FYI/FWIW - the Leupold Mark AR MOD rifle scopes - a bit of a "sleeper" here...
Leupold offers two lines of scopes that are quite similar, the Mark AR and the VX-R. The VX-R costs more, uses a 30mm tube instead of the 1" used in the Mark AR line. They both are available with or without the Firedot reticle. Due to various trading over the years :blink: I have a VX-R Patrol 3-9x40mm, a Mark AR MOD 3-9x40mm scope, and a Mark AR MOD 1.5-4x24 scope. All three are fine scopes.
Both 3-9x's have the FireDot Tactical Milling Reticle. and the 1-4x has a Firedot-G SPR reticle. They have one thing in common - the absolute best scope illumination on the planet! I'm gonna drift just a bit here to justify that claim and then I'll get back to what this thread is really about.
The drift:
Those of you who have read many of my posts, have an idea about how often and how much I shoot. A typical range session for me consists of about 4 hours including as many as four scope changes on various rifles for one reason or another. I've looked through many, many scopes, and it is based on that, that I stand firm on the claim that the Leupold Firedot is the absolute best scope illumination on the planet. It's not even close!
I have tested and evaluated Nightforce, Vortex, Leupold, Bushnell, Burris, Weaver, Nikon, Trijicon Accupoints, and probably some others I can't remember. They all, that is ALL, pale in comparison to the illumination performance of the Firedot. The Accupoints are close and the Burris Eliminator III is probably as good, but that's about it.
I shoot under a covered platform - you have to - that's the rule. When I'm shooting on a bright, clear day at dark targets with a black reticle, the contrast of the reticle on the black targets is so low that it's difficult to get a good sight picture. If I'm shooting for group size, I just can't get a sight picture clean enough to shoot good groups. Why not just change target colors? Well I do sometimes and that can help, but there are times that's not practical for some reason or another, maybe size of target and range, etc. Plus, changing target color does not directly address the problem, it's merely a work-around. E.g. if I have a black pig in the shadows in low light, it's complicated to get the orange dot positioned on the hog just right...:tongue:
The real solution is illumination. If illumination is done right, it works in ALL lighting and contrast conditions and this is where Leupold's Firedot really stands out. The problem with most scopes is the illumination washes out in bright light. One would think, "So what, you can see your reticle in bright light." Well, that's the theory, in reality there are numerous combinations of lighting, shading, and low contrast that make it difficult to acquire a sight picture quickly and especially definitively. Imagine that red dot sights were black dot sights, how well would that work?
Most scope manufacturers have either full reticle illumination or partial reticle illumination. The problem with these approaches is twofold, they ALL wash out in bright light conditions, and in low light conditions, the full reticle illumination can wash out the target :blink:. Think again of a dark hog in low light and you've got this red (or green) fully illuminated crosshair. It sounds perfect, but in practice it tends to mask the target.
Leupold used a different approach with the Firedot concept. The Firedot illuminates a small dot, smaller than most red dots in a red dot scope and they make it bright enough that it will work in the brightest of conditions and it can be dimmed to work in any low light situation. Plus, even when the dot is brighter than really needed, it's small and doesn't wash out the target as much as full reticle illumination.
I have NEVER experienced a situation where the Firedot could not clearly be seen. Even on the brightest, clearest days on the worst contrast targets I've seen, at the brightest level, it's too bright! I've never used more than the second highest level! But that brings me to the focus of the thread.
End of the drift - - -
The sleeper:
I mentioned three different scopes in different price ranges that all have the Firedot illumination. Here's the FYI: Leupold's description of the VX-R and VX-R Patrol states they have MST (Motion Sensor Technology). Simply stated MST turns the dot of after 5 minutes of no motion to conserve battery life. But as soon as you move the scope, the dot comes back on. In addition, you can turn the dot off and when off, motion will NOT turn it back on.
Guess what! The Mark AR MOD has MST also, but it isn't stated in Leupold's description! I just tested both my 1.5-4x and my 3-9x Mark AR MOD scopes and they both have MST!
