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Rifle Scopes New kahles 525

Mine just arrived a half hour ago. It's beautiful... I personally love the turrets. There is just the resistance in the first to second revolution on the elevation turret as the cam pushes up the second rev indicator. After that the effort required is the same as the first rev. The compactness is a plus without the inherent drawbacks of say an ultra short. In other words, IMO, a good compromise in size. Glass is wonderful. I can only compare this to Vortex gen II 4.5x27. The Vortex is a big heavy tank in comparison. I opine that the k525i is superior in just about every way, even if just slightly in some ways. Love the skmr3 reticle.
I will leave some of the more pointed and critical reviews to those with NF, s&b and minox in hand. But just a quick play around elicits joy. I did not notice any CA mentioned for the 624i. However, bear in mind this was just a quickie out of the box look over. Initial impressions is that Kahles delivered a winner.
 
Just based on the k318i i'm expecting CA to be pretty much non existent, that is one area i cant attest that Kahles has already remedied over their older design/lens/coatings. Turrets i've always been a huge fan of. And is what swayed me to Kahles after handling one. Those turrets and the SKMR3.

I also like the size as well. Either way i wont see mine till November or December if I had to guess. Which will suck lol, but i can just take y'alls word on it because there hasn't really been a negative review yet.
 
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Wait wait Bjay i thought you liked the PMII over the K525i?
The only thing that is slightly better on pm2 with OWN eyes is glass but at max 25x
Everything else i picked kahles.. specially reticle.. comparing differences with glass is not hit and miss...your skills play way bigger rule over a hair diff on glass :)
Now you just made that guy with k525i hesitate to trade lol
 
The only thing that is slightly better on pm2 with OWN eyes is glass but at max 25x
Everything else i picked kahles.. specially reticle.. comparing differences with glass is not hit and miss...your skills play way bigger rule over a hair diff on glass :)
Now you just made that guy with k525i hesitate to trade lol

Had to be sure :ROFLMAO: Lol like he was itching to trade a scope he just got and was praising.
 
I had a quick look though the 525i and the 318i......Something I enjoyed about the 624i was the wide eyebox Kahles is known for coupled with the 624i having a very thin sidewall in the users visual plane. Together the two make the optic feel like a heads up display rather than like looking though a tube particularly at low power when the exit pupil is largest and it's something I really look forward to everytime I get behind the 624i. So those were the 1st things I looked for on the 318i and 525i and I didn't find them. The eyebox feels slightly smaller to me and the sidewall of the optic is substantially thicker in my visual plane. I do like feel of the parallax better and there is also a bit more tension on the power ring but I didn't get anytime to crank the magnification and look for resolution and CA. So far I like the 4-16 ATACR F1 and Leupold MK5 better than the 318i and the 624i better than the 525i but that could change the longer these new scopes are out the more I get opportunities to look though them and gain an opinion.
 
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What do you mean by sidewall exactly? Like holding resolution out to the edge of the image?
 
What do you mean by sidewall exactly? Like holding resolution out to the edge of the image?
I think @roamin meant the perceived thickness of the tube while looking through the scope, he's saying he felt the K624i was thinner than the K525i. In the below image you can see how thick the tube appears from crispness of the sight picture edge to the blurry outer edge of the tube until you can see forward objects again. This is not something I've ever really taken into account before on a long range scope, maybe an LPV optic but for long range does it really matter?

Kahles_624i_GenIII_0009.jpg
 
I gotcha i was unsure if he was referencing edge to edge clarity or what. I don't notice it but that's me. I think the eyebox for the k318i is phenomenal given it's size. It's better than the 5-25 mk5 bar none especially at max power. Do wish they had included a locking diopter. I didn't really notice any discomfort moving from the k624i to the k318i at all. For FOV the K318i doesn't have a predecessor to compare to.
 
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I had a quick look though the 525i and the 318i......Something I enjoyed about the 624i was the wide eyebox Kahles is known for coupled with the 624i having a very thin sidewall in the users visual plane. Together the two make the optic feel like a heads up display rather than like looking though a tube particularly at low power when the exit pupil is largest and it's something I really look forward to everytime I get behind the 624i. So those were the 1st things I looked for on the 318i and 525i and I didn't find them. The eyebox feels slightly smaller to me and the sidewall of the optic is substantially thicker in my visual plane. I do like feel of the parallax better and there is also a bit more tension on the power ring but I didn't get anytime to crank the magnification and look for resolution and CA. So far I like the 4-16 ATACR F1 and Leupold MK5 better than the 318i and the 624i better than the 525i but that could change the longer these new scopes are out the more I get opportunities to look though them and gain an opinion.


Tell me more about the parallax feel. Is it more solid and precise than on the 624?

Did you see, could you induce any CA?
 
I gotcha i was unsure if he was referencing edge to edge clarity or what. I don't notice it but that's me. I think the eyebox for the k318i is phenomenal given it's size. It's better than the 5-25 mk5 bar none especially at max power. Do wish they had included a locking diopter. I didn't really notice any discomfort moving from the k624i to the k318i at all. For FOV the K318i doesn't have a predecessor to compare to.
I completely concur. Same impressions as you will.
 
