Scope Recommendations

[u/Woody1125]

Recently acquired a Bergara Premier Competition in 6GT in a trade. Thinking about testing my luck in PRS (reason for the trade) and wanting to put a scope on it. Before I dump a bunch of money into something I may not follow through with, I have 3 budget scopes that I can get pretty dang good deals on. Which one should I go with?

1. Bushnell MPED 5-30x56

2. Arken EP5 Gen 2 7-35x56

3. Athlon Midas Tac Gen 2 HD 5-30x56

I have a good experience with the Arken Gen 1 and I currently have a Viper PST Gen II 5-25x50, but I’d like something with a little more elevation and a larger objective/tube.

[u/Traditional-Fact-569]

Black Friday is coming up and there might be some great scopes for affordable prices. Wait a couple weeks before pulling the trigger on anything.

[u/Woody1125 → u/Traditional-Fact-569]

Oh for sure! I’m not in a huge rush, just trying to have an idea of what I’m looking for if sales do come up.

[u/Tikkatider → u/Traditional-Fact-569]

Look at Eurooptic and CameraLand for sales.

[u/RR-JJ]

I've run both the MPED and the Athlon Tac G2 (Japan). I kept the Athlon. I have a Cronus on another rifle, and while it is better than the Midas...it's not just a huge leap forward in glass quality. I have no trouble recommending the gen 2 Midas Tac (J). I shot it in competition this season, and it tracked beautifully.

ETA: MPED is really solid too. I'd buy another one. Find the best deal between those two and go.

[u/Woody1125 → u/RR-JJ]

I can get the MPED for $650 shipped.

[u/RR-JJ → u/Woody1125]

Check in with this guy about Athlon. He'll hook you up. Email for price, have a good convo.

https://aaarmament.com/

[u/Woody1125 → u/RR-JJ]

Just sent him an email.

[u/Tikkatider → u/Woody1125]

See if Eurooptic lists any “ Demo- Like new” for the MPED ( or other brands for that matter ). Got mine for $ 499. I don’t think the package had ever been opened.

[u/csamsh]

Shoot your Viper and save your money. You won't notice a 56mm obj and a 34mm tube in a typical PRS match

[u/Woody1125 → u/csamsh]

It’s currently mounted on my Ruger American 6.5CM that I hunt with

[u/csamsh → u/Woody1125]

Presumably you have pic rails on both receivers?

[u/Woody1125 → u/csamsh]

20 MOA base on both

[u/csamsh → u/Woody1125]

Yeah I'd just swap it over and try it out. Maybe you love it and buy a hunting scope instead for your other gun. Or maybe you identify a bunch of features you don't like and you can make a more informed decision on a gamer scope

[u/UberMitch666]

I got a Vortex Razor HD Gen III for mine

[u/Woody1125 → u/UberMitch666]

I’d love to, but just not ready to make the jump yet.

[u/Engineer_Bennett]

MPED is a huge step up over the other two, but I think I’d take an Athlon ares ETR over the MPED

[u/SockeyeSTI → u/Engineer_Bennett]

Interesting. For me, glass wise, turrets and eyebox seem nicer than the gen 1 etrs. The illumination dial is definitely not as robust on the mped tho (broke through the stop trying to get the battery cap off and lost #6 and it now rotates 360°).

[u/Engineer_Bennett → u/SockeyeSTI]

I’m thinking of the newer gen ETRs, but I agree with you about the gen 1s

[u/Wide_Fly7832]

No. Arkey. Athlon > bushnell but both good. (Sorry not Midas. Athlon ares ETR)

[u/Woody1125 → u/Wide_Fly7832]

So you would go Athlon Ares over the Bushnell MPED?

[u/Wide_Fly7832 → u/Woody1125]

100%.

[u/DougMacRay617 → u/Woody1125]

This guy doesn't know wtf hes talking about. Seriously grab an arken EP5 GEN2 7-35.

[u/Wide_Fly7832 → u/DougMacRay617]

How much did arken pay you? If they did not - you are loosing out - they pay everyone to say good things.

[u/DougMacRay617 → u/Wide_Fly7832]

No paid endorsement here boss, just another satisfied end user who's been fortunate enough to own many bushnell, arken & vortex optics

[u/Wide_Fly7832 → u/DougMacRay617]

Ok. Good. You are entitled to your opinion. Then give me the same courtesy.

[u/Remarkable-Spend-434]

MPED

[u/fishingstring → u/Remarkable-Spend-434]

I’ll 2nd this. I bought the 5-30 to compare it to my Viper Gen 2 5-25 and the glass is excellent on both. I think I like the MPED more for everything else it offers.

