March glass vs Nightforce and Leupold

[Scarab]

I've never owned a March scope but have owned a few Nightforce BR's, a Leupold and a 10x50 sightron on my bench guns. Is the glass in the March better then the Leupold?
My dilemma is this: I had a new 30Br built at 13.5lbs with the Leupold 45 comp. The glass in the Leupold sucks compared to my Nightforce and even the Sightron. I want to get the Leupold off the gun but am hesitant to drop the coin on the March and I've heard the new fixed power Nightforce doesn't have great glass either. I need some real opinions from people that have used all of these scopes!

 

[JimPag]

Yes the March has ED (Extra Low Dispersion) glass that's why they cost much more than a Leup, Sightron, or a BR model NF. Why do you think the NF Comp sells for $900+ more than the BR model. It's the same ED glass. Same glass used in high dollar camera's, microscopes, and telescopes. The new fixed 42X NF has the same glass as the 15-55 Comp. Never heard anything bad said about that new scope. I currently have 5 March, 1 NF Comp, and 2 IOR Valdada's. I've owned and sold, 7 Weaver T36's , 1 Weaver T36XR, 1 Leup Comp 45 that was Tuckerized, and a 10-50 Sightron. My honest opinion, The March scopes remind me of the Weaver T36's. Some are clearer than others, but they hold their POI better than almost anything else. The Valdada's hold POI just as well. The NF Comps have had issues. I know 2 guy's from PA, One builds stocks, the other is a bulletmaker and Gunsmith, who between them sold 3 NF Comps and bought March's because they weren't holding POI. Since Shiraz got the March deal, his prices have made owning a March more affordable.

 

[Scarab]

Thank you sir! I appreciate the info. Due to weight the Nightforce 15-55 is out of the picture. For me I think I'm down to the new fixed power Nightforce and the fixed power March. At the time and even now it's difficult to get any info on the Nightforce 42x or I probably would have bought one. I like a little bit of eye relief with the 30BR also!

 

[SS427]

I've never heard anyone say a Leupold Competition scope "sucks" compared to anything else. Maybe not as good...but never sucks. You must have a really bad one.

There have been quite a few used March scopes recently being sold at really good prices. I've been tempted, but don't like the warranty on them. I'm holding out for the new Nightforce 42x, unless there is a can't resist deal on a used Leupold Competition.

 

[Dusty Stevens]

The march is darker than most. The valdada is the clearest and most reliable- not saying the fixed nf is not we just havent tested one yet. James mock has tested them all you may want to check with him before you buy one. I know you cant beat the valdada for price, clarity, and reliability. You can have 2 for one march and have twice the scope

 

[Scarab]

My Leupold 45 is not up to what I would consider exceptable, I withdraw the sucks statement! At 100 yards I can read all the writing on the target with the NF and Sightron, not so with the Leupold. Just a little disappointed I guess. And the end result of me shooting 50 rounds with it was a big headache from the image being slightly out of focus.

 

[JimPag]

Thank you sir! I appreciate the info. Due to weight the Nightforce 15-55 is out of the picture. For me I think I'm down to the new fixed power Nightforce and the fixed power March. At the time and even now it's difficult to get any info on the Nightforce 42x or I probably would have bought one. I like a little bit of eye relief with the 30BR also!

I have 6 30BR rifles, plus one Jag 2 (30x46). I shoot free recoil and I've never been clocked with any of my scopes. If it boiled down to having only one scope,it would be a March 50X with a 3/32 dot. My friend set 2 world records last year in the LV score class with a March 50. They are only .02 oz heavier than the new NF fixed 42, but they have a bigger front lens 52 vs 44. If you have a friend who is a gunsmith, or a veteran, or Law Enforcement you can get a new fixed March for a little under $1900.00, which is not twice the price of a Valdada, and IMO is not twice the scope of a March.

 

[Scarab]

My 30 has got my attention once or twice! I should add that I just started shooting Benchrest about 2 years ago, so go easy on me!
My end goal here is to get the best scope period. I'm done wasting money on things that don't work or I didn't need! I hope!

