I've got a Leupold Mk5 5-25 Illum. TMR coming soon--to go on my lightweight 300PRC build. Current street prices are pretty good right now also. I compared the 3.8-18 and 5-25, and prefer the 5-25 for a long range bolt gun. It's not much heavier, and the image was superior at 15-18x, where I do a lot of my shooting. Every scope I've used, including my S&B 5-25, have the best optics well short of their max magnification.
“There is no growth in the comfort zone.”--Jocko Willink
"You can never have too many knives." --Joe Ambercrombie
The issue when you start talking $$$ for glass is the ability to test drive what you want first. There can be some big differences between manufacturers and models. Even within the same model but different magnification ranges. While stopping in the local Sheels or Cabela’s is nice for fondling or maybe basic looking at reticle types, it’s a challenge to really have reached a comfort level when it comes to the point of dropping down the cash. I’m a Vortex fanboy for a number of reasons. The biggest of which is I have the ability to go to their showroom where they will be more than happy to set you up with a tripod outside the entrance door and let you scan the cornfields or the traffic on County T to get comfortable with your purchase. Plus, they’ll let you bring your dog in while you shop. Lol (GJM, you need to stop there!)
Working diligently to enlarge my group size.
Originally Posted by pyrotechnic
These are some solid middle magnification recommendations here, 16x is plenty doable at 1k yards but I'd prefer to have at least 20x even though you typically won't use it at that high of magnification. Even when we're shooting out too 2k we're typically at 20x or less depending on the conditions while the scopes we used are capable of 24-35 power maximum. Spending more on your scope typically gets you a better overall optical system (Image quality, Depth of field, ability to cut through mirage), parallax that's more forgiving, more durability etc...
CS Tactical
For the best pricing on Optics please PM or call 916.670.1103
Dealer for Zero Compromise, Tangent Theta, Leupold,
Nightforce, MDT, Vortex, XLR Industries and more...
www.cstactical.com
Great point. The difference in weight between a 5-25 and 4-16 is typically minimal.
That being said, I do like the compactness of some of the compact 4-16X scopes on the market like the 42mm objective ATACR.
-Seconds Count. Misses Don't-
In my opinion, 4-16 is just about perfect. For every person that says you need high magnification to shoot long range, there will be someone like me that says no you don’t. All boils down to preference and use case I suppose. My considerations:
1. I find larger FOV more advantageous for a wide variety of reasons
2. Often shoot in the heat. And guess what, even with ATACR glass you ain’t seein’ through that soup on high mag anyhow.
3. Higher high end mag means higher low end mag. Doesn’t work for me in the dynamic situations I often find myself in
Love my 4-16x42 F1 ATACR. Would strongly suggest it.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
How did the Cross work out for you? I keep checking them out when I’m at the Pro Shop.
Ken
BBI: ...”you better not forget the safe word because shit's about to get weird”...
revchuck38: ...”mo' ammo is mo' betta' unless you're swimming or on fire.”
Last fall I received a call from the pro shop advising me that the first production of rifles were being recalled, and was asked if I'd like to cancel my order as they could not provide an ETA.
I appreciated their transparency and cancelled the order.
Reply With Quote