Go with Sightron. You won't be disappointed.

 

I've owned two S-TAC scopes and one SII. I was disappointed.

I'm tempted to try the SIII, but I need to see one in person before I drop a grand on one.

 

Can you show a picture of how the scope is mounted?

A friend mounted a different brand scope with the front ring too close to the adjustment dials trying to get proper eye relief.

The rings were tightened to 18 inch pounds.

They created enough pressure on the scope internals and broke the parallax adjuster.

It was replaced on a "no questions asked" warranty, but the rep knew exactly what happened from the description and seeing pictures of how it was mounted.

 

Can you show a picture of how the scope is mounted?

A friend mounted a different brand scope with the front ring too close to the adjustment dials trying to get proper eye relief.

The rings were tightened to 18 inch pounds.

They created enough pressure on the scope internals and broke the parallax adjuster.

It was replaced on a "no questions asked" warranty, but the rep knew exactly what happened from the description and seeing pictures of how it was mounted.

Wow you think may be this is the issue? Take a look.

 

I had an SH4 on a 40 moa mount and at 50 yds I had the same problem. It wont fix your problem but try setting the scope to the center of its adjustment and then look at the targets again. 1 other thing you can try and before anyone calls me on it this is just a test. Put your parallax on 50 and then try focusing the eyepiece to see if the target and crosshairs will come into focus.

 

The reticle looks fine. The targets at 25 yards is what looks blurry.


Do you think the rings are too tight and its harming something inside?? I used a torque wrench so I don’t think something is wrong but you never know.

 

Update:
I set up two paper Targets (fly challenge and tac driver challenge) in my backyard about 25 yards away and I tested my Vortex Venom 5x25x56 and the ARKEN EP5. Results with the ARKEN were the same. The flys and the circles were very blurry. I can barely make out what they are.

On the venom, the parallax goes down to 15 yards. WHAT A DIFFERENCE!. I can actually read the letters on the paper and see the circles and flys clearly.

The question now is, do I plan on shooting at 25 yards often to make me want to return this and get another vortex?

I was going to get another vortex at first but I decided to get something different and not just drink the vortex kool-aid. This is frustrating. I really wanted to love the ARKEN but this has spoiled the honeymoon phase.

 

Update:
I set up two paper Targets (fly challenge and tac driver challenge) in my backyard about 25 yards away and I tested my Vortex Venom 5x25x56 and the ARKEN EP5. Results with the ARKEN were the same. The flys and the circles were very blurry. I can barely make out what they are.

On the venom, the parallax goes down to 15 yards. WHAT A DIFFERENCE!. I can actually read the letters on the paper and see the circles and flys clearly.

The question now is, do I plan on shooting at 25 yards often to make me want to return this and get another vortex?

I was going to get another vortex at first but I decided to get something different and not just drink the vortex kool-aid. This is frustrating. I really wanted to love the ARKEN but this has spoiled the honeymoon phase.

You guys shoot rifles at 25 yards ?

 

The 40 MOA base made it hard to focus on the eye box? How did you end up fixing it? Lower MOA base?

 

I moved it to a 6.5 CM with a 0 moa base and put an Athlon on the 22 but I still find the Arken has a tight eye box but its clear in the middle of the field. I can still see a soft image at the edges though and with 40 moa of offset the whole image gets soft. but mine is the SH4 and I figured its lower quality glass. I doubt you could crush that 34mm tube with 18 inlb, maybe in the days before torque wrenches when we tightened until the rings came together but that left dents in the tube.

 

Yeah I was super careful when putting them on. I didn’t want to damage anything. The clarity at 25 yards is just night and day.
I think I even put 17 inch pounds now that I remember because I don’t want to crush it.

 

Life is too short to be unhappy with your scope, send it in for a replacement.

 

Another that agrees that using the high MOA base and at a very close distance is putting the image too far away from the sweet spot in the middle of the lens and causing or increasing the blurriness.

