So back to my question. What will the mark 4 do for him that a 500 to 600$ scope from Leupold wont do considering what he is looking at doing, his rifle, and his level of experience.
Well, as someone that used his Mark 4 as a hunting optic this year, I'll start...
I particularly liked the fact that I was able to dial in range on one of my deer fields this year.
I have the field marked out at 100 yard increments from 100 yards to 600 yards. A couple weeks ago, I had several deer come out at approximately 475 yards. Had I chosen to take the shot (I didn't), it was a simple task for me to dial the pre-calibrated M3 knobs out to the 500 yard mark to compensate for the drop of my bullet-- no holdovers or figuring ballistics.
A couple minutes later, a buck came out at 150 yards. I was immediately able to dial back down to 200 yards. Because I have a "zero-stop," I could just quickly crank it down to the 100 yard zero and click back up for 200 yards.
Considering that my Mark 4 has the same lenses as the VX-III, I'd be looking at about a $650 comparison to the VX-III. Add M3 turrents to the VX-III and you bring that cost up by $125. And now lets factor in that mine is Illuminated. Add about $200 to the cost of that VX-III for that.
And in the end, you have a 1" tube on the VX-III which means that you'll have less adjustment range. So you better purchase a 20 MOA canted base from Badger Ordinance if you want to reach a bit further. That base is about $100.
See how that starts to work?
If you guys consider a 500 to 600$ scope a starter scope that should be avoided I guess I am outclassed by 10 times when it comes to my shooting capability, and by 1000 times if I was new to medium range and beyond shooting.
When I use the term "starter," I don't mean in terms of cost. I mean it in terms of fuction.
For instance...
I could fork out $500 on a Ziess Conquest and that would be a FINE, QUALITY optic. And soon I'd discover that it did not meet what I was trying to accomplish. Now I have to sell it.
Even if I sold it for what I paid for it, I'd be out shipping and time.
I'd rather get what would work from the on-set if I knew what I needed.
That isn't a question of cost-- its a question of capability.
-- John