"Budget friendly" "High end optics"

@CTairgunner1288 I have an S-Tac 5-20x50mm SFP with the MOA 2 reticle and it has a home.
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But again I don’t like the parallax knob with no numbers. I killed a few animals with that scope and made a bad shot once and I felt bad about it. I stopped hunting with that scope. That FFP may be for you. I thought about it for a while and decided to go another route.

Thinking about that I can actually see how this would present problems in a hunting scenario, it baffles me as to why they wouldnt just put number indicators on the wheel
 
My most recent scope purchase, a Vector 8-32 x 56, also lacks numbers on the parallax knob. I figured out that a West Hunter big parallax wheel would fit over the knob if I lined it with a strip of 1/16 thick rubber I had. I put white labeling tape on the West Hunter wheel and labeled it myself. All my other scope have labels on their parallax knobs. But I don't trust them as anything other than a rough indication of the range at which that setting will result in a clear image. One issue is the diopter setting influences the parallax setting. So if you move the diopter from what was assumed when they labeled the parallax knob the settings will not be "right". You really need to get the diopter setting right for your eyes or your POA will change with your head position. So you cannot reasonably just set it where the factory did, even if you know where that was. My guess is manufacturers got tired of people complaining that their scope's parallax setting was not correct and just decided to eliminate the labels. In a way I kind of don't blame them. If you know how scopes work you would know not to expect the knob settings to be real precise for you and your eyes. But I also wish they had left them on because a rough setting is useful sometimes.
 
...If you can find one in your price range get an athlon Midas Tac...
+1

You mention 6-24 and wanting to keep it under $500.

Last week I checked Amazon and one of the reticle options was in the low $500s, maybe $520? I just looked again and they're all $600+. I'm not checking it every day, but probably every couple months I curiously check prices and there's sometimes a 6-24x Midas down under $550.

Really good scopes. Keep an eye on prices and might grab one close to your stated price. Hard to beat a Midas Tac. Lots of Midas Tacs on high end guns in the competition airgunning circles at the matches I attend here in AZ. For example, there were 6 of the 6-24 Midas Tacs on guns used at the Jan Xtreme Field Target match, out of 19 total shooters.
 
I just sold my 3rd Bushnell Match Pro scope. They had some of the best glass I have ever used. Truly an awesome scope for the money. They are FFP and I decided to go with SFP for my BR rifles otherwise I would still have them. The person who bought my first scope was so impressed he bought a second one the day he looked through it. It has better glass than any Sightron or Athlon I’ve looked through.

FWIW, I looked through an Arken and was not the least bit impressed with it. They are very robustly built though and would make a great hammer 🔨.
 
I just wish they had a cleaner reticle, I am not the biggest fan of christmas trees lmao
My Arken EPL4 does not have a Christmas Tree reticle. Mine look like this with ELD Japanese glass:
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In the same $400+ price range I also really like the clarity and quality of my Hawke

Airmax Compact Air Gun Scope 30mm Tube 3-12x 40mm​

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I just sold my 3rd Bushnell Match Pro scope. They had some of the best glass I have ever used. Truly an awesome scope for the money. They are FFP and I decided to go with SFP for my BR rifles otherwise I would still have them. The person who bought my first scope was so impressed he bought a second one the day he looked through it. It has better glass than any Sightron or Athlon I’ve looked through.

FWIW, I looked through an Arken and was not the least bit impressed with it. They are very robustly built though and would make a great hammer 🔨.
Have you looked thru one of the new lightweight Japanese ELD Arken's, or the older scopes?
 
Have you looked thru one of the new lightweight Japanese ELD Arken's, or the older scopes?
I am not sure what model Arken that it was that I looked through at the range but it was not very sharp at all. I know it was 16x max as that is where the shooter had it set and I didn’t touch it other than adjusting the parallax to my eye.
 
I am not sure what model Arken that it was that I looked through at the range but it was not very sharp at all. I know it was 16x max as that is where the shooter had it set and I didn’t touch it other than adjusting the parallax to my eye.
The new ones are really hard to get, I had to order and wait 12 weeks before it came in. And their website still shows several weeks out.
The new light weight design uses Japanese ED glass, which I think is an upgrade from their older scopes which I think you must’ve looked through
 
for the money you cant even get close to arken,imo.

for 300 bucks you get so much deliciousness you cant even imagine :p

ive had scopes that cost more,
but none were even close to the quality or glass of the arken.

zero play in the turrets,
clicks are sharp and crisp,
glass is great,
can you tell i love mine? lol

most peoples only gripe is it wont focus down to 10yds,
arken lists 25yd minimum,
mine will go to 18-20,
but i rarely shoot anything super close anyway lol
My Arken EPL4 has parallax adjustment down to 10 yds.
 
Here’s another vote for the bushnell match pro and if you can find one in your price range get an athlon Midas Tac.
there are many good options out there the two I’ve listed I have experience with. Good luck with your search.

I also have a couple of Bushnell Match Pro's. Don't rule out USED. That's where I found mine. Killer deals are out there !! These are incredible optics.
 
Bushnell MatchPro or Vector Continental are scopes I’ve had on a list for a while.

Vector


This is more of a general question, but is AliExpress reputable to order expensive things from? At least in this community's experience? I know in one sense, it's kind of like ePay where it just depends on who the actual seller is, but I've never thought to buy anything high-end directly from China. . . Thoughts?