March Optics guys chime in....

[_CTAIRGUNNER_]

Since I topped my Paradigm with my G2 Mini from Valdada ive been spoiled, tried an arken ep5 on my .257 , lasted two days then I snagged a fullsize G2 Recon for it. I am due to purchase my Evol Mini back and I will not put anything but teir 1 on it (its my money , I can tell a clear difference after spending time with teir 1 vs good budget glass, teir 1 glass doubles the rifles worth as far as capabilities go in my opinion).

I want to save weight, my mini originally had a helix 4-16 and the weight was good at 24 ounces, I was originally looking and pretty stuck on the NX8 2.5-20 mil (i prefer mil) , it weighs in 4.5 ounces heavier than the helix, a couple buddies suggested March and I am stuck on these two options, both weighing in at or under the Helix weight.

Really the mini only needs 15/16 max mag, more mag doesn't hurt but the compact scope 1.5 - 15 fits the perfect bill in size etc

Does anyone have any hands on experience with either? I have heard the eyebox is small on some of the march scopes?

D24V42FIML (MIL, Tactical, Illumi) | MARCH Scopes | DEON Optical Design CorporationMARCH Scopes | DEON Optical Design Corporation

MARCH Scopes Official Site

marchscopes.com

and heres the compact one

D15V42FIMLX (MIL, Tactical, Illumi, Shuriken lock) | MARCH Scopes | DEON Optical Design CorporationMARCH Scopes | DEON Optical Design Corporation

MARCH Scopes Official Site

marchscopes.com

Thanks in advance guys!

 

[Scouty]

Since I topped my Paradigm with my G2 Mini from Valdada ive been spoiled, tried an arken ep5 on my .257 , lasted two days then I snagged a fullsize G2 Recon for it. I am due to purchase my Evol Mini back and I will not put anything but teir 1 on it (its my money , I can tell a clear difference after spending time with teir 1 vs good budget glass, teir 1 glass doubles the rifles worth as far as capabilities go in my opinion).

I want to save weight, my mini originally had a helix 4-16 and the weight was good at 24 ounces, I was originally looking and pretty stuck on the NX8 2.5-20 mil (i prefer mil) , it weighs in 4.5 ounces heavier than the helix, a couple buddies suggested March and I am stuck on these two options, both weighing in at or under the Helix weight.

Really the mini only needs 15/16 max mag, more mag doesn't hurt but the compact scope 1.5 - 15 fits the perfect bill in size etc

Does anyone have any hands on experience with either? I have heard the eyebox is small on some of the march scopes?

D24V42FIML (MIL, Tactical, Illumi) | MARCH Scopes | DEON Optical Design CorporationMARCH Scopes | DEON Optical Design Corporation

MARCH Scopes Official Site

marchscopes.com

and heres the compact one

D15V42FIMLX (MIL, Tactical, Illumi, Shuriken lock) | MARCH Scopes | DEON Optical Design CorporationMARCH Scopes | DEON Optical Design Corporation

MARCH Scopes Official Site

marchscopes.com

Thanks in advance guys!

I owned a 10x erector March for a while and had trouble with the eye box. I don't feel that makes me qualified to reply, but I'll attempt to anyways.

I do lurk over on The Hide and there are discussions about these scopes. My understanding is that the 3-24x42 at 15x will have the much better eye box than the 1.5-15x42 at 15x.

If you poke around over there there has been a bit of recent discussion on the 1.5-15x42 recently, albeit the dual reticle version as I recall.

 

[steve123]

I'd skip both those March scopes and get the 4.5-28 because it has the least optical compromise.

Optical compromise!!! the 1.5-15 was one I'm glad I didn't try after reading the thread on SH. I bought the Athlon Helos G2 2-12x42 instead which was such a great choice.

The March 3-24x50 is supposed to have a better eyebox than the 42mm version.

 

[_CTAIRGUNNER_]

My other choice is the nx8 2.5-20 mil. I truly do not need a scope with 28 mag on an evol mini. I will admit I'm not the most well versed in optics but I know what I like. Teir 1, ffp, Xmas tree reticle. I just want to size my scope appropriately for the rifle.

 

[steve123]

You probably want 10Y close focus but if not the ZCO 4-20 and the S&B 5-20 Ultra short could be other options. Those will have better glass than the NF 2.5-20.

But that NF will likely be the best option for what you want.

 

[_CTAIRGUNNER_]

You probably want 10Y close focus but if not the ZCO 4-20 and the S&B 5-20 Ultra short could be other options. Those will have better glass than the NF 2.5-20.

