I've never owned one. but I'm looking at a rifle that comes with a MARK 8 3.5-25mm Tremor 2, Illuminated. It's a $4500 scope online. I've seen a lot of nice scopes in the exchange, but not a lot of these. Is there a reason? I really want the rifle but don't need the scope, would it be hard to sell?
- Thread starter happyday
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I would ask this question in the Optics subforum. For the price, I believe there are simply better options out there but I am sure someone would want it.
This may be bear pit worthy if he's instigating...
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I believe that's right, but I think the Mk8 did very well as I recall.
Nobody wants canned food when there is lobster on the menu ....
Thats pretty much it. For $4500 you can get a S&B.
Depending on which model, you can get a SB PMII 5-25x56 for just a little more than HALF of that.
Yep, a couple weeks back I posted where Optics Planet had them for $2500 I believe it was.
Or a Tangent Theta or a Steiner M5Xi or a USO or a Hensoldt or a... You get the picture.
Vortex could come out with a $4500 scope too and I wouldn't buy it and I believe now that they are a better mfg. than Leupold.
Leupold is considering making the M4 a restricted item available only through ONE dealer... They feel they can mark them up because it's "what the army chooses". I told them this was a baaad idea, guy on the phone agreed, but it was dicks upstairs making the rules and setting the prices.
I've considered a Mk6. Until I found out they want TWO THOUSAND DOLLARS for upgrade to an illuminated reticle? Isn't that shit STANDARD with most everybody else now? Anyway, I'll buy the Hensoldt first. Or the S&B.
Yeah that ole Mil contract thing . I should have said MRE's vs lobster ...
I have a mark 8, it has been a great optic. There is just not much love for leupold on the hide... mtncreek has the good info on mark4's, they are being phased out due to old tech, not because they are going to jack the price up through one dealer. Leupold has to finish its military contracts before it can drop them completely. I have a mark4 as well despite what the negatives you hear I beat the shit out of both and they have performed flawlessly. 4500 is pretty high you ought to be able to find one at a good dealer for around 3799.99. I never have understood why everyone bashes leupold on the hide. In my own experience 12 years on a mark 4, and 3 years on a mark 8 they are competitive scopes. Maybe next time I'll drink the koolaid and try a bender, or a nightforce they are good optics and I shoot with a lot of guys who run them, or maybe I'll just keep buying leupold they have been good to me.
Similar experience here. I went from a Viper PST to a NF NXS to a Mk4 before I finally got a scope that worked (all were new). It's not the old Mk4 though, it's the newer one with the 34 mm tube and M5A2 turrets (mrad, locking elev.). It has good glass, tracking is always dead-on, it just works. When prices on SB came down last year, I was able to pick up a PMII 5-25x56 last summer, and then another around Christmas. Do I like them better? Yes. The glass is a little better (but the Mk4 glass is very good), and they have some features the Mk4 doesn't have, and they have more magnification. With the price drop, I was able to afford them because they were only about 900.00 more than what I paid for the Mk4. BUT, back around the time I bought the Mk4, the same SBs were nearly DOUBLE the price of the Mk4. At that price difference, the Mk4 was a good buy. Now? Not quite as much with the new SB pricing. Having said all that, the Mk4 is now on my Tikka CTR, and I have several years behind it on a 338 Norma prior to that where it got beat pretty hard. I've come to trust it enough that I never intend to sell it.
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Simple....price. Too much competition for the MK8. That being said, I own a couple of them. I paid 1/2 off MSRP if I recall. Both had the H58 reticle. Sucked, too thick. Had those swapped out for the H59. Much better. I really like the MK8's. Comparing them to the S&B 3-27 and Vortex Gen II was a little tough at first as my S&B had a "focus" issue and had to be returned for calibration. Upon return I found the MK8 and S&B to have a different "look" but clarity was pretty much equal. The Gen II coming in last on clarity for me. Love em all and still have em. Buddy of mine recently picked up a MK8 (Tremor reticle if I recall) for about $3300. I've heard others picking them up for about the same fwiw.
Not sure about the MK8 because I don't think it ever really got any traction as people had already mostly passed Leupold by at that point.
