Leupold Mark 5 3.6-18X44 Review ***Updated 2/9/20***

[sportsmans challenge]

Ordered this exact scope last week. Ring selection is the only crutch I found but sold on size/weight.

Talked to andy hawkins today, they will be working on offering 35mm line ups in the close future. Hoping to see some direct mounts with cant and bubble

 

[Mk7mmSTW]

Talked to andy hawkins today, they will be working on offering 35mm line ups in the close future. Hoping to see some direct mounts with cant and bubble

Big fan of Hawkins, but I won’t be holding my breath for a mount designed specifically for this small bell scope in 35mm. Everyones Low mount still kicks this thing up pretty high. I’m interested to see how this will ride in super lows and if Hawkins make a direct mount in the .8 range I will for sure be sold on this scope for a compact do all.

 

[sportsmans challenge]

Got my scope thursday rite before leaving for a bear hunt, didnt have rings yet so left the nxs mounted. Got back sunday night and yesterday mounted it, this thing is nice. Will shoot it this week and dont expect poor results

 

[Mk7mmSTW]

I run a NXS 5.5-22x50 moar-t on both my hunting guns. I took this scope and my NXS and a new vx6hd 3-18x50 to do side by side comparisons of reticle, brightness and field of view.
I set all 3 up on a fence post so they were stable and did checks at sunset every 3-5 min, looking at a license plate 450 yards away. All were set on 18x. The vx6 was the first to loose light with the nxs right behind it. I based it on when I could no longer make out exactly what was on the plate. The mark 5 was a clearly, no argument winner on pulling in light. When the nxs was showing me just the outline of the license plate, I was still able to make out the numbers in the mark 5. I was actually so shocked at how much more light I could bring in until I went back inside and was looking at the 3 scopes. The mark 5 is like looking through a oversized toilet paper roll while the rest are like a paper towel roll. Common sense even says the short 35mm tube will allow you to see more compared to the way longer 30mm tube.
Again, this wasn’t even a debate on the light, clear clear winner.

I fully eliminated the vx6 at that point, mainly as the reticle did nothing for me, too busy in the middle.
Next I took the nxs and mark 5 out and set them both on the roof of my car in the prairie and found antelope at 400 and 650 yards. I played with both reticles/powers and really had no “winner” as it’s a personal thing for what you like. For me, the floating .2 dot on the mark 5 is unreal. At close range it really seems like nothing, but on game at distance, it’s unreal how much more fine tuned I felt about my aiming point. Again, no real gain just personal preference. The moar-t reticle was thinner, which I prefer but not by a large amount. The mark 5 reticle is no where near as thick as MOAR, which I didn’t care for at all.
Lastly, from the same location in the prairie I could see town. So I turned the nxs to 18x and aimed at a vehicle at roughly 1500 yards away (again not mounted on a gun). The vehicle was at a hotel and I looked at how much surrounding space I could see. At the edge of my field of view I could see the very front bumper of a white pickup that I decided to use as a marker for the edge of my view. Next I mounted the mark 5 right next to the nxs, turned it to 18x and aimed at the exact same spot. That pickup that was barely in my field of view was fully in my field of view in the mark 5.. This one has me stumped to be honest as the nxs is a 50mm and the mark 5 is a 44mm, but the mark 5 had a larger field of view by an entire 4 door work truck.

Overall, the nxs is the tried and true bomb proof scope. I have no worry about tracking, weather, dropping it or clarify. But the mark 5 is lighter, more compact, extra 5 MOA per revolution, fully locking turret as opposed to zero stop which still allows the turret to travel one direction, covered windage (which some hate and some don’t, but when the cap is off, it’s a full exposed turret so win/win). Lastly the reticle, which is personal preference completely. For me, I was not a FFP fan, as I hate thick reticles, but this reticle is thin and stays thin at 18x. Plus the floating dot in my opinion is the greatest part of this entire scope, I feel so much more precise when looking at game as the dot is either on the mark or not at all.
What I would like to see is someone (Hawkins/Talley) come out with some true super low 35mm rings.. TPS makes super low 35mm lightweight rail rings that are .06 lower than the awesome m10 low 35 rings. They are both still too high in my opinion, bolt throw isn’t a concern for me and even with a straight shank proof sendero, your scope is still way up there. I’m going with TPS rings as I refuse to carry the weight of a adjustable cheek stock and I smash down on my stock so I need it as low as possible.

 

[Matt Cashell]

Mk7mmSTW,

Thanks for adding your impressions to the thread. It sounds like the Mark 5 is really working out for you!

A couple of notes on your notes:

The mark 5 is like looking through a oversized toilet paper roll while the rest are like a paper towel roll. Common sense even says the short 35mm tube will allow you to see more compared to the way longer 30mm tube.

It is a common misconception that larger tubes allow for brighter images, but they don’t. The length of tube doesn’t either. Larger tubes just give the erector more room to move, so total available elevation and windage adjustment is increased. This is why tactical scopes tend to have the largest tube sizes.

