Canon 70-300 IS USM II softer at 300mm?

I got the refurb Canon 70-300 II. While comparing it with 70-300L @300mm wide open, it appears bit soft.
I know I am comparing it with L.
But almost everyone has raved it saying it is as good as the L.
Is that softness expected or is there a copy variation?
I am comparing it using M50 so no factor of any MFA here.
See below 100% crops at the (center) focus point.
Should I be returning this lens back to Canon?

EDIT : I don't know what happened to the images. re-uploading

With L

IMAGE LINK: https://rndman.smugmug​.com/TestShots/i-2f9RSTF/A

IMAGE LINK: https://rndman.smugmug​.com/TestShots/i-HqpzpDG/A

"But almost everyone has raved it saying it is as good as the L."

almost sharp never works for me

After the image is processed (and not compared), it seems acceptable.
So I am not sure.

IMAGE LINK: https://rndman.smugmug​.com/TestShots/i-czgjfWM/A

That's a bigger difference than I would expect.
I would not expect it to be as good as the L.
I have used 2 copies of the EF-S 55-250 (the most recent version) and agree with the most common opinion: it's very good.
It's not as good as my 70-200 F4 IS L though. The difference is much smaller than your example but there is a difference.

If you have both lenses, fairly easy to test at around 250mm, 200mm and see if the Non L is softer at 300mm compared to shorter focal lengths. That is a common feature of many budget zooms and even some L zooms.

Also try stopping the Non L down (even just to f6.3) at 300mm.

In theory, a mirrorless camera should be free of the need for micro focus adjustment.
They usually are but assuming every lens on a mirrorless will always focus accurately can be a mistake.

Choderboy wrote in post #19130485
That's a bigger difference than I would expect.
I would not expect it to be as good as the L.
I have used 2 copies of the EF-S 55-250 (the most recent version) and agree with the most common opinion: it's very good.
It's not as good as my 70-200 F4 IS L though. The difference is much smaller than your example but there is a difference.

If you have both lenses, fairly easy to test at around 250mm, 200mm and see if the Non L is softer at 300mm compared to shorter focal lengths. That is a common feature of many budget zooms and even some L zooms.

Also try stopping the Non L down (even just to f6.3) at 300mm.

In theory, a mirrorless camera should be free of the need for micro focus adjustment.
They usually are but assuming every lens on a mirrorless will always focus accurately can be a mistake.

Thanks.
You bring some interesting point about the basic assumption of mirrorless and lens combination.

Tomorrow I will do the test at various focal lengths as you mention and compare.