Arken SH4 or ???? For rimfire build

I have used the arken scopes on several ar 15 and ar 10 builds. I have been very pleased ,best bang for the money. The turrets are second to none. I just ordered am epl4 for a howa mini action build .The ep5 glass is great the ep4 glass is good .The scopes are great for the money !
 
All that’s left to do is shoot it. Maybe this week. Scope is way more than what I am used to. It’ll either be fun or aggravating.

It is no lightweight, but that was not the goal. A quick pic from last night after I got it mounted.
 

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Varminterror said:
Bartojc said:
If I add a 20 MOA rail would I be able to get down to a 50 yard zero? My definition of long range for .22 is 300 yards.
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Most folks kinda neglect the zeroing drop and scope height compensation, because we are used to shooting centerfire ... 22LR drops like a brick ... if you want to zero at 50 and shoot to 300, add a 20moa rail - it just means you’ll have to dial to 49moa instead of 42 at 300yrds, and you just need a scope with 80+ MOA of total elevation.
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Varminterror is correct ... during my 10,000+ round testing capturing various brands/weights/lots of ammunition 5/10 shot groups at 50/100 yards, I found bullet drop can be significant.

Shooting at 50/100 yards, I maxed out some of my elevation adjustments of different Burris/Bushnell/Leupold/Vortex/Athlon/Viridian scopes and got EGW 20 MOA scope rail for 10/22 which brought POI back to center of elevation adjustments.
Bartojc said:
What else is there in the sub $400 range ? I’m not familiar with the Athlon brand but maybe something there? Others?
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And since T/CR22 has integral picatinny scope rail, got Vortex Strike Eagle 4-24x50mm due to 80MOA turrets at $299 (Model SE-1627 ... Yes, it has illuminated reticles) - https://www.eurooptic.com/Vortex-Strike-Eagle-4-24x50-with-EBR-4-MOA-Riflescope-SE-1627-Kit.aspx

Bartojc said:
Uses for the rifle will be informal target work out to 100-200 yards, shooting small groups or ringing steel. Perhaps pest control. 95 percent target and range or informal plinking.
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This was my 100 yard "boxing" target of Viridian scope turret test using "cheap" boxed Aguila 40 gr CPRN - https://www.thehighroad.org/index.p...22lr-on-the-cheap.898035/page-2#post-12194385

index.php
 
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We shot a target at 333 yards in an NRL-22 match. I have a 30 MOA rail, but my Tract 30MM PRS LR 4-20X50 scope only had 13.9 Mils (About 50 MOA) elevation with a 50 yard zero, and I needed 14.4, so I had to hold another .5 Mil. It's fine out to 300, but couldn't quite make 333. Still love the scope.
 
Walkalong said:
Great price, but second focal plane.
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I thought OP was using the rifle for informal plinking and target shooting out to 100-200 yards ... and SFP scope should work at lower cost than FFP
Bartojc said:
Uses for the rifle will be informal target work out to 100-200 yards, shooting small groups or ringing steel. Perhaps pest control. 95 percent target and range or informal plinking.
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LiveLife said:
I thought OP was using the rifle for informal plinking and target shooting out to 100-200 yards ... and SFP scope should work at lower cost than FFP
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That was the original thought. . That Viper would probably be fine but somewhere I decided that I wanted or needed a FFP. It’s a slippery slope, and these things take on a life of their own.

Jeff
 
I reported a little about the scope in the rifle range report but thought I'd throw a bit here in case someone in the future stumbles on it. Got the rifle and scope out last weekend. THese opinions are coming from someone who has only spent limited time ever behind a FFP scope. I had not owned one until this Match Pro. Out of the box the scope seemed like a beast compared to my hunting SFP scope. I mounted it a couple weeks ago and set out Saturday to shoot. Once focused the scope seemed as clear enough. Granted I never looked out past 300 yards much.
Three shots at 50.... no trouble seeing .22 holes in white paper. Looked to be about 1 mil left and down, cranked on the elevation and windage and bingo I was in business, or close enough this day. The turrets are nice and tight. The toolless zero reset is nice as well. I did not do a tracking test, but I expect it to go well. Locking turrets I guess are nice, I've never had them before and did not realize I needed them. Glass is clear and the side focus/parallax adjust is really nice. Able to take parallax down to 10 yards is nice for .22. This scope is spoiling me really quick, I never knew I needed so many dials to turn :) It does have an illuminated reticle. I tried it, but never shot with it. It has 6 brightness settings. In the bright daylight the first 3 are useless, but the top couple are easily seen in the bright daylight so it is useable.