Budget optics have their weaknesses and moving out to the extremes of the adjustments and looking through the outer edges of the glass rather than the center is displaying one of those weaknesses and the glass in that particular optic.

The more you ask an optic for stellar performance out to its extremes of adjustment the more that you will be able to see the difference between a lower tier optic and a more expensive upper tier optic.

Either ditch the rail for that close in work or find the minimum distance that you can shoot and get the optics adjustments back into a section of the glass that will allow a better cleaner image.

But many reviews on the Arken optics in that power range plainly state the image quality really starts to deteriorate at above 18x so in another sense your optic is just showing the same characteristics known for those scopes.

You can go to multiple forums and see post of guys that initially drank the kool-aid hype on these scopes and then had the same complaints you have and the optics performed below their expectations and were unloaded and sold off and replaced with something that had a much better overall track record as a quality optic.

 

I’m going to unmount the scope today and try it without the rail

 

Alot of optics, even expensive ones, claim a minimum parallax of 25yds but won't focus properly that close. You're asking it to do something it wasn't really designed to do. If 25 or 50 meter benchrest is your game get the right scope for the job and move the Arken to another rifle where it's better suited. I have an EP5 on my PRS22 rifle and yes at about 21x thru 25x the image quality falls off considerably, but at 50M and 20x I can clearly read newspaper print. And at 300yds I can spot impacts and misses. For the price point it's a rugged, repeatable optic but far from a 3k piece of glass.

 

Good details. I was surprised how the vortex venom provided better clarity at close distance even though it’s a “cheaper” scope

 

That scope has an advertised min. 25 yard parallax, so you are already at the min. at 25 yard target. Couple that with near maxed out verticle adjustment from a 40 MOA scope rail and there is the problem. Maybe there is someone that needs a 40 MOA scope rail on a 22LR, but I don't know that person. I think this is a case of mismatched components and expectations. Put a 0 MOA rail on and move the target to 30 yards, I bet you have an entirely different experience.

 

I removed the scope and looked at the targets at 25 yards. There was hardly any improvement. I’m not going to risk it so I’ll just switch to a 30 MOA base.

Also, since there wasn’t much improvement once I removed the scope, I’m just going to return it. I’m a little shocked the Vortex Venom is much better at this distance.

 

I thought this might help you.
I setup a Capt America target at 25 yards and tried to capture the scope image with my EP5 at the 25yd parallax setting.
The pictures are not as good as actual view from the scope but they might be useful compared to what you see.

gk


18X

25X

 

That’s much better than mine. You can actually read the letters at 25x. Very odd

all other magnification looks fine on mine. I’m sending it back. Too bad. I got an excellent price on as well

 

I won't buy a scope unless the parallax can go down to ~ 10 yards.

 

How far are you trying to shoot? A 30 MOA rail is quite a lot for rimfire, like 200 yards worth before touching the scope. Trying to setup a rimfire rifle to shoot from 25 to 200+ yards is quite a thing. Regradless, the Venom is rated for 10 yard minimum, so it should work well at 25 yards. They are both budget Chinese optics at the end of the day and you could certainly have received a bad out of the box Arken. Question: After removing the scope did you recenter the vertical adjustment?

 

Yes, I played with the turrets at different positions and I wasn’t satisfied.

 

I was reading this post and did not read where the OP said he was near the max adjustment on his scope. Some replies were making this assumption or I missed that? He did mention 30 and 40 MOA bases. This got me to thinking. As a mental exercise: If I set the scope to the very midpoint of the adjustment (optical center) and mount on a 0 moa base I would be hitting 2" low at 15 to 25 yards. Give or take, in an ideal or theoretical world. The center of the scope height above the center of the barrel minus trivial amount of bullet drop would set my POI low.

Without adjusting the scope, if I change to a 10 MOA base I should raise my POI closer to zero at 25 yards. At some point the base alone would provide enough elevation to zero the gun at 25. Then MORE MOA base would be needed to zero at 15 yards. More like almost double the MOA number. Note, using the base only to adjust elevation.

