- Thread starter DrDeath
- Start date
I have one sitting on a shelf. There are plenty out there with good tracking, as good of glass and a variable power that are the same price. A decade ago it was a very good value, now it is a workable unit, but good tracking has become a lot more common and it just isn't going to stand out like it once did.
I still have a few sitting around, but like was mentioned earlier, they're a bit dated, and a very basic optic with no frills. They're good scopes, and good glass for the money. 100% made in Japan. But in that price range, i'd spend the coin on an Arken SH4 Gen2. They're running a special for Labor Day and you can get one of their scopes + their $200 package that includes rings and all sorts of stuff, for under $325 shipped. The scopes are FFP, and have a really nice VPR reticle, a tracking guarantee, better turrets than the SWFA, and a 34mm tube with tons of elevation adjustment, and a zero-stop.
www.arkenopticsusa.com
SH4 GEN2 6-24X50mm FFP MIL VPR
Bought 4 just about 2 years ago. They're all on daily use .308win rifles that do rough farm duty especially riding around on ATV's, motorcycles and 4x4's with what seems like concrete for suspension. Each one gets a hundred rounds a month or thereabouts fired through it particularly at coyote size targets from 200-600m away whether those be meat based or steel based. Misses are on the shooter. None of them have ever failed me. Beyond that, they're one of the common scopes to show up at my LR classes on the rifles of new shooters and not one has ever failed in a class or at a match I was at. I have come across one that had a couple dead clicks but that was it for the problems. It's a workable scope for not a lot of money. What they did right was take very few features and implement those as well as could be done and it turned out to be a right tough and precise scope with essentially zero features other than a scaled reticle, exposed target turrets and an adjustable parallax. Not having illumination or adjustable magnification or anything fancier than was needed to hit man size targets at 1km made it pretty easy for them to pull off high quality and low cost.
Dog shit glass warning on that arken.
Absolutely. I have 3 of the SH4 Gen2 6-24x50's and one of the new EP5 5-25x56 scopes. They are VERY rugged and robust. My EP5 is sitting on my R700 5R Milspec .308 Win.
Go to YouTube and look up the VSO Gun Channel's Arken torture tests. He literally bends the turret, and then whacks it back straight on the edge of a table, and it still passes a tracking test.
You've obviously never even looked through one. Stop spreading blatant lies.
They do, I believe it's on sale for $299 right now, as well.
I don’t buy china scopes, and when you can find the SWFA scopes used or on sale (LD sale right now for $239) in the $200-$250 range which is often if you are patient, I think they still have great value. Glass is good, turrets track and repeat, and extremely durable. I find it still very relevant, and a competitive product, especially when on sale.
Look, I'm sure you own one and that your psyche can't take the knowledge that you bought an absolute brick of dog shit and you certainly haven't had your daily chug of semen yet so you're understandably grumpy but the fact of the matter is that I bought one just to do a review and it was so shitty that it made the shittiest scope I've ever owned list at #1, it was even worse than a UTG Bugbuster. You can go get your daily chug now.
It’s amazing you quickly some people go full-retard over these Arken scopes. Just… wow.
It's a great scope at its price point, no doubt about it. I have 2 that I got when I first started shooting. The more I shot, the more I wanted out of my scopes, so I started upgrading, but I never got rid of the swfa's. I will find a use for them again.
You sure know a lot about sucking dicks and chugging semen... You seem to enjoy talking about it, too. I guess everyone needs a hobby. I'm happy you found something you're good at.
They are solid scopes and are mechanically sound. The glass is decentish, plus they parallax down to 10m which makes indoor dryfire easy. I have several that are zeroed to rifles and kept as a backup in case the primary optic takes a shit. It is tough to beat their utility to price ratio. That said, they are relatively long and aren't particularly lightweight considering the simplicity of the design. They also have a relatively simple reticle w/ no wind holds unless you dial elevation (ie. I wish they had a Christmas tree). With a fixed 10+ power optic, it is advisable to do an offset RDS if it is something that you may actually need to use closer than 100 yd with any sort of speed. YMMV.
I currently have the 12x on my M1A Supermatch and so far so good. That rifle has destroyed 4 other scopes now, and one it broke in less than 20 rounds.
The SWFA scopes are very usable. My only real gripe is the 5mil turret instead of 10 and no built in zero stop.
The SWFA scopes are very usable. My only real gripe is the 5mil turret instead of 10 and no built in zero stop.
It is funny, you mentioned using a fixed 10x with an offset red dot. I have that exact project running where I have three different 10x scopes of varying prices set up with offset reflex sights: SWFA Classic 10x42 with side focus, SWFA SS HD 10x42 with rear focus and US Optics FDN FX10.
It is kind of an interesting solution. The thing I am trying to understand is whether a $300-$400 fixed 10x offers a substantive advantage over a very expensive LPVO on 8x or 10x. It is an interesting concept.
