Thinking about putting this behind a clip on thermal. If it's terrific from 1-10 I might be sold on it
Rifle Scopes March FFP 1.5-15x42 MPVO Review and Comparison (w/ Nightforce and Athlon)
- Thread starter Glassaholic
- Start date
Well with sickness and the holidays finally behind me I feel I can finally get back to focussing on scopes and getting an update to the March 1.5-15 is top on my priority list.I actually just got back from being able to play with this at distance at my brother's (I live in an urban location so 100 yards was my limit previously).
It's all dialed in now. I could read smaller print on billboards 1000+ yards out just fine. Playing with the parallax at distance, I realized it's easy to go past the sweet spot, and reversing to try to find it again was more difficult than finding it going forward (if that makes any sense haha). So I went inside and used his white cabinet to check the diopter. Similar situation, I had overshot the sweet spot initially by ~.7.
I'm satisfied. Sure, I wish it was an optical upgrade over the Athlon above 10X, but honestly those Athlon's are impressive little dudes.
The range of the March is fantastic. At 1.5X it reminds me of my Elcan at 1X. Super clear edge to edge, nice bright dot. I'll be shocked if there's something better for a 50-600 yard gun any time soon. Hell, I'm more confident this will be fine at even 1000 than I am my skills and a .308 from a 14" barrel.
Great to hear your experience armchair, especially relating to the Elcan as I agree, it is super clean edge to edge at that low mag and the SFP fiber dot really shines in this mode. I too have a 14" barrel .308 but I'm waffling on weather I want this scope on my LMT or want it on my 18" 6.5 PRC lightweight crossover hunter - which would I think has more opportunity for up close and personal situations...
This is exactly what I have done with mine. Mine sits on a 8.6 blackout bolt gun in an American Rifle chassis with a forward optics platform. It works very well for me. My distances are not excessive, so it usually stays between 1.5-6 or so, but 10 shouldn't be a problem.
As with All March scopes I have used, getting position is critical, as is hitting it every time for rapid shots. Hensoldt and Swaro are my winners for "easiest to get behind", in general; but this March is nowhere near as picky as the benchrest 10-60 - for obvious reasons.
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I was able to get out and do some more thorough testing with my resolution charts and such this past week and what I found surprised me, the resolution numbers were very close to the scope before I sent it in to March for the reticle upgrade, but what I'm seeing through the scope especially above 8x "appears" very different, the IQ just looks better and even next to the Athlon it looks better throughout. Denys shared March's response on page 2, here is what they had to say:
Well I'm a believer, whatever they did has had a positive effect because my eyes like it much more than the previous experience with the original reticle. Maybe the adjustments to match the the reticle did the trick, but either way I am having a much better time with my 1.5-15 than previously and glad I opted for the reticle swap. I really love this Dual Focal Plane reticle and the daylight bright center dot, I'll be playing a lot more with this scope this year...
What's the new reticle you got?
DR-TR2B
Thanks for the work and the update. I have always loved the particulars about this scope, but comments on the glass have deterred me from pursuing one. F7
Has any owner of the March 1.5-15 found that the parallax/focus did not go down to a true 10 yards? At least two shooters (one being a March lover) have told me that theirs did not. This was my second concern about this model, and while many shooters may not care, I do. Thanks. F7
During my setup I measured off 30’ with a tape measure to my test target and the scope had no issue focussing that close.
I just ordered 2 of these myself. I'm an optics dealer and we just picked March up. Pretty excited to get these in.
Mine goes down to 10 yards just fine. Again, keep in mind that if the eyepiece is not set correctly, close focus distance will be impacted.
With a dual focal plane reticle, eyepiece setting can be a bitch.
ILya
Thanks for assisting. F7
What are you guys doing for repairs? My March 1-10x arrived non functional and longrangesupply has made it clear I'm on my own for getting it repaired.
edit: In their defense it was clear before I bought it that they didn't support their sales I just also didn't expect to receive a damaged optic
I am sorry to hear this, and I hope things get resolved well and quickly for you. Thanks for being honest about the details. F7
Shoot me a PM or email and I'll get you in contact with the right people. I know you didn't buy it from me but I'll help if I can.
Thanks,
Jake
Mountic Outdoors
[email protected]
Sorry guys, I was having a grouchy day yesterday. I knew what I was buying and that if it showed up with a problem I would have to mail it back to Japan, which is what I'm currently in the process of doing. If I had had the scope for a year or something and then needed repair I would have been less annoyed.
I'm in touch with March via longrangesupply. I just wish I didn't have to be.
In the future I'm not going to buy any scopes where if it arrives defective I can't send it back to the seller and let them deal with service.
