Arken SH4 6-24X50 GEN2 FFP MOA

[km04]

Just got this scope. I have been looking at scopes for over a month now, and during my research I found this brand. The reviews were very good. Pulled the trigger on friday and it got here sunday. Now to get it mounted and fire some rounds.

https://www.arkenopticsusa.com/sh4-...d-reticle-with-zero-stop-34mm-tube-p230440516

 

[teratos]

Just got this scope. I have been looking at scopes for over a month now, and during my research I found this brand. The reviews were very good. Pulled the trigger on friday and it got here sunday. Now to get it mounted and fire some rounds.

https://www.arkenopticsusa.com/sh4-...d-reticle-with-zero-stop-34mm-tube-p230440516

Price is nice. Out of curiosity, what were the selling points of this vs other scopes you looked at?

 

[RRomig]

Shopping scopes is info overload. It’s a real love/hate mission.

 

[teratos]

Shopping scopes is info overload. It’s a real love/hate mission.

Exactly. That’s why I’m trying to get more info. So much out there in the low-mid range.

 

[F-Stop]

I purchased one last year. I agree, the amount of scopes out now is overwhelming, especially in this price range.

I was drawn to the adjustment mechanism and amount of adjustment. Nice brass parts under the caps, a lot of features for the price. They were running a promo for $100 off so I pulled the trigger.

Glass is decent and maybe a little better than you’d expect for this range of scope. Tracking has been good. I’ve been testing it going from 100-300 yards. I would dial wind at 300 to shoot groups on one target. Has been returning to zero fine.

Initially I got one for 22lr. It’s on a .308 currently. I was shooting 1.2” -1.6” groups at 300 with a fixed 10x. With this last time out I shot a couple .75”, .25 moa groups at 300. I didn’t realize how much I was missing magnification.


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[teratos]

I purchased one last year. I agree, the amount of scopes out now is overwhelming, especially in this price range.

I was drawn to the adjustment mechanism and amount of adjustment. Nice brass parts under the caps, a lot of features for the price. They were running a promo for $100 off so I pulled the trigger.

Glass is decent and maybe a little better than you’d expect for this range of scope. Tracking has been good. I’ve been testing it going from 100-300 yards. I would dial wind at 300 to shoot groups on one target. Has been returning to zero fine.

Initially I got one for 22lr. It’s on a .308 currently. I was shooting 1.2” -1.6” groups at 300 with a fixed 10x. With this last time out I shot a couple .75”, .25 moa groups at 300. I didn’t realize how much I was missing magnification.


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Thanks for taking the time! Good review.

 

[JKM525]

Very nice. Hope you like it!

 

[Antarctica]

I put one on an AR last year for MDPRS. I was OK, but I don't have an good riflescopes in the same configuration to compare it to. I didn't think the light transmission was outstanding, but I was comparing it to lower power scopes.

Let's just say that neither the scope nor the rifle were the limiting factor in my case!!

 

[km04]

Price is nice. Out of curiosity, what were the selling points of this vs other scopes you looked at?

Pretty much most of the reasons F-Stop said, and the price as well. For the .308 and the 30-06 I have been shooting with the scope that came with the rifles. I have wanted to upgrade but I also knew I was going to have to pay to get good glass. For one rifle the scope would have been three times the price of the rifle, at $1200. I don't shoot competitions and wouldn't be using it for work, so it would have been hard to justify that price X2. Figured I'd do the research and find something that was in my price range and that would work. I was looking at the SWFA, Vortex, and Primary Arms. All had good qualities, but the Arken won out.

 

[Pinecone]

Comparing it to the Viper PST Gen 1 (which is selling for about the same price now)

Eye relief - PST is 4.0 versus this scope at 3.5

Field of view is similar, but slightly larger with this scope. About 3 feet more at low power, but only 0.11 feet at 24x.
But it is a 34 mm tube versus 30 mm on the Viper.

Max elevation - 108.8 versus 65 for the Viper.
Max windage - 34.4 versus 65 for Viper. But not sure if this one is left and right or total range.

Parallax Min range - 50 yards for Viper versus 25 yards for this one.

The BIG one (pun intended), weight - Viper 23.4 ounces, this one is 36.6 ounces. So it weighs 13.2 ounces more.

Both have a lifetime warranty, but which company is more likely to be around in 5 or 10 years.

With the Viper PST Gen 1 scopes running about the same price, I would buy the Viper over this scope.

And if you can swing it, the Viper PST Gen 2 is a noticeably better scope.

