optics

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Gideon Optics Judge

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  Another red dot sight manufacturer has entered the arena. This new sight company is Gideon Optics. Gideon has come on the market strong with an assortment of micro and mini red, and green, dot sights. I’ve known the owner of this new optics company for some years now, so I am excited to get into the “Judge” red dot that they sent out for review. The Judge is Gideon’s micro red dot reflex sight and uses the RMSc mounting footprint.

  When the Judge arrived, I was excited to mount it up. Part of the reason I was excited is because I was looking for a red dot for my G43ish carry gun. The Judge fit that bill nicely as my G43 slide was already cut for a RMSc style sight. The other half of the excitement came from the Judge's auto on/off ability. In today's market, I see no reason why a red dot shouldn’t be auto on/off. Gideon also includes 4 different pairs of mounting screws. So you should have something that fits. More important, in my opinion, is that Gideon also includes a sealing plate with the Judge. This is important since the Judge uses a bottom load battery. The sealing plate does just that, it seals the battery from moisture and dust.

  The Judge has an option for either a red or green dot. I chose the red dot because my eyes just seem to pick it up faster. The Judge uses a 3 MOA dot size, which is a good size for all around use. If you have an astigmatism, like I do, the dot will probably look larger because of the “flare”. Don’t worry, the Judge’s dot is fairly clear in pictures, so I know it’s me and not the sight. To adjust the 10 brightness settings, the Judge has a brightness up button on the left side and a brightness down button on the right side. I actually like this better than the red dots that have both the up/down on the same side. There’s just no doubt which button I am pushing. With the Judge, you get 90 MOA of total adjustment for windage and elevation. More importantly is that the Judge has actual clicks for the 1 MOA adjustments. These clicks are not something you find in competitors' products, but the Gideon Judge has them.

  Construction of the Judge is pretty sound. You get a 7075-T6 aluminum housing, not the less durable 6061. It is also waterproof to 1 meter for 30 minutes plus. Let’s just say that I have not broken it yet. The Judge also only tips the scales at around 0.6 ounces with the 2032 battery. Probably more important to the user, is that the judge has a window size of 16x21mm. This size is really nice for such a small reflex sight. I was able to get a good sight picture fairly quickly. Essentially, the window is big enough to make it easy to find the red dot. 

  The Gideon Judge just runs. I can’t seem to get the Judge to stop. It has given me zero problems since day one. It’s bright with very little tint to the lens. It has held zero through all my abuse. Granted, I didn’t drop it on concrete, but I also don’t want to actually break it just to break it. I love the click adjustments. In all, I have had a good shooting experience with the Judge.

  If you are in the market for a micro red dot, definitely give the Gideon Judge a look. Maybe even judge it compared to others in this market space. It has some great features at a respectable price. I might even give it style points for its looks. Even if you are looking for a different style of red dot, Gideon Optics might have what you want, so go check them out.

Firearms Insider Reviews - Key Points

Claim to Fame:

Small Red or Green dot that fits RMSc slide cuts

Target Market:

Anyone wanting a small red or green dot optic

Features & Benefits of this product:

  • Magnification: 1x

  • Lens Dimensions: 16mm tall x 21mm wide

  • 7075-T6 aluminum body

  • Elevation/Windage adjustment range: 45 MOA (Total 90 MOA)

  • Click Value: 1 MOA per click

  • Circle Dot Reticle: 3 MOA Dot

  • Parallax Free: Beyond 33 yards

  • Red Dot Brightness Setting: 10 levels (8 visible, 2 NV compatible)

  • Power Supply: 1x CR2032 3V Lithium battery

  • Run Time: approx 40,000 hrs

  • Auto Wake/Sleep: 225 Seconds after no movement

  • Shockproof & IPX7 Waterproof

  • Dimensions: (LxWxH) 41mm x 25mm x 24mm

  • Weight (with battery installed): 0.6 oz (approx.)

  • 1913 picatinny rail mount and screws

  • T10 tool

  • Adjustment tool

  • Sealing plate

  • Cleaning cloth

  • One pair each of the following mounting screws: M4 x 0.7 x 10mm, M4 x 0.7 x 8.6mm, M3.5 x 0.7 x 10mm, M3 x 0.5 x 12mm

What other aesthetic options or finishes are available?

Green Dot Version

What others are saying?:

Dan @ OpticsPlanet

Very happy

I purchased this for my PSA 5.7 Rock. Could not be happier clear Len and crisp dot.

