get a discount, then I think vortex would be the way to go based on price. That said, looking through both scopes is really the only way for you to decide.
 
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i honestly prefer the mark5 turrets. At matches i always feel like I have to try and pull that damn turret up on my vortex. Also it pushes down too easily on the scope I had.
 
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