Actually the Exos and the S&B Polar both have an illumination knob on the left side up close to the eye piece. I have both scopes and never thought about bolt clearance being a problem but I'm right handed. I'd certainly wanna see for my own eyes that the bolt would clear the parallax and illum knobs before dropping that kind of $$ on a scope.
I also own the Leica Magnus 2.4-16x56i.....two of them actually.
And I just recently bought, and returned, the March 2.5-25x52. I am having a lighter weight .300wsm built and wanted a fairly light weight scope....I love my current lineup (the 2 Leica's, the S&B's (polar and Exos) and a Swaro Z8i), but I'm always into trying something new and chose the March. I really really wanted to like it and pair it with the new rifle. And when it arrived I was impressed with the build quality and features. All was good until I looked through it.
It was the worst eye box I've ever thought about using. I actually mounted it loosely on another rifle and tried it out shouldering the rifle and it got worse.
There are very subtle differences in all of my other scopes, but they are all very easy to look through, anchor and have plenty of adjustment without everything going black. The March was nowhere near that and actually close to the point of being unusable. I sent it back the next day and got lucky and found another Leica on clearance as a demo.
You cannot go wrong with the Exos, as long as the weight is not a problem....it's 31oz. I believe.
The Polar has a larger objective but I'm not sure it will have enough vertical adjustment to get you to 1000yds.
I must mention the Swaro Z8i.....I'd have to say it's the winner from a pure optical quality standpoint....there's a reason all those obsessed bird watchers love Swaro.....it's an incredible view. It's design is not as tactical but mine has been banged around and never lost zero.
The Leica might be my favorite though. It's sturdy enough and has great turrets that are user friendly and firm. The clarity and brightness is right there with Swaro and the S&Bs, the eye box is easy easy, and the FOV is the widest of the bunch.
The only feature I wish it and the Swaro had is the locking turret, like the S&Bs.......I've come to value that more than I though I would.
Anyway, I hope my observations and comments help. And good luck.