The MOA base at some point should make it EASIER to zero at very close ranges. Not a problem, but a benefit.

Right or wrong?

 

I was near the max adjustment that’s why I removed the scope and used a base to hold it steady at different adjustments. I noticed a bit of improvement but still blurry which made it hard to concentrate on the target

 

It makes it able to use more of the scopes vertical adjustment at longer distance, not closer. You could technically run out of vertical UP adjustment with a big base like that one, and I have on a 1" tube scope using a 20 MOA rail shooting at 50 yards. That Arken is 34mm so it has a lot of adjustment, but 40 MOA is a lot to overcome at 25 yards. To get 1 MOA at 25 yards should require like 20~ clicks on a 1/4" scale.

 

To zero rifle at 15 yards you need to dramatically elevate the barrel. Like aiming at the sky! These big objective diameter scopes high above bore make it worse. This is no comment on the rational on using a 30 MOA base. But blaming the base for poor image seems like wishful thinking. Very wishful. Just dial the scope to center and eyebal the target. Forget the zero.

Now the catch, what is the best extra MOA for a base when sighting in at 25 yards. Same question 15 yrds. Some MOA will help rather make it worse. How much?

 

This is no comment on the rational on using a 30 MOA base. But blaming the base for poor image seems like wishful thinking. If anything it should help at close range.

If zeroing a scope and the scope with its mounting point allows a dead center of the scopes elevation adjusting range lets say is 75 yards then the farther away from that 75 point you are trying to zero the more of optics internal adjustment range you are using and the further towards the outer part of the lens that you are looking through at that point.

Many optics and even more so in the budget scopes with lesser glass quality the further you deviate from that center sweet point the more the image will become blurry or fuzzy due to the poorer overall lens quality from edge to edge.

Add in the 40moa base as in this discussion which is to compensate for the lack of internal optics adjustment range for long distance shooting the closer in the yardage you are trying to set your zero the even more amplified of using the elevation range to the max in the opposite direction and looking through the lens in a less optimum on the extreme edges viewing area that the elevated MOA rail is trying to adjust for as compared to using a 0 or level moa rail.

The 40 moa rail designed to allow the optic to adjust for longer ranges is actually going against setting the zero in extremely close ranges such as 25 yards.

 

I did shot my 22LR at 100 yards and I need about 6 or 8 inch when moving out from 50. My world. My clubs does not have a 25 yard target berm, let alone 15 for rifle!! And I dont use gigantic scopes that need big adjustments up close. People here talk and 15, 25 and 200,300 like it was normal.

Simple quesion when one is zero at 200 yards what is his actual POI at 25 yards with that gun? Why would anyone care? I dont know, only today.

You all know the bullet goes up crosses the line of sight and then comes down again? We can agree on that. Any kind of "long range gun" will always have two zero crossings. One on the way up and again falling back down on target.

 

I need to find some of those gravity defying bullets. A bullet drops as soon as it leaves the barrel. The barrel is tilted up, ever so slightly, so the bullet travels in an arc and crosses the line of sight through the scope. My EP5 is zeroed at 50 yds with a 25 MOA rail and at 25 yds it will explode an aspirin by holding the dot on the bottom edge of the aspirin. It will also dial 40-42 MOA and hit an 8" gong at 300 yds. That's 10 feet of holdover and you can see the bullet drop in to view from the top of the glass.

 

300 yards with 25 MOA base is great

I should have tried the aspirin shot. Sounds tough

 

You totally miss the point. You could tell me if you wanted to? I dont know. Set the scope with that 42 MOA of elevation and shoot at 15 yards. What is the POI at 15 yards? Again at 25. Simple question. Ball in your court.

I have no idea, I have to ask. But 40 MOA is what the OP tried at one point.

