2023 has come, as has the first of this years review products so I guess it’s time to start up the 2023 BigJimFish review thread. As with the previous 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019, and 2018 threads, the purpose of this thread is to provide a catalog of this years reviews and articles, give you a behind the scenes look at what I'm working on as I'm working on it, provide a place for input and comments, and, of course, give you something to bookmark that will ping you when a new article is done.

The majority of this years reviews will essentially be part two of the series of sub $1k long range scope reviews I did in 2018 and 2019. It’s been a number of years since then and we now have a whole new crop of products in the category. I'm excited to see if there has been progression in the performance at this price point over that time or if perhaps Bidenflation has pushed things the other way. My expectation is that progression will be the order of the day.

Sub $1k long range scope reviews:


This years series of sub $1k scope review scopes from left to right: The Arken EP5 5-25x56, Hi-Lux PR5 5-25x56, Primarly Arms GLX 3-18x44 and 4.5-27x56, Optisan EVX Gen2 4-16x44 F1, and Bushnell March Pro ED 5-30x56 as well as some previously reviewed scopes used for optical comparison: Leupold Mark 5HD 5-25x56, Athlon Midas TAC 6-24x50 and Sig Sierra 6BDX 3-18x44

Arken EP5 5-25x56:
Arken is pretty new to the scene. In fact, they were just getting their start as I was finishing up the last series of $1k scope reviews. However, in that time, I've basically heard good things about them so I decided to take a look at them during this round. The EP5 5-25x56 I'm looking at sure comes in at a competitive price at $529.99 direct from Arken and this gets even more competitive if you add in the "combo pack" to your cart with the scope using discount codes NSF$170 or Save$17 at your time of purchase. This gets you that whole combo pack for $41.99. That adds up to a scope, sunshade, bikini, rings, bubble level, throw lever, caps, ditty bag, lens cloth, and a tee shirt for $571.98.

Hi-Lux PR5 5-25x56 FFP:
It’s a bit surprising that this is the first Hi-Lux scope I have reviewed. For a number of years I have met with Christopher and John at ShotShow and spoken to them about their products. The company and it’s history are rather interesting and I have always wanted to take a closer look. There was just never a particular product that lined up with what I was doing on a particular year. We are aligned this year though and I’m excited to take a look at their PR5 riflescope.

Bushnell Match Pro ED 5-30x56:
It really seems like Bushnell has been on a tear lately. It wasn’t so long ago I remember them having very little interest in the long-range precision world. When they decided to enter it though, they did so in a big way. They have done product collaborations with long time precision rifle guys, PRS Match sponsorships, and shooter sponsorships. I was totally impressed with their XRS3 6-36x56 I looked at last year and I hope to be so with the Match Pro ED 5-30-56 this year.

Primary Arms GLx 3-18x44 and GLx 4.5-27x56:
Primary Arms Optics is probably best known for their many LPVO and low magnification optics for the AR market. They have been undergoing an expansion recently though and are now offering considerably more products for the precision rifle market such as these GLx 3-18x44 and GLx 4.5-27x56 rifle scopes. PA also has some very nice looking red dots for pistol use I saw at ShotShow 2023

Optisan EVX G2 4-16x44F1:
Optisan is a Taiwanese optics manufacturer that does a lot of OEM work for many scope brands you are familiar with and also has a small, in-house brand of it's own. Many of you remember the reticle I designed a few years ago for the Optisan CX6 1-6x24 rifle scope. I caught up with the Optisan folks again this year at ShotShow liked the look of a new small ffp hunting scope that represents the direction I see hunting scopes going in general. Since it fit into the price bracket of this years reviews I thought it might make a nice crossover hunting / precision rifle inclusion.


nVisti, Applied Ballistics device integration and laser rangefinding technology:
This article became a podcast with Frank on the everyday sniper podcast. The material came both from my visit to nVisti a couple of months ago and last years reviews of the Sig Kilo 10k laser rangefinding binoculars and Leica Geovid pro 32 rangefinding binoculars. nVisti is the partner company of Applied Ballistics and does all the device integration for the Applied Ballistics solver. In addition to that, nVisti does some laser rangefinding research, device design, and data analysis. This article talks a little about the future of laser rangefinding as well therefore.