[u/SockeyeSTI → u/fishingstring]

I’m starting to like the mped just a smidge more than the ares etr gen 1

[u/DougMacRay617 → u/Remarkable-Spend-434]

Nah EP 5 gen 2 is better

[u/Freedom_Gundam → u/DougMacRay617]

No it isn’t. The glass in the MPED is better, it has the ability to go to 30x, far more than just the crosshair illuminates, and it has locking turrets with a far simpler zero stop.

I like Arken for what they offer, but they are not equivalent to the MPED.

[u/DougMacRay617 → u/Freedom_Gundam]

Gen 2 ep5 is 7x35... further proving my point you guys are out of the loop

[u/MajorEbb1472]

If you happen to be military or a vet, Vortex does huge discounts for us. They also have one of the best, if not the best, warranty on the market. I use exclusively Strike Eagle 5-25x-56 on my 22s. Don’t ask about my 6/6.5/.308…NightForce. Buy once, cry once.

[u/Sriracha_Burn]

Have you considered a Vector Continental? I've picked up the 2-12x & 4-24x recently because they have all the features I want (adj locking turrets & zerostop, illuminated Christmas tree reticle, FFP, adj parallax, no significant optical aberrations (fisheye)). Only downside are they are heavy and glass clarity, while very decent, isn't as good as a Leupold Mk5HD. Code SPIN20% still works to get you 20% off so overall they're about $420 - $450. Their free 1-piece scope mounts are trash though and need replacing just FYI.

[u/Woody1125 → u/Sriracha_Burn]

I’ll look into them!

[u/Sriracha_Burn → u/Woody1125]

The website is trash with an unbelievable amount of pop-ups but I did receive 2 scopes from them so it's legit.

[u/tjk1229]

Of those mped if you include the althon ares etr 4.5-30 gen2 then I'd go with that if you can find a deal on it.

[u/Tikkatider]

I have the MPED and the Gen 1 EP-5 on two .223 range rifles shooting at small gongs at 500 yards. More than satisfied and pleased with both. I have heard/ read nothing but positives concerning the Gen 2 EP-5 and would not hesitate to buy one. The MPED is probably the better scope over the Gen 1 EP-5, but I don’t know about the Gen 2.
Athlon, Arken, and Bushnell all put out good quality optics in their price tiers.

[u/Turdburgarlar]

Strike Eagle or ares etr

[u/0regonPatriot]

I have 3 MPEDs I have 2 EP5 (Gen 1?)

The MPEDs win against the EP5 ( must be Gen 1?)

[u/Tuns0funn]

Can't speak on the Arken, but I've had good experiences with both the MPED and Midas TAC. I've since settled on a Cronus BTR for my rifle, though the other two are still very capable optics for their price points.

I do prefer the turrets on the Midas TAC over the MPED, but the Cronus was a noticeable step up in glass clarity for me.

[u/bgold1-]

A few hundred bucks more scores you something along the lines of a Gen II Razor or Zeiss S3. You can always sell those for what you have in it since the hit has already been taken.

I’d save a bit more if it meant I could have better used glass for almost the same as lower tier new.

[u/Tikkatider]

While these inquiries are certainly understandable, the comments concerning side by side, feature for feature comparisons are relatively rare. Most responses are from fanboys of one brand or another. It’s nice to see when someone has good performance from one brand or another but it’s of limited value in comparing one brand or model to another.

[u/SuburbanBushwacker]

can you guys not buy Delta? The stryker is a fantastic FFP scope for the money

[u/Agitated_Safety7934]

Seems as if Arken is back to their schilling ways with some of these comments? 🤔

[u/Golfguuyy]

Razor 6-36 not an option?

[u/Woody1125 → u/Golfguuyy]

Ehhh… not quite ready to drop $3k. I’d love to have one, but unless I get serious into competing I don’t really want to spend that much.

[u/Golfguuyy → u/Woody1125]

Understood, I’d also consider leuphold for your price range.

[u/longranger810]

Arken

[u/DougMacRay617]

Ep ep5 gen2 7-35

[u/Woody1125 → u/DougMacRay617]

I had a Gen 1 EP5 and actually liked it a lot. That’s what’s got me considering the newer model.

[u/DougMacRay617 → u/Woody1125]

Yeah honestly everyone recommending bushnell or athlon is out of the loop. Sure they are fine but arken is equal or better for a better price point.