You won’t find more vociferous groups of fanboys and haters than Vortex and Arken owners. Online, each is convinced their scope is the best. Today we are going to compare their 5-25×56 FFP long-range scope offerings and see who is right: the Strike Eagle (street price $700-$800) and the EP5 GenII 5-25×56 (street price $335-$535).
The Strike Eagle ships with both a throw lever and sun shade. The EP5 ships only ships with a sun shade but in the past, Arken has offered a bundled promotional “Accuracy Pack”: a throw lever, scope rings, and bubble level. The EP5 tested is one such scope.
Physically, the EP5 appears more stoutly constructed. The EP5 has the better-quality turrets. Its clicks are loud, crisp, and precise. The Strike Eagle feels mushy by comparison. The EP5’s turrets are also quite tall and oversized turrets which provides more physical space for larger and easier-to-read numbering.
Optically both scopes are surprisingly similar. The Strike Eagle also offers a more forgiving eye box. The Strike Eagle has a brighter and higher contrast image but with slightly more chromatic aberration at high power. Both scopes performed identically in resolving detail in my US Air Force reference chart.
In the end, both scopes’ optical performances were so similar that it’s pointless to claim one is “better” than the other. The Strike Eagle had a slightly brighter image but with more chromatic aberration. The Arken Long-range shooters will be well served with either scope for their similar optical performance. But for conscious shooters, the Discovery Optics ED-PRS is the clear winner.
I’ve been invited to be a Booth Influencer by Vector Optics at SHOT Show 2026. I’ll be filming Shorts of Vector’s scopes, making announcements, giving out swag and an optic or two. If you are attending SHOT, come to the Vector Optics booth and say, hi.
Will Chat GBT Large Language Models take your job? Maybe. But there’s a new A.I. paradigm coming which could take over. Lets learn about it from Paul Dravis of Future Pefect Machine. This video is sponsored by Aura. Stop leaving yourself vulnerable to data breaches. Go to my link https://aura.com/moondog to get a 14-day free trial and see if any of your data has been exposed.
This US gaming company owns Maxis Software, the creator of The Sims and Sim City. Games that popularized simulated models of cities, life, and the universe. It’s in the name.
DOWN THE RABBIT HOLE
A.I. (Artificial Intelligence)
Large Language Models (LLMs) are powerful AI systems, built on deep learning (like Transformers) and trained on massive text datasets, that understand, generate, summarize, and translate human language, essentially predicting the next most probable word in a sequence to perform complex tasks like answering questions, writing code, and powering chatbots, with examples including ChatGPT, Gemini, and Grok.
GUEST
Paul Dravis is a former Managing Director of Bank of America, a former VP at JPMorganChase, and the founder of Future Perfect Machine, a technology analysis and consulting company focused on emerging technologies. That’s how I become friends with Paul as he was an early adopter of VR technology. https://www.futureperfectmachine.com/
CONTESTS
This month, there are two contests you can enter and win a prize. Enter both.
Whether to improve accuracy or to comply with your state’s unfair restrictions on semi-automatic AR rifles, bolt-action AR’s are now a thing. Bear Creek Arsenal (BCA) debuted its BC10 and BC15 bolt-action AR uppers at SHOT Show earlier this year. BCA is known for producing some of the most affordable ARs on the market, and this complete AR10 pattern rifle is indeed budget-friendly. The BC10 is available in several calibers, including 6.5 Creedmoor, .277 Fury, and .308, which they sent me to test.
The BC10 I received definitely looked budget. The handguard felt a little sharp and unfinished. The action felt rough. I mounted a Discovery Optics LHT 3-12×42 lightweight crossover tactical scope. For the 100-yard tests, I shot Winchester white box 147gr FMJ.
Recoil was exceptionally noticeable. Because it’s a bolt-action, the recoil buffer in the AR10 isn’t utilized. Moreover, the AR10’s MilSpec, flat-faced plastic stock made the recoil unpleasant to say the least. Fortunately, I added a Missouri Tactical M27/HK416 recoil buttstock pad to the end of the stock, which was a tangible improvement in the shooting experience.
