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I just built an ARC using an Aero upper, Tactical Kinetics 20" barrel, Odin AGB, Faxon bolt, cheap 17" handguard, mounted on a Joe Bob's lower with a 3.5# single stage trigger, topped with an Arken EP5 MRAD scope and 20 MOA mount. Went to the ranch yesterday with my boys and nephew to try our luck shooting out to 1k yards. Once dialed in at 200, we hit plates at 450yds, 650yds and then 1000yds. So much fun and 1000yds is a long ways, especially when you've never shot past 500. Lol. The ARC did well and started shooting great after 40 rounds, however, it doesn't like the Hornady Black ammo much. My thrown together 108gr ELD-M reloads shot great and were used for the 1000yd plate. Now to work on precise load development and shoot more.
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Excellent! My first barrel hasn’t arrived yet and I just ordered my second.
Looking forward to stretching it out.
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Very nice. How do you like that Arken? I put the wifey behind my ARC for the first time yesterday. She nailed 500 with ease. Looks like I'm building a second one!
I am your uncle!
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It was fun. Thinking of getting a pencil barrel and set it up for hunting. As far as the Arken scope, I love it. I was able to compare it to Vortex Venoms, same specs as mine, and I couldn't tell a difference. I think the Arken is a better deal because it has a lighted reticle where these Venoms didn't, plus, it was about $150 less.
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Arkens are all 34mm tubes, right? All I've done are 1" and 30mm (mostly the 30's), so how hard to find/expensive are the 34mm mounts? Also is the arken a lot heavier than say the 30's?
Price point seems nice.
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The EP5 is 34mm as well as a few other scopes they have. I think the others are 30mm. I bought a 20 MOA mount/rings set up from Arken when I bought the scope, so no issue there. It's heavy, but not any heavier than other scopes like it. My AR is around 9-10 pounds complete, which is definitely lighter than the Begara rifles my son and nephew were shooting. Theirs are 15+ pounds. I think a 16" pencil barrel with a smaller scope would be ideal for hunting out to 500-650 yards. It was pretty easy to hit 450 once dialed in, a little tougher at 650 and much harder at 1k, but so much fun. I know I keep saying this, but now, after shooting long range, I can see why people love it.