Sightron S6 5-30x56
This year Sightron launched an entirely new line of mid-ranged scopes with new and improved optical designs and ED glass called the S6 line. These will be made in their Japanese facility and the 5-30x56 should have an MSRP of $1,699. I’m excited to see what these offer as they should have even better resolution than the already good SIII line with substantially improved DoF and FoV resulting from the new optical design optimized for PRS type use instead of F-class.

Riton Optics 3 Primal 3-18x50mm Crossover scope
Riton Optics 7 Conquer 4-32x56
Frank has been quite pleased with his experience with Riton optics and asked me to take a look at a couple of their new offerings. The 3 Primal 3-18x50mm is a crossover hunting / precision rifle scope that has the zero stop, exposed turrets, FFP, and mil/mil (or MOA/MOA) of a precision rifle scope but in a smaller form factor and sub 30oz weight suitable for hunting. I’m a big fan of this concept as I have encountered at least some optics light enough to be of hunting use that really don’t give up any important long range features or even optical performance to get there. I also see the added distance compensation potential of scope with precision rifle features as a huge benefit for hunters allowing them to greatly extend their ethical kill range. The second scope, the 7 Conquer 4-32x56 is a high end Japanese made optic in the ~$2k price range with a huge magnification range and fairly high 32x max magnification. This is very much in the current higher magnification trend popular amongst competitive shooters.


Levels for long range shooting:
I’ve been thinking about writing an article for a while on the use of bubble and electronic levels for long range shooting. It will feature the different level types and mounting arrangements. I’ll also give some methods for properly mounting your scope and level so they are level with each other. Advice I have seen on this topic on the web has often been sub par. I’ll also talk some about the Pros and Cons of different arrangements, pitfalls to avoid in their use, and some numbers on how much error you can introduce by failing to have the scope level. I’ve assembled most of the relevant level types and arrangements. I just need to put it all together.

I’ll admit, all written out this certainly seems like a full year. I also wanted to go back and do an Everyday Sniper episode on laser rangefinding sort of summing up the Sig 10k and BDX reviews, the Leica Geovid Pro review, and the nVisti article as well as a second episode on the ~$2k scope reviews from two years ago. We’ll see how much gets done.

Update 2-5-2023:

The first of the sub $1k scopes arrived yesterday. Man was that fast. Another scope is in rout as well. I’m stoked. I’ve never been able to get this early a start on the years reviews before. Typically, I’m already in to my busy work season when things get rolling. This is so much better.


Arken EP5 5-25x56 and “combo pack" unboxing

The first scope to arrive is the Arken EP5 5-25x56 and it’s quite substantial “combo pack". Man is that ever a nice offer from them. The costs to purchase separately vital add on items such as rings, levels, and caps is quite a substantial portion of the overall cost of the sighting system when dealing with lower cost optics. Often, these costs are mostly due to the inefficiency associated with these separate items being separately packaged, advertised, purchased, and shipped. Scope caps, for instance, are less than a buck of plastic. What your paying for when buying them is almost entirely the base cost associated with the logistics of bringing any product to market. Bundling these items this way is just a huge savings and lets face it, you’re not really gaining a bunch of utility when your purchasing them separately. You’re probably going with cheap scope caps, medium-ish height rings, and a strap on bubble level. I'm guessing you would rather save most of the cost than be picky about the exact versions of each of these products you get. If not, Arken’s mechanism even gives you an opt-out by just not adding the “combo pack”.

I always enjoy your review threads and look forward to reading your latest.

Thanks in advance for posting!