Loading single cartridges directly into the chamber, I discovered that the AR10’s bolt catch would lock the bolt open on the empty magazine and prevent me from closing the bolt until I depressed the paddle. Out of the box, the BC10 shot an unremarkable 4-inch group at 100 yards. While the ammo wasn’t special, I can only hope the groups improve after the barrel is broken in.
To say that my BC10 has a rough action would be a gross understatement. It was the most difficult bolt-action I’ve ever operated, sticking after every shot and going into battery with occasional difficulties. Often, its lugs would fail to rotate and release after a shot or require a hard slam to work them. Undoubtedly, it would run better after a break-in period, but for now, it is frustrating. BCA has a poor reputation for QC, and this rifle certainly hasn’t helped that. What the BC10 does have going for it is its ridiculously affordable price and a MilSpec design that allows for upgrades.
At SHOT 2025 Arken Optics won the award for most innovative rifle with their Outlier Backdraft bolt-action rifle. Less well known was their new Atlas AR9 which they allowed guests to test at an indoor shooting range near their booth.
After I got a chance to shoot the integrally suppressed AR9, my wife and Audio Assistant (callsign “Vendetta”) wanted to try it. She is experienced at shooting revolvers, pistols, and our 10/22 but is a novice AR shooter. She was a bit cautious in handling the Atlas. To her credit, her inability to use the red dot was not her fault. The previous shooters in the booth had set the reflex to nearly its lowest brightness setting.
Anybody who mocks her skills should be cautious. What isn’t visible in the video is that her shots landed all in the X ring. And her callsign “Vendetta” is very descriptive.
Join me and members of my SHOT Show 2026 production crew as we discuss plans for this huge trade show at the end of the month. This video is sponsored by Aura. Stop leaving yourself vulnerable to data breaches. Go to my link https://aura.com/moondog to get a 14-day free trial and see if any of your data has been exposed.
This US oil-gas company was a direct descendant of Standard Oil and was founded in the 1870’s. This US petroleum company is only oil-gas company on the Dow Jones Industrial Average (since ExxonMobil was dropped in 2020).
Earlier this year when I tested the original OSight X, I wondered when they would come out with a green reticle. Well they finally have. This new OSight XG is nearly identical to the original OSight X with very minor cosmetic changes to the placement of the logo on the frame. It retains the 3 changeable reticles and the wireless recharging cover and improves it’s maximum battery life by 20,000 hrs.
The human eye is more sensitive to the green end of the visible spectrum. Many shooters with astigmatism say green dots are clearer and sharper to their eyes. This new XG provides a desired option for many shooters.
Lets wrap up 2025 because it’s past its due by date. In this last Livestream of 2025 I’ll be going over the trends and memes that dominated the year. This this video is sponsored by Aura. Stop leaving yourself vulnerable to data breaches. Go to my link https://aura.com/moondog to get a 14-day free trial and see if any of your data has been exposed.
This candy company’s eponymous chocolate bar used to be it’s most popular product. But since the 1970’s its most popular product is Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups.
This prize supplied by AcuVista Optics and is awarded at their sole discretion and direction.
RULES
NO PURCHASE OR DONATION IS NECESSARY TO ENTER. YOUR CHANCES OF WINNING DO NOT INCREASE WITH A PURCHASE. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED.
1. Eligibility
Void where prohibited by law. Must be legal resident in the USA. Moondog Industries employees, subsidiaries, affiliates, suppliers, advertising and promotion agencies, employees’ immediate family members, are ineligible to participate in the contest/giveaway.
Entrants must be willing and able to appear on YouTube to discuss the contest and post images of the prize on their social feed should they win the contest.
2. Sponsors and Platforms
AcuVista Optics (known as the SPONSOR)and Moondog Industries (known as the CO-SPONSOR) is a video Edutainment producer and game promoter based in San Francisco, CA. YouTube, TikTok, Rumble, X and online video platforms (known as PLATFORMS) are not SPONSORS or in any way affiliated with the contest or content.
3. Agreement to Rules
By entering the contest, participants agree to abide by the SPONSOR’s Official Rules and decisions. The SPONSOR retains the right to refuse, withdraw, or disqualify entries at their sole discretion. By submitting an entry, the participant agrees to accept the decision of the SPONSOR as final and binding.