 

[JimPag]

My 30 has got my attention once or twice! I should add that I just started shooting Benchrest about 2 years ago, so go easy on me!
My end goal here is to get the best scope period. I'm done wasting money on things that don't work or I didn't need! I hope!

I started in 2013 so I haven't been doing this long either. I don't think there is an best scope. Everybody's eyes are different and see different things. What's clear to me might not be clear to you. My advice is take a look thru all of the scopes that you might like to buy and judge for yourself. Go to some matches and ask some of the shooters if you can look thru their scopes. Many if not all will be more than happy to have you look thru their scopes. To tell you the truth I don't think any of these God Damn scopes are worth the money that they get for them.

 

[Scarab]

Looks like 1 vote for the March, and Mr Stevens seems to like the Valdada. I'm not familiar with the Valdada but I'll check them out. I think I remember seeing one on Bart's website.

 

[JimPag]

Looks like 1 vote for the March, and Mr Stevens seems to like the Valdada. I'm not familiar with the Valdada but I'll check them out. I think I remember seeing one on Bart's website.

Like I said, I have two of them. Nice scopes but 36x sucks at 200 yards and especially at 300. It's the getting old bullshit. Your eyes need and want more power as you get older. 36x at 200 yards is fine for guy's in their 20's 30's and 40's but when you start getting in your late 40's that's when a lot of people's eyesight starts to change, Mine did at 45. Sucks getting old. Someday all you younger guy's will know what I mean.

 

[Scarab]

I started in 2013 so I haven't been doing this long either. I don't think there is an best scope. Everybody's eyes are different and see different things. What's clear to me might not be clear to you. My advice is take a look thru all of the scopes that you might like to buy and judge for yourself. Go to some matches and ask some of the shooters if you can look thru their scopes. Many if not all will be more than happy to have you look thru their scopes. To tell you the truth I don't think any of these God Damn scopes are worth the money that they get for them.

I'm in SW Missouri, I haven't seen any March scopes around. I plan on heading to St Louis for a score match in May. I agree that some of these scopes are quite expensive, but people will pay for what they think is the cream of the crop. Borden and a few other people have recommended March for their POI reliability, but it's dam near half the cost of my gun.

 

[JimPag]

I'm in SW Missouri, I haven't seen any March scopes around. I plan on heading to St Louis for a score match in May. I agree that some of these scopes are quite expensive, but people will pay for what they think is the cream of the crop. Borden and a few other people have recommended March for their POI reliability, but it's dam near half the cost of my gun.

Well Jim Borden did a test with a few guy's at the range. I heard this when I was at Roy Hunter's house in PA after the IBS winter meeting. Hal Drake was telling me, Roy, Dean Breeden and Hillary Martinez about a range session that Borden went to with some of his friends. The way I remember it was that he had the only March scope and the other guy's had NF'S. They swapped scopes from rifle to rifle and the person that had the March scope each time did the best. That's the way I heard it. Like I said, my friend set 2 world records with his. Another guy that lives 29 miles from my home and who I shoot with every weekend set the 100-200 yard IBS grand agg record of 500-40X's with his 10-60 March. He also shot TWO 250-25X's, one with 15 wipe outs and the other with 20 wipe outs.

 

[JRS]

The small group record that stood for more than 4 decades was was achieved with a rifle wearing a 12 power Leupold And when Mike Stinnett broke that record, his gun was wearing a 45x Leupold Comp scope.

 

[JimPag]

The small group record that stood for more than 4 decades was was achieved with a rifle wearing a 12 power Leupold And when Mike Stinnett broke that record, his gun was wearing a 45x Leupold Comp scope.

I'd quit shooting Richard if I was told I could use only a Leupold. In the 3 short seasons that I have been shooting I have seen about 7 Leupolds fail on the line.

