I posted an initial review of my Mark 6 3-18x44mm with TMR reticle a while back in someone else's thread when I first purchased it. Without digging up an old post, I wanted to do a little follow-up review now that I've spent some more time with it. Since then, I have acquired a Premier Light Tactical 3-15x50mm Gen II XR and while it isn't a perfect comparison, it's all I've got in this range as they're similar in price.
Overall the Leupold is about 2 inches shorter in length abut nearly identical in weight, 1 oz. difference separates the two but the Leupold feels more solid due to the thicker 34mm tube and shorter length. I love the magnification ring which is wide and ribbed but does not turn the entire eyepiece like my Nightforce did. It comes with a set of Butler Creek caps which fit well, but not sure how long they'll last. Premier's complimentary caps are larger but much better in quality and flip back all the way.
In my first review I had talked about the glass quality, that although it is a significant step up from the Mark 4s, it does still have some lateral chromatic aberration fringing especially at higher magnification (above 15x). Some other members commented they couldn't see anything so to settle things I took a photo of a high contrast picture (white and black sign) on a cloudy day to demonstrate the purple / green edges. The quality sucks and was not easy to take using a cheap compact camera. Magnification was set at 18x looking at a sign about 40 yards away across the street. Once the magnification is lowered the CA is significantly reduced, almost absent under 12x.
Overall the image quality is very good throughout the entire range. The image is sharp, clean, and never cloudy looking. Compared to the Premier, I actually prefer the Leupold at lower magnification from 3-8x. It shows less fishbowl distortion with a similar sized eyebox. It isn't until the mid and upper ranges that the Premier takes over with its slightly brighter picture and complete lack of CA. Both scopes displays strong vibrant colors but the Premier is a little brighter when both scopes are at 15x with its 50mm objective lens compared to 44mm.
The turrets are nice and positive feeling. A quiet crisp click at each hash. Much less mushy than my old Mark 4s with M1 turrets. On my bigger Premier Heritage with MTC, it can be hard to go just one click without overshooting it. The MK6 does not have this issue. I feel it was a smart move to use the auto-lock turret for only elevation, not windage, which has a standard capped turret. I would have to say I like both the Mark 6 and the Light Tactical's turrets equally although they took a completely different approach.
I did have a stumble out of the gate which landed the scope being sent back for service. I noticed that between the 5 and 6 Mil hash marks, the elevation turret which is supposed to auto-lock when the pinch turrets are released did not do so. In that small range I could freely spin the turret till it clicked in place when I would go >6 or <5. Leupold's customer service was great as usual, they fixed it up and replaced the elevation turret. Total turnaround time was about 3 weeks. Now it is working properly and auto-locks in any position.
I haven't really fiddled around much with the zero stops with either since I shoot at fixed distances and was spoiled with the Premier Heritage's tab locking system. It says I should have 100 MOA or 29 MILs of adjustment for elevation but right now I only can get 20. I think it probably has a stop engaged which is preventing me from accessing the rest. I'll fiddle around with it. If anyone who owns one of these knows why, please educate me. The Premier only has 16 MILs so getting a 20 MOA base or mount should solve that limitation.
The TMR reticle in my opinion is of the perfect thickness. At 18x it is big and bold but not overly thick, unlike an IOR I used to own, at 24x the MP-8 was annoyingly thick. At the low end the Leupold is still usable even at 3x under most lighting conditions. 8-16x is the sweet spot. I generally prefer thinner reticles for punching paper and feel my Premier with its Gen II XR at 15x looks great. Being slightly thinner than the TMR, at 3x I relegate it for only observation duties or as a simple duplex. It is too thin to see the MIL marks to make adjustments even with good eyesight.
Neither scope has illumination, as I have no need for it since I don't hunt in New Jersey. It is essentially shotgun only for that purpose. I like both scopes, each have their strong points as well as weaknesses. As I've only had them for a couple months, time will tell which one I prefer more.
I would love to try out the March 3-24 FFP apparently it is the same length, but offers 6x more power. In addition it should have the same 100 MOA adjustment in a smaller 30mm tube...jeez. The price is only a couple hundred more. However with only one distributor and a limited 5 year non-transferrable warranty I'm a little hesitant. The 8x magnification ratio seems ridiculous. I can't imagine how an FFP reticle can be useful at both ends of that range when 6x is already pushing it. If somehow it all fits together, that would be one helluva scope.