But that NF will likely be the best option for what you want.

With the exception of its weight lol... all about compromise right?

 

[steve123]

With the exception of its weight lol... all about compromise right?

Yeah and the ZCO and S&B aren't exactly super lightweight either.

 

[_CTAIRGUNNER_]

Yeah and the ZCO and S&B aren't exactly super lightweight either.

They're almost half pound heavier, hmm

 

[Airgun-hobbyist]

If this can help, I have the higher magnification and heavier March-FX Highmaster 4.5-28×52 and also the Nightforce NX8 2.5-20×50. Both are nice scopes for their intended purposes. But being FFP, and most any FFP for that matter, they have small reticles at low power. So if hunting in the woods for small game and or even deer where low power quick acquisition are oftentimes needed, at low power the thin reticles kind of suck. I bought the NX8 for the lower base magnification, and seeing the reticle is much better dialing up to 3-4 power while hunting. On both scopes the higher powers are used for my long range silhouette target shooting. Both scopes shine in this regard.

I have been seriously looking at the small dual reticle March-FX 1.5-15×42, which is probably going to be the next scope on my new hunting rig. It checks off all the boxes and then some as far as scopes go. I'll wade through the list of people's "issues" with the scope over on Sniper's Hide and decide upon the purchase afterwards. Their complaints on the eye box is easy to fix; just get behind the scope the same each time you pull it up. ;-)

I've been trending towards the lightweight scopes, so... another lightweight scope I really like for hunting is the Nightforce NX8 1-8×24. It has a fixed parallax but again, if your directly behind the eyepiece it's a non-issue. The illumination is sweet at all power levels, as is dialing for longer range targets with the tactical turrets. The new MIL-XT reticle has a 10 mil Christmas tree reticle for holdover. I can get two decent NX8's for the price of another March...

View attachment slayer-nightforce1-8×24-2.jpg(Here's a pic with the phone shooting the Slayer at 235 yards. Close to a couple dozen shots there, some better than others).

 

[Airgun-hobbyist]

Scope size comparison on the Evol:

9 3/4" versus a 14 3/4" overall length(s).

 

[_CTAIRGUNNER_]

That NX8 1-8 doesn't look all that bad at 200 but when shooting a 357 , I loved that my mini was capable of moa at 100 with 18.13 and I feel the extra magnification is warranted if wanting to take those longer shots on say a bird or rabbit.

I think the 2.5-20 is a really good candidate still and am now leaning more towards it because I did read all last night and this morning about people complaining about the eyebox on a handful of the march scopes, but with that said this is a personal thing for me, I have had issues with eye box before depending on position im shooting from , for instance, prone vs standing with rifle rested on a bag on the hood of a car, totally different positioning. Again its all personal preference but I do prefer a more forgiving eyebox.

 

[Nutcracker]

I have owned 3 march scopes. First one was 5-32 x52 It was awesome. Actually, a pleasure to look thru. I decided I wanted a smaller scope on my Vulcan. so, I sold that & got a 2.5 -25x42, I never liked it , there was something weird about it. Not a Eye box issue something else. My last one was the shorty DR. It was neat & kind of a novelty thing. I guess If I had to do over again, I would keep the first one.

 

[_CTAIRGUNNER_]

It seems like the NX8 keeps coming out on top, ive been told the glass is not up to the march glass but it is distinguishable as teir 1, its the weird little intricacies and oddities people "complain" (lack of better words) about with the marches that steer me away.

 

[Airgun-hobbyist]

It seems like the NX8 keeps coming out on top, ive been told the glass is not up to the march glass but it is distinguishable as teir 1, its the weird little intricacies and oddities people "complain" (lack of better words) about with the marches that steer me away.

You will like the NX8 in 2 5-20 on the Mini . It's a pretty light scope for its size and power range, the reticle works from low to high power, and it's going to be hard to get better glass on anything close to it's price range.

 

[_CTAIRGUNNER_]

You will like the NX8 in 2 5-20 on the Mini . It's a pretty light scope for its size and power range, the reticle works from low to high power, and it's going to be hard to get better glass on anything close to it's price range.

That is what I am figuring too, I wish Val had some light weight options as I am loving both my G2 Mini and Recon G2 , at 28 ounces with illuminated reticle the NX8 definitely is light for a 50mm objective lens and 30mm tube. Thanks for the posts in this thread man, they helped a lot.

Also the new NX8 2.5-20 are listed at 12" in length now.

