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Leupold Mark AR Mod 1

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RTA48 View Drop Down
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    Posted: September/10/2013 at 13:27
anyone played with one of these in the 3x9x40? If so, thoughts would be appreciated.

Randy
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Optics GrassHopper
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Parallaxed Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: September/11/2013 at 08:33
Just acquired one yesterday. Got it mounted, will be sighting in and evaluating soon. I'll post back here with my thoughts. My first impressions are that this is actually one of the few good values from Leupold lately...
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Parallaxed Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: September/13/2013 at 16:01
Got my new Leupold Mark AR Mod 1 3-9x40 Mil-dot scope mounted up on my Moose hunting rifle; Browning A-bolt Stalker in 300 win mag. Mini Review:

      Sighting in was fast. Having matching turrets and reticle is a revelation that I wish hadn't taken so long to become popularized. Getting the diopter right took some fooling, as I'm used to fast focus eye pieces that seem to be easier for my eye to dial in on. Much Much finer adjustment (and for me, a little more cumbersome) with Leupold's locking/spinning ocular housing. Believe it or not, I literally didn't need more than .2 mils elevation for a 200y zero, and PERFECT windage. Didn't even bother loosening the setscrew and re-zeroing the turrets, it was perfect as is... a first for me. I ended up with 10.2 mils of up with my 0 moa leupold base. Thats good for 1170yards with Barnes 165gr TTSX's. I think this scope is a great low-cost option for AR's, for which it was intended, but actually may be a near perfect hunting scope as well. Having mil turrets that are so low profile and have decent clicks with enough resistance to not be getting bumped off zero is a great addition to a hunting/light tactical rifle. The reticle is standard mil-dot and really seems to pop. The bold portion stands out great on dark backgrounds and seemed acceptable as evening came. I haven't got to do any low-light testing, but of course it should be basically on par with a VX-2 3-9x40. The glass seems very clear, not Swaro or premier clear, but perfectly usable for reasonable hunting distances. For me, clarity, contrast, low-light performance, and resolution are important, but form-factor, features, weight, and warranty are considerations too, especially in a $349 optic. I got the free Leupold mark 2 AR mount with the promo, around $90 or so value and put it to use on an AR I had around; nice light weight mount. 
     Overall, I'm very happy initially with this scope and feel that Leupold has been playing catch up with the likes of Vortex, Sightron, and SWFA and they're finally beginning to step up their game. I don't think there are many "values" that Leupold has been offering as of late, with the exception of the Mark AR line. One thing that stands out about this somewhat average 3-9x scope is the black ring around the ocular housing seems very thin. Much thinner that my Vortex Viper 2-7x32. It gives (to me) a popping quality of the image and seems more 3D, and also seems more seamless between peripheral vision and the scope image. Hard to explain, but I like it. Eye-box seems very forgiving, but the dreaded Leupold eye relief change from low to high is ever-present. It doesn't bother me as much as it does some people, and at all powers I was plenty safe from Scope-bite with my 8lb. 300 win. 
    All in all, the scope is a reasonable compromise of features, size, quality, and cost. For a compact hunting/light tactical scope under $500 I think you'd be hard pressed to beat it. It's direct competitor is the excellent little Weaver 3-10x40 mil/mil Midway exclusive for $300 and is also a great value, though for now I'm preferring the Leupy for the nice compact turrets and better warranty, and Free AR Mount!





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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote cheaptrick Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: September/13/2013 at 16:48
Looks great! Thanks for the review, as well.  
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