Bought an Arken EPL-4. Maybe regretting my decision.

[vishnevian]

So far my concerns have been:
1. I hunt some pretty rough weather sometimes, snow and rain. Not sure how the Arken will hold up as far as glass quality and fogging. I’ve heard some scopes are filled with some type of gas to help with those things?
2. Weight. It seems on the heavy side. I enjoy the features like illuminated FFO reticle, but it seems big and bulky.
3. Durability. I’m still pretty skeptical that their optics can hold up to everyday beatings up in the mountains.

Opinions? Did I make the wrong choice? Don’t have $500-$1000 to spend on an optic so don’t go recommending a NF.

 

[Austin Kaufman]

I think you’ll be just fine. I have a bunch of different Arken scopes. 6 or 7 EPL4s two that have been put through the paces the last few years. One rides in the truck, side by side, and tractors daily and my main hunting rig. It’s taken multiple spills in the rocks and I’ve had no issues with zero or tracking. I also run a few of the SH4J scopes in the same manner and they have been awesome. Ones on a 223 trainer with over 2000 rounds in the last few months and it’s been dropped on concrete off a prs barricade and no zero loss. Then I have a few of the heavy EP5s one on my PRS gun and it’s been great as well with no zero loss traveling and shooting. I’ve been very pleased with all of my scopes and had no issues. That being said I use quality rings that I paint pen all my screws, rifles that need pick rails get bonded on with loctite 380 and my systems are all very bullet proofed. The higher end scopes I have or have been around are great but for the amount of guns I have a lot get arkens and they have been awesome for me with many guns that have a lot of miles strapped to packs, bouncing on roads, and high round counts. It comes down to if you proof your system and trust it. You can get 1000 different opinions online but you just have to use stuff and see what works for you.


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[Wrench]

I ran an ep5 against some of the bigger swingers and it blew me away how well it performed. I am in the destructive testing mode now....but if it does well.... it'll be moving to the best buy spot on my list.

 

[vishnevian]

I think you’ll be just fine. I have a bunch of different Arken scopes. 6 or 7 EPL4s two that have been put through the paces the last few years. One rides in the truck, side by side, and tractors daily and my main hunting rig. It’s taken multiple spills in the rocks and I’ve had no issues with zero or tracking. I also run a few of the SH4J scopes in the same manner and they have been awesome. Ones on a 223 trainer with over 2000 rounds in the last few months and it’s been dropped on concrete off a prs barricade and no zero loss. Then I have a few of the heavy EP5s one on my PRS gun and it’s been great as well with no zero loss traveling and shooting. I’ve been very pleased with all of my scopes and had no issues. That being said I use quality rings that I paint pen all my screws, rifles that need pick rails get bonded on with loctite 380 and my systems are all very bullet proofed. The higher end scopes I have or have been around are great but for the amount of guns I have a lot get arkens and they have been awesome for me with many guns that have a lot of miles strapped to packs, bouncing on roads, and high round counts. It comes down to if you proof your system and trust it. You can get 1000 different opinions online but you just have to use stuff and see what works for you.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

thanks for sharing!

 

[vishnevian]

I ran an ep5 against some of the bigger swingers and it blew me away how well it performed. I am in the destructive testing mode now....but if it does well.... it'll be moving to the best buy spot on my list. View attachment 1028478View attachment 1028479

thanks for sharing! love your style