4. Entry Period
Contest email entries must be received between: 12:00pm EST 31 Dec 2025 and 12:00pm EST 31 Jan 2026
5. How to Enter
This contest requires your skill in navigating your phone or computer controls to screen capture an image of the following YouTube channels/Social Media accounts. Subscribe or Follow and make a screen capture of those pages showing a greyed out Subscribe button or indicator that your account is Following that page. If the page is not functioning, please contact contest@moondogindustries.com . One entry per person or per Social Media account. Fraudulent methods of entry, photo retouched, or other methods of circumvention of the rules may result in the SPONSOR invalidating a participant’s entries.
6. Prizes
The winner must be able to receive the prize by e-mail or by physical mail. Prize may be substituted at the sole discretion of the SPONSOR. Acceptance of the prize grants SPONSOR permission to use the winner’s entry, name, and likeness for advertising, promotion, and trade without further compensation or remuneration unless prohibited by law.
7. Odds
The odds of winning are dependent upon the number of eligible entries received.
8. Selection and Notification of the Winner
The winner will be chosen at random by the SPONSOR from among the entrants who demonstrated the skill to navigate the electronic entry and have met the minimum requirements. Winners will be contacted via the email used to enter the contest. Winner must have a legal address within the US to ship the prize.
SPONSOR is not liable for the winner’s failure to receive notification of winning if he or she provided the wrong email address or if their email security settings caused your prize notification to go into the spam or junk folder. If a winner does not respond within 24hrs of sending a notification, the SPONSOR will select an alternate winner. Receipt of the prize is upon the condition of compliance with federal, state, and local laws.
9. Rights Granted by the Entrant
The SPONSOR, upon submission of an entry into the giveaway or contest, has the right to use the participant’s submission, voice, likeness, image, statements about the contest, etc., for publicity, news, advertising, promotional purposes, trade, and so forth, without any further notice, review, consent, compensation, or remuneration.
Participants shall defend or settle against such claims at their sole expense, and shall indemnify, defend, and hold harmless the SPONSOR from any suit due to damage of or by the prize.
10. Terms & Conditions
The SPONSOR reserves the right to modify, suspend, cancel, or terminate if unauthorized human intervention, a bug or virus, fraud, or other causes beyond your control impact or corrupt the security, fairness, proper conduct, or administration of the contest/giveaway.
11. Limitation of Liability
Entry into this contest constitutes the participant’s agreement to release and hold harmless the SPONSOR and PLATFORMS, subsidiaries, affiliates, employees, etc., against all claims, liability, illness, injury, death, loss, etc., that occurs directly or indirectly from participation in the contest or use/misuse of the awarded prize.
12. Disputes
As a condition of participating in the promotion, the participant agrees to resolve all disputes with an arbitrator designated by the SPONSOR in the state of California, without resorting to any form of class action. Entrants waive all rights to punitive, incidental, or consequential damages, and waive all rights to have damages multiplied or increased.
13. Privacy Policy
Participants agree to abide by all privacy and NDA laws in the State of California and any federal laws of the United State of America.
14. Winners List
Participants may request a list of winners by submitting a request in writing to Moondog Industries for up to 30 days after the contest ends.
15. Social Media Platform Rules
Winners will agree to post a photo of the prize on their social media channels in such a way as does not violate any rules of that platform. The winners also agree to appear for an interview where they will discuss the prize and its performance. If there are functional problems with the prize, the winner agrees to make a good-faith effort to resolve all issues with the SPONSOR prior to posting reviews or opinions about the prize.
16. Affirmation of Acceptance of and Agreement to All of the Official Rules
By entering the contest, the entrant has affirmatively reviewed, accepted, and agreed to all of them.
This prize supplied by OSight and is awarded at their sole discretion and direction.
RULES
NO PURCHASE OR DONATION IS NECESSARY TO ENTER. YOUR CHANCES OF WINNING DO NOT INCREASE WITH A PURCHASE. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED.
1. Eligibility
Void where prohibited by law. Must be legal resident in the USA. Moondog Industries employees, subsidiaries, affiliates, suppliers, advertising and promotion agencies, employees’ immediate family members, are ineligible to participate in the contest/giveaway.
Entrants must be willing and able to appear on YouTube to discuss the contest and post images of the prize on their social feed should they win the contest.