Update 2-10-2023

The Hi Lux PR5 5-25x56 arrived today. Boy, the Hi Lux guys must have even less faith in UPS than I do. This things packaging is like a challenge to the manhood of all dedicated package destruction professionals. I mean, I’m not even sure U.S. airport baggage handlers could take it out. A slip cover holds tight the heavy duty card stock box encasing custom cut thick closed cell phone. It’s like one step down from a Pelican box.


Hi Lux PR5 5-25x56 FFP in it’s remarkably complete packaging

Update 3-1-2023

The Bushnell Match Pro ED 5-30x56mm arrived today. Amusing that this was the scope I opened immediately following the Hi Lux. I went from the most packaging I have ever seen around a scope to the least. There sure isn’t a lot of the cost going to the box on the Match Pro. It reminds me a little of the plain white boxes the U.S. Optics scopes used to come in back in the day.


Bushnell Match Pro ED 5-30x56 Unboxing

With 3 scopes in hand now, in addition to a few of the scopes from the last time I looked at this price point, I will probably start to get some of the testing going. ETA on the Primary Arms GLx is also not too far off. I should have that by the end of the month. No ETA yet on the Optisan.

Update 3-2-2023

I was expecting to get a set of rings in the mail from Primary Arms today but ended up with not one but two surprises in addition to that. The first surprise was that the GLx 3-18x44 scope for review arrived with the rings. The second was that it brought it’s big brother the GLx 4.5-27x56 with it. I think I may have gotten my wires crosses a little with the Primary Arms guys when setting up the review. I was a bit indecisive on which model I wanted most to take a look at and by the time I decided I think they were both on the way. The upshot is that I'll get to take a look at both. It may end up for the best as most of the scopes in the lineup are of the higher power, larger objective variety like the 4.5-27x56 but I personally have an affinity for smaller objective mid power stuff. It’s going to be a busy couple of weeks between getting my business ready for the year, finishing taxes, and taking a look at these new optics.


Primary Arms GLx 3-18x44 and 4.5-27x56 rifle scopes

In other article news, I have been rattling the cage a bit on NDA stuff to get the nVisti article cleared for publication. Having so many companies involved has really made this like pulling teeth and it has taken so long that I now need to update the article as nVisti and Applied Ballistics are merging.

Also in need up updating is the Mesa Precision Arms Crux review. Mesa Precision Arms has changed it’s name to Pure Precision basically to avoid confusion with other similarly named arms manufacturers. They have also been expanding significantly and have some new products I'll be putting information up on with the update to that review when their paperwork with the ATF is done. Dudes have been busy.

Tag

Update 3-6-2023

The gang is all here. Friday I got a surprise box from big brown and in it was the last of the sub $1k scopes for this years reviews, the Optisan EVX Gen II 4-16x44F1. This scope sure is light and small. It’s definitely a hunting / precision crossover design. The weight is 26.2oz making it the lightest scope I have reviewed in a long time. Should be fun to take a look at. I am quite pleased to see precision rifle features start to invade hunting scopes.


Optisan EVX Gen II 4-16x44F1 in it’s comfy box

Laser Rangefinders, Snow, and the Sig 10k Fog mode

A while back I had a question from a member on laser rangefinding use in the snow. Of course, it wasn’t winter then so I could do little but look it up. For this I went through some white papers on the topic of which this paper had the best information on the effects of snow on both 905 and 1550 nm lidar. Most consumer units, including both the Sig 10k’s and the Leica Geovid Pro's are 905nm but a few of the $5k+ units such as some from Steiner and Vectronix are 1550nm.

Reflectivity of snow on 905nm light is quite high. Not quite as high as visible light, but similar. The same article also indicates that the military grade LRF 1550nm light is simply virtually totally absorbed by snow and returns essentially no signal at all. In the case of 905nm such as the Sig or most commercial RF units use though, you will get a great signal return from this reflection. Twice what you get from bare earth. That being said, stray 905nm ambient light is relatively common from the sun. This will also be quite effectively reflected by snow. So, you should expect both the signal and the noise to be higher in the case of the use of 905nm LRF units in the snow as compared with snow free conditions. I would therefore expect that in low light, you will actually be able to range further on snowy hillsides than snow free but in bright sunlight you would not get results as far. I would also expect 905nm laser rangefinders to have trouble when it is actively snowing. As for the 1550nm units, they are going to suck in both conditions.


