Arken Optics - High Value Precision Scopes

[3MTA3]

2022 is the year I'm branching into long range marksmanship. In my search for gear within my budget I ran across some videos about the Arken 4-16 and 6-25 SHA series scopes. The reviews and budget price, $400 and $450 respectively were both intriguing but seemed too good to be true. Then I ran across the reviews by Rex Tibor, author of Sniper 101 who can shoot to back it up and also trains as a contractor for .mil.

I decided to pull the trigger on the 6-25 scope and so far it's been everything I've seen in the reviews. It looks and feels like it's a top tier scope. The turrets are just perfect in feel, smoothness, and most importantly repeatability with top tier tracking error. Glass is much better than expected, though with a few small compromises compared to scopes costing five times as much.

The scopes are better suited to precision shooting due to fine reticle, but does have partial illumination that makes it doable for tactical and general purpose usage. My intent with this scope is precision long range, which is why I went with the 6-25 version. The 4-16x version would otherwise likely be the better choice

Scope test mounted on a Savage 110 Tactical Desert to give an idea of the size.




Comes with:

• Manual
• Zero stop wrench, but is a standard hex size if you lose it
• Sun shade
• Bikini style lens caps
• Lens cleaning cloth

What's great:

• Tremendous value. Compares with scopes in the $2k USD and over class and even some at >$3k USD.
• Well made, solid, and beefy. Rated for 50 BMG.
• Turrets compare with the very best
• 34mm tube gives a lot of MOA adjustment.
• Optics are on par with much more expensive scopes
• Comes in MOA and MIL models.

Compromises

• Sunshade not threaded so no ARD. Then again, this scope is primarily designed for precision as opposed to tactical applications.
• Eye box is small at 25x, but still very usable.
• Dims slightly (as expected) from about 16x on but still bright.
• Illumination is limited to the central cross hairs.
• At 36.6 ounces and 14" long without sun shade it's pretty hefty. The "smaller" 4x14 is only one ounce lighter at 35.6 oz.

I bought the accessory combo pack on a Black Friday deal. The kit comes with flip up lens caps, 34mm rings, sand bag, scope level, and throw lever. All are nicely made and work well.

The rings are high value, beefy, and STANAG compliant. STANAG is an extension of the picatinny system that allows for more surface contact and results in a stronger mount. They have a smooth finish inside and lined up perfectly with no lapping required. Mounting hardware is the same for base and ring and uses some pretty beefy Torx screws, with tool and extra screws provided. A nice touch is that the torque specs are printed on the rings. Too bad they only make them to fit their 34mm tubes and not other sizes. At $60 USD they compare with rings in the $150 USD range.

This picture shows the markings on the rings - tube size, height and torque. BTW these are the low height which was perfect on this rifle providing a fat quarter inch barrel clearance. You can also see the STANAG shelf in the gap above the picatinny rail that came with the rifle. That rail will be replaced with a Warne STANAG I have on order.


My blather aside, here are some reviews:

The 4-16 version compared to other scopes. Note the surprising comparison to the S&B in harsh lighting near the sun

Cyclops is entertaining, but he is no nonsense and tortures the scopes he reviews

A comparison to the more expensive but still high value Vortex Venom. Optical quality is not even close.

Read More

 

[TTSX]

Wonder if this will be like vortex and their prices will triple and quality halve when they get a sniff of success

 

[3MTA3]

Wonder if this will be like vortex and their prices will triple and quality halve when they get a sniff of success

Vortex got fat and happy without real competition in the high value segment. Now companies like Primary Arms, Arken, Blackhound and others are giving them a run for their money. Some Vortex offering are still pretty good, but do watch the last video I posted Arken to their price class Venom equivalent. It isn't even close, especially where it comes to the optics.

If Arken follows their path then there will always be someone hungry enough to fill the need. For right now IMO they are tough to beat.

 

[P7M13]

While shooting my 338 WM tonight, using a 3-9x40 Sightron, got tatered on the nose by the scope on the 4th shot. That scope has a tight eye box at ~3.6".

Was going to order one of these tonight to replace the Sightron, thought it'd be great to do a four-way comparision: Leupold Mark 4, Meopta Optika6 3-18x50, Athlon Midas TAC 6-24x50 and the Arken 4-16x50.

Then noticed the Arken 4-16 has a 3.6" eye box, and the 6-24 has 3.5". That would be an ouch on this rifle. Additoinally, it weighs 35oz. Heavy.
Gonna think about this one a bit.

