March durability? Zero retention? How bad is that eyebox?

[TxLite]

Not sure what a 10x erector ratio is going to do for durability ... Jeff H said he's comfortable with 5 to 6, but 8 is too much ...

Can’t help light transmission either. 3-15 would be perfect and likely lighter than the current offerings.

 

[Bones]

personally, I was optimistic on the new 1.5-15 scope hoping it would be a bit lighter, but the 3-24 is just as light and I like the reticle better.

 

[BC72]

I have the 1-10x24 March Shorty dual focal plane on a 338RPM Backcountry 2.0 Ti.
Living in Montana, this setup is in the truck, strapped to the pack, laying in the dirt and up and down the mountains regularly.
The total weight is 6.7 pounds which is pretty light for a stout recoiling caliber (not too bad but definitely not a range toy gun).
I've had no issues with zero retention using Warne Rings mounted close together on the main tube. There isn't much main tube length with the older Shorty. The newer model is straight 34mm.
I guided first week of rifle for bear with it and test shot it after some rough going through some pretty steep terrain with scree slopes and heavy log and understory which equals a few slips and trips. It was dead on.
I then hunted for personal use in the backcountry with this rifle. All up I would say this setup has had 40 solid full days in the field this year and rode in the back of a truck, strapped to a pack or lying on the back seat for more than that. It was still zeroed at the end of the season.
I did initially try a Burris XTR signature ring setup that was recommended. It utilized a front 34mm (modified) ring on the bell and a 30mm on the main tube. I had scope movement in the rings (clearly visible) due to recoil. I also had a second 338RPM rifle with a Nightforce NX8 2.5-20x50 with Leupold Backcountry rings. This scope also moved under recoil until I changed to Warne rings.
These days, I only trust Warne or Nightforce rings for around here in NW Montana.
However, I will say the March is durable. It has been dropped, fallen on, knocked against rocks and trees. Not babied.
Dual focal plane makes parallax finicky as you have to pick the sweet spot for the focal plane that's dominating. 10x the FFP reticle can get a little fuzzy but it's plenty good for 500 yard shots which is not the main purpose of this setup but it certainly is capable and have tested it to be.
Eye box is great for me and I'm super picky about that.
This scope spends 99% of its life on 1x. It's clear and bright and the simple duplex in SFP with small RD illumination is great in the dark heavy timber.
It really shines at 1-7x which is great for 10 yards out to 350 yards which is what this setup is for.
It's hard to find a scope that's perfect in every way. As much as I love my FFP NX8 2.5-20's, the reticle is too small for dark timber use at 2.5x really. My March weighs in at about 1.3 pounds and is super compact. The NF at about 1.77 pounds.
Nightforce, Zeiss and Steiner really are the brands that I compare everything else to. I have a few other brands of scopes on rifles and tried a lot more brands that I won't bother with again.
I am all about durability, reliability and repeatability. So far this March has given me that. I would own another.
I wouldn't do the DFP on a higher magnification scope though. I'd pick one or the other (FFP/SFP).

 

[omicron1792]

I have the 1-10x24 March Shorty dual focal plane on a 338RPM Backcountry 2.0 Ti.
Living in Montana, this setup is in the truck, strapped to the pack, laying in the dirt and up and down the mountains regularly.
The total weight is 6.7 pounds which is pretty light for a stout recoiling caliber (not too bad but definitely not a range toy gun).
I've had no issues with zero retention using Warne Rings mounted close together on the main tube. There isn't much main tube length with the older Shorty. The newer model is straight 34mm.
I guided first week of rifle for bear with it and test shot it after some rough going through some pretty steep terrain with scree slopes and heavy log and understory which equals a few slips and trips. It was dead on.
I then hunted for personal use in the backcountry with this rifle. All up I would say this setup has had 40 solid full days in the field this year and rode in the back of a truck, strapped to a pack or lying on the back seat for more than that. It was still zeroed at the end of the season.
I did initially try a Burris XTR signature ring setup that was recommended. It utilized a front 34mm (modified) ring on the bell and a 30mm on the main tube. I had scope movement in the rings (clearly visible) due to recoil. I also had a second 338RPM rifle with a Nightforce NX8 2.5-20x50 with Leupold Backcountry rings. This scope also moved under recoil until I changed to Warne rings.
These days, I only trust Warne or Nightforce rings for around here in NW Montana.
However, I will say the March is durable. It has been dropped, fallen on, knocked against rocks and trees. Not babied.
Dual focal plane makes parallax finicky as you have to pick the sweet spot for the focal plane that's dominating. 10x the FFP reticle can get a little fuzzy but it's plenty good for 500 yard shots which is not the main purpose of this setup but it certainly is capable and have tested it to be.
Eye box is great for me and I'm super picky about that.
This scope spends 99% of its life on 1x. It's clear and bright and the simple duplex in SFP with small RD illumination is great in the dark heavy timber.
It really shines at 1-7x which is great for 10 yards out to 350 yards which is what this setup is for.
It's hard to find a scope that's perfect in every way. As much as I love my FFP NX8 2.5-20's, the reticle is too small for dark timber use at 2.5x really. My March weighs in at about 1.3 pounds and is super compact. The NF at about 1.77 pounds.
Nightforce, Zeiss and Steiner really are the brands that I compare everything else to. I have a few other brands of scopes on rifles and tried a lot more brands that I won't bother with again.
I am all about durability, reliability and repeatability. So far this March has given me that. I would own another.
I wouldn't do the DFP on a higher magnification scope though. I'd pick one or the other (FFP/SFP).

Great post. I have 3 March scopes. Big fan of the 1.5-15 and 1.5-25. I shoot mostly on lower powers, but I do like and need some high end magnification at times.

 

[Aion]

I wouldn't do the DFP on a higher magnification scope though. I'd pick one or the other (FFP/SFP).

Thank you for sharing your experience. I‘ve been looking at the 1.5-15x42 dfp. I am curious why you would not recommend the dfp?
Is it too much mag range packed into too little a scope?

 

[BC72]

Thank you for sharing your experience. I‘ve been looking at the 1.5-15x42 dfp. I am curious why you would not recommend the dfp?
Is it too much mag range packed into too little a scope?

The clarity and glass quality of the DFP scope is great however when you dial for parallax, you have to focus the FFP or SFP. reticle. Depending on your magnification setting, this can make the reticle quite blurry out from center.
On a 1-10, I don’t see this as too much of a problem as it is on low power SFP most of the time anyway.
If I was planning on using a scope predominantly at higher magnifications I wouldn’t like it.
I have shot the 1-10 regularly out to 500 yards on 7-10x using reticle and dialing. Not it’s primary role for me. Very doable but I have better scopes (and rifles) for that role if it was going to be the more likely range anticipated.
Once again, not glass clarity, you have two reticles in two different focal planes.

 

[SDHNTR]

This keeps resurfacing. I’ve moved on. Owned a 2.5-25x52 for a year. Was a costly mistake in a dumb attempt to save a few ounces. IMO, the bottom line is March does not make a good hunting scope. I tried. Couldn’t make it work. March makes very high quality scopes for shooting matches and games. For someone like me who only cares about a scope and its utility for hunting, March is just too gimmicky. And the lack of US service/the need for international shipping is a deal breaker.

 

[SDHNTR]

If they ever make a normal 4 or 5x erector scope and have US representation, I’d back up the truck.