Heavy snow through the Leica Geovid Pros. They read 30yds in these conditions regardless of target distance.

This week I was able to test these hypotheses out in both light and heavy snow with both the Sig 10k’s and Leica Geovid Pro’s. Here is a qualitative but not quantitative summation of my experience. Keep in mind that snow conditions constantly change minute to minute and second to second. There is really no way to do this in a quantitative way. I think that the experiences I will relate are nevertheless helpful.

With Snow actively coming down, both units experienced dramatically reduced range. They do tend to return a range however. It’s just wrong and short. They like to throw distances of around 30yds regardless of what your pointing at. The Leica has only one rangefinding mode and so you really can’t fiddle with anything on this. It just doesn’t range well with snow coming down. The Sig 10k however has a “Fog” mode that clearly should be renamed "Fog / Snowfall". Utilizing this mode it's performance is dramatically improved and it can sometimes range targets I cannot make out though the snow such as a privacy fence at 245yds. I know where this target is and how far because I range off my back porch all the time but I couldn’t actually see it some of the time I was ranging it with the Sig 10ks on Fog mode. I don’t think there is any real rule of thumb I can give you on the limitations of the Leica or Sig in standard mode except to say that you will still be able to make out some targets though snowfall that are well within the normal rangefinding capabilities of the unit but that you cannot range due to the snowfall. This is not so with the Sig 10k’s in fog mode. They appear to be able to range more than you can see through the snow anyway. So, if you see game that is in range, you will be able to range it. I’m sure your overall range capability is dramatically reduced, but so is your visibility so your not really loosing anything. If you can see it, you can range it. It doesn’t really get any better than that. Fog mode is a game changing feature for folks hunting in the snow.


Sig 10k’s in fog mode ranging an outdoor display board in moderate snow.

As for ranging snow covered ground, both units didn’t seem to have any problem. I’m sure if it gets whiteout bright enough your going to see some reduced maximum range performance like you would have in bright sunny desert situations from reflected solar interference but in the overcast snowy conditions I had I was getting totally snow covered hillsides fine during lulls between the flakes. I might add I would expect no return from a 1550nm laser in these conditions as absorption by snow in the first few inches is far above 90%.

Updates?

I'm about ready to order the Match Pro ED when they come back in stock.  Any thoughts on them?

I was hoping to read your input on the Primary Arms GLx 4.5-26x56 while mine was on pre-order. It's looking like I'll be comparing notes instead, I'll have mine by Friday.

Either way, I'm still very interested in your take on it, Jim. The 4-16x50 I so impatiently ordered has been a dandy little scope thus far.

Update 5-5-2023

I’ve been doing a lot of testing on the sub $1k scope review articles. Boy is there a lot more variance in performance this time around than with the last set. This is true both optically and mechanically. Obviously, this is a lot better for some of the scopes than others. It will make for some good reads when I’m done though and all the testing is humming along. I had a fun time at the range last weekend with the Arken, Optisan, and Primary arms scopes. Also, I continue to be super impressed with how good those Applied Ballistics custom models are right out of the gate. So many of the ones I have tested have been correct all the way out to transonic without any truing. This has not been my experience with ballistic models in the past.


Arken EP-5 5-25x56 @700yds on the Kelbly Atlas

At the same time I’ve been working on the scope reviews I have also been doing the level use article. That article has me creating some alternate optical test boards. This has ended up staving me a bunch of time relative to using the big 4’x8’ plywood test board. It is also much easier to quickly switch out different test target boards in the stand in order to have different testing arrangements. Lastly, you can easily precisely level the vertical axis for calibration when mounting levels to scopes. This has been quite useful given how many levels I am messing with for the article on their use and is the reason for the new boards in the first place. I honestly doubt I will be bringing back the big 4’ x 8’ again.