I'm in touch with March via longrangesupply. I just wish I didn't have to be.
In the future I'm not going to buy any scopes where if it arrives defective I can't send it back to the seller and let them deal with service.
Will get back soon with some feedback and pictures behind the LR.
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I got my March HM 4.5-28x52 through Longrangesupply, but then I contacted March directly when I asked them to mod the turrets before they shipped (which they did).
I know you know what you want to do, but since you're now on your own, March definitely won't mind hearing directly from you,
Sorry to hear about your troubles.
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I'm loving mine so far. Image quality is good so I feel like I must have benefited from the same IQ changes that Glassaholic mentioned. It also plays well with my TigIR and my ClipIR ELR.
Nice to hear. Does the good IQ maintain at higher mag? Thanks. F7
It seems to although I haven’t taken it to real distance yet. It does have the edge dropoff that I expected from reviews but it is less than I feared.
This is rather late response to your comment on the ATACR 4-20 FOV, Glass. After reading what you said about the small FOV of this ATACR, I put it next to the Ares ETR 3-18 and the LHT 3-15x50 at 100 yards and 4x. The Ares has the best FOV, the LHT is a somewhat close second, and the ATACR 4-20 is a distant third. While here, the quite larger FOV of the Ares and its thin outer periphery could initially give the impression that it has a better image than the ATACR, which is not the case. Thanks. F7
In fairness to the ATACR 4-20 (and 5-25 for that matter) and their limited FOV at the bottom end, these scopes do increase FOV rather quickly with an increase in magnification, so don't think of the FOV on a linear scale - yes, with some scopes it is pretty close to linear but with these ATACR's especially after you get past the bottom magnification and begin to move out to 10x or so the FOV really opens up on these scopes.
Case in point, if you compare the ATACR 4-20 with the ZCO 4-20 you'll see that ZCO has a significant advantage over the ATACR at 4x (however, keep in mind that ZCO's FOV numbers are inflated for the US market) but by 20x the ATACR actually has a slight advantage over the ZCO (according to published numbers but again keep in mind ZCO numbers are inflated so the difference is actually greater than the published values)
Thanks for the insight. I will check this out, but not next to a nice ZCO, which I do not have.
Can you measure the windage turret height from the main tube OD? Trying to determine if this will work with the HANGER from Valhalla Tactical for an ADM Recon mount. I use the HANGER on an LPVO and it works well, but on my 2.5-10 PA GLX scopes the windage turret is so tall and large it completely occludes the red dot. Also, if the Shuriken lock is too tall, the non shuriken might work if its shorter, so if you also have access to this version I would like to know its height as well. Thanks for the help.
March UK ships to the US. I’d start there.
That said, I hit “Make an offer” on Scopelist when I bought my March and they took 13% off.
Greatly appreciated, thank you. If I pick one of these up, I’ll let yall know if the offset mount I mentioned works.
Another question? How do you think this compares to a Leupold MK5HD 2-10 (or maybe a 3.6-18, but that’s a little high on the low end magnification) if you’ve tested the Leupy. I currently run a GLX 2.5-10 on my GPR/SPR and I really want to step up to premium glass in an MPVO that’s short and Compact and durable.
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I’ll chime in here. I bought my D15V42FIMLX (MIL, Tactical, Illumi, Shuriken lock) in Jan ‘24 to replace My Leupold X-5HD with offset red dot. The March improved with glass quality, length, locking turrets, illumination, and not having to cant between the offset. After some time behind the March, comparing them for hours to my (Mark 5HD 5-25, VX-5HD 3-15 and new Steiner T6XI 5-30) I was confused and frustrated.
First, the glass is better than the Steiner & Leupolds, fit & finish a big step up, crazy compact compared to even the 3-15, and the Shurken locks are solid. I was disappointed with the edge clarity, chromatic aberration, and depth of field when zooming and out…to the point of regretting my decision and wondering if I could return it. After rereading @Glassaholic impressive, detailed comparison on Snipers Hide, I found The Dark Lord of Optic’s video on diopter setting. I reset the diopter using 10x power in a dark room with an illuminated wall a couple feet beyond the objective. WOW! GAME CHANGER!
An innovative, industry leading design that nails all these features: locking, illumination, timepiece precision, exit pupil, field of view, weight, magnification range…..doing it while presenting it in a 10.6” package! The Length is the disrupter in today’s market. Make the March scope 3” longer like my VX5 and many IQ problems would diminish.
