March Unveils 50X and 60X Target Scopes
The March 40X target scope has already made a big splash in benchrest competition. Many of the top shooters have replaced their Leupold Competition scopes with the March. This editor has shot with a March 40X and I can affirm it is brighter than the Leupold Comp 40X, and the March is sharp and bright all the way out to the edges. There are none of the side-focus parallax lash problems sometimes encountered with the Leupold. In competition so far, the March scopes have shown superior tracking and repeatability.
Based on the successful 40X format, March has introduced two new fixed-power target scopes, a 50X and a 60X. (In addition, there is a new 10-60X zoom–but that will be the subject of a later report.) Lou Murdica has been using the 50X in recent matches and he reports “it is outstanding. Even at 50X it is plenty bright. Visually you won’t notice the difference between the 40 and the 50 except you get more power, of course.”
The new 50X and 60X are the same size and weight as the March 40X. All three versions are 14.29 inches long, and weigh 599 grams (21.04 ounces). That’s about 12 ounces lighter than a Nightforce 12×42 BR. Front objectives are 52mm and the main tube is 30mm. All three fixed-power March scopes feature 72 MOA of total elevation and 50mm of windage. Clicks are 1/8th-MOA for 40X, 50X, and 60X.
The primary optical difference (other than magnification), is the size of the exit pupil. (A scope’s exit pupil is the actual diameter of the tiny cone of light that your eye perceives. A large exit pupil is more “user friendly”. With a very small exit pupil, it becomes more difficult to pick up the white circle of light–the position of your head becomes ultra-critical.) In optics there is no “free lunch”. Holding the front objective diameter constant, if you increase magnification, the exit size will get smaller. The March 40X has a 1.3mm exit pupil, the 50x measures 1.04mm, and the 60X has a 0.87mm exit pupil. We think the very small exit pupil on the 60X may undercut the practical utility of the higher magnification.
In the USA, March Scopes are sold exclusively by Kelbly’s. Call Hobie Bond at Kelby’s for current pricing and availability. We expect the 50X and 60X to run about $2200.00.
