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.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[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

 

[BLJ]

I’ve got (2) EPL 4-16 that have done well so far.
No real harsh testing other than riding in the back of the truck on WV roads.
The one I did that with held zero on that trip.
Haven’t checked the other yet.
They seem to track well and I think the reticle is usable at the lower setting with the illumination on.

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

I’m interested in what you come up with.

 

[ktm450]

Super small sample size, but I have 2 EPL-4’s. 6-24 on a precision AR and a 4-16 on a .22-250. Both ride around trucks, SxS’s, and quads getting bumped and banged around. Both perform very well for my frequent use at the range and real world field conditions.

I have been very impressed and will continue to use and buy them. The glass is not as good in low light and I am sure the Arken’s are not as durable as my Credo/NF. I have a hard time seeing how one could do better in that price range for 90% of people actually use their rifles. I have many scopes that are “better”, but as others have said it not feasible (for most people) to put Alpha glass on 10+ different rifles.

 

[gbflyer]

I have some friends who use them in CO for shooting across canyons. All for fun, they shoot a lot, and like the 34mm tube for the extra travel. I don't recall the model but they were 25x at the top end. I doubt they test them in a way that would satisfy many of the readers here though. I went with them a couple years ago, pretty fun, Christmas tree reticle didn't seem very clear but it could have been focus as I wear glasses. We were making hits on 3 foot diameter boulders with relative ease at a mile with 300 PRC and 28 Nosler.