Patiently setting the diopter on 10x transformed the reticle clear edge to edge. Still a bit fuzzy at 15x, but from 1.5-13 the March took on a new personality. I then recalibrated my expectations: 1-6 is easy, 1-10 is tricky, 1.5-15 is nuts! Couple that with a SHORT footprint, and you’re going to have to finesse the parallax knob more due to the 10x magnification range. I’m used to max 6X on any scope I’ve ever utilized.
Look, I’m not the kind of guy that would get mad at a sports car I bought for using too much gas, or not being able to take that sports car off-roading - it’s about properly calibrating expectations. When I looked at the overall performance for my intended use, I’m impressed every time I get behind it. There’s nothing comparative that offers ALL these options in a complete package that I’m aware of. Which is why Glassaholic chose the comparative scopes he did. ATACR is great- make it 1.5-15, 6oz lighter, and 2” shorter. I’m not sure if this properly addresses your question, but I’m happy to add any detail that would be helpful.
First, the glass is better than the Steiner & Leupolds, fit & finish a big step up, crazy compact compared to even the 3-15, and the Shurken locks are solid. I was disappointed with the edge clarity, chromatic aberration, and depth of field when zooming and out…to the point of regretting my decision and wondering if I could return it. After rereading @Glassaholic impressive, detailed comparison on Snipers Hide, I found The Dark Lord of Optic’s video on diopter setting. I reset the diopter using 10x power in a dark room with an illuminated wall a couple feet beyond the objective. WOW! GAME CHANGER!
An innovative, industry leading design that nails all these features: locking, illumination, timepiece precision, exit pupil, field of view, weight, magnification range…..doing it while presenting it in a 10.6” package! The Length is the disrupter in today’s market. Make the March scope 3” longer like my VX5 and many IQ problems would diminish.
Patiently setting the diopter on 10x transformed the reticle clear edge to edge. Still a bit fuzzy at 15x, but from 1.5-13 the March took on a new personality. I then recalibrated my expectations: 1-6 is easy, 1-10 is tricky, 1.5-15 is nuts! Couple that with a SHORT footprint, and you’re going to have to finesse the parallax knob more due to the 10x magnification range. I’m used to max 6X on any scope I’ve ever utilized.
Look, I’m not the kind of guy that would get mad at a sports car I bought for using too much gas, or not being able to take that sports car off-roading - it’s about properly calibrating expectations. When I looked at the overall performance for my intended use, I’m impressed every time I get behind it. There’s nothing comparative that offers ALL these options in a complete package that I’m aware of. Which is why Glassaholic chose the comparative scopes he did. ATACR is great- make it 1.5-15, 6oz lighter, and 2” shorter. I’m not sure if this properly addresses your question, but I’m happy to add any detail that would be helpful.
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Not sure how to tag Glassaholic on here, but his reviews are top notch! My experience with Leupold glass are detailed below.
Just type the @ symbol followed by his handle. Requesting @Glassaholic on aisle 6 for cleanup.
And personally I am mystified by the push for short scopes, except on guns with a clip-on.
And personally I am mystified by the push for short scopes, except on guns with a clip-on.
I am glad this was helpful. DFP 1.5-15x is VERY hard. When it is this short, it is stupid hard. If they made it a couple of inches longer it would perform better optically... but then it would be longer and that was not the design purposes. Everything is a compromise. I have that same scope and it kicks ass. I am aware of the compromises, but the flexibility of it is practically unmatched.
ILya
Definitely helps answer my questions. I was pretty well sold on the March, but wanted to see what else was close. I haven’t found anything else spec wise that does what this does on paper. I’ve also never owned “good” glass other than a 5-25 Vudu, which was nice, but was too much magnification for what I wanted to use it for. Also it had really bad CA. Other than that I love my GLX 2.5-10s, I have one on a MK12 Mod 0 and another on a MK12 Mod 1, and plan to put one on my 716i that I use for hunting. For the price I love the scope, probably my favorite all around scope for general use but this March ticks all the boxes for the rifle I’m building right now.
Thank you for your reply ILya. I have a deep respect for your insights and reviews! So much so, that I purchased the FFP - but not the Dual. My philosophy of use is more hunting than tactical, so I went for the uncluttered FML-4. Not until I watched another of your explanations after the fact, that I believe the DFP dot allows for a daylight bright dot with SFP design mechanics. So, a bit disappointed in my brightness and the center dot gets huge on 15x. I shoot an Sig Cross that affords me similar platform hunting/precision flexibility. The line between flexibility & effectiveness will continue to narrow with innovations like what March is doing here.
Thanks for the input. Can you link the video on diopter adjustment?