ILya
You bring up an interesting point, one that I've been messing with for quite a while. To be very transparent, I am in what is likely the extreme minority of shooters as far as what I need/want. Due to my work hours over the last few years, a good portion of my shooting happens under night vision. This, of course, massively impacts what I want in optics. For the purposes of this thread, the 10x42 actually is useful at night w/ a clip-on. It is a very imperfect optic, but for its wildly cheap price, it does a lot of things acceptably well. Adding an offset red dot starting back in 2008ish time-frame has made it a solid system. All that said, the fixed SWFA optics should NOT be a first choice item for night vision shooters.
I’ve had several SWFAs, they’re basic scopes that flat out work. They don’t have the frills of some of the newer scopes but they track like a bloodhound and can take serious abuse.
They are chicom garbage. My buddy had 2 and both broke. One on a 6 creed prs gun and one of a 300wm. I shot them both and it was like looking through a window smeared with dogshit.
Do you get paid per shill post for Arken or do you work like a bitch for free?
So, do you get paid to shill for SWFA, or do you work for free like a weak little bitch?
The fixed ss has done fine for me on several rifles, air, rimfire, and center fire on steel. Its especially good if you score on price a bit. Full retail, not as good a buy these days due to competition.
I was under 200 bucks for mine a while back. No complaints at that price point. Has held up to 308 in light rifle, 50 cal ar50, springer air rifle too.
I am using an old 10x one on a nice pcp air rifle. It focuses very close for 10m shooting if you want. That can be a tough feature to find that works reliably.
Tracking works, basic mil dot reticle, glass is fine. No SB, but cost is not either, especially used. Of course there are better scopes, but the OG ss stuff still works if you're running with limited funds or happen to have one!
I used it as a place holder, but left it on the fx since it does well and I didn't have to buy more glass lol. Again, the parallax letting me shoot into 10m is fantastic.
I was under 200 bucks for mine a while back. No complaints at that price point. Has held up to 308 in light rifle, 50 cal ar50, springer air rifle too.
I am using an old 10x one on a nice pcp air rifle. It focuses very close for 10m shooting if you want. That can be a tough feature to find that works reliably.
Tracking works, basic mil dot reticle, glass is fine. No SB, but cost is not either, especially used. Of course there are better scopes, but the OG ss stuff still works if you're running with limited funds or happen to have one!
I used it as a place holder, but left it on the fx since it does well and I didn't have to buy more glass lol. Again, the parallax letting me shoot into 10m is fantastic.
We are already in the shitter I see.
Iv had a bunch of swfa scopes and currently only the 10x. No features, not good glass but they track and hold zero. I currently have the 10x on a full custom build waiting for the day I can put another scope on it.
I’ll buy it over any China scope Iv personally used. And honestly it’s the only scope of that price that Iv ever not been disappointed in or broken.
My last 10x I got during the tax day sale for 200 bucks. It’s sitting on a defiance/bartlein/manners build in ARC rings.
Iv had a bunch of swfa scopes and currently only the 10x. No features, not good glass but they track and hold zero. I currently have the 10x on a full custom build waiting for the day I can put another scope on it.
I’ll buy it over any China scope Iv personally used. And honestly it’s the only scope of that price that Iv ever not been disappointed in or broken.
My last 10x I got during the tax day sale for 200 bucks. It’s sitting on a defiance/bartlein/manners build in ARC rings.
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I talked to one of the guys behind Arken and walked away with a good impression. I think he understands how to deliver a good product.
As most of us did not, I did not like their rollout. I think it was a shill-infested disaster. It will take a while for the bad taste of that to fade away.
I have only spent a significant amount of time with one Arken scope: SH4 Gen2 4-16x and it is working well. I have seen others as well and while I think the hype is overblown a bit, they do offer a lot of features for the money.
The question that only time can answer is whether the core fundamentals are consistent enough.
In the beginning, based on feedback I got from many people that got them, there were clear QC issues, which is why I stayed away. They seem to have worked through that and it got better.
Now, the question is whether the little things are consistent enough. For example, a subscriber of mine just sent me his SH4 because he think the POA is changing with parallax. Arken customer service told him that he is off his rocker (in much nicer terms). Since I am curious about this brand, I will take his scope, put it on a collimator and see if the issue is real or not. There is a lens group that moves when you adjust side focus. It is only supposed to move front to back, but if it hops vertically, you can have POA shift.
It is a comparatively subtle effect that is hard to measure without some tools and knowledge of what to look for.
Lastly, one of the reasons I look at somewhat more expensive scopes a lot of the time is that I prefer to stick with product lines that will be available long enough for us to get some idea of longevity. I take a LONG time to fully evaluate a scope because I actually use these things. I spend a LOT of time with a design before I am comfortable recommending it, unless I am exceedingly comfortable with the manufacturer and/or OEM.
If a manufacturer comes up with the latest and greatest every few months, it is hard to figure out the track record. Many brands do that rapid product rotation early in their existence and then they settle in a little.
If Arken gets to that "settled in" phase, I fully expect to dig into the rest of their product line in more detail. EP5 does look promising.
ILya