Leveling one of my new optical test boards

Lastly, the nVisti article…. You know, that article that sat around so long the company it was about merged requiring the article to be updated. It’s still not done because I still need now both information and approvals from others. This thing is becoming a never ending saga. I’m still waiting on updates from others to be able to get it up. You’ll get it when I do.

Update 6-17-2023

The Arken EP5 5-25x56 review is now live. Boy, this scope has really generated some sentiment on the Internet. I have heard everything from (paraphrasing but only slightly) “It’s almost as good as my ZCO” to “it’s like looking though a dirty coke bottle.” I can’t remember any optic this divisive since maybe the old IORs. I find this strange as I don’t think anything about either the company itself, or the scopes performance should illicit such hyperbole. I guess I really don’t understand the internet. If I did, I would probably have to be institutionalized though. For my part, I found the Arken a great value for the money and a pleasant scope to use but not one that immediately springs to mind as a comparison to a ZCO.


Plate rack though the Arken EP5 5-25x56

Next up on the review schedule will be the Primary Arms GLx scopes. I went a little out of order as the rings for the Bushy were behind schedule putting that review behind and I need to do some more testing on the Hi-Lux as well.

Lastly, I’ll be recording an EveryDay Sniper podcast next week with Frank on the Laser Rangefinding stuff I did last year. This will include the Leica Geovid Pro, Sig 10k, Sig BDX and nVisti facility tour and should go pretty deeply into the state of rangefinding in general today. If that goes well I may go back an podcast some other stuff such as the ~$2k scope review series and the sub $1k scopes this year and in the past.

Awesome. Can't wait to hear how the pa scopes compare to the arken.

I did an Everyday Sniper podcast Wednesday with Frank on the subject of laser rangefinding. We talk about recent trends and products in the industry. We discuss distance gains from improved signal processing, Applied Ballistics and nVisti, integration of ultrasonic wind meters, LOS wind technology, and ballistics integration. We also discuss the products I reviewed last year. These were the Leica Geovid Pro 32's, Sig Kilo 10k-ABS, and the Sig BDX system. Lastly, we discuss the Leica's update of the .com products to the new Leica Ballistics App.

I bought an Optisan from SWFA years back and I have never run across anyone who has one, or had one, nor did I think they were still in business. Curious as to how your testing went with the one you have now.

As a poor I'd love to see a "best of the bargain basement" stuff in the $150-500 range

Mueller 4-14 APV
Mueller 8-32 w/ target dot or mildot (they have a 8-25 as well, I wanted the more zoom and the fine target dot reticle)
Bushnell Prime 3.5-10
Various Vortex offerings
A few "hunting scopes" from Leupold  or similar

I've got the Mueller 8-32 and I just ordered a Bushnell 3.5-10x, when they come in I'll do my best to get good thru the scope pics at various distances in a few different conditions

Oh, you have definitely run into people shooting Optisan scopes. They are primarily an OEM and so most of the scopes they manufacture are for other brands. They do OEM work for some major brands so it would be unlikely you have not encountered one. That being said, the amount of time and effort they devote to their in house label seems to vary greatly. This seems to be common among OEMs with house brands. When business is booming and they can't fill all their orders in house stuff seems to take a back seat at OEM's with house brands. Optisan also sells much more stuff from their house brand in Europe than the states. As for how the testing is going so far on the Optisan, it's going quite well both optically and mechanically. I expect it will be a positive review. The rings I requested they send with the scope suck though. They need to find a new ring supplier.



Sub $500 would be an interesting series to do. I may look into that in the future. I have seen some scopes with the correct features from brands that are worth considering.

Update 7-3-2023

I have a couple of updates related to the Everyday Sniper podcast.