 

[Z-PDX]

china…

 

[3MTA3]

china…

... does not necessarily mean bad quality or performance. Would I prefer the scope to be made elsewhere for other reasons? Yes, but those playing the virtue game need to examine all the other products they buy for country of origin. If you shop that big ole WalMart in Bend I guarantee nearly all the non food items and a lot of the food items come from "china...".

I've cut China as a source most everywhere I can, but realistically it's hard to do. I would pay more for this scope if I could one made here, but you know where US made scopes get their finished glass, including local manufacturer Leupold? china...

 

[3MTA3]

While shooting my 338 WM tonight, using a 3-9x40 Sightron, got tatered on the nose by the scope on the 4th shot. That scope has a tight eye box at ~3.6".

Was going to order one of these tonight to replace the Sightron, thought it'd be great to do a four-way comparision: Leupold Mark 4, Meopta Optika6 3-18x50, Athlon Midas TAC 6-24x50 and the Arken 4-16x50.

Then noticed the Arken 4-16 has a 3.6" eye box, and the 6-24 has 3.5". That would be an ouch on this rifle. Additoinally, it weighs 35oz. Heavy.
Gonna think about this one a bit.

Add Blackhound to your list since this is more of a hunting round and they have a thicker reticle. Still good value, especially the refurbished ones, and eye relief looks a bit more generous.

They do make a 4-16 scope, but here is a quick look at the 6-24 model. These also come with flip up caps and rings included.

 

[powermad]

I just got a 4-16x50.
Good thing I got it when I did as they are back to a 2-4 week lead time.

I have just started messing with it but the first thing I noticed is that I don't need my glasses to see the reticle clearly. That's a plus for me as bifocals are a PITA to get a good cheek weld with.
I really like the VPR reticle, not too busy and easy to read.
The center cross and dot is pretty slick, the illumination could be a bit brighter I suppose but I can see it well enough on a day like today which is fine.
Lots of elevation travel, even with the 20 MOA mount it's still got a ways to go before bottoming out.
Huge numbers on the turrets, without glasses on that's another plus for me.

I don't have a lot of time with scopes but the $100 I saved on a Vortex Diamondback 6-24x50 was not worth it at all. Though the Vortex warranty is top notch, gotta give em credit for that at least.

What you get for $399 is pretty stout.
Mount, covers, bubble and a man purse, or fill it and use it for a rear bag.
All I have is a sock with beans in it so that's cool.

 

[3MTA3]

I just got a 4-16x50.
Good thing I got it when I did as they are back to a 2-4 week lead time.

I have just started messing with it but the first thing I noticed is that I don't need my glasses to see the reticle clearly. That's a plus for me as bifocals are a PITA to get a good cheek weld with.
I really like the VPR reticle, not too busy and easy to read.
The center cross and dot is pretty slick, the illumination could be a bit brighter I suppose but I can see it well enough on a day like today which is fine.
Lots of elevation travel, even with the 20 MOA mount it's still got a ways to go before bottoming out.
Huge numbers on the turrets, without glasses on that's another plus for me.

I don't have a lot of time with scopes but the $100 I saved on a Vortex Diamondback 6-24x50 was not worth it at all. Though the Vortex warranty is top notch, gotta give em credit for that at least.

What you get for $399 is pretty stout.
Mount, covers, bubble and a man purse, or fill it and use it for a rear bag.
All I have is a sock with beans in it so that's cool.
View attachment 1105290

Curious what you think of the eye box and optics at 16x? At 25x the optics hold up well on mine, but the eye box is a bit finicky.

 

[powermad]

It doesn't seem too bad free handing it.
I need to get it mounted but it's better than the Vortex from what I can tell so far.

My Ariska level won't work with this scope so I will have to do it the old fashioned way, no big deal.

 

[3MTA3]

It doesn't seem too bad free handing it.
I need to get it mounted but it's better than the Vortex from what I can tell so far.

My Ariska level won't work with this scope so I will have to do it the old fashioned way, no big deal.

Roger that! With the low Arken rings on a standard pic rail (I swapped out the EGW ail that came on my rifle with the STANAG compliant Warne) it just clears. I think I accidentally got it spot on when I was test fitting it.With the new rail there is a bare sliver of light between the turret bas flat and the rail. It's so close I'm going to use feeler gauges to double check. That would be a possible option for you as well - find the thickest feeler gauge that will just slide through.

