Leupold MK6, a tabletop review

[WS6]

I hate table-top reviews, but this one doesn't suck too bad.

I have been searching for "the perfect" LPV for years. I started with the Nightforce 1-4 NXS. I value and still own it because of the very generous eyebox on 1x (nothing has ever come anywhere close), and the rugged dependability it offers.

However, I wanted to try a daylight visible illumination equipped optic, and really, 4x wasn't as much as I could have in an identical weight package, so 1-6 was on my list for sure.

I started with the ultimate option. Or so I perceived it as, at the time. The Kahles K16i of 3-gun legend.

The glass on it REALLY popped, and 1x was an absolute true 1x. Very VERY impressive, optically. What I did not like was the reticle, illumination, and form-factor. It seemed a bit bulky, even though the scale said it wasn't. The reticle had a large upside-down horse-shoe and a dot in the center with a mil-tree below the dot. All well and good, except that reticles like that distract me. I like a defined DOT. ONE THING to focus on. In short, it was a great "sporting" scope. It did not have a locking diopter, and the turrets were capped and offered mediocre "feel", had no zerostop function, etc. NO way to dial. The illumination was sufficient, but it was rheostat style, with no incremental increases, but rather a gradual ramp-up. It would shut off after 2 hours, so anyone doing patrol with it would be risking bringing a "dead" reticle up.

So, I sold the Kahles and went with Nightforce 1-4 for a while. It wasn't as true a 1x, and it wasn't illuminated as well, but you could dial, it had ZS, it was rugged as hell with a locking diopter, etc.

Enter a friend of mine "Would you like a MK6?" Sure I would! So, without much adue, the MK6 TMR-D arrived at my door yesterday, along wtih the MK6 ISMS LH mount.

The mount, I will say, is a thing of beauty. The MSRP is well north of $400, and street price hovers at $200. The machine work was clean, and it weighed 7.8oz. The Geissele Super Precision mount with 34mm rings, by comparison, did NOT have as clean a machine work, and weighed in at 7.2oz. Hardly worth the $150 street-price premium over the Leupold.

The scope only has 1 throw-lever/cat tail that fits it well. Leupold's. And it fits it FLAWLESSLY. It also fits your budged inversely to this, at a street price of nearly $150. Stomach it and buy it anyways, it's worth it.

Now on to the scope. The illumination DOES flicker if you move your head, and I will showcase this in video. It is a moot point in my mind, because if you're moving your head enough to dim it enough to matter, you're outside of the eyebox and getting bad scope-shadow, anyways. Bringing the gun up from low-ready, this is absolutely not an issue. Shooting around cover, it could become a SLIGHT issue, if one is to be honest, but nothing that would warrant deal-breaking.

Next question...is it daylight visible? Well, look at my photos and you tell me...


How is the glass on 6x? My opinion? VERY VERY GOOD. Not quite as good as my K16i was, but then, I have not really sat down and dialed in the diopter on this MK6 yet, and it's VERY good. One 1x in low-light, it is also very good, to my eye, doing better than one's naked eye in my apartment with only the smoke-detector blinking and my wi-fi box LED's for illumination.


The scope-user interface is great. The turrets are Zerostop/locking, and the windage has a zerostop as well. You can dial left, or right, after depressing a button on the windage turret, which will "pop out and lock" the turret once you turn it back to zero from wherever you were (same for elevation, except you cannot "dial below zero". The turrets are a low-profile design, and have decent tactile feel. They are not the best I have felt, but they are better than the Kahles and on par with the Nightforce turrets I have felt for feel. The cat tail is a "must" on any scope, IMO, but once added, the zoom ring turns fluidly and stops positively, through a 180* articulation range, from 1 to 6 power. Over-all, this scope FEELS like it costs what it does. The Euro style locking diopter is a very nice touch, and allows you to lock in your settings so that they cannot be inadvertently bumped or the diopter turned by some fiddling idiot or rubbing against a sling or some other such. Same for the locking/ZS turrets. They lock on zero, and you must depress the button on the turrets to change zero.

Why is my over-all opinion? It's my favorite optic. It's tough as hell, you can either dial with the turrets or hold with the mils, the reticle "centers" as it's a lit dot at the crux of thick cross-hairs followed by fine one's, and on 6x I can see .223 bullet holes at 100 yards even with bad lighting (bright range, paper in the shade).

All in all, I view it as a huge win, and at 26.8oz (mount, cat-tail, lens caps and optic) it only adds around 4-5oz over my Nightforce 1-4 (which has a 5.5oz mount), along with the nuclear bright illumination and 150% as much magnification. Here are the pictures and a short video:

Is it daylight bright?
http://i66.tinypic.com/iymsr5.jpg

Is it "true 1x" (not QUITE, but very damn close! About as close as anything)
http://i68.tinypic.com/15exmdd.jpg

What's the reticle look like on 6x? (even though my potato doesn't give a good accounting for the superb optical quality, Fence at @140 yards)
http://i68.tinypic.com/2ew17o2.jpg
Brick structure at 190 yards:
http://i65.tinypic.com/2vdqtlv.jpg


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w7ogQfcLOwA
Not a terrible table-top review, was it? Certainly better than those damn "unboxing" videos people post!