You bring up an excellent point with regard to the diopter setting, too often we "think" it is right but I would say if you ever run into situations where something seems to be out of whack (what does that really mean anyway
) it might be time for re-adjustment and/or fine tuning. I also have a theory that the higher the magnification range/erector the more finicky it can be to get the diopter just right. @koshkin has been an invaluable resource to this community and has certainly helped me when I felt I was loosing my mind with how some scopes were behaving and that is definitely the case with the March 1.5-15x42. I highly recommend those videos above.Here is a step by step process I wrote out a while back, but I should revisit ILya's videos and update accordingly:
- Initial setup: Set magnification to highest setting and set side focus to infinity. Loosen the lock ring in front of the eyepiece (if it has a lock ring) and while looking at a blank wall or the sky, rotate the diopter several turns counterclockwise (in the positive + direction) until the reticle is visibly out of focus. One of the most important things is to not stare continuously through the scope. Make sure you have something distant to look at when you look away from the scope. Then glance through the scope for no more than a few seconds. Then stare out at a distant object again while making a small adjustment. Then rotate diopter back clockwise until the reticle is focused as sharply as possible. (Note: you might need to go past what you think is sharp until it starts to get a bit fuzzy again and then dial back to the "middle" position between both extremes.)
- Fine tuning: Find a target that is very far away, so that it looks sharpest when the side focus is at the infinity setting. As you look through the scope (important that it remains steady) you can mess with the diopter by making minute adjustments either CW/CCW and see if the reticle and/or image improves any. You can also check parallax to ensure that small head movements don’t cause the POA to shift. When the target is in the best focus there should be no parallax movement, if there is parallax movement with slight movement of your position behind the scope then try to fine tune so the reticle stays locked on target with no movement.
- Closeup tuning: Now find a target that is closeup, say 100 yards away, set your side focus until the object comes into best focus, does the reticle still look sharp? Check parallax to make sure there is no shift. Make minute adjustments to diopter if necessary. Check back at long distance and make sure parallax and focus are still good to go.
- Final reticle adjustment: This should be done when you have nothing else to focus on within the FOV other than the reticle. Set your magnification to the lowest setting where you can still define all the hash marks of your reticle. You can either do it while pointing at a blank light-colored wall (keep the side focus at the infinity setting, so any of the minute features on the wall are blurred out) or at the blue sky. One of the most important things is to not stare continuously through the scope. Make sure you have something distant to look at when you look away from the scope (to reset your eye). Then glance through the scope for no more than a few seconds. Then stare out at a distant object again while making small adjustments if needed to improve upon the reticle focus. Confirm both near and distant objects again.
- Once you’ve performed the above 4 steps you should be set with your scope, it might be wise to mark your ocular and the scope tube with a pen or marker (especially if you don’t have a locking diopter) so you can return to this position if your scope is ever bumped out of alignment.
A problem for me I didn't think about until they reminded me at Stein was that pre surgery my eyes had differing amounts of astigmatism. The problems I had adjusting my diopters on my cameras as I got older were because of my cataracts getting worse where everything was just plain fuzzy.
The first Eotech I bought, I put a battery in it, and turned it on, expecting to see a perfect "circle of death" only to see a lopsided "oval", so I sent the thing back telling them the circle was cockeyed and something was wrong w/it.
They sent it back to me, and I sent it back to them twice, and only then did it occur to me to go ahead and get a comprehensive eye exam which told me I had astigmatism (really bad in the left eye).
I wonder how many optics have gotten a "bum rap" because of something/some other issue rather than their true performance.
The first Eotech I bought, I put a battery in it, and turned it on, expecting to see a perfect "circle of death" only to see a lopsided "oval", so I sent the thing back telling them the circle was cockeyed and something was wrong w/it.
They sent it back to me, and I sent it back to them twice, and only then did it occur to me to go ahead and get a comprehensive eye exam which told me I had astigmatism (really bad in the left eye).
I wonder how many optics have gotten a "bum rap" because of something/some other issue rather than their true performance.
Oh I think more often than not actually. Eotech's and my eyes have never liked each other and it's made me suspect I have an astigmatism but figured they should find that in my normal eye exam, but maybe I need to specifically ask for that. I thought all eye exams were "comprehensive" but maybe not...
Actually my regular Dr. steered me toward the Stein Inst. and said get every test known to man and that's just what they did per his written auth., I got the bills to prove it, so when I mentioned comprehensive I was thinking of that.
I'm glad they did, because they discovered the glaucoma before it could damage my optic nerve.
I'm glad they did, because they discovered the glaucoma before it could damage my optic nerve.
I bought it on Scopelist. Europtic has some too.
I believe Scopelist and Eurooptic are affiliated.
I'm currently in the process of going through existing optics several weeks after two cataracts procedures. I tell folks that it's like getting a new lease on life.
YMMV,
Keith
