Leupold MK5 HD 2-10 vs MK4 HD 2.5-10

[Rock42]

With the new Leupold MK4 HD 2.5-10, Is there any big benefit to pay more for the MK5 HD 2-10? My intent was to get the MK5 2-10 for my new MK12ish rifle, but with the new 2.5-10, I’m not sure if it’s worth the extra money.

I know the MK4 HD is new, but I appreciate any insight from anybody who has either one of these optics.

 

[dogman]

I think the Mk4 HD 2.5-10 is so new, I haven't found any good critical reviews - just a few 'rah-rah!' influencer "reviews".

I think Leupold is hurting themselves by not offering the PR2 reticle with either the Mk4 or Mk5.

Both scopes intrigue me as well, but for Leupold's price point, we should be able to get the scope configured the way we want with illumination.

 

[cliffy110]

My gripe on the Mk4 is the lack of parallax adjustment. Seems like a dumb move for a MPVO.

 

[Rock42]

Yeah, not having the parallax adjustment on the 2.5-10 was a weird design choice.

 

[simonp]

I keep looking at the MK V version but the price is a killer for me. Unfortunately unlike the other MK V’s when the 2-10 is in the px it doesn’t drop much in price.

 

[wigwamitus]

One spec that differentiates, the 2.5-10 has a dialing range of 24.7 MILs ... whereas the 2-10x has 48 MILs ... almost double !!

 

[FieldGaugeFailure]

My gripe on the Mk4 is the lack of parallax adjustment. Seems like a dumb move for a MPVO.

It's a 10x max scope, there aren't many scopes in that range that have parallax adjustments. You can spend 2700 on a Zenith or a Z6i and still not get a parallax adjustment.

 

[BCP]

I have the 2.5-10 SFP on an AR15 that gets shot to 600-700 yards on steel. It replaces a mark 4 tmr m2 that was also fixed parallax and it's a bit better in a couple ways although I'm not sure it's as sturdy as that ancient mk4 was (it was almost 20 years old and still functional). If it holds up I'll get a 4-18 for my 308 bolt gun.

Leupold's model lineup and features are price gated. They want you to spend extra for the 5HD or 6HD to get those certain features. Otherwise everybody would just buy the 4HD or 3HD or whatever and completely ignore their upper lines. I'd love for leupold to make something like Athlon's 2-12X in their 3HD lineup but they never will.

 

[lastshot12]

Is the lack of adjustable parallax on the 2.5 - 10 a problem?

 

[wigwamitus]

Is the lack of adjustable parallax on the 2.5 - 10 a problem?

This has been discussed before and the consensus was NO.

I had 4 different 2 or 2.5 to 8 or 10 a few years ago. Two of them had adjustable parallax and 2 did not ... for instance the NF NXS 2.5-10x SFP did have parallax knob. But I learned it was unnecessary for 100yds plus.
If one was going to put the scope on rimfire and get down to 50 or even 25 yds then yes, adjustable parallax required on even these scopes, otherwise, I and others think no.
IIRC there was one dissenter who wanted to optimize ability to focus (vs parallax) out to longer distances, so that's another potential use case. But for those who optimize parallax and use these scopes 100yds+ no.