Arken EP-4 6-24x50 review

R

ronl

New member
After some wait my Arken ep4 6-24x50 ffp finally arrived. I was curious as to whether a $599 scope could live up to the hype. The answer is absolutely! The scope feels very solid and well made. The view through the eyepiece was exceptionally clear and crisp. Colors were vibrant. Unlike some reviewers noted, my power ring, parallax, and diopter were in a word, just as they should be. The turrets were very crisp with no slop between clicks. The zero stop rock solid. My only complaint was the fine reticle that is somewhat difficult to see clearly below 10 power, but where my power ring lives, from 14-16, the reticle will enable some fine work. The eyebox is very nice and forgiving. No illumination is not a big deal as I have never used it before. In every aspect this scope exceeded my expectations. I do not know how they managed to put out a scope of this quality at this price point, but they have a seriously good optic here. With their lifetime warranty and tracking guarantee this thing is pretty much in a class by itself. To top it all off the thing really looks good. This thing is going to set a very high bar, and scope makers putting out scopes in the $1000-$1500 rang are going to have to take notice. Time will tell if it holds up, but after seeing the abuse some reviewers put it through, and being 50bmg rated, I do not expect any problems whatsoever. Take a look at one if you get the chance and you will see what I am talking about.
 
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R

ronl

New member
Update. After living with the scope for a while I can give a little more info on it. I have come to appreciate the scope a lot, for there is really a lot to like about it, but it has its limitations. It is, after all, a $600 optic and I cannot expect it to perform as well as a $1500 rifle scope. I have compared it to scopes wearing much bigger names in the industry, such as Valdada and Vortex. I compared the optic to a Valdada fixed 16x scope, a Vortex Viper PA 6-20, a Vortex PST 5-25, and a Vortex Razor HD 5-20, and overall, it compared well with each. Only the Razor was clearly better in most respects, but considering that it costs almost three times the price, is something I expect. The Arken tracks extremely well and that is one of its three strongest points along with the great feel of the knobs and the brick wall, easy to set zero stop. There is only one limit I find concerning the scope, and that is the too fine center dot that, ironically, enables excellent accuracy. The ocular has to be set perfectly to use it, and it washes out right around 20 minutes after sunset. The view is still there, but the reticle isn't. The question of durability still remains, and I will not know that until much later. Overall, I have to say the optic, especially considering the price, is very capable and easy to use. I do not think there is a single shot I have taken with the other scopes that I think I could not have made just as well, or better, with the Arken.
 
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