Link to other reviews:

Caleb Downing on YouTube   

Price point:

MSRP = $229.99

Retail = Same but use code “GGR” for 10% off at Gideon Optics

I need it now! Availability:

Gideon Optics or JSD Supply

Our Rating:

Pros:

  • Bright Dot

  • Actual click adjustments

  • Auto on/off

  • Includes Sealing plate

  • Includes various mounting screws

Cons:

  • Slightly fuzzy dot

  • Bottom Load battery

  • Only a 3 yr warranty

Score: 7.50 Good

Favorite Link:  Patmos Arms Judah slide review

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Hawke Vantage 30 1-8x24 Fiber Dot

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 It seems like everyone is making quality Low Power Variable Optics (LPVO) nowadays. The Hawke Vantage 30 1-8x24 Fiber Dot falls into this category nicely. This particular LPVO uses a new Fiber Dot, second focal plane reticle. The L4A illuminated Fiber Dot reticle is what makes this optic shine above most others in its class.

  As one can guess, the Hawke Vantage Fiber Dot comes with a bunch of features. It uses a 30mm tube to help you get a decent field of view at 8x. Of course it also has all those normal features like multi-coated optics, fast focus eyepiece, capped turrets, and a zero reset on the turrets. The adjustment ring also comes with a removable throw lever, which I actually like because it’s not super tall. The Hawke Fiber Dot also weighs in a little lighter than some of its competition with a weight of 16.5 ounces. To go along with that, it also comes in at an overall length of 10.5 inches, which is right where most of these LPVO’s fall. Lastly the Hawke Vantage Fiber Dot has a respectable eye relief of 3.8 inches. I found the eye relief to be somewhat forgiving at 8x, which surprised me a bit. At 1x I didn’t even notice it.

1x at around 5 yds

200yd steel at 8x

  Now that the standard specs are out of the way, let’s talk about the Fiber Dot reticle of the Hawke Vantage 1-8x24. With the Fiber Dot reticle, Hawke took their standard L4A dot reticle and gave it fiber optics. Yes, it still uses a battery for illumination and has 11 brightness settings. But, by adding in fiber optics, the center red dot of the reticle is now bright enough to be seen on the brightest of sunny days. This gives the shooter the ability to use the Vantage Fiber Dot as you would a standard red dot. Just turn the scope down to 1x and that center fiber dot just glows bright, just like a red dot. It glows bright at 8x too, but I’m using it at 1x for fast, close up, shots. Okay, maybe not exactly like a red dot, since the reticle still has crosshairs in it and it is etched into the glass. Being etched allows it to not “starburst” out, like a normal red dot would do for those of us with an astigmatism. Those crosshairs will also help draw your eye to the center dot and improve shot to shot time. The crosshair is also a 30/30 type reticle, at least when the magnification is adjusted to 4x. This means the thin stadia lines are 30 inches from the center dot out to the thicker outer post. This gives you a way to measure distance. 4x seems to be a weird place to make the reticle measure correctly, as most manufacturers do it at full magnification for a second focal plane optic. It works, and I doubt most people are using a 30/30 LPVO to range with. But it is there if you need it. I will also mention that the optic is super clear to look through, even at 8x. 

  The Hawke Vantage 1-8 Fiber Dot works very well. I didn’t have any problems with the LPVO whatsoever. I really like that Hawke is using this fiber optic technology to make reticles brighter. The center illuminated dot is great. That center dot is not as bright as a true red dot, or some of its competition, but it is very usable in bright sunlight. Being able to crank that thing up to 8x is really useful for hitting farther away targets, or for target identification. Plus, I was really impressed with the clarity at 8x. The center dot is also fine enough that it is easy to make those precise shots when needed. I did like the fact that the Vantage is a little bit lighter than other manufacturers 1-6 and 1-8’s. The magnification ring is also super smooth and doesn’t take a bunch of force to turn, making it much easier and quicker to adjust. I was also very pleased that the turrets had decent clicks to them when making adjustments. They are also capped, so you won’t knock off your zero when trekking through the woods. 

  I’ve been very pleased with the Hawke Vantage 30 1-8x24 with the L4A Fiber Dot reticle. As mentioned, it has super clear glass. But, even better is the ability to have a bright red dot type reticle that can be seen in bright sunlight. The smooth adjustment ring and forgiving eye box make it really nice to use. If you are looking at an LPVO, where the illuminated reticle can actually be seen in sunlight, go take a look through the Hawke Vantage Fiber Dot and see if it’s what you like.

Firearms Insider Reviews - 8 Key Points

Claim to Fame:

Daylight bright center red dot reticle in a LPVO

Target Market:

Those wanting a daylight bright reticle in a SFP LPVO

FNBs (Features & Benefits of this product):

  • Magnification: 1 - 8x

  • 30mm Scope Tube

  • 11 Levels - Red illumination

  • Field of View: 115ft @ 1x -14.4ft @8x both at 100yds

  • Eye