March 2.5x25x52mm SFP scopes?

[Wedgy]

: Why would you keep something that is now working?!

Do you mean NOT working ? Not sure what you are asking but the word "HAD" is past tense, meaning I no longer have them...gone, bye bye. The only Bushnell products I have are trail cameras, and I am quite happy with them.
Can you clarify ?

 

[Clickr]

I own this March scope/reticle and a NF NXS 5.5-22x56 with MOAR. I am mostly a hunter and do a little target shooting for load development. My hunting is both in the woods (Alabama, Georgia white tail) and sometimes chasing speed goats in WY. So both near and far, low light matters. So do good turrets.

Glass - both very good. I think the NF has slightly better contrast, but the March resolves a little better. NF eyebox is a little larger, but as was said before. Once you setup the March on your gun I have never noticed or been bothered by the eyebox. Paralax adjustment is definitely more sensitive on March than NF. Perhaps my only complaint on the March.

Reticle - dead heat. I like both very much. It was commented earlier, the March reticle is a little finer. True. But its not too fine for hunting. This is the reason I don't hunt FFP. At 2.5 - 4X I bet the cross hair is finer than frog's hair. Not huntable IMHO.

Turrets - NF turrets are world class good and I like the March BETTER ! Low profile, easy to read, positive clicks, just a great feel. Exudes confidence. Have not done extensive tracking, but my experience so far says it tracks true and returns to zero.

Zero Stop - My NF does not have this. The March zero stop is dirt simple and can be set with a coin. Nice feature.

Weight - March wins, slam dunk, no contest, swish, nothing but net, not even close. This was the primary reason for me looking into and then buying the March. I have this on a light weight 6.5 SAUM. Great combo.

Length - not always a consideration, but in addition to being lighter, the March is a much smaller package. 13.3in vs 15.2in for the NF. Not sure this is a practical advantage. I read somewhere on line (so it must be true) that the mag range plus the shortness of the scope is what drives the parallax sensitivity. OK, sure?

Mag Range - I am confident from 20 feet to 1,000 yds with 2.5 - 25. The NF 5.5 lower limit jams me up a little in the woods. Still hunt it, but prefer the March.

All things equal, March every time. However, its not all equal. March is much pricier than NF. Plus, I am comparing to NXS, and not ATACR with HD glass. Perhaps a different comparison. There are many more options out there.

Good luck with your decision. Let us know and include some pics !

 

[Rich Coyle]

Do you mean NOT working ? Not sure what you are asking but the word "HAD" is past tense, meaning I no longer have them...gone, bye bye. The only Bushnell products I have are trail cameras, and I am quite happy with them.
Can you clarify ?

You are correct. "NOT" is the operative word. Glad you did what I did with the 2 1/2-16Xs.

 

[dennisinaz]

I have mounted several March scopes. My hunting partner has gone exclusively to March scopes. They track extremely well, are far sharper optically than any Nightforce and much lighter and smaller. This combined with a large magnification range make them a no- brainer if you can afford them. My buddy sold all of his Nightforces. We have made some amazing shots on bears and deer at more than 1000 yards in poor light. He has one mounted on a 7RUM so they handle recoil nicely too.

I don't think they are as good at hammering nails as a Nightforce.

They are expensive!

 

[Rich Coyle]

dennisinaz,

What's a used 2 1/2-25X52 go for?

 

[dok7mm]

This is the reason I don't hunt FFP. At 2.5 - 4X I bet the cross hair is finer than frog's hair. Not huntable IMHO.

I have two ffp 3-24x52 March scopes I hunt with. I have not had any problems on low settings. I have the illuminated FMA-1reticle, so I just tap the button and the crosshair in the center of the scope lights up. I normally keep it on 3 power for potential close encounters and though the center lines are very fine, the main crosshair design is much thicker and tapers into the fine center. It works very well, even without the illumination for close offhand shots and I hardly ever use the illumination.
Of course, for longer ranges, I don't have to be at a certain power for hash mark holds to be spot on.

I know most people prefer the 2nd plane for hunting, but I am very satisfied with my setup.

 

[MTSLW]

I have the 3-24x42 and have been really happy with it. They fill the lighter weight/compact scope bill very well. For a light FFP Mil/Mil scope with a usable reticle, they are about the only real option out there. Might not be everyone's cup of tea but I don't know anyone that has tried one that didn't agree that they are top quality.

 

[Greyfox]

Looking to build up a long range 6.5 creedmoor hunting rifle and am looking at the March 2.5x25x52mm SFP illuminated scope with the MTR-3 reticle..
Anyone with experience/ownership of a March 2.5/25/52 scope? Likes? Dislikes?
How is the 'eyebox' so to speak? Easy to get on target and forgiving or hard to acquire?
Thanks!