 

[F-Stop]

I like Vortex and have a PST on another rifle. They were on my short list again with the price drops. The Arken at $349 with promo got me and was low enough to see what it was about.

I assume these Arken type scopes are built from the few manufacturers cut sheets and tailored to the companies specs.

I do like the Arken build quality at this price. It is heavy. That was not a detriment for the 22 I planned to put it on though. Nice to see this optics segment hot with competition.


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[km04]

Quick update
Mounted the scope and finally got to the range. This is a very capable scope. i didn't have much time at the range but the little time I did have showed me I need more range time. I was very happy with the results at 100 yds. I want to try 200 and farther just need to find a range close enough, affordable, and that I have access to.

Will update more as it develops.

 

[km04]

Well, I said I'd update ya...here's the latest. The two piece scope mounts the rifle came with did NOT properly fit the scope, totally my fault (this was something I should have noticed, but I guess in my excitement of getting the new scope I over looked it). Well I mount the scope good n' tight on the two piece rail and went shooting. Only shot for about an hour or so, maybe less, I was just sighting in the scope, and things went well. That was two weeks ago. This past weekend I go to shoot and get exactly 5 rounds downrange, first 3 on paper, but nowhere close to last week. The other two, I have no idea where they went. Both myself and the RO at the range were surprised to say the least. I put the rifle on safe and go to look at my scope and it falls off the rails!!!!!!! Luckily it landed on the shooting table, just a few inches drop. So now I am pissed, this should not have happened. Upon further inspection I could see the wear marks from the scope sliding on the mounts. I then noticed that the mounts were not quite right in that the slots were just a little smaller than the lugs on the scope and it was just sitting on top of them. I went online and got the proper mount. It was delivered the next day and promptly mounted, PROPERLY this time. Will keep you posted on how the next day at the range goes.

 

[km04]

Update to the update:
Went to the range today to sight in the scope, again. New one piece rail/mount works like charm. I however had a series of brain farts in the first 30 minutes. I simply could not get it together with this scope. I was getting frustrated and was just about to pack up my stuff and leave. One of the two RO's on the range today came over and just started talking to me, asking me questions about the rifle, the scope, and where I served. I asked him how he knew I was in and he said just by watching the way I handled the rifle and the way I put the rifle on safe after every shot while trying to figure out what was going on. Well this kindly older gentleman gently guided me through what to do. He said he was sure I was about to do what he suggested (I was NOT, I had had my fill and was DONE and was headed home to stew in my misery). I think he saw my level of frustration and decided to help out, and I am glad he did. I am sure I would have arrived at the process he suggested, just next week after coming home pissed off at myself. We brought the target in close, 15 yds, then 25, then 50, then 75, then 100. This got me right where I needed to be as far as the target AND my mental space dealing with this situation. i am back to where I was three weeks ago, if not a little better. I am so glad he saw what was going on and decided to step in and help. Like I said, I would have done the same thing he suggested, I have done it hundreds of times with myself and others when trying to help get things right as far as sights/scopes and getting sighted in. I just wasn't thinking straight. I never even got his name, he just said he was happy to help, shook my hand, then started helping another group that was on the range.

Hopefully, I'll have another update soon.

 

[trickg]

I jumped on the Arken bandwagon too. I'm in the middle of building a precision rifle of sorts - the idea is to make a dedicated varmint/prairie dog gun, and one of the last big items to check off the list was the scope. I took the next step to the Arken EP5 5-25x56. The downside is that there's a 4-6 week lead time on that optic, so I'll be waiting a bit before I get it and get it mounted, which is ok for the moment because I have about a 2-3 week lead time on the KRG Bravo chassis I'm using for the stock.

I did a serious deep dive on optics. Initially I was looking at these three optics in order of price: (I can get these for the following prices on ExpertVoice - the mil discount site)

Vortex Venom 5-25-56 -- $419
Athlon Helos 6-24-56 -- $472
Vortex Strike Eagle 5-25x56 -- $539

I'm on the fence about whether or not to cancel my order with Arken and just go with a Vortex or Athlon, although I think the wait will be worth it in the end.

 

[dontpanic]

I jumped on the Arken bandwagon too. I'm in the middle of building a precision rifle of sorts - the idea is to make a dedicated varmint/prairie dog gun, and one of the last big items to check off the list was the scope. I took the next step to the Arken EP5 5-25x56. The downside is that there's a 4-6 week lead time on that optic, so I'll be waiting a bit before I get it and get it mounted, which is ok for the moment because I have about a 2-3 week lead time on the KRG Bravo chassis I'm using for the stock.