Overall the Leupold is about 2 inches shorter in length abut nearly identical in weight, 1 oz. difference separates the two but the Leupold feels more solid due to the thicker 34mm tube and shorter length. I love the magnification ring which is wide and ribbed but does not turn the entire eyepiece like my Nightforce did. It comes with a set of Butler Creek caps which fit well, but not sure how long they'll last. Premier's complimentary caps are larger but much better in quality and flip back all the way.
In my first review I had talked about the glass quality, that although it is a significant step up from the Mark 4s, it does still have some lateral chromatic aberration fringing especially at higher magnification (above 15x). Some other members commented they couldn't see anything so to settle things I took a photo of a high contrast picture (white and black sign) on a cloudy day to demonstrate the purple / green edges. The quality sucks and was not easy to take using a cheap compact camera. Magnification was set at 18x looking at a sign about 40 yards away across the street. Once the magnification is lowered the CA is significantly reduced, almost absent under 12x.
Overall the image quality is very good throughout the entire range. The image is sharp, clean, and never cloudy looking. Compared to the Premier, I actually prefer the Leupold at lower magnification from 3-8x. It shows less fishbowl distortion with a similar sized eyebox. It isn't until the mid and upper ranges that the Premier takes over with its slightly brighter picture and complete lack of CA. Both scopes displays strong vibrant colors but the Premier is a little brighter when both scopes are at 15x with its 50mm objective lens compared to 44mm.
The turrets are nice and positive feeling. A quiet crisp click at each hash. Much less mushy than my old Mark 4s with M1 turrets. On my bigger Premier Heritage with MTC, it can be hard to go just one click without overshooting it. The MK6 does not have this issue. I feel it was a smart move to use the auto-lock turret for only elevation, not windage, which has a standard capped turret. I would have to say I like both the Mark 6 and the Light Tactical's turrets equally although they took a completely different approach.
I did have a stumble out of the gate which landed the scope being sent back for service. I noticed that between the 5 and 6 Mil hash marks, the elevation turret which is supposed to auto-lock when the pinch turrets are released did not do so. In that small range I could freely spin the turret till it clicked in place when I would go >6 or <5. Leupold's customer service was great as usual, they fixed it up and replaced the elevation turret. Total turnaround time was about 3 weeks. Now it is working properly and auto-locks in any position.
I haven't really fiddled around much with the zero stops with either since I shoot at fixed distances and was spoiled with the Premier Heritage's tab locking system. It says I should have 100 MOA or 29 MILs of adjustment for elevation but right now I only can get 20. I think it probably has a stop engaged which is preventing me from accessing the rest. I'll fiddle around with it. If anyone who owns one of these knows why, please educate me. The Premier only has 16 MILs so getting a 20 MOA base or mount should solve that limitation.
The TMR reticle in my opinion is of the perfect thickness. At 18x it is big and bold but not overly thick, unlike an IOR I used to own, at 24x the MP-8 was annoyingly thick. At the low end the Leupold is still usable even at 3x under most lighting conditions. 8-16x is the sweet spot. I generally prefer thinner reticles for punching paper and feel my Premier with its Gen II XR at 15x looks great. Being slightly thinner than the TMR, at 3x I relegate it for only observation duties or as a simple duplex. It is too thin to see the MIL marks to make adjustments even with good eyesight.
Neither scope has illumination, as I have no need for it since I don't hunt in New Jersey. It is essentially shotgun only for that purpose. I like both scopes, each have their strong points as well as weaknesses. As I've only had them for a couple months, time will tell which one I prefer more.
I would love to try out the March 3-24 FFP apparently it is the same length, but offers 6x more power. In addition it should have the same 100 MOA adjustment in a smaller 30mm tube...jeez. The price is only a couple hundred more. However with only one distributor and a limited 5 year non-transferrable warranty I'm a little hesitant. The 8x magnification ratio seems ridiculous. I can't imagine how an FFP reticle can be useful at both ends of that range when 6x is already pushing it. If somehow it all fits together, that would be one helluva scope.
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