[cbx]

Yeah, that looks daylight bright. Hard to get much more sun than that. Lol....

Know anyone with a the cmr-w model to review also?

I keep wanting this optic, but I can't find one to try anywhere before I buy. I'll have to start checking out of state I guess.

Spec wise, there aren't really any other in the same class weight wise. I don't really want kahles or swaro simply for warranty reasons. The vortex razor I tried was great. Optics were awesome. Dot was good, reticle was just ok. Half mil marks world have been nice, but the weight. , just heavy heavy, heavy. Hard not to get to the two pounds range with it.

A razor 1-6 type that has half mil steps, and weighs 17oz would be a hot seller I'm my opinion.

What did you think of the open center of the TMR? Did it make the precision shots
Easier, harder, or no difference to you?

[WS6]

Yeah, that looks daylight bright. Hard to get much more sun than that. Lol....

Know anyone with a the cmr-w model to review also?

I keep wanting this optic, but I can't find one to try anywhere before I buy. I'll have to start checking out of state I guess.

Spec wise, there aren't really any other in the same class weight wise. I don't really want kahles or swaro simply for warranty reasons. The vortex razor I tried was great. Optics were awesome. Dot was good, reticle was just ok. Half mil marks world have been nice, but the weight. , just heavy heavy, heavy. Hard not to get to the two pounds range with it.

A razor 1-6 type that has half mil steps, and weighs 17oz would be a hot seller I'm my opinion.

What did you think of the open center of the TMR? Did it make the precision shots
Easier, harder, or no difference to you?
The TMR has a dot in the center. It is my opinion that the 4 segments make precision more difficult because they obscure the target. That said, it is not insurmountable, and they are necessary to form the "dot" arrangement you see at 1x.

[RobertTheTexan]

Nice table top review, that glass looks really, really nice! The more optics I pick up and the more I shoot/train, the more I am drawn to simplicity, particularly in reticles. I agree there is a lot to be said for a single red dot. The first time I looked through a Leupold VXR Patrol, I think...that was my first observation.
I don't own a Leupold yet. I'm still dabbling south of that with a couple of Vortex's and a Burris XTR II. They are great for where I am financially. Big fan of that zero stop though. The XTR has that and I wish my others did as well.
For the meantime I will be forced to live vicariously through those who do have these optics. Will you do a live fire review?


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[Furbyballer]

Very nice write up. This exact optic is next on my purchase list.

[cbx]

The TMR has a dot in the center. It is my opinion that the 4 segments make precision more difficult because they obscure the target. That said, it is not insurmountable, and they are necessary to form the "dot" arrangement you see at 1x.
Just noticed that segmented circle is right about one mil in size. That's kind of cool I think because you can almost plan on all of your shots being inside of it assuming the elevation is correct.

Very interesting.

[Boba Fett v2]

Know anyone with a the cmr-w model to review also?



I do. I want to give it an honest run through the paces before I post my thoughts on it. I'll be sending it off to Leupold to have the reticle changed from the 5.56 to 7.62 CMR-W as well. I will say that I do like the reticle and I pretty much echo the OP's thoughts on the optic as a whole.

[hk91308]

"I have not really sat down and dialed in the diopter on this MK6 yet, and it's VERY good."


Thanks for the great review and for your expertise as always...

I acquired the same scope recently and have a question on adjusting the diopter- I can rotate the lock ring, however doesn't seem like my diopter rotates, is it just very tight to adjust or something is wrong with my scope?

[WS6]

"I have not really sat down and dialed in the diopter on this MK6 yet, and it's VERY good."


Thanks for the great review and for your expertise as always...

I acquired the same scope recently and have a question on adjusting the diopter- I can rotate the lock ring, however doesn't seem like my diopter rotates, is it just very tight to adjust or something is wrong with my scope?
Mine is so clear that I have not messed with it. I am an absolute bastard about diopter adjustment and have never had an optic that I didn't fiddle with until now, but everything is crystal clear on 1 and 6x, so this is one time I have not. I'd make sure your lock ring is backed off, and then if you can see exposed threads, screw it into the scope body, so as to insure you're not at the end of adjustment or something.

I prefer to adjust diopter different than most folks. Most people look at the sky, etc and focus to a crisp reticle. This works for crap, for me.

What I do is pick a complex object of neutral tones, say a deer. It's the perfect coloration for this. If not a deer, then a brown and beige or similar earthy sign or tree or whatever. I pick this object a few hundred yards off. A field of grass with a fence line with taller grass is great for an object!