 

[powermad]

I just eyeballed it and snugged it down so I can mess with it on the rifle.
Got the eye relief set and this scope is much easier to get behind than the Vortex was at max magnification.
It looks really good at 16 power looking at the trees about 500-600 yds away.

After messing with it a bit the illumination is easily washed out but the reticle is still clear.
Even so this a pretty nice scope scope the money, if making it brighter tacks on a couple hundred then I'm good with less illumination, I don't plan on using it like I would with my PA 1-8.
Though with the low end being a 4 power a nice bright dot would be pretty slick.

 

[Member 34319]

Almost bought one of these. Might still in time.

 

[Tom Hanks]

Wonder if this will be like vortex and their prices will triple and quality halve when they get a sniff of success

 

[Ginocide]

I'm watching these with curiosity so I'm glad to hear you had a positive experience! I've also read that they have some chromatic aberration issues at different magnifications, was this your experience?

It's a good time for budget optics. I got some Athlon scopes that I've been very impressed with, but I'm always on the lookout for new options! One thing about the Athlons is that their cheaper models don't have is a good zero-stop.

 

[3MTA3]

I'm watching these with curiosity so I'm glad to hear you had a positive experience! I've also read that they have some chromatic aberration issues at different magnifications, was this your experience?

It's a good time for budget optics. I got some Athlon scopes that I've been very impressed with, but I'm always on the lookout for new options! One thing about the Athlons is that their cheaper models don't have is a good zero-stop.

I'll look through mine tomorrow during the daylight looking for that specifically. I haven't noticed it, but also wasn't looking critically for it. Some reviewers have said they saw distortion at the edges on max zoom, but I don't see any. I also haven't looked through it in tricky lighting, but in the Rex Reviews video it shows the 4-16 as holding up nicely looking almost into the sun.

What I see looks the same to me as in the Vortex vs Arken video in the first post above. That's not to say there isn't variability and maybe I got a "good one". Reading through some precision forums the consensus is that they get the jbo done and optically is 98% of a Steiner at a fraction of the cost.

 

[VanceInWA]

... does not necessarily mean bad quality or performance. Would I prefer the scope to be made elsewhere for other reasons? Yes, but those playing the virtue game need to examine all the other products they buy for country of origin. If you shop that big ole WalMart in Bend I guarantee nearly all the non food items and a lot of the food items come from "china...".

I've cut China as a source most everywhere I can, but realistically it's hard to do. I would pay more for this scope if I could one made here, but you know where US made scopes get their finished glass, including local manufacturer Leupold? china...

"Quality" can potentially come from any country. Trust, and consistent trustworthiness, not so much. Whether it be in shooting sports or private business, too many lessons have been learned by too many Americans that what looks like a bargain on the front end often results in headaches, quality problems, and short usable lifespan on the back end. There are too many quality scopes NOT made in China, Americans don't need to always bottom feed the cheapies and keep sending dollars to the Chinese military (which is, in effect, what happens every time you purchase a product made in China). Also have to be careful about "buying American" when American companies are outsourcing their manufacturing to China (even locally here, just look at how many Leupold scopes aren't made in Beaverton). Much higher quality and long-term consistency will come from scopes manufactured in Europe, or Japan, or the United States (Philippines not so sure) in lieu of China.

 

[3MTA3]

"Quality" can potentially come from any country. Trust, and consistent trustworthiness, not so much. Whether it be in shooting sports or private business, too many lessons have been learned by too many Americans that what looks like a bargain on the front end often results in headaches, quality problems, and short usable lifespan on the back end. There are too many quality scopes NOT made in China, Americans don't need to always bottom feed the cheapies and keep sending dollars to the Chinese military (which is, in effect, what happens every time you purchase a product made in China). Also have to be careful about "buying American" when American companies are outsourcing their manufacturing to China (even locally here, just look at how many Leupold scopes aren't made in Beaverton). Much higher quality and long-term consistency will come from scopes manufactured in Europe, or Japan, or the United States (Philippines not so sure) in lieu of China.

Agreed, there is a lot of cheap scopes coming out of China, but there are also scopes that are inexpensive yet high quality. It's a topic worthy of it's own thread. Keep in mind a couple of things:

• Optical glass only comes from a few companies, none of which are in the US, so it's impossible to get a 100% US made scope.
• Parts are frequently sourced as opposed to made by the scope manufacturer and can come from anywhere, so your European scope might contain components made in China.
• As you mentioned frequently only the top models are frequently assembled by the branded scope manufacturer while the others are made by a supplier.
• Almost everything you buy from underwear to light bulbs to canned fruit clothing, purses, shoes, electronics, tools, etc. comes from China. Consider what you spend on Chinese products annually and compare it to the $450 I spent on this scope, which is a one time purchase. In the last 30 years I have bought 6 scopes, so I average one every five years. I go to great pains to avoid China in those other areas and pay a premium to do so.