 

You totally miss the point. You could tell me if you wanted to? I dont know. Zero the scope with that 42 MOA of elevation and shoot at 15 yards. What is the POI at 15 yards? Simple question. Ball in your court.

Not sure I understand your question. My scope is zeroed at 50 yds. POI at 25 yds is the width of the center dot high. At 15 yds, I don't know exactly but lets say .5 MOA high. If I leave the elevation set at + 42 MOA the point of impact would be 10 ft high at 15 yds. I could zero the scope at 15 yds, but it's below the range of parallax adjustment and the target wouldn't be in clear focus. As to the OP's problem I think the 50 MOA base is causing the scope to be on the edge of it's adjustability. My Vortex scope's parallax will go to 15 yds and I also shoot it at 300 yds.

 

The whole point of what the OP is possibly running into has to do with where the optics internal adjustment is ending up as far as it max travel and at what part of the lens you end up viewing the centered crosshair through.
The whole purpose of the 40moa rail is to allow the internal adjustments on the optic to allow dialing to POI at much longer distances such as 300+ yards with as we know the .22lr has a very large amount of drop at that distance.

As we move the optic by the use of a canted rail to be more optimized for dialing in at the really long yardages when we start moving to trying to zero at really short distances the optic may really be at its most extreme range of its adjustment as it also has to compensate for the additional cant the rail is applying to the equation.

A 40 moa rail is a pretty extreme cant to adjust for as most people run somewhere between a 20moa up to about a 30moa rail and 40 moa is not one of the more common choices for most people shooting a more variety of distances.

Its not complicated but just changing which side of the and how much of the optics adjustment is used to make the optic more friendly to shooting extremely long distances that the caliber really is not designed for.
Once you start using the extreme edges of the adjustment regardless of whether to increase or decrease the optics zero distance then you get out of the sweet part of the lens which provides the clearest picture possible.

 

With the scope at 1.8 inches above the bore it would require roughly 7 minutes of elevation to zero at 25 yards an about 11-1/2 minutes at 15 yards from scope center. Not counting any rainbow in the barrel bore.

I would send that scope back and let Arken fix it. I had a nightforce that was clear at 50 and a friend with an identical nxs that was blurry at 50. Let them know what you are needing and I think they will take care of it.

 

I better clarify. That is zero moa base. Scope and barrel are parallel.

 

I started the switch for a 30 MOA rail to avoid any issues

what kind of range can I expect to shoot with a 30 MOa base and scope like the strike eagle which I believe has 30MIL adjustment

 

Just to keep the units consistent, Vortex shows 110 MOA total for the 5X25X56. So 55 MOA vertical up. Rail would add approximately 30 MOA. Best I can remember, around 75ish MOA for 400 yd targets and 100ish for 500 yds. Numbers will vary some depending on MV and height of scope centerline. I like to keep my scopes close to the barrel.

 

Just to keep the units consistent, Vortex shows 110 MOA total for the 5X25X56. So 55 MOA vertical up. Rail would add approximately 30 MOA. Best I can remember, around 75ish MOA for 400 yd targets and 100ish for 500 yds. Numbers will vary some depending on MV and height of scope centerline. I like to keep my scopes close to the barrel.

So with 30MOA I can shoot out to 400 yards with 22LR? That’s pretty **** far.

That’s good information. Thanks

 

Replaced one of my SWFA 10x fixed with a 30mm Arken LH. The SWFA was in 40 MOA Burris atop a 20 MOA rail. It zeroed fine, but when I switched to the Arken I ran out of vertical.

Reset the plastic Burris inserts to give 20 MOA and got it done.

Mention this only because I had no optical issues with the Arken when completely bottomed out.

 

This thread really went off the rails.

I am interested to hear the OP's feedback on Arken CS for returning the EP5 for a refund. Some other thread here states that Arken is not easy to work with post sale. I believe it, since they seem to be a numbers company.

 

Luckily I bought the scope through optics force and they are super easy for returns