Zachary, I believe another feature of the new Monarch line is a constant 4" of eye relief. On anything but a very hard kicking rifle, this is too much, in my opinion. On some of my rifles, when I get down into a seated or prone position with the sling on tight, I can barely get my head back far enough to see the full image through the scope. Granted, this isn't a problem when hunting, as I've never used a target sling in the field, but I shoot a heck of a lot more at paper than I do at critters.
I wish my scopes had shorter eye relief. I've already got them positioned as far forward as I can. I s'pose one of these days I'll get some new rings that will allow me to slide them another quarter-inch or so forward. The new Monarchs boast "enhanced ring spacing", whatever that means. There also appears to be a good selection of reticles and finishes for each model.
I'm not sure what influences a scope's "forgiveness" in terms of eye relief. That is to say, what the range is from the ocular lens where you can see the full image. I suspect exit pupil has something to do with it, since when I need less eye relief, it helps to dial down the magnification.
By the way, in the Midsouth Shooters catalog, which came the other day, prices for a new Monarch 2.5-10X42mm range from $380 to $410, depending on reticle and finish style.
