If money aint the issue what scope you buying?

True, but other top of the line scopes are tanks also. I think everyone mentioned, Nightforce ATAC-R, IOR, Vortex Razor, etc are pretty heavy…. 😉
39 oz Nightforce ATAC-R https://www.nightforceoptics.com/riflescopes/atacr/atacr-7-35x56-f1/
45 oz Razor® Gen III 6- 36x56 FFP https://vortexoptics.com/razor-hd-gen-iii-6-36x56.html
49 oz Sightron https://sightron.com/products/sviii-ed-5-40x56-ffp-ir-zero-stop?variant=40102212206750

The price you pay for having a 40mm tube. March seems to be able to keep the weight down while being considered a high end scope. I presume that March can't take the same beating like some other heavier tactical scopes.
 
What would you guys think between the March 4.5x28x52 wide angle Hi-Master that is 12.5" long and only 29.8 oz or the 5x42x56 March Hi-Master wide angle scope that is 13.8" long and 34.57 oz as the best March scope for plinking, hunting, and target out to 150 yards?
I have the March-FX High Master 4.5-28x52 with Wide Angle lens. Excellent scope if you keep the magnification below 20X. I mostly have it set at 12-15X with 20X being the max for optical clarity. Awesome field of view which is huge due to the Wide Angle lens compared to my other optics. I love the FML-TR1 reticle. The floating center dot at 0.075 mils is just the right size for me. Not too small compared to others. In regards to optical clarity, my Kahles K525i and Zero Compromise Optic ZC420 is above it.
 
Actually, for the price the Athlon Cronus is hard to beat. I also have a Vortex Golden Eagle that’s not heavy and has very good glass.
What's your opinion on the Athlon Cronus vs the NightForce ATACR 7-35 x 56?
I currently own the NightForce and I'm considering another scope. The NightForce ATACR tops the list. However, if could find a comparable optic for > half the price, such as the Athlon Cronus, I would jump on it.
I have several Athlon Heloses...very nice optics. However, they are not in the same class as the NF ATACR.
 
But most of the March scopes from similar specifications to even larger magnification are all around 2 or less than 2 lbs
This is true. My March-FX High Master 4.5-28x52 with 34mm main tube weighs 29.8 ounces. A lot of optics with 34mm main tubes in that magnification range weigh around 35 ounces and up. The reasons they are lighter is that a majority of their scopes are shorter and don't have huge and tall turrets and turret housings.
 
I have the March-FX High Master 4.5-28x52 with Wide Angle lens. Excellent scope if you keep the magnification below 20X. I mostly have it set at 12-15X with 20X being the max for optical clarity. Awesome field of view which is huge due to the Wide Angle lens compared to my other optics. I love the FML-TR1 reticle. The floating center dot at 0.075 mils is just the right size for me. Not too small compared to others. In regards to optical clarity, my Kahles K525i and Zero Compromise Optic ZC420 is above it.
Thanks! If you were to do it all over again, would you think the extra 1.3" in length and roughly 4.5 oz in weight of the 5x42x56 March scope would be better? I know both of these are lighter than a lot of the other high end scopes but I am unsure between these two; I do think these are my top choices other than the Schmidt Bender field target 12.5-50x56 as all of these three are available in FFP. The Schmidt Bender is 2.87 lbs with accessories so it is heavier but it does go to 50X and is also able to parallax to 10 yards. I think any of these 3 would be great but it would be great if anyone has tried all 3 to get feedback of real world opinions?
 
Thanks! If you were to do it all over again, would you think the extra 1.3" in length and roughly 4.5 oz in weight of the 5x42x56 March scope would be better? I know both of these are lighter than a lot of the other high end scopes but I am unsure between these two; I do think these are my top choices other than the Schmidt Bender field target 12.5-50x56 as all of these three are available in FFP. The Schmidt Bender is 2.87 lbs with accessories so it is heavier but it does go to 50X and is also able to parallax to 10 yards. I think any of these 3 would be great but it would be great if anyone has tried all 3 to get feedback of real world opinions?
I think it depends if you'll be shooting above 20x most of the time. I've never looked through the 5-42×56 HM so I can't really say. I'm happy with my 4.5-28x52 HM and have it mounted on my AAA Evol Mini 22. I didn't want a longer scope on it. I think a lot of us and myself included are always trying to match the scope to the gun for it's intended purpose. I'm still interested in the March-FX 5-42×56 HM. I just don't know what airgun I would mount it on top of yet lol.

