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.

 

[_MountainBum]

My only complaint is edge to edge clarity but for a 300 dollar optic I can’t say anything. It’s on my SPR and I enjoy it for what it’s worth. Also to be fair i’m pretty sure the EPL4 performed better in the drop test tests than a lot of more prominent scopes.

 

[WYChap]

I recall seeing the EPL 4-16 in the drop testing somewhat recently and performed very well. I recently got to handle one and was impressed with image quality and edge to edge clarity compared to some other scopes at a similar price point. Turrets seemed very sturdy and positive. Overall it seems like it will punch above its price point. I wouldn't hesitate to put one on a rifle and put it to use.

 

[JGRaider]

Is edge to edge clarity a big deal on a rifle scope?

 

[WannaBeRambo]

Before I could afford my current scope, I used a Leupold 2-8x36. It punched above its weight and under 16 oz. No it was not as good in dawn/dusk as my current high end scope, but it was well under $500.
Bonu was after upgrading I moved it to tactical SBR and it’s a great fit.

 

[grfox92]

Is edge to edge clarity a big deal on a rifle scope?

Does SWFA have good edge to edge clarity? If not, then no. Its not.

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[JGRaider]

Does SWFA have good edge to edge clarity? If not, then no. Its not.

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You tell me, I don't own one and don't have plans to.

 

[_MountainBum]

Is edge to edge clarity a big deal on a rifle scope?

I guess I should be more specific and say the distortion and globing in the outer perimeter of the glass is what lacked on the EPL4. Edge to edge isn’t a deal killer esp on a 300 dollar scope but coming from my NF’s, MK5’s etc it can be hard to get behind.

 

[grfox92]

You tell me, I don't own one and don't have plans to.

What I was getting at is no. Edge to edge clarity is not important IMO in a rifle scope. I use my scope to hit what I am aiming at, not as a spotting scope.

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[Pilsner]

Owned four various Arken optics. Sent two of them in for repair or sold them after they refused to hold zero. I suspect that it is from the constant vibration of our uber-rough "roads" and our quads/Sxs's. I still recommend them for light use and day hunts, especially considering their price point.
My Vortex Viper took a poorly timed crap on me at the Best of the West NRL-H match a couple of weeks ago and the backup rifle I used had an Arken 5-25x on it. Did not have any issues with that one.
My only other complaint about them is their weight. On the other hand, when they do lose zero you can beat a hog or bear to death with your optic. So, there is that.
Glass is good enough (as Form points out - it's an aiming device not an optical scanning device), tracking works nicely and as it should. If I like the Shoot2Hunt optic when I finally get my hands on one, I will likely retire my last couple of Arkens.

 

[Turkeytider]

Owned four various Arken optics. Sent two of them in for repair or sold them after they refused to hold zero. I suspect that it is from the constant vibration of our uber-rough "roads" and our quads/Sxs's. I still recommend them for light use and day hunts, especially considering their price point.
My Vortex Viper took a poorly timed crap on me at the Best of the West NRL-H match a couple of weeks ago and the backup rifle I used had an Arken 5-25x on it. Did not have any issues with that one.
My only other complaint about them is their weight. On the other hand, when they do lose zero you can beat a hog or bear to death with your optic. So, there is that.
Glass is good enough (as Form points out - it's an aiming device not an optical scanning device), tracking works nicely and as it should. If I like the Shoot2Hunt optic when I finally get my hands on one, I will likely retire my last couple of Arkens.

I try to baby mine, admittedly. They are used 98% of the time for range shooting so it’s easy to do so. Did drop an Arken mounted on a Tikka out of a 15 foot elevated deer stand, landed squarely on the elevation turret. Checked zero, tracking, etc. Like nothing happened.

 

[Pilsner]

Mine live with neoprene scope covers on them and travel in an old military Pelican double gun case that came home from the Army with me many years ago.
I suspect that, because they are only recoil proofed in one axis - that is front to rear - and ours experience vibration and blows in 3 different axis at the same time when riding on quads, SxS's, or in our trucks on what passes for "roads" here on our mountain that that is the reason why I have more optic problems than most folks do. I have not experienced a higher failure rate with Arken than I have with Vortex, Leupold, Sig, or other sub-$1k priced optics.