I then screw the diopter all the way in. The image should look like crap. I look at the object or row of weeds and rapidly adjust the diopter until it takes shape crisply, and then go a bit further until I first notice image degredation again.

Then, ignoring the reticle, I focus my attention on the object, and sloooowwwllly advance diopter adjustment ring back into the scope. I look away at a object at a different distance, outside the scope, every 1/8th turn or less. I then look back through the scope. This prevents the eyes from accommodating to poorly adjusted diopter, and compensating themselves, which will give you a headache in the long run. Anyway, I repeat this process until I see the bark clearly on the tree, or crisp individual weeds in my fence row, or texture on the sign, or whatever you have chosen to navel gaze.

At this point, it is my direst hope that the reticle is also instantly crisp when I focus at it AND the object at the same time.

If it's not, I get rid of the scope and say F that trash. This is why my vcog lasted about 20 minutes, literally, why I loved my k16i and why I love this leupold.


If anyone has a better process, lemme know! But I like crisp reticle AND crisp targets. Not one or the other.

This is also why I love the tmrd and ffp in this scope. I don't have to care about reticle at 1x. It takes care of itself because it's just a floating, glowing dot. Nothing to really crisp up. Focus on target and super impose it. So it frees me up to worry ONLY about 6x diopter. I have 20/10 vision, little to no astigmatism, and can detect diopter shift in almost every optic I've used, to some extent or another, that has a spread of 1 to 6 power. That is why I liked g33 magnifiers...no diopter shift with a single power. This is I think why the leupold is so great as well for me. I can make 6x, pure perfection. No need to compromise due to magnification change diopter shift.

[hk91308]

Mine is so clear that I have not messed with it. I am an absolute bastard about diopter adjustment and have never had an optic that I didn't fiddle with until now, but everything is crystal clear on 1 and 6x, so this is one time I have not. I'd make sure your lock ring is backed off, and then if you can see exposed threads, screw it into the scope body, so as to insure you're not at the end of adjustment or something.

I prefer to adjust diopter different than most folks.


Thanks so much sir, you're not alone. I tend to play with diopter adjustments on my optics as well, but the thorough instructions you provided are phenomenal and I will incorporate them into my practice here on out.

Now with my MK6 diopter adjustment issue - it is backed off to the fullest and there is plenty of visible thread, the lock ring is backed off as well. As hard as I've tried I cannot screw it into the body, just wouldn't budge.

Everything is very crisp and clear at 1x and 6x so I can be content as is, just like to see if the images can get any better, now only if I can figure out what's wrong that it would not budge...

[HKGuns]

I love that scope as well. The MK6 1-6 sits on my SCAR17 and the 3-18 sits on my MR762. If you like the 1-6 you'll also like the 3-18. Optics just as clear and very similar interface.

I picked up a real sleeper for my RPR, the Burris XTRII 5-25 is an excellent scope considering the cost, if you need 25x.

If you haven't seen the video of the woman dropping the 1-6 out of a helicopter see below. Flipping awesome.


https://youtu.be/rOnUylOGqwI

[WS6]

Thanks so much sir, you're not alone. I tend to play with diopter adjustments on my optics as well, but the thorough instructions you provided are phenomenal and I will incorporate them into my practice here on out.

Now with my MK6 diopter adjustment issue - it is backed off to the fullest and there is plenty of visible thread, the lock ring is backed off as well. As hard as I've tried I cannot screw it into the body, just wouldn't budge.

Everything is very crisp and clear at 1x and 6x so I can be content as is, just like to see if the images can get any better, now only if I can figure out what's wrong that it would not budge...

The MK6 diopter turns like a ship. Slowly, gently, and with consistent force. It is very well greased, and very tight in its fitting. This is because if it were NOT tight in its fitting, changing diopter would result in POI shift. It still does, I'm sure, but it's likely much less notable than I will be able to discover with a 1.5 MOA gun.

[Eurodriver]

This review is awesome. Way better than some EMT finger banging a scope on a table for 30 minutes.

I've got an 11.5" SBR that I've been wanting a variable optic on for a long time. It currently wears an ACOG...anyone know where to get one of these for less than $2,200? :cray: It's hard to justify this over a ~$1,500 NF NXS 1-4, but the 2x extra mag and better reticle/brightness are huge.

[tom12.7]

I've been lucky enough to use a few of these MK6 1-6x optics for some time. Originally, I did not care for the cmr-w reticles, over time now, I prefer it over the tmr. I had thought that the cmr-w was too cluttered and distracting at 1x with the way it illuminated and worse at 6x. Is it AP fast at 1x, no, it's not, but the mystical 6x AP magnifier can't do what this can at 6x at distance, the AP does not have the subdivisions. If you choose to learn the reticle, it can make better hits faster than other options. The conventional Horus would be more difficult and slower at this magnification range. I had thought that the circle like dot would make me need to come down onto a target instead of swinging towards it, it didn't unless the brightness was too high for the transition. One thing that I would like to add is that I do not zero for 50 or 200 for the 175 SMK 7.62 16" platform. With the cmr-w7.62 I zero at 300M or 400M on that respective position for this reticle, I get less error at distance without sacrificing hits closer in.