Here's some info on the 5-42×56 HM on Snipershide, although it's about a 2 year old thread and might need some reviving.

 
What's your opinion on the Athlon Cronus vs the NightForce ATACR 7-35 x 56?
I currently own the NightForce and I'm considering another scope. The NightForce ATACR tops the list. However, if could find a comparable optic for > half the price, such as the Athlon Cronus, I would jump on it.
I have several Athlon Heloses...very nice optics. However, they are not in the same class as the NF ATACR.
I haven't looked at them side by side, and one is $1K+ more than the other. That being said, I have a buddy that is a total scope snob, and has March, S&B, etc. He says when he got the new Cronus he was so impressed that he couldn't really see a reason to pay $1K+ more for ANY scope... The Cronus is definitely Tier 1.
FYI, the Helos is way down the line from the Cronus. I think it goes Cronus, Ares ETR, Ares BTR, Midas, and then Helos. Personally for what I do with my airguns, the Midas TAC is all that I really need... but I do have a Vortex Golden Eagle 15-60x52 for benchrest at 100Y, a bit overkill but its all good.
 
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What's your opinion on the Athlon Cronus vs the NightForce ATACR 7-35 x 56?
I currently own the NightForce and I'm considering another scope. The NightForce ATACR tops the list. However, if could find a comparable optic for > half the price, such as the Athlon Cronus, I would jump on it.
I have several Athlon Heloses...very nice optics. However, they are not in the same class as the NF ATACR.
A friend of mine has a NF ATACR 7-35.
We compared it to my S&B 5-25 and a Cronus BTR which is a G 1.5 scope.
The S&B had superior IQ. The NF and the Athlon were tied in that regard. I expected way more from the NF but???

Not all scopes of the same brand and model are exactly the same. I've seen it more than a few times over the years!!! Sometimes some shipments turn out better for one reason or another, or on the other end not so good, or an indivual scope might have something off in it??? It could have been that way with my friends NF but we would have needed more of them to make a better comparison. All I can say is that he was disappointed that day with the glass in his.

For the price it's hard to beat a Athlon Cronus G2 4.5-29×56 but these do not have 10y parallax, it's 25y. The glass is not excellent but I'd rate it very good.

Speaking of IQ the best I've seen so far is a SFP Swarovski X5 5-25 which is #1 too me, a FFP Tangent Theta 5-25, a SFP March HM 10-60, then the ZCO 5-27. All super expensive scopes. I didn't have any of these scopes in a side by side comparison so this is just off memory and the impressions I had.

I have the March HM 5-42x56. Love the Wide angle FOV lens system, compactness, light weight(for a variable FFP of 42x), build quality, focuses 10Y, and reticle/FML-TR1. On 42x its a bit dim for older eyes but fine below 35x.
 
In regards to what steve123 speaks about, sample variation, is so true. Everyone can rave about a certain scope model giving high or low points in their reviews in regards to image quality. When others receive their sample, it's the other way around. I certainly believe that being a scope or optic reviewer is not as easy as it seems and I give credit to those that do them. You have to have them side by side and test in all conditions throughout the whole magnification range. Viewing not only during clear days but during low light (dusk or dawn) as well. For me, it takes awhile and I find myself going back and forth between my scopes throughout the week to confirm what I'm seeing.
 
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I don't understand ... :unsure:
4K scopes on 4k air rifles don't make sense ... Blasphemy !!!

Had always read spend as much on your optics and you did the gun if wanting a worthy rig ... Damn thats a tough one o_O

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I'm in the camp of Good...better...best.
In my youth, I could drop coin on a scope, I paid $1100 on a Leupold Mk 4 10X which in 1994 was a lot of coin, It was a great scope compared to what was available back then.

Now thanks to modern manufacturering and a level or QC and repeatability, the lower end scops are as good as what was high end back in the day.

With scopes it all about the lens and the coating. There are only so many glass makers, (Japan/Europe and China) but the secret sauce is the coatings they apply and the level of QC that they are willing to spend to insure of repeatability and tracking.

all of the higher end scopes mentioned ae certainly nice, but for me, the juice is not worth the squeeze to spend $3K on a scope when for less than $1k I can't really tell the difference or benefit for it in my shooting.

Even if I could easily do it, I would not. But that's just me.
Thanks for the data. So, what scopes in the $1,000 range do you like? Thanks. S7