2. Sponsors and Platforms
OSight (known as the SPONSOR)and Moondog Industries (known as the CO-SPONSOR) is a video Edutainment producer and game promoter based in San Francisco, CA. YouTube, TikTok, Rumble, X and online video platforms (known as PLATFORMS) are not SPONSORS or in any way affiliated with the contest or content.
3. Agreement to Rules
By entering the contest, participants agree to abide by the SPONSOR’s Official Rules and decisions. The SPONSOR retains the right to refuse, withdraw, or disqualify entries at their sole discretion. By submitting an entry, the participant agrees to accept the decision of the SPONSOR as final and binding.
4. Entry Period
Contest email entries must be received between: 12:00pm EST 31 Dec 2025 and 12:00pm EST 31 Jan 2026
5. How to Enter
This contest requires your skill in navigating your phone or computer controls to screen capture an image of the following YouTube channels/Social Media accounts. Subscribe or Follow and make a screen capture of those pages showing a greyed out Subscribe button or indicator that your account is Following that page. If the page is not functioning, please contact contest@moondogindustries.com . One entry per person or per Social Media account. Fraudulent methods of entry, photo retouched, or other methods of circumvention of the rules may result in the SPONSOR invalidating a participant’s entries.
6. Prizes
The winner must be able to receive the prize by e-mail or by physical mail. Prize may be substituted at the sole discretion of the SPONSOR. Acceptance of the prize grants SPONSOR permission to use the winner’s entry, name, and likeness for advertising, promotion, and trade without further compensation or remuneration unless prohibited by law.
7. Odds
The odds of winning are dependent upon the number of eligible entries received.
8. Selection and Notification of the Winner
The winner will be chosen at random by the SPONSOR from among the entrants who demonstrated the skill to navigate the electronic entry and have met the minimum requirements. Winners will be contacted via the email used to enter the contest. Winner must have a legal address within the US to ship the prize.
SPONSOR is not liable for the winner’s failure to receive notification of winning if he or she provided the wrong email address or if their email security settings caused your prize notification to go into the spam or junk folder. If a winner does not respond within 24hrs of sending a notification, the SPONSOR will select an alternate winner. Receipt of the prize is upon the condition of compliance with federal, state, and local laws.
9. Rights Granted by the Entrant
The SPONSOR, upon submission of an entry into the giveaway or contest, has the right to use the participant’s submission, voice, likeness, image, statements about the contest, etc., for publicity, news, advertising, promotional purposes, trade, and so forth, without any further notice, review, consent, compensation, or remuneration.
Participants shall defend or settle against such claims at their sole expense, and shall indemnify, defend, and hold harmless the SPONSOR from any suit due to damage of or by the prize.
10. Terms & Conditions
The SPONSOR reserves the right to modify, suspend, cancel, or terminate if unauthorized human intervention, a bug or virus, fraud, or other causes beyond your control impact or corrupt the security, fairness, proper conduct, or administration of the contest/giveaway.
11. Limitation of Liability
Entry into this contest constitutes the participant’s agreement to release and hold harmless the SPONSOR and PLATFORMS, subsidiaries, affiliates, employees, etc., against all claims, liability, illness, injury, death, loss, etc., that occurs directly or indirectly from participation in the contest or use/misuse of the awarded prize.
12. Disputes
As a condition of participating in the promotion, the participant agrees to resolve all disputes with an arbitrator designated by the SPONSOR in the state of California, without resorting to any form of class action. Entrants waive all rights to punitive, incidental, or consequential damages, and waive all rights to have damages multiplied or increased.
13. Privacy Policy
Participants agree to abide by all privacy and NDA laws in the State of California and any federal laws of the United State of America.
14. Winners List
Participants may request a list of winners by submitting a request in writing to Moondog Industries for up to 30 days after the contest ends.
15. Social Media Platform Rules
Winners will agree to post a photo of the prize on their social media channels in such a way as does not violate any rules of that platform. The winners also agree to appear for an interview where they will discuss the prize and its performance. If there are functional problems with the prize, the winner agrees to make a good-faith effort to resolve all issues with the SPONSOR prior to posting reviews or opinions about the prize.
16. Affirmation of Acceptance of and Agreement to All of the Official Rules
By entering the contest, the entrant has affirmatively reviewed, accepted, and agreed to all of them.