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Just received my k525 from Kahles with LSW and SKMR 1 reticle. I know a lot of the skmr3 have been sent, but I had wanted the std skmr. just mounted it up and played with it in the back yard. glass looks good, but only looking 50 yds. nothing stood out as an issue just yet. eye box is ok. not great, but not the worst out there by far. on par with the k624. going to the range tomorrow to sight it in. I'll bring the S&B PMII and K624 to compare. I do like the shorter overall package and the tube real-estate for adjusting eye relief (compared to my S&B, one of my only "complaints" with it).
 
Just received my k525 from Kahles with LSW and SKMR 1 reticle. I know a lot of the skmr3 have been sent, but I had wanted the std skmr. just mounted it up and played with it in the back yard. glass looks good, but only looking 50 yds. nothing stood out as an issue just yet. eye box is ok. not great, but not the worst out there by far. on par with the k624. going to the range tomorrow to sight it in. I'll bring the S&B PMII and K624 to compare. I do like the shorter overall package and the tube real-estate for adjusting eye relief (compared to my S&B, one of my only "complaints" with it).
Let us know what your thoughts are, I’m really liking this scope but waiting to hear some reviews/comparisons...
 
So far i have no complain on mine..i fully magnified and reticle is crisp.. that's all ill be focusing when holding over..i dont think ill notice if there's a blur on outside of the ret
 
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Just bought my second one! Very impressed.
 
I was out at the range this morning with the new k525, k624 (both skmr ret), and a S&B PMII H2CMR. The controls are a little stiffer on the k525 vs k624 (Mag and parallax). I do like the feel of the turrets and the markings on the turrets better on the new k525 vs k624. As for as CA goes, it def better than the k624, but not quite as good as the S&B, but very close. I had to go back and forth to see as the conditions were changing a little and so was the perceived CA. I think if you were to not have them side by side you wouldn't be able to tell the difference from memory. Glass if very good and without charts it would be hard to tell any difference. Eye box is slightly tighter on the k525 than the S&B and about the same as on the k624.

as roamin had said there seems to be a little more visual side wall of the scope in the k525. Its kinda hard to explain but its like your eye is in the wrong spot (just a bit to close), but its not. so you get a little "tunneling" effect. don't get me wrong, I'm not at all saying it tunnels, but it looks like (at any mag) compared to the Schmidt and k624.

overall its a very nice optic with a great set of features, glass, and reticle. It tracked for me perfectly out to 1000 with the same data that my Schmidt used.
 
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So, if I am happy with my K624i no real need to lust after a K525i as not SIGNIFICANTLY better. So if you don't have a K624i getting a newer model, K525i would be a nice idea, but not a game changer over the K624i. Am I reading these views right???
 
Couple of my buddies that have both say it’s a clear improvement over the 624i though i don’t have both to compare.
 
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Any recommendations for scope caps that fit the 525? Would caps for the 624 work?
 
Any recommendations for scope caps that fit the 525? Would caps for the 624 work?
Nop! The ocular is diff size the bikini that camr with your k624i will only fir the objective. There's a way if you wanna use KAHLES bikini..pm me
 
Any recommendations for scope caps that fit the 525? Would caps for the 624 work?
I emailed Kahles , they gave me the model numbers to order some caps. I think I posted it in this thread some where. I got my tracking number yesterday. Friday can't come soon enough
 
Adamount caps are now available for the 318i. My 525i hasn’t come in yet but I’d guess they will be the same. Contact Adamount via email to confirm. $99 buys the most durable caps made. Made in America by Americans. Hell yeah!
 
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Adamount caps are now available for the 318i. My 525i hasn’t come in yet but I’d guess they will be the same. Contact Adamount via email to confirm. $99 buys the most durable caps made. Made in America by Americans. Hell yeah!
I much prefer bikini..dont have to worry about hiting caps when adjusting ocular diopter
 
I much prefer bikini..dont have to worry about hiting caps when adjusting ocular diopter
How often do you adjust your ocular? You set it once.
The adamount caps covered by a lifetime guaranty, seriously rugged. I’ve lost several bikini caps sets I’ve never lost the Adamount caps. My 2 cents
 
How often do you adjust your ocular? You set it once.
The adamount caps covered by a lifetime guaranty, seriously rugged. I’ve lost several bikini caps sets I’ve never lost the Adamount caps. My 2 cents
I use both..its actually when dialing focus..
If you want flip caps tenebraex for the 10-50 kahles is the same as k525i i posted parts# above.
If you want aad model order k624i obj
And k318i eye piece.
 
Are these the same sunshade as the 624? Part number 685-461?
 
I emailed em i haven't heard anything in two weeks. Might not have gotten any RSW SKMR3s yet?
 
Bummer that I’m ready to buy one but Kahles can’t make enough of them fast enough to fill demand and it’s a 3-6 month wait. So depressing.
 
Bummer that I’m ready to buy one but Kahles can’t make enough of them fast enough to fill demand and it’s a 3-6 month wait. So depressing.


Kahles Austria takes a few weeks vacation every August (It's a European thing :) ) and will resume shipping in September. We will have some at that time if you'd like to pre-order than give us a call.
 
Sport Optics has them in stock if interested.
 
Specifically looking for 10644 (k525i SKMR3 RSW) which is not in stock at SportOptics or EuroOptic or CSTactical or MileHigh Shooting or CameraLandNY or Brownells or Midway or Scheels ... not even WalMart! ;-)

When Kahles introduced the Left Side Windage, I didn't expect the traditional windage would be so hard to find. My bad.