[jpmuscle]

For those interested LEO pricing on these from leupold is very generous.

[WS6]

Military pricing from leupold is the way to go, otherwise 1799 is street price.

I like the tmrd over the cmrw because the cmrw only works with rounds it's made to work with. Like m855. If you use anything else, you're either dialing or holding for it...and you can dial with the tmrd, too. I did not find the cmrw distracting on 1x though, I will say that.

[hk91308]

The MK6 diopter turns like a ship. Slowly, gently, and with consistent force. It is very well greased, and very tight in its fitting. This is because if it were NOT tight in its fitting, changing diopter would result in POI shift. It still does, I'm sure, but it's likely much less notable than I will be able to discover with a 1.5 MOA gun.

Many thanks WS6, no luck here on getting the diopter to budge at all. Currently it appears to be backed all the way with full threads exposed, only the diopter lock ring rotates.

I'll seek help from Leupold and see if I can send it in as this is strange.

Appreciate all your help and everyone's patience , didn't mean to side track this great thread with my technical issues.

[kukworld]

Thanks for the very informative review and I'm currently looking hard at k16i and MK6 1-6
From your review, it sounds like k16i illumination is not daytime bright? Also, does the k16i diopter feels easy to turn? You initially I didn't think without the lock feature will be a big deal...
Compare these two optics, would you say mk6 is more eyebox sensitive?


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[WS6]

Thanks for the very informative review and I'm currently looking hard at k16i and MK6 1-6
From your review, it sounds like k16i illumination is not daytime bright? Also, does the k16i diopter feels easy to turn? You initially I didn't think without the lock feature will be a big deal...
Compare these two optics, would you say mk6 is more eyebox sensitive?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

The illumination is different. Both are daylight bright. Think of the k16i reticle like a hot glowing red piece of metal, and the mk6 reticle as an led illuminated sign.

The k16i is superior optically regarding fidelity of 1x, clarity, fov, and eyebox, all by slight but noticeable margins.

The k16i diopter is not locking and rotates easily.

Optically I liked the k16i, in every other way, the mk6 dominates.

It would be like Lauren Drain being an annoying ditz who annoys the hell out of you when shes not actually putting out and who constantly flirts with other guys in front if you, vs. Jessica Alba with a great personality who is always helping out with food and the house and also pays the bills. I'm glad I played with Lauren first, but I married Jessica.

*....aaaannnnd people googling Lauren Drain and Jergin's stock going up in 3..2...1

[kukworld]

The illumination is different. Both are daylight bright. Think of the k16i reticle like a hot glowing red piece of metal, and the mk6 reticle as an led illuminated sign.

The k16i is superior optically regarding fidelity of 1x, clarity, fov, and eyebox, all by slight but noticeable margins.

The k16i diopter is not locking and rotates easily.

Optically I liked the k16i, in every other way, the mk6 dominates.

It would be like Lauren Drain being an annoying ditz who annoys the hell out of you when shes not actually putting out and who constantly flirts with other guys in front if you, vs. Jessica Alba with a great personality who is always helping out with food and the house and also pays the bills. I'm glad I played with Lauren first, but I married Jessica.

*....aaaannnnd people googling Lauren Drain and Jergin's stock going up in 3..2...1

Damn! This is the best respond ever :)


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[Eurodriver]

Military pricing from leupold is the way to go, otherwise 1799 is street price.

I like the tmrd over the cmrw because the cmrw only works with rounds it's made to work with. Like m855. If you use anything else, you're either dialing or holding for it...and you can dial with the tmrd, too. I did not find the cmrw distracting on 1x though, I will say that.

$1799? Where?

[Singlestack Wonder]

I've had the MK6 with cmr-w for several years now. Under hard use it's been a flawless performer. For 1x use, as WS6 displayed, the reticle flicker is not an issue. For my use on a recce rifle, the overall features of the MK6 were a plus when considering it vs. other scopes such as Kahles (locking diopter, off positions between intensity settings, no auto shutoff, etc). Of course I was looking for an lpv for a serious use rifle, not a gamer gun.

[Singlestack Wonder]

$1799? Where?

Liberty Optics has a Holiday sales going on now that offers 5% off on Leupold. The MK6 1-6x can be had for $1709.05. I've purchased several optics from Scott at Liberty Optics. http://www.libertyoptics.com/contents/en-us/d8.html The discount is shown once the item is added to the cart.