Has Arken upset the optics industry?
Every so often a company, or a specific product, comes along and completely turns an industry on its head. The optics industry has had this happen a lot in the last 15 years with the skyrocketing popularity of long range shooting. One of the first turning points for optics in the U.S market was the introduction of the Gen 1 Razor from Vortex Optics. The quality combined with the price and their industry leading warranty made it a go to for long time competitors. However, the scope itself wasn’t what drove change. The warranty forced many companies to re-evaluate their own warranty procedures as costumers flocked to Vortex. This caused a huge improvement in customer service throughout the industry in the United States. But, even with this addition, top tier scopes still required top tier budgets that left new shooters out in the cold unless they invested a lot of money up front. The next major shift was the integration of upper level features into mid-tier optics. Things like Christmas tree reticles, zero stops, illumination, and decent magnification ranges only existed in the top line for any company. Then Vortex released the FFP Strike Eagle. Once again, companies were forced to reevaluate what they offered for the more affordable options.
But this article isn’t about Vortex. These advancements, while critical to the development of the industry, have set the stage for other companies to forge ahead and push the envelope for what features can be offered in a mid-tier optics line. So much so, that comparing them to other scopes within their price point isn’t even fair.
Introducing the Arken EP5 5-25x (see it here-https://bit.ly/3rEz8we ) first focal plane precision rifle scope. This optic checks all the boxes that a precision shooter could want.
- First Focal Plane
- Christmas tree reticle
- Illuminated reticle
- Zero Stops
- Large turrets
- 34mm Tube
- 56mm Objective lens
- Clear Tactile clicks
- Parallax down to 25 yards
Now, with a list of features like this you would typically be wondering how many organs you need to sell to get this on top of your favorite competition or hunting rifle. But, this one won’t even get you in trouble with your spouse let alone your banker. The MSRP on this optic is $529.99 and is often on sale directly from Arken.com- https://bit.ly/3rEz8we
Right about now you are probably thinking “What’s the catch?” and you should. This is the first scope I have seen that can pack in so many features without having to greatly sacrifice quality. Well after months of testing it, both with center-fire and rim-fire rifles, I am happy to report that there is no catch. Not to say that it’s perfect as we will go over the cons shortly, but there is no major deficiency with any of the features packed into this optic.
Let’s start with the pros. I am a huge fan of the taller turrets over the flatter style turrets that several companies use. This gives your hands plenty of purchase on the turret, even when wearing gloves, and allow for them to include the measurements for your second revolution. While we are discussing turrets, let’s talk about clicks. A lot of optics, especially the more “budget friendly lines,” sometimes sacrifice the quality of the clicks in an effort to reduce manufacturing costs. This was not done with the Arken EP5. The clicks for both windage and elevation are extremely clear and defined without any slop or play once the adjustment has been made. It would also be very difficult to over adjust with these turrets and then have to dial back, as sometimes happens when the adjustments are too soft. While we are on the topic of making adjustments, it’s a good time to bring up max adjustment. Due to their use of a 34mm body, this scope has an impressive 32 MRAD (110 MOA) of total adjustment. When combined with a canted scope base or rings, this will give you more than enough adjustment for even your more extra-long range shots. The parallax turret is also very smooth and didn’t need to break in at all to loosen up. It is even separated enough from the illumination turret, that you won’t mistake one for the other or adjust both accidently.
Now let’s talk glass. This is another category where companies usually sacrifice quality to gain the margin they require for a product to be profitable. But, once again, this rule doesn’t apply to the Arken EP5. The glass quality, while not as high as your top tier optics, is very close and more than sufficient for your average (and even your above average) competitive shooter. How they have been able to release a scope with this amount of clarity for under a $600 MSRP is truly awesome. Now, reticles are something that have been getting exponentially better throughout the industry and every level of optic. The EP5 comes with the Arken VPR in either MOA or MRAD. This reticle allows for precision aiming with a .04 MRAD aiming dot in the center that allows you to clearly define your point of aim without covering up your target regardless of its size. An aiming dot this small can become problematic when your magnification gets backed out and it becomes difficult to see, but they also expertly addressed this. On both axes of the reticle there is a .25 Mrad gap before a traditional cross hair begins. So on lower magnification setting with the dot almost invisible, you can still utilize this gap as the center of your point of aim while maintaining Positive ID of your target. I am a huge fan of having an aiming gap instead of a dot in my original RAZR, so this was a nice call back for me.
Now that I’ve droned on about what I liked about the optic, let’s talk about what left a little to be desired. The Zero Stop was the biggest thing for me. It is easy to set up, but it allowed for about a half click of adjustment past where it was set, and I always had to dial back up a click or two and then go back down to feel like I was comfortably on zero. It would have also been great if it was a tool-less zeroing and zero stop, but obviously they can’t include every feature there is. The next thing I wasn’t super happy with is more of a personal preference then anything. The illumination adjustment turret stuck out a little further then I would have liked, but this did allow it to be a little bit more tactile, which could have been the intent. The last thing I want to mention is the lack of throw lever. It has always perplexed me which scopes come with one and which ones don’t, but throw levers are cheap enough that I believe every scope should come with one. I overcame this by adding a universal throw lever:
Overall to say that I am impressed would be a huge understatement. I have been and continue to be shocked at what this scope delivers, especially for the asking price. I honestly believe that this scope may be another catalyst that upsets the industry again and drives their competitors to new innovations allowing for the barrier to entry to continue to be lowered for new shooters. It was not so long ago that the rule of thumb for optics was to spend as much as you spent on the rifle. Fortunately, that rule will fall into the appendix of history as we are now able to compete at the highest level with more “budget friendly” options.
Written By: Johnathon Solinsky