 

[Centercut]

Vortex Razor HD LH. Small, lightweight, excellent glass, great reticle. Highly recommended. I’ve had the SFP 3-15x on my .22 Cricket mini for 5 years now.

 

[Nutcracker]

Vortex Razor HD LH. Small, lightweight, excellent glass, great reticle. Highly recommended. I’ve had the SFP 3-15x on my .22 Cricket mini for 5 years now.

I have the LHT, 3-15 x 50 30 mm tube. awesome scope IMO. I never knew they made them in 1 inch. Might be my next scope purchase. Lighter is better.

 

[Sanctify7]

I'd skip both those March scopes and get the 4.5-28 because it has the least optical compromise.

Optical compromise!!! the 1.5-15 was one I'm glad I didn't try after reading the thread on SH. I bought the Athlon Helos G2 2-12x42 instead which was such a great choice.

The March 3-24x50 is supposed to have a better eyebox than the 42mm version.

I agree with Steve. The optical superiority of the 4.5-28x52 seems to be well established on the Hide. (I did own one for a short period.) This does not necessarily mean the 1.5-15 and the 3-24 versions have no value, but they may not be optically what some folks crack them up to be.
I think C_Does gives a fair review on the 3-24 on YouTube. He does have some concerns about the optical quality, but typically gives high marks to the craftsmanship.

Ilya Koshkin says that if you want the 3-24, consider it essentially a 3-15x (or 18x; I have forgotten) scope with more magnification if you need it, but the optical performance degrades a bit on high mag.

I have also heard—although it may not be a deal-breaking flaw for many—that the the 1.5-15 was the only March that did not parallax down to 10 yards on top magnification. This comes from a March lover who is a member. This is not the biggest deal, however.
But the OP was concerned about weight, and the 4.5-28 is around 30 ounces; that’s not bad, but it is not in the super-light league of the 1.5-15 and the 3-24s.

I was really pro March Compact for a while, but after looking through the 1-10 and hearing about problems with other compact models, I was advised by someone on the Hide get the 4.5-28. I gave up weight, but heeded. Some on the Hide have said hey, if you don’t mind some of the optical compromises of the Compacts, and love the magnification range of these March Compacts, you still have a lot of scope in your hands. It’s a personal call. S7

 

[Peskådot671]

I also own a NF NX8 F1 2.5-20x50 and I think you'll be satisfied with it. For an 8x erector, it's not that hard to get behind in regards to eye box even at full magnification (20X). I have it mounted on my Leshiy 2.

I also own a March-FX 4.5-28x50 which is mounted on my Evol Mini and a ZCO 4-20x50 on my Paradigm .22cal. They're all in that "ultra short" class (12"-13" in length). In regards to IQ, I'm pretty satisfied with my NF NX8 F1 2.5-20X50. My ZCO 4-20x50 is still at the top in all aspects though.

If you haven't come across this thread on Snipershide on the Nightforce NX8 F1 2.5-20X50, it's a pretty good read if you have the time.

Rifle Scopes - Nightforce NX8 2.5-20x50 - Initial Thoughts

Backstory When the Nightforce NX8 long range scopes were announced I raised an eyebrow. Over the years I’ve had or used many different long-range scopes from the budget category all the way into alpha class, but in all that time I have never owned a Nightforce and the reason is because they...

www.snipershide.com

 

[_CTAIRGUNNER_]

I also own a NF NX8 F1 2.5-20x50 and I think you'll be satisfied with it. For an 8x erector, it's not that hard to get behind in regards to eye box even at full magnification (20X). I have it mounted on my Leshiy 2.

View attachment 398980


I also own a March-FX 4.5-28x50 which is mounted on my Evol Mini and a ZCO 4-20x50 on my Paradigm .22cal. They're all in that "ultra short" class (12"-13" in length). In regards to IQ, I'm pretty satisfied with my NF NX8 F1 2.5-20X50. My ZCO 4-20x50 is still at the top in all aspects though.

If you haven't come across this thread on Snipershide on the Nightforce NX8 F1 2.5-20X50, it's a pretty good read if you have the time.

Rifle Scopes - Nightforce NX8 2.5-20x50 - Initial Thoughts

Backstory When the Nightforce NX8 long range scopes were announced I raised an eyebrow. Over the years I’ve had or used many different long-range scopes from the budget category all the way into alpha class, but in all that time I have never owned a Nightforce and the reason is because they...

www.snipershide.com

Thank you for this post , I am going to read through that thread now. I am not on SH but I have wandered over there, I think its another rabbit hole I should stay out of.