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

[JDMBEND]

I ordered a couple of the new Shoot to Hunt scopes. I bought a Arken to put on a 6UM until the new scope arrives. My initial impression is pretty good, glass, turrets and illumination seem great. Will see how it holds up.

 

[rifletuner]

Granted only a small sample size, but I have been very impressed with the build quality of the Arken / DNT scopes. I have had a EPL-4 6-24 on a few rifles over a couple of years and its currently sitting on my 300 Norma. Never had any issue with it.

I have had a DNT "The One" 7-35 on my PRS rifle for about 18 months. Its had thousands of rounds on it and travelled across multiple states. Its a fantastic scope for the money.

 

[Turkeytider]

FWIW, I have two Arken scopes, an SH4J and an EP-5 . Both are on range guns, no problems. The SH4J is on a Tikka Super Varmint 6.5 CM. I took it deer hunting and like a dope, let it slip out of a 15 foot elevated stand. All the way to the ground, landed squarely on the elevation turret. Checked the reticle, zero and tracking. It was like nothing ever happened. I don’t know if Arken has addressed this, but a good practice after zeroing the scope is to back out the turret screws a few turns and add a drop of low strength Vibratite or Loctite. Easy peasy. They’ve really given me no reason not to recommend them.
Can’t speak directly to the EPL-4, however.

 

[JamieLee]

All the Arkens I own have been durable and held zero. I’ve got no complaints.

 

[mother_plucker]

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.

Only issue I have had with one so far is that I did not get the turret tight enough and slipped my zero a bit. Other than that, I have found the to be good economical choices for some rifles that I don't need $1000 optics on. The 1-8 they have I have put on a Bushmaster 450 and a 300 blackout. Seem to work perfectly on them.