Scope advice for CZ 457 – Diamondback Tactical or Arken SH-4J Gen II?

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atmmike

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Hi everyone,

I’m putting together my first CZ 457 setup and trying to decide on an optic.

Currently looking at:

  • Vortex Diamondback Tactical 6-24x50 FFP EBR-2C (MOA) – 30mm
    vs
  • Arken SH-4J Gen II 6-24x50 FFP – Zero Stop – 34mm
Mainly for target shooting and learning precision rimfire. Maybe stretching out to longer distances later on.

Also trying to decide whether I should start with MOA or MIL/MRAD.

For someone new to precision shooting, which setup would you recommend and why?

Thanks.
 
Either in MIL, most of the PRS guys are shooting it. I love my Strike Eagle, and would prefer the EBR-2C reticle but I've looked through both of those and preferred the eye box of the Arken, probably because of the bigger tube...
 
The diamondback tactical FFP I have has no zero stop and as far as I know there is no way to DIY one.

That is IMHO the greatest drawback on this glass.

For the money it is a good scope, but the lack of a zero stop is a PITA if you use your turrets on long range’ish shots.

For a .22 that may not be as big of an issue but if you plan on stretching your legs out you will likely regret purchasing this glass.
 
IMO if you're going for target and "Maybe stretching out to longer distances later on" I'd go for more mag. I have couple Athlon 8-34x56 FFP in MOA - one on my 457-VMTR and another on my Sav B-22. Both are good for sub-MOA at 100 and 'hi-mag' is a large factor. And IMO MOA is more 'intuitive' since I grew up in 'Imperial', not Metric, and was a machinist for some time where measurements were all Imp.
 
The Arken looks funnily large on the CZ 457 with its oversized turrets.

Much better feel on the Arken turrets. The 34mm arken will also have way more adjustment for reaching out further than the 30mm vortex. Glass will be very similar with slight edge to the Arken. Warranty likely better on the vortex, arken warranty requires proof of purchase and isn't transferable in Canada.

The Arken has 108 moa elevation range - that lets you put a 50 moa scope rail on it, giving you massive adjustment. Since that's 54 up and 54 down, you can put a 50 moa rail on it and that'll let you adjust 104 moa below zero.

The diamondback tactical only has 65 moa elevation range, so you can put on a 30 moa rail max. That let's you adjust 62.5 moa below zero.
 
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Nice choice on CZ457
Go with a MRAD scope imho.
I had the Vortex Venom on my CZ and it worked quite well.
If you go Arken I would get the EP5 or DNT The One…same scope.
Another bit of advice if planning on shooting 22 long distance…put a moa rail on it. Or get some Burris Signature rings that allow you to get some extra travel.
 
Any chance you can look through and handle both scopes before purchasing? I thought I wanted the diamondback tactical until I looked through it and tried out the turrets. Also, I think the diamondback is overpriced and the Arken is better value for your money. If you decide on the Arken buy from Robbie at Shooting Warehouse, he's got your back if there are any warranty concerns. He also stocks other Arkens like the EPL if you wanted a smaller (30mm) tube and less weight.
 
Here's what my VMTR looks like with an Athlon 8-34x56 FFP, with an oversize parallax wheel and a bubba cheek pad (needed due to 30MOA rail- bad choice of Area-419, others are lower.) On a Primos 'Group Therapy' rest.
Range 2024-10-22 pic for CGN 100yd Challenge #1.jpg
 
Jahnj0584 said:
Your bullet hole is 0.22, whats your point? You need to adjust finer than 1/16th of an inch at 100y and can control for such a thing?
Click to expand...
every little bit helps
also, there are 1/8MOA click scopes but no 0.05MRAD ones
edit: Iwas wrong, there are 0.05MRAD scopes but they are made by March and IOR and few can afford them. I mean really few :)
 
I owned a Diamondback tactical 4-16 in MOA and didn't love it. Yellow glass, mushy turrets, and no zero stop. If you're wanting a Vortex, I'd be looking at the Venom for a competitively priced FFP scope. (My wife has a Venom 5-25 and it's been bulletproof for her)

I shot an Arken Sh4 gen 1 at a demo day a few years back, and also wasn't a fan (though can't precisely remember why). If I were looking for an Arken for your use case I'd be getting the EPL4 6-24 with the Christmas tree reticle. (I own a EP5 5-25 and a EPL4 4-16). The weak point of the Arkens in my experience is the turret cap/ zero stop configuration, but they offer clear glass, useable reticles, and reliable tracking at a very competitive price point.

