jackie schmidt
New member
As most know, I have recently purchased two 50x March Scopes. I had the opportunity to try both out at Rachels Glenn this past week end. In the only place that counts, The Competitive Arena.
I have always been honest as I can with the Forum on testing, whether it be something I have concocted, or whether it be a item that is in production to be used in our Sport.
First, I must say that the scopes performed as expected in the one thing that really counts in Benchrest, that being holding point of aim, (or point of impact, if you prefer). The scopes stayed dead on zero all four days I was at Rachels Glen.
The click adjustments are very good, but this would be expected on a scope of this quality.
The Glass?? Well, There sure isn't any thing "bad" about it, but doing a direct comparison, on the bench, with the 45x Leupold that I have on my Rail Gun, I can only say that I think the Leupold has the edge. Others who looked through both at the same time came to the same conclusion.
Now please, don't start putting the cross bar on the cross and getting out the hammer and nails. When scopes are this good, it is sometimes difficult to say which one is actually "better" in the glass department.. In this instance, the Leupold simply looked a little brighter, and the lines on the target
appeared to be a little sharper.
As a note, I looked through a couple of 40x Marches, and they had both the 50x March and the 45x Leupold beat.
The paralex adjustment is a tad touchy as well. The leupold's paralex knob seems to be on greased ball bearings, smooth with no backlash. The March has a rougher feel to it, and there is a noticable backlash when moving the knob back and forth trying to get the focus perfect.
This is no big deal, because once there, it stays there. I have had more than one Leupold Competition Series that would not stay put as far as focus was concerned.
All in all, I can say I am pleased with the March 50x. I do like the high magnification, which, in my opinion, is the one major advantage it offers over my frozen 36x Leupolds and Jewell External Adjustable Mounts. Also, I have never hid the fact that adjusments on the Jewell mounts were at time a little aggravating, something I was willing to live with in order to be 100 percent sure of it's ability to hold POA.
We told Scope Manufacturers for years that if they would bring out a Benchrest Scope that would indeed hold it's POA, we would pay top dollar for the product. It seems that March does fullfill both counts, it does hold POA, and, to say the least, it does cost "top dollar".
I guess the fact that I handed Hobie Bond $2100 and told him to send me a third March as soon as a new shipment comes in says as much as anything.
For those who are heavilly invested in the Leopolds and other brands of scopes, there is still the option of any of the external mounts along with a frozen scope. These systems, such as the TSI, are certainly proven in Competition.
But, if you can part with $2100, the March is certainly a nice present to yourself, and to your Benchrest Rifle........jackie.
I have always been honest as I can with the Forum on testing, whether it be something I have concocted, or whether it be a item that is in production to be used in our Sport.
First, I must say that the scopes performed as expected in the one thing that really counts in Benchrest, that being holding point of aim, (or point of impact, if you prefer). The scopes stayed dead on zero all four days I was at Rachels Glen.
The click adjustments are very good, but this would be expected on a scope of this quality.
The Glass?? Well, There sure isn't any thing "bad" about it, but doing a direct comparison, on the bench, with the 45x Leupold that I have on my Rail Gun, I can only say that I think the Leupold has the edge. Others who looked through both at the same time came to the same conclusion.
Now please, don't start putting the cross bar on the cross and getting out the hammer and nails. When scopes are this good, it is sometimes difficult to say which one is actually "better" in the glass department.. In this instance, the Leupold simply looked a little brighter, and the lines on the target
appeared to be a little sharper.
As a note, I looked through a couple of 40x Marches, and they had both the 50x March and the 45x Leupold beat.
The paralex adjustment is a tad touchy as well. The leupold's paralex knob seems to be on greased ball bearings, smooth with no backlash. The March has a rougher feel to it, and there is a noticable backlash when moving the knob back and forth trying to get the focus perfect.
This is no big deal, because once there, it stays there. I have had more than one Leupold Competition Series that would not stay put as far as focus was concerned.
All in all, I can say I am pleased with the March 50x. I do like the high magnification, which, in my opinion, is the one major advantage it offers over my frozen 36x Leupolds and Jewell External Adjustable Mounts. Also, I have never hid the fact that adjusments on the Jewell mounts were at time a little aggravating, something I was willing to live with in order to be 100 percent sure of it's ability to hold POA.
We told Scope Manufacturers for years that if they would bring out a Benchrest Scope that would indeed hold it's POA, we would pay top dollar for the product. It seems that March does fullfill both counts, it does hold POA, and, to say the least, it does cost "top dollar".
I guess the fact that I handed Hobie Bond $2100 and told him to send me a third March as soon as a new shipment comes in says as much as anything.
For those who are heavilly invested in the Leopolds and other brands of scopes, there is still the option of any of the external mounts along with a frozen scope. These systems, such as the TSI, are certainly proven in Competition.
But, if you can part with $2100, the March is certainly a nice present to yourself, and to your Benchrest Rifle........jackie.