Negatives, I find the eyebox a little less forgiving than other scopes I have. I think I could go slightly higher on the rings, using EGW medium at .920 on top of a 30 moa rail but I think a little more height may help me there. It's usable for sure and only minor. Other thing would be if I ever get to running this out long I might really want a zero stop. I haven't needed one yet, but this scope does not have one. It has everything else, but no zero stop, and with .22 it might be nice.

All in all for the money ($399) a FFP 6-24x50 illuminated reticle, adjustable parallax down to 10 yds, the scope seems solid.


-Jeff
 
My budget build is a Savage Mark II TR w a Leupold Freedom VX 6-18X.
Wears EGW O degree pic rail and their Keystone rings.
Our club can't go much past 100 yds, plus this is a hunting rifle for me.
Might paint the stock tomorrow.
I do decent work and have done tigerstripe and sponge painting.
Trying to do a muted fall color, goldish yellow, olive, dark red and purple, like you see off in the distance of a woods come fall.
Alas, that seems like work to this lazy bum.
Just don't want anything camo anymore.
And the factory black on my stock aint the best paint job every done.
So it needs another coat of something........
 
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I had a couple Arken SH4s in 6-24 and 4-16. With both of the 6-24s they ended up having windage adjustment problems after I shot them on magnum rifles. They worked fine on .308 Win, 6.5 CR and smaller, except for the glass quality issues.

I really wanted to like these scopes but since they could no longer hold a windage zero I can't recommend them.

My Nikon Black 6-24 scopes do just fine with the magnums, plus the glass is exceptionally clear. Too bad Nikon got woke and out of the scope market. Since I work fairly close to Primary Arms I pick up some of their bargain table scopes from time to time. They are getting better every year.
 
I jumped on the Riton bandwagon. I know there's a number of guys who have their products and are pleased. They just had a big 40% off sale on their 2022 riflescopes. I took advantage of it and scooped up a few mounts. Any questions give them a call, they are quick to respond and doing what it takes to make scopes we want.
 
InTheSwamp said:
I'm about to do that. Arken is great, but size, weight, poor illumination are steering me away from it.
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The weight of Arken scopes is definitely a downside, there is no denying that fact. The Arken scopes I have are mounted on rifles that get shot from rests or bipods so weight isn't a factor. I personally don't use the illumination on any of my scopes so that part doesn't bother me, but you are correct that the illumination is not very bright.

The turrets on the Arken scopes are huge but they have nice definite clicks and all of mine have tracked true and passed the box test.

I originally bought the Arken SH4 to compare it to the Swampfox Optics Patriot scope. I wanted to do a comparison of lower priced 6-24 scopes. And even with the negatives, I will still recommend people at least consider Arken scopes if on a tight budget.
 
Arken does have the epl4 out now. 30mm tube and considerably lighter than the other models. The downside is less elevation travel. I'm seriously considering one for a .22 I just ordered. If I don't go that route, I'm either gonna look for a weaver fixed power on the used market or just bite the bullet and get into a Nightforce SHV or something like that.
 
I have the Arken SH4 Gen 4 6x 24 on my Tikka 223. 1/2 MOA at 200 yds. At 300 yds I hit a three inch center but the resolution/focus is not as clear. I guess that is the difference in glass. If you use the discount code, the SH4 scope is $299. Depends on your budget. It does a great job with that price point. Many on the site will say cry once and but once. They are right. I will be investing in a higher quality scope in the future as my skills improve. That price point could easily reach 4-5 times the cost of SH4. For now, the Arken does what I need.
 
I couldnt make up my mind, so I ordered an SH4 4-16x. I just couldn't beat the price. They had it listed for $299 and offered 25% off. For the price, it'll be a nice scope just to have on hand.

It'll be here Friday. I'll mount it up on my CZ 457 and take it for a spin.
 
I got my 4-16x SH4 in. Mechanically, it's been a killer scope. Nice turrets and look to be accurate and return to zero. The downside is the glass. It's just adequate. At 300 yards or so you can start to really notice the lack of resolution.
 
TonyAngel said:
I got my 4-16x SH4 in. Mechanically, it's been a killer scope. Nice turrets and look to be accurate and return to zero. The downside is the glass. It's just adequate. At 300 yards or so you can start to really notice the lack of resolution.
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Yeah i think the glass quality of Arkens in general has been oversold. They arnt bad, infact in comparing they are really decent, but they arnt BETTER than more expensive optics, and at best compare favorably with the top optical quality scopes in their price brackets.....
Cost I guess of having those turrets and the low price point.
 
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