I have developed a personal theory about "eyebox" but not being an optical expert, wouldn't necessarily take it to the bank. At least with my March which I have owned tor a few years, I believe the smaller eyebox supports a more certain correction when adjusting for parallax. When I first mounted my March 2.5x25x52 SFP/MP3 reticle, I noticed my groups were consistently better then when I had my NXS 5.5x22x50. I initially though that it was perhaps a change in my load, but put the Nightforce back on the rifle and found that my groups we're again, more varied in size. One of the differences between the two scopes was the Marches smaller eyebox and the much faster ratio parallax/focus control. When I concentrated on my eye position and "meticulously" did the eye movement check with the Night Force, my groups I fact did match the smaller groups I was getting with the March........but this a tedious process, and took quite some time with the NF, and simply being in focus was not good enough. I "think" the smaller eyebox, by design, brings the eye closer to the center of the scope picture....where parallax effects are less/non-existent). With the March, as long I was in that eyebox and my sight picture was focused, my precision was nuts on...every time and very fast! No checking with eye movement necessary which is hard to do anyway with the smaller eyebox. IMO, the combination of a smaller eyebox and fast ratio control is very fast and precise, very helpful in LR hunting scenarios when time is a factor. After shooting the March for a while, the smaller eyebox becomes un-noticeable, and a welcome feature. iMO..

 

[Rich Coyle]

Greyfox,
Thanks very much for that heads up. I'm still drooling over the thought of someday owning one in 2 1/2-25X52.

 

[Ed AO]

Greyfox helped me make my decision on buying this scope and am very thankful for his knowledge. You wont regret the purchase if you decide to buy one.

 

[Greyfox]

This info is edited from a post I made from about a year ago. In addition to the parallax controls, IMO, the other distinguishing attribute of this scope that is very appealing is the optical quality, particularly the way it handles high glare. As with my post about the Marches eyebox, this test and viewpoint is based on my own observations, and could certainly be subject to scrutiny.

Hunting every year in Alberta, I have a very productive whitetail stand that has produced well over the years. The biggest issue though, is that at prime time, the bucks show up at 500-700 Yards and I'm facing directly west with the dreaded orange/yellow haze of the setting sun in my scope and the deer positioned in a lower light, shaded area. I have had to many times pass or wait out on what would normally be a good shot opportunity. I always used either my NSX or Huskemaw scopes mounted on my 6.5x284's. Unfortunately, the terrain does not allow a better vantage point. Being frustrated by this, when I returned home, I decided to try and replicate the hazel conditions on my property at 250 yards, and test my various scopes to see if there was a difference in the clarity of the sight picture between my best scopes. To my surprise, of my scopes tested under identical conditions, (Vortex AMG. Nightforce ATACR F1, Nightforce ATACR-first gen, Nightforce NSX, Huskemaw, and March 2.5x25x52), the recently purchased March proved to handle the haze best. It enabled a clean shot on a comparably sized and colored target(grey rock) substantially better then the others. The NF/F1 was second, having a slight view of the target. No target could be picked up with the other scopes, only an the orange/yellow haze. Just to confirm my findings, I repeated the test on two more separate occasions with similar results. Having done some searching on the web on this reflective haze effect, I read that it's caused by a the reflection of light off the internal surfaces the scope. It is controlled by light absorbing internal coatings which help to reduce the effect. The lens coating, and internal geometry can also influence this effect. In my crude test, the March appears to deal well with this. I'm anxious to give it a try this coming season to test it out on that Alberta stand. This past season, I did not get the opportunity to test it out.

 

[joseph singleton]

Thanks Greyfox,now that is english EVEN I can understand ,have a Happy Fathersday..

 

[Wedgy]

This info is edited from a post I made from about a year ago. In addition to the parallax controls, IMO, the other distinguishing attribute of this scope that is very appealing is the optical quality, particularly the way it handles high glare. As with my post about the Marches eyebox, this test and viewpoint is based on my own observations, and could certainly be subject to scrutiny.

Hunting every year in Alberta, I have a very productive whitetail stand that has produced well over the years. The biggest issue though, is that at prime time, the bucks show up at 500-700 Yards and I'm facing directly west with the dreaded orange/yellow haze of the setting sun in my scope and the deer positioned in a lower light, shaded area. I have had to many times pass or wait out on what would normally be a good shot opportunity. I always used either my NSX or Huskemaw scopes mounted on my 6.5x284's. Unfortunately, the terrain does not allow a better vantage point. Being frustrated by this, when I returned home, I decided to try and replicate the hazel conditions on my property at 250 yards, and test my various scopes to see if there was a difference in the clarity of the sight picture between my best scopes. To my surprise, of my scopes tested under identical conditions, (Vortex AMG. Nightforce ATACR F1, Nightforce ATACR-first gen, Nightforce NSX, Huskemaw, and March 2.5x25x52), the recently purchased March proved to handle the haze best. It enabled enable a clean shot on a comparably sized and colored target(grey rock) substantially better then the others. The NF/F1 was second, having a slight view of the target. No target could be picked up with the other scopes, only an the orange/yellow haze. Just to confirm my findings, I repeated the test on two more separate occasions with similar results. Having done some searching on the web on this reflective haze effect, I read that it's caused by a the reflection of light off the internal surfaces the scope. It is controlled by light absorbing internal coatings which help to reduce the effect. The lens coating, and internal geometry can also influence this effect. In my crude test, the March appears to deal well with this. I'm anxious to give it a try this coming season to test it out on that Alberta stand. This past season, I did not get the opportunity to test it out.

We had the same experience shooting West on an afternoon antelope hunt, my girlfriend couldn't see it in her scope but I could with my March.

 

[Greyfox]

We had the same experience shooting West on an afternoon antelope hunt, my girlfriend couldn't see it in her scope but I could with my March.

It's really encouraging to get a confirmation of this from another March owner!
Thanks!

Thanks Greyfox,now that is english EVEN I can understand ,have a Happy Fathersday..

I appreciate the kind words!

Thanks, and you have a Happy Fathers Day as well!