I did a serious deep dive on optics. Initially I was looking at these three optics in order of price: (I can get these for the following prices on ExpertVoice - the mil discount site)

Vortex Venom 5-25-56 -- $419
Athlon Helos 6-24-56 -- $472
Vortex Strike Eagle 5-25x56 -- $539

I'm on the fence about whether or not to cancel my order with Arken and just go with a Vortex or Athlon, although I think the wait will be worth it in the end.

I was down to basically the same few scopes. I went to a show and a guy had all of them. (York) The Strike Eagle was probably the best but I ended up with the Venom for $400. The Venom was a better deal

 

[trickg]

I was down to basically the same few scopes. I went to a show and a guy had all of them. (York) The Strike Eagle was probably the best but I ended up with the Venom for $400. The Venom was a better deal

The truth is, the Venom would probably be more than enough scope, but after factoring some things, it wouldn't end up being a much better deal because with the Arken, I got a free package that included a bunch of accessories - a bag that can be used as a rear bag, flip-up lens caps, mounting rings, a tube mounted level, and a throw lever. I know that the Vortex comes with the throw lever, but I'd need to buy rings. It doesn't take long before the little things add up pretty quickly.

 

[smokey]

The truth is, the Venom would probably be more than enough scope, but after factoring some things, it wouldn't end up being a much better deal because with the Arken, I got a free package that included a bunch of accessories - a bag that can be used as a rear bag, flip-up lens caps, mounting rings, a tube mounted level, and a throw lever. I know that the Vortex comes with the throw lever, but I'd need to buy rings. It doesn't take long before the little things add up pretty quickly.

I've been extremely happy with my venom on my grendel build. It feels like cheating. The controls are all 100%, with perfect tracking and return in the X and Y, and the side focus is spot on. Within 200 yards, you can pretty much just range with the focus knob instead of counting MOA markings.

For this build, I didn't really need the illumination for more loot. It's a solid value for what you get.

In these pictures, I'm at 100 yds at the range and 200 yds from the house(scope was QD'd off the rifle at the time). It looks better to the naked eye, as these were me fumbling behind the eyepiece with my phone. The eyebox is a little tight though. That's about the only negative for it.

 

[trickg]

I've been extremely happy with my venom on my grendel build. It feels like cheating. The controls are all 100%, with perfect tracking and return in the X and Y, and the side focus is spot on. Within 200 yards, you can pretty much just range with the focus knob instead of counting MOA markings.

For this build, I didn't really need the illumination for more loot. It's a solid value for what you get.

In these pictures, I'm at 100 yds at the range and 200 yds from the house. It looks better to the naked eye, as these were me fumbling behind the eyepiece with my phone. The eyebox is a little tight though. That's about the only negative for it.

I hadn't thought of the idea of using the side focus to determine range. One of the things that seems to be somewhat arbitrary on scopes under the $1000 price point, and maybe even under the $2000 price point, is that the numbers on the side focus don't really wind up matching actual ranges. That seems to be a common complaint, even with the Vortex Venom and Strike Eagle - it looks like you got a good one.

Speaking of glass and clarity though, with all of this research into optics to determine just what is what, I got out a couple of rifles I have with scopes to glass some things in the yard and do some comparisons. This is what I've got:

Weaver 6x33 Fixed - easily 50+ years old
Redfield 3-9x40 - 50+ years old
Weaver 2-7x33 or 34 - I'm guessing early 80s vintage
Cabelas AR 3-12x44
Primary Arms 3x32 fixed prism optic

To my eyes the best glass is the Primary Arms, followed by the Cabelas. The Weaver and the 2-7 Redfield are next, with the 3-9x40 Redfield coming up dead last. The latter 3 have a fair amount of blurring at the edges, which I don't suppose is a huge problem because they are clear enough, and all of them are completely usable.

I shouldn't be surprised that the Primary Arms has the clearest glass - it was the most expensive of the bunch. All of it gives me hope that the Arken - supposedly with Japanese ED glass - is going to be a pretty nice scope, and more than good enough for what I'll need from it.

 

[KRC]

Just got this email from Arken: 30% Off all In-Stock:

Code is: SAVE30%

Seems like a good deal . . . ?

EXAMPLE:

SH4 Gen2 6-24x50 $464.99 ***30% OFF = $325.49***