If you're thinking of shooting PRS, stick with MRAD. It's more or less universal and you'll find it a lot easier if you're speaking the same language as the rest of the shooters. I

f you're looking to stretch the legs on your 22, a 20 or 30 moa rail (depending on the overall elevation travel of your scope) will allow you to maximize the useful elevation. I'm a big fan of the MDT rails.
 
The Diamondback Tactical has awful glass, I would never advise anyone to buy one. Now that Arken has much better glass but does suffer from noticeable chromatic aberration. Between those two I would pick the Arken.
 
Jahnj0584 said:
Your bullet hole is 0.22, whats your point? You need to adjust finer than 1/16th of an inch at 100y and can control for such a thing?
Click to expand...
and thats why we use moa with 1/8 adjustments for longrange shooting @ 800, 1000 and farther ... just saying ... 😆

1/8 MOA Adjustments by Distance (Approximate)
  • 100 Yards: 1 click ≈ 0.13"
  • 200 Yards: 1 click ≈ 0.26"
  • 500 Yards: 1 click ≈ 0.65"
  • 1000 Yards: 1 click ≈ 1.3"
 
RE "bullet hole" if you measure the 'actual hole' in 60# paper with calipers, depending on the rifle you will not find .22". Even mySav-64 makes a smaller hole than that, and my CZ-457-VMTR measures ca 0.195". Simply because the bullet is pushed thru a bore that is smaller than the .224 "official" size of .22 bullets Before Being Fired.
For discussion and 'definitive measurements', See Post #4 here > https://www.rimfire central.com/threads/22lr-proper-group-measuring.1283853/
 
For plinking and lone target shooting buy whatever you want, you’ll learn the system and it will be fine.
However if you are going to learn an organized discipline then that requires showing up and realizing there’s a whole new world after the timer goes off (in any sport).
Skill and proficiency takes time but that time is a variable; buying what the mainstream competitors use you can leverage their mentorship to shorten the time to be proficient. Buy something outside of what they have mainly adopted would lengthen that learning curve as it would be like everyone speaking a different language and the math required to translate would not keep up to the pace required and distract focus on the task. So colouring outside of the norms can lead to either frustration and/or added expense to buy basically the same kit twice (or more).
I have no direct knowledge of what you need but as a curious outsider it seems you bought the right gun and of the two scopes you suggested the Arken is the obvious choice due to multiple reasons stated (zero stop/mils/elevation travel).
I have a Viper PST II and an Arken EP5 and side by side I’m splitting hairs to find differences outside of cost.
 
I use the Arken EPL-4 on my rimfire setups. I find the 30 mm tube and size balances better on a 22. For the $ it's excellent. The SH-4J is an odd duck, 34mm Shooter/Hunter... At least they updated the reticle and added the VHR, instead of only the VPR.

1778777651142.png
 
atmmike said:
Hi everyone,

I’m putting together my first CZ 457 setup and trying to decide on an optic.

Currently looking at:

  • Vortex Diamondback Tactical 6-24x50 FFP EBR-2C (MOA) – 30mm
    vs
  • Arken SH-4J Gen II 6-24x50 FFP – Zero Stop – 34mm
Mainly for target shooting and learning precision rimfire. Maybe stretching out to longer distances later on.

Also trying to decide whether I should start with MOA or MIL/MRAD.

For someone new to precision shooting, which setup would you recommend and why?

Thanks.
Click to expand...
The arken has better glass but is quiet a bit more bulky
 
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