First, I have learned a bit more related to calypso wind meter integration. In the future, there will be Calypso ultrasonic wind meters that can interface directly with rangefinders that have Applied Ballistics built in. This includes existing rangefinders from a variety of companies with AB built in. In this configuration, the rangefinders will automatically update the wind hold information with the wind from from the Calypso at the time of ranging. When these meters come out, I’ll be sure to pick one up and let you know how it interfaces with the Geovid Pros and Sig 10k’s.
The next update is a mistake I made regarding the calculation engine in the Sig 10k’s. I misunderstood and thought this engine was nVisti’s work. Sig was much more heavily involved in this development than I thought.  All of the collaboration and players involved are pretty complicated. The central points are that the central team involved in this development work for Sig but your going to see more rangefinders in the future that have AB in them and calculating capabilities similar to that of the 10k. The 10k’s are the first in a generational change that will allow class 1 905nm laser products to have dramatically better performance than in the past based on improved laser rangefinding engines.
Next, I am adding a couple more review scopes to this years lineup. These are both from Riton Optics. The first will slot right into the sub $1k series. This is the 3 Primal 3-18x50mm crossover scope. This is a sub 30oz crossover hunting / precision rifle scope that is ffp, mil/mil, and has a zero stop. The other scope is a higher end, ~$2k Japanese made precision rifle scope with a huge magnification range. It is the 7 Conquer 4-32x56. Frank has been quite pleased with the performance of the Riton stuff that he has taken a look at so I’m excited to try these out.

I agree. The $500 range would be nice :D

Edit:  Thanks BigJimFish for this !

Update 8-14-2023

I have just posted the review of the Primary Arms Optics GLx 3-18x44 and 4.5-27x56 rifle scopes. My initial plan was to review just one of the GLx series. However, two arrived so I got to sample a bit more variety. Optically, they proved quite similar though so I combined them into a single review. This optical similarity is not uncommon for scopes in a single series. Often, scopes in a series share not only similar quality glass and manufacture at the same site, but even commonality in large parts of the optical system. For instance, It appears to me that these two GLx scopes likely have the same eyepiece design.


Zeroing the Primary Arms Optics GLx 3-18x44 on the Vudoo .22lr

Update 10-2-2023

The Sightron S6 5-30x56 ED FFP arrived this weekend for review. This is a totally new optical design optimized for Precison rifle use that should feature a larger depth of field and field of view than previous designs. It is a Japanese made scope with a retail of $1.7k so it is not part of the Sub $1k series of scope reviews this year. I will instead be comparing it to a few of the Scopes from the ~$2k reviews a couple years ago such as the Leupold Mark5 HD 5-25x56 and Sig Tango6 5-30x56 as well as the Sightron SIII PLR from last year.


Sightron S6 5-30x56 ED FFP unboxing

In other news, expect the Bushnell Match Pro ED 5-30x56 review any day now. I finished up writing it last week and have sent it off to Bushnell for any pre-release comments they might have. Not that I expect a whole lot of comment. It is a positive review and companies don’t tend to have a lot of comments on those.

Update 10-12-2023

The Bushnell Match Pro ED 5-30x56mm review is up. Take a look at the elevation knob design on this thing. It’s a locking elevation knob with zero stop and rev indicator with no set screws that is only a hairs breadth from being completely toolless. You can even easily choose how far below zero it travels. It is a thing of beauty and the new standard for elevation knob design.


Bushnell Match Pro ED 5-30x56mm on Pure Precision Crux rifle

I have finished up the Optisan EVX G2 review and have the preview off to the manufacture for comment. I have also been doing a lot of testing on the Sightron S6 and some work on the level use in precision rifle article so those things are in progress.