This one has me stumped to be honest as the nxs is a 50mm and the mark 5 is a 44mm, but the mark 5 had a larger field of view by an entire 4 door work truck.

This is another common misconception. Objective size doesn’t affect field of view. FOV is determined by eyepiece design and the focal length of the optic.

In fact, smaller objective optics often have wider FOVs than their larger siblings.

 

[duckhunter175]

What rings are you running and how are things looking so far!! I'm dyin over here!

 

[Matt Cashell]

What rings are you running and how are things looking so far!! I'm dyin over here!

I’m using the high Mark 4 rings from Leupold. I would prefer lows.

I like the reticle a lot, but it does get pretty hard to see on the low end of the magnification range.

This scope will be accompanying me to Idaho this weekend.

 

[Mk7mmSTW]

Mk7mmSTW,

Thanks for adding your impressions to the thread. It sounds like the Mark 5 is really working out for you!

A couple of notes on your notes:



It is a common misconception that larger tubes allow for brighter images, but they don’t. The length of tube doesn’t either. Larger tubes just give the erector more room to move, so total available elevation and windage adjustment is increased. This is why tactical scopes tend to have the largest tube sizes.



This is another common misconception. Objective size doesn’t affect field of view. FOV is determined by eyepiece design and the focal length of the optic.

In fact, smaller objective optics often have wider FOVs than their larger siblings.

Good to know on both accounts. I’ll chalk it up to unknown then, but regardless that short fat scope has me sold!

 

[Coloradoantelope]

Great review. Looking forward to trying my scope out.

 

[duckhunter175]

Any reports from how it performed in Idaho?! Now you'll need to do a comparo with the NX8s!

 

[robie]

Scope rings.

Are the only current options:
TPS
American Rifle - M10
Leupold Mark 4

Am I missing anything?

 

[sportsmans challenge]

Scope rings.

Are the only current options:
TPS
American Rifle - M10
Leupold Mark 4

Am I missing anything?

Warne has some decent ones, i am runnong on my 300 rum with the same scope as is in this review

 

[robie]

What about the Badger Oradnance rings? Good bad?

https://www.badgerordnance.com/scope-rings/35-mm-scope-ring-medium-1-125.html

 

[robie]

BO products are top notch across the board. I've had bases, rings, bottom metal, & bolt knobs from BO. The reason I went with the PMR over the BO is the PMRs are smoother with less of a chance to hang-up. A relatively minor consideration. Plus the PMRs were a little cheaper and great as well - PMRs are (or at least were) made by Seekins and rebranded by Vortex. I went with the 0.95" PMR on a 20MOA pic rail that sits over a Bartlein #3 (everyone else's #4), and the scope is a little high for my liking.

They look like solid product.

Do you have the 3.5-18 or 5-25?

I've got a 20 moa rail and a proof barrel.

 

[OSU Fisher]

Has anyone gone with the illuminated reticle? Ordering a couple scopes. 1 3.6-18 and 1 5-25. trying to decide if it's worth the extra money

 

[AceRifles]

Spent a lot of time comparing an 18x MK-5 to a 16x ATACR at a long range class this weekend. I'm really glad I have a mk 5. Personally, I have never seen the reason for the hype around the NF scopes. Maybe the new NX8 will change my mind.

 

[duckhunter175]

Well for the cost and desire for illumination and ease of finding quality rings (Hawkins) I pre-ordered a NX8 4-32 MOAR....

 

[OSU Fisher]

Well for the cost and desire for illumination and ease of finding quality rings (Hawkins) I pre-ordered a NX8 4-32 MOAR....

Just took possession of 4 new mark5's. Two 5-25 and two 3.6-18. Super happy with my choice! I went back and forth with illumination. Ended up gping without to save a few bucks. It was a gamble, more with the little 3.6-18. I have been around the bigger 5-25 and new I would be fine there. I dont think i will have any regrets. Been playing around with it and like others said, if I cant see the reticle on any pwr i shouldnt be shooting as it wont be legal.... They are clear!!!

Also there are starting to be a descent amount of good ring choices. Hawkins aren't the only good ones IMO.

Im sure the NX8 will be great. No bashing your choice there but don't count these leupolds out!

 

[duckhunter175]

Im looking forward to the rest of his review when it's ready!

I like the illumination on a FFP scope at lower magnification and those gray light times when a thin reticle can be difficult to see.

I'm very interested to see the quality of glass in the NX8 vs Mk5-- I have several VX5HD and VX6HD and enjoy their clarity.

 

[OSU Fisher]

Im looking forward to the rest of his review when it's ready!

I like the illumination on a FFP scope at lower magnification and those gray light times when a thin reticle can be difficult to see.

I'm very interested to see the quality of glass in the NX8 vs Mk5-- I have several VX5HD and VX6HD and enjoy their clarity.

Totally understand your opinion on FFP and illumination. I Will say these scopes challenge that traditional thinking. For me I'm glad I saved the 400 ish bucks per scope as i dont think I would have ever used it. Atleast I Hope im right.... Haha