BTW two Arken scopes are made in Japan with Japanese glass. Primary Arms also makes several of their scopes in the Philippines. Not all companies make all their scopes in China.

 

[JRuby]

2022 is the year I'm branching into long range marksmanship. In my search for gear within my budget I ran across some videos about the Arken 4-16 and 6-25 SHA series scopes. The reviews and budget price, $400 and $450 respectively were both intriguing but seemed too good to be true. Then I ran across the reviews by Rex Tibor, author of Sniper 101 who can shoot to back it up and also trains as a contractor for .mil.

I decided to pull the trigger on the 6-25 scope and so far it's been everything I've seen in the reviews. It looks and feels like it's a top tier scope. The turrets are just perfect in feel, smoothness, and most importantly repeatability with top tier tracking error. Glass is much better than expected, though with a few small compromises compared to scopes costing five times as much.

The scopes are better suited to precision shooting due to fine reticle, but does have partial illumination that makes it doable for tactical and general purpose usage. My intent with this scope is precision long range, which is why I went with the 6-25 version. The 4-16x version would otherwise likely be the better choice

Scope test mounted on a Savage 110 Tactical Desert to give an idea of the size.
View attachment 1087950

View attachment 1087951

Comes with:

• Manual
• Zero stop wrench, but is a standard hex size if you lose it
• Sun shade
• Bikini style lens caps
• Lens cleaning cloth

What's great:

• Tremendous value. Compares with scopes in the $2k USD and over class and even some at >$3k USD.
• Well made, solid, and beefy. Rated for 50 BMG.
• Turrets compare with the very best
• 34mm tube gives a lot of MOA adjustment.
• Optics are on par with much more expensive scopes
• Comes in MOA and MIL models.

Compromises

• Sunshade not threaded so no ARD. Then again, this scope is primarily designed for precision as opposed to tactical applications.
• Eye box is small at 25x, but still very usable.
• Dims slightly (as expected) from about 16x on but still bright.
• Illumination is limited to the central cross hairs.
• At 36.6 ounces and 14" long without sun shade it's pretty hefty. The "smaller" 4x14 is only one ounce lighter at 35.6 oz.

I bought the accessory combo pack on a Black Friday deal. The kit comes with flip up lens caps, 34mm rings, sand bag, scope level, and throw lever. All are nicely made and work well.

The rings are high value, beefy, and STANAG compliant. STANAG is an extension of the picatinny system that allows for more surface contact and results in a stronger mount. They have a smooth finish inside and lined up perfectly with no lapping required. Mounting hardware is the same for base and ring and uses some pretty beefy Torx screws, with tool and extra screws provided. A nice touch is that the torque specs are printed on the rings. Too bad they only make them to fit their 34mm tubes and not other sizes. At $60 USD they compare with rings in the $150 USD range.

This picture shows the markings on the rings - tube size, height and torque. BTW these are the low height which was perfect on this rifle providing a fat quarter inch barrel clearance. You can also see the STANAG shelf in the gap above the picatinny rail that came with the rifle. That rail will be replaced with a Warne STANAG I have on order.
View attachment 1087953

My blather aside, here are some reviews:

The 4-16 version compared to other scopes. Note the surprising comparison to the S&B in harsh lighting near the sun

Cyclops is entertaining, but he is no nonsense and tortures the scopes he reviews

A comparison to the more expensive but still high value Vortex Venom. Optical quality is not even close.

So how is the warranty and support?

 

[3MTA3]

So how is the warranty and support?

Lifetime warranty and guaranteed precision tracking.

I purchased it with the accessory kit that included a bubble level. The level they sent was for a 30mm tube and not the 34mm that fit the tube. I called the number and got a recording that said to sent email. Just great, I thought. That was on a Saturday. I sent the email and Monday morning got a notification that they were sending a replacement, which I got the following day. They let me keep the wrong one as well.

So far, so good. I haven't heard anything bad except that sometimes it takes a while for them to get back to you.
I wish I had know theta the Japanese glass version was coming back in stock and would have spent the extra Benjamin. but I'm not disappointed at all with the SH4.