On a different note, as part of the article on levels, I picked up a set of Hawkins precision rings. I was looking to try all the different level configurations prevalent in precision rifle. I had never tried rings with a center mounted level and so I picked up a set of the Hawkins in that configuration. Hawkins manufactures rings both with the level mounted in the center of the top ring and also some with the level offset. I'll be talking about the rings in the level article but I wanted to mention them here as well because I think they are the best rings I have seen for precision rifle use. The machining is absolutely first rate and the fit on the scope is just perfect. The fit reminds me of the now discontinued Kelblys rings, much more snug and even than with most rings. The Hawkins rings are well lightened by having the extraneous material machined away and use nice robust fasteners. The level on them is large and has a lot of exposure to light so it is easy to see. A big improvement ove the small, dark, levels on the zeiss rings. The centered level Hawkins rings I have is probably the choice for hunting use as it is snag free and I think the offset level location would be the better choice for competition use as it will be visible with your eye behind the reticle with no head movement. All in all they are great rings at a good price and I'm not surprised they seem to be on back order most of the time.


Hawkins Precision Ultra-Lite rings on the Sightron S6 5-30x56 demonstration a 2 degree cant for the upcoming article on level use.

Update 11-23-2023

The Optisan EVX Gen II 4-16x44F1 rifle scope review is up. This scope represents one of the main directions I see hunting scopes going in. It has most of the features of a precision rifle scope and, in fact, would work fine in that capacity but is significantly smaller and lighter than typical precision rifle scope. I have seen a few makers start to release a couple of models in this vein. I think this is perhaps the most hunting focused of them as it’s reticle and turrets are clearly designed with that application in mind, it is a little lower magnification, and it is particularly small and light. It’s a neat optic, check it out.


Some nice trees in bloom through the Optisan EVX Gen II 4-16x44F1

In other news, the testing on the Sightron S6 5-30x56 ED FFP is about done so I’ll be getting started on writing it up in the next couple of weeks. I’ll have it done before Christmas for sure.  

This thread is awesome.
I'm in the market for this price line, looking forward to the Hi-Lux review.
Thanks for doing this.

Update 11-28-2023

I mentioned earlier this year that Mesa Precision Arms, who’s Crux action and rifle build I did a review of a couple years ago, had changed it’s name to PurePrecison. The name change was partially motivated by the fact there is another unrelated firearms company with Mesa in it’s name. It was also motivated by growth in their business and manufacturing capabilities. PurePrecision now has a partnership with aerospace company such that it can now manufacture it’s own actions.  

That is a big change and I’ll be doing a build on, and review of, one of these new actions, the aptly named SKLTN action. As the name suggests, this is a lightweight action that has had material milled away from many non-structural areas to reduce the weight. This has been done so completely that the even the front face of the integral recoil lug has been hollowed out. PurePrecision is offering the SKLTN in both long and short actions and with both Stainless and Titanium bodies. The result is the lightest action I have seen to date with the Titanium short action coming in at just 16oz and the steel at 21oz. Right now, these actions come in standard and magnum bolt faces. More options are coming with a .223rem / 300 blackout / 350 legend sized one next.

Here is a nice set of images showing the action and a few of the features


SKLTN action details

Other details are that, as you probably guessed, the SKLTN is a 700 footprint and takes 700 triggers. The SKLTN features a swamped bolt body that allows more play for movement mid stroke but tighter fit on lockup. The firing pin body is fluted for reduced weight and quicker lock time. The bolt fluting is done in two separate stages to give maximum weight reduction without sharp edges that chew up your brass. As with previous actions offered by PurePrecison, the SKLTN has a 75 degree bolt throw without reduction in firing pin fall or spring stiffness and Tool-less bayonet style bolt disassembly. PurePrecision didn't skimp on the coatings and the bolt is DLC coated. Extraction is M16 style with plunger type ejection.

I’ll be adding an update with the full build details before too long but I wanted to get this posted while there is still a cybermonday deal going on with the action.