I have a Mk6 3-18 on a KAC M110K1 that has done well, and the real diamond in the rough is the 34mm tube Mk4 5-20 with the M5A2 turret. Fantastic glass, zero stop, multiple reticle options, bounds ahead of the other Mk4s as well as the MK8 and not expensive. I actually have one on my MRAD and sold one of my S&B 5-25 I was going to use instead.
I have a Mk6 3-18 on a KAC M110K1 that has done well, and the real diamond in the rough is the 34mm tube Mk4 5-20 with the M5A2 turret. Fantastic glass, zero stop, multiple reticle options, bounds ahead of the other Mk4s as well as the MK8 and not expensive. I actually have one on my MRAD and sold one of my S&B 5-25 I was going to use instead.
You gotta link or something to show this Mk4 5-20 with M5A2 turret? Because for the life of me I can't find this nor have ever heard of it. Very curious......
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Price-$$$$, for the Leu.Mark8 is very High ( only a guess ? ) , probably because the attached NSN#, to the contract sale price, so by law they can't sell for less on the retail than they charge the Fed.
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I mis-spoke earlier. The Mk4 you describe here is the one I have, M5A2 turrets (I mis-remembered them and wrote "M5A1" in the previous post and will correct it). Same scope as yours. Mine has the TMR reticle, and like you, find it to be nothing like what everyone says the older Mk4s are supposed to be like. However, if the M5A2 turret has a zero stop, I am unaware of it and uninformed in how to set it. If you are sure of this, please let me in on it! Thanks.
Here's mine after moving it from the .338 to the Tikka:
KSE gave the scope an A+. His only objection was the H-58 reticle and he said with Tremor reticle he'd be all over it. It was simply the best review I've seen and I believe I have read all the alpha reviews.
If the OP is looking for a value I seem to remember a couple selling at about 3K. My only comment would be that if you bought the rifle and figured it was a good buy valuing the scope at that money "I would take a long look at the scope" before sending down it the road.
If the OP is looking for a value I seem to remember a couple selling at about 3K. My only comment would be that if you bought the rifle and figured it was a good buy valuing the scope at that money "I would take a long look at the scope" before sending down it the road.
I have the Horus reticle in mine and I like it, but the only issue I foresee having is for calibers like a 338, I may end up obscuring the target at long, long range. Overall the scope is honestly right up there with the S&B I've used. The fact they have it under the MK4 model range is a gigantic marketing mistake for them. If you look around, you can actually find these for 1500 which for what it is, is a gigantic value.
For the zerostop (I'm going by memory here so if its a bit off just IM me and I'll get it right for you) is based on the knurled ring that is threaded onto the elevation knob once you take the turret housing off.
- Unscrew the 3 small turret housing screws on the elevation turret
- There will be a knurled ring threaded onto the turret
- Unscrew it a turn or so and then put the elevation turret on it; it only seats onto it at certain points so you'll need to get it to fit together. This wont change the zero on your scope until you have the elevation turret cap screwed back together with the 3 stop screws.
- Play with where you need to 'start' the threaded piece so that when it bottoms out on the threads its maybe .2 or .3 past your zero. Once you have that figured out, put the 3 set screws into the turret housing and tighten. Now you have a zerostop.
For the zerostop (I'm going by memory here so if its a bit off just IM me and I'll get it right for you) is based on the knurled ring that is threaded onto the elevation knob once you take the turret housing off.
- Unscrew the 3 small turret housing screws on the elevation turret
- There will be a knurled ring threaded onto the turret
- Unscrew it a turn or so and then put the elevation turret on it; it only seats onto it at certain points so you'll need to get it to fit together. This wont change the zero on your scope until you have the elevation turret cap screwed back together with the 3 stop screws.
- Play with where you need to 'start' the threaded piece so that when it bottoms out on the threads its maybe .2 or .3 past your zero. Once you have that figured out, put the 3 set screws into the turret housing and tighten. Now you have a zerostop.
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I have the Mk8 with H58 that I got for WAY less that $4500 from Scott at Liberty. They are amazing scopes. The Tremor reticle would be a bigger drawback to me than the scope itself. At $3-3200 the Mk8 is a solid choice, at anything close to $4k I wouldn't buy another.
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