funshooter I love reading your reports. My first March was the March-X 5-50X56, which is the baby brother of your March-X 8-80X56. I was upgrading from a Nightforce NXS 12-42X56. I found the March to be superior to the NXS in 2 areas: 1- brightness in the early morning competitions and 2- mirage resistance during the day. Also, the colors seemed to pop more.
The OP is a self-confessed photographer so he would be familiar with ED and Super ED glass and what they bring to the IQ table, so to speak. The 5-50X56 did a great job with the IQ, but when I looked through the March-X 10-60X56 HM with its Super ED glass, my photographer's eye could detect the greater contrast (color pop) with the Super ED glass. With the new Majesta (8-80X56 HM WA), the contrast is even better, and the wide field of view is breathtaking. But I suspect that scope is far overkill for the OP and it's SFP.
The S&B Zenith has a AAOV of 22 degrees, somwhat narrow compared to most of the FFP riflescopes I know.
Beyond the twilight factor and the light transmission and all that, I happen to believe that a wider FOV makes the whole view brigther than a narrower FOV. But that's just me.
I am just a low educated shooter.
I know what I have and I try and only state my opinion on what I my self have witnessed.
My March pissed me off real bad the first time I took it out to sight in.
I mounted it on a Custom Built M21 and I put it on a bag to steady it.
I kept loosing the Target when I adjusted the power up to 80.
It took me hours and a great frustration before I realized that at 100 yards i was looking at the Grain Structure of the paper target.
Then there was the Breathing thing and my natural jitter thing to combat when on the high magnification settings.
I found out with my lack of training that my 8X80 Scope was a GREAT spotting scope set at 80X.
The highest setting I was comfortable with shooting was around 60X.
I am not a Great shot for sure and as the light was going away and things were getting hard to see.
I placed 3 shots at 100 yards that I could cover with a nickle about 1/2" off of bulls eye.
First time out with the scope on the Rifle.
I also had to combat the scope mount loosening up after several shots.
This was not the scopes fault, It was the Mount and I addressed that before the next time I took the rig out shooting.
My rig is a pretty sweet rig between the Custom M21 and the March 8X80.
It took Springfield 2+ years to build my M21 the way I wanted it.
They told me that it had been over 5 years before they had built one the way I wanted it and all I changed was the I had them put the Kreger barrel on it and I upgraded the Trigger to the Whitefeather trigger.
The March Scope was the second one that they shipped into Commyfornia.
That came from the March rep. that I talked to about my Scope when they shipped it.