Just thought that was worth knowing.
Leupold offers two lines of scopes that are quite similar, the Mark AR and the VX-R. The VX-R costs more, uses a 30mm tube instead of the 1" used in the Mark AR line. They both are available with or without the Firedot reticle. Due to various trading over the years :blink: I have a VX-R Patrol 3-9x40mm, a Mark AR MOD 3-9x40mm scope, and a Mark AR MOD 1.5-4x24 scope. All three are fine scopes.
Both 3-9x's have the FireDot Tactical Milling Reticle. and the 1-4x has a Firedot-G SPR reticle. They have one thing in common - the absolute best scope illumination on the planet! I'm gonna drift just a bit here to justify that claim and then I'll get back to what this thread is really about.
The drift:
Those of you who have read many of my posts, have an idea about how often and how much I shoot. A typical range session for me consists of about 4 hours including as many as four scope changes on various rifles for one reason or another. I've looked through many, many scopes, and it is based on that, that I stand firm on the claim that the Leupold Firedot is the absolute best scope illumination on the planet. It's not even close!
I have tested and evaluated Nightforce, Vortex, Leupold, Bushnell, Burris, Weaver, Nikon, Trijicon Accupoints, and probably some others I can't remember. They all, that is ALL, pale in comparison to the illumination performance of the Firedot. The Accupoints are close and the Burris Eliminator III is probably as good, but that's about it.
I shoot under a covered platform - you have to - that's the rule. When I'm shooting on a bright, clear day at dark targets with a black reticle, the contrast of the reticle on the black targets is so low that it's difficult to get a good sight picture. If I'm shooting for group size, I just can't get a sight picture clean enough to shoot good groups. Why not just change target colors? Well I do sometimes and that can help, but there are times that's not practical for some reason or another, maybe size of target and range, etc. Plus, changing target color does not directly address the problem, it's merely a work-around. E.g. if I have a black pig in the shadows in low light, it's complicated to get the orange dot positioned on the hog just right...:tongue:
The real solution is illumination. If illumination is done right, it works in ALL lighting and contrast conditions and this is where Leupold's Firedot really stands out. The problem with most scopes is the illumination washes out in bright light. One would think, "So what, you can see your reticle in bright light." Well, that's the theory, in reality there are numerous combinations of lighting, shading, and low contrast that make it difficult to acquire a sight picture quickly and especially definitively. Imagine that red dot sights were black dot sights, how well would that work?
Most scope manufacturers have either full reticle illumination or partial reticle illumination. The problem with these approaches is twofold, they ALL wash out in bright light conditions, and in low light conditions, the full reticle illumination can wash out the target :blink:. Think again of a dark hog in low light and you've got this red (or green) fully illuminated crosshair. It sounds perfect, but in practice it tends to mask the target.
Leupold used a different approach with the Firedot concept. The Firedot illuminates a small dot, smaller than most red dots in a red dot scope and they make it bright enough that it will work in the brightest of conditions and it can be dimmed to work in any low light situation. Plus, even when the dot is brighter than really needed, it's small and doesn't wash out the target as much as full reticle illumination.
I have NEVER experienced a situation where the Firedot could not clearly be seen. Even on the brightest, clearest days on the worst contrast targets I've seen, at the brightest level, it's too bright! I've never used more than the second highest level! But that brings me to the focus of the thread.
End of the drift - - -
The sleeper:
I mentioned three different scopes in different price ranges that all have the Firedot illumination. Here's the FYI: Leupold's description of the VX-R and VX-R Patrol states they have MST (Motion Sensor Technology). Simply stated MST turns the dot of after 5 minutes of no motion to conserve battery life. But as soon as you move the scope, the dot comes back on. In addition, you can turn the dot off and when off, motion will NOT turn it back on.
Guess what! The Mark AR MOD has MST also, but it isn't stated in Leupold's description! I just tested both my 1.5-4x and my 3-9x Mark AR MOD scopes and they both have MST!
Just thought that was worth knowing.