Here are video links to an interview about the SKLTN, Introduction video, and splashy hunt video

Update 2023 12 15 or the Ultimate Midwest Deer Rifle Project

In my last update I mentioned that I would be doing a build with, and review of, the PurePrecison SKLTN action. I just didn’t tell you what caliber that build would be. It’s going to be a concept that has been kicking around in the back of my head for a few years now. Back in 2014, Ohio changed it’s deer hunting regulations to allow for rifles chambered in straight walled cartridges to be used during gun season. My thought at the time was that I wondered just how accurate such a rifle could be made and what it could look like ballistically. Since then, the trend of Midwestern states approving straight walled cartridges for deer hunting where previously you had to use a shotgun has continued, a few new straight walled cartridges have been released, a lot of new price-point straight walled cartridge rifles have come out, and the popularly of the concept has generally grown. I’m happy to see this as I think it’s a great concept. The fat, and relatively slow bullets these cartridges fire significantly decrease the stray bullet danger from hunters not being as careful as they should be when compared to the risk with common deer hunting bottleneck calibers such as 6.5CM.  Yet, straight wall cartridges still offer far better recoil, range and accuracy than a slug shotgun. I think it’s a good middle ground, especially in states that have significant population density even in rural areas and have little contour to help to mitigate the mistakes of irresponsible hunters.


Left to right size comparison 6.5CM, 350 Legend, and .223rem

What I have not seen, despite the success of these cartridges, is a lot of adoption in the custom rifle realm.  So, when it came time to build another rifle, I decided to wade in and see what something like that would look like. What I came up with is that the very recent, 2019, 350 Legend is basically the perfect straight wall cartridge for the concept. It can feed from some .223 AICS mags (MDT metal and Hawkins) though not others (MDT plastic and Accurate), uses the common .223 bolt face, has sufficient power and good velocity, and doesn’t kick like a 45-70. Were now building one and then we will see what we can get out of the concept in terms of accuracy and effective hunting range. I’ll also take a look at reloading the cartridge and see how handloading for precision on a straight walled cartridge that headspaces off of the mouth goes. That will all result in an article on custom straight walled rifle considerations and performance and along the way I’ll also do reviews of the components involved such as the PurePrecision SKLTN action, PurePrecision Altitude carbon fiber stocks, and a refresh of the Proof  carbon barrels review to include the data from this 350 legend one. It should be a lot of fun.

I also want to mention that there must be something in the air as part way though the project the Hawkins Precision guys posted a video on a 350 Legend build they had done.


Hawkins Precision 350 Legend build video

Update 1-8-2024

The Sightron S6 5-30x56 ED FFP scope review is now live. This will be the last review I post on this 2023 thread. In the next few days I will have up the 2024 schedule as well as some updates on the ultimate Midwest deer rifle project and associated reviews.


Sightron S6 5-30x56 FFP on the Kelbly Atlas rifle I reviewed a few years back

As for the other stuff on the 2023 schedule that is not yet done. The article on levels is at least half written and will be the first article for the 2024 year. It has been an interesting one to work on this year and I’m pretty pleased with the article so far. I’m not sure where things stand with the Riton folks. I haven’t spoken with them in a while and scopes haven’t’ arrived for testing. I expect they will at some point. Delays in scope shipments from overseas is nothing new. As for the Hi-Lux PR5 scope that was on the docket to be reviewed with the sub ~$1k scopes, it had to go back to Hi-Lux after the testing to be checked out. I haven’t followed up in a while to see what the status of that is and I suspect they have fallen in the ShotShow void for the month or so. Hopefully some resolution will come on that front early next year. I completed all the non-field work on it so I certainly can start to write it up in the mean time.

On other related media, I am hoping to  a couple summary EveryDaySniper podcasts with Frank on the sub ~$1k and sub ~$2k scope review series similar to the one we did on laser rangefinders. Also, I’m not attending ShotShow this year. Typically I only go every few years and I went last year. I certainly have enough stuff in the hopper to work on for the year and it takes a ton of time to do the whole show thing and then write it up not to mention the travel expenses.

Update 1-16-2024

The 2024 BigJimFish Review and article blog thread us up and running so times up for this one. See you next year.