 

[wedgy]

There you go
http://www.ebay.com/itm/March-50X-5...127990?hash=item2365b3a776:g:0TEAAOSwZtJW9vnG
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Silver-Marc...131935?hash=item2365b3b6df:g:q-UAAOSwxcRW9vwX

 

[1shot]

I will guess that it was a several of winters ago my shooting partner and I lined up four scopes we owned on a window ledge with a towel on it. It was one of those cold, crisp blue sky winter days with -0- wind. On the ledge we had a Burris 6-24, a Leupold 8.5-25, Night Force 8-32 and a March 10-60 all with 30mm tubes. We focused them on a knot of a wild cherry tree at 440 yds. The Leupold and the Burris that was half the price were comparable. The NF was definitely sharper and cleared that the first two. However the March was truly in a class by itself. We tested the March with and without the light reducing ring and all scopes were on an equal power. As a side note the Leupold cost me the Ohio State 1,000 yd. title because of their erector system that is flawed by design. It was sent back to the factory informing them of the erratic, diagonal fliers and it was repaired at no charge, saying "no defect noted". (Standard language I understand, from that company) It will never see another competition, but is sitting on a varmint rifle where it works just fine.
I hope this helps,
Lloyd

 

[JimPag]

I will guess that it was a several of winters ago my shooting partner and I lined up four scopes we owned on a window ledge with a towel on it. It was one of those cold, crisp blue sky winter days with -0- wind. On the ledge we had a Burris 6-24, a Leupold 8.5-25, Night Force 8-32 and a March 10-60 all with 30mm tubes. We focused them on a knot of a wild cherry tree at 440 yds. The Leupold and the Burris that was half the price were comparable. The NF was definitely sharper and cleared that the first two. However the March was truly in a class by itself. We tested the March with and without the light reducing ring and all scopes were on an equal power. As a side note the Leupold cost me the Ohio State 1,000 yd. title because of their erector system that is flawed by design. It was sent back to the factory informing them of the erratic, diagonal fliers and it was repaired at no charge, saying "no defect noted". (Standard language I understand, from that company) It will never see another competition, but is sitting on a varmint rifle where it works just fine.
I hope this helps,
Lloyd

Your right Lloyd. That is the std language from Leupold, The no defect noted. I've heard that from a half dozen guy's. I bought a Leup Comp just to resell it. I would never have used it in a match. I don't have any confidence in a Leupold scope and if you don't have confidence in your equipment, you might as well stay home. Just my personal feeling. I know plenty of guy's that think a Leup Comp is the best thing since sliced bread. I say, more power to ya!

 

[pressedRat]

i have a march 5-40 ffp mil/mil i bought originally to go on a 5r, it then moved to a custom 260 and i got a march 3-24 to go on the 5r. i just had a custom 6dasher/284 fopen rifle built and the march 5-40 moved to that rifle.

the one thing i will say is that if i personally would not want a high power fixed scope. at 500+ yards if the mirage is bad, i prefer to back the power off a bit. i will say that i have been considering the 8-80 march. with the 40, i can see bullet holes at 500+ yards on shoot and see shooting 6mm bullets. if the mirage lets me..

my current dilemma is whether or not to get a 3rd scope. it would most likely be a march.

as to the warranty, it is my understanding that japanese law prevents longer warranties. i did have to send the 3-24 back to japan for a minor issues and the turn around was quick.

some folks are put off by the small eyebox of the march (at least the 3-24). i personally have no issues with it.

before i bought the first march, it was gonna be a schmidt-bender but the wait was considerable. now those scopes have just about priced themselves out of the market as far as im concerned.

 

[Shiraz]

........as to the warranty, it is my understanding that japanese law prevents longer warranties. i did have to send the 3-24 back to japan for a minor issues and the turn around was quick.

Just FYI, we (March Optics USA Inc.) have a USA servicing center and you no longer have to send the scopes to Japan if you live within USA. We also have added 5 more years of servicing of the March scopes for any scopes purchased from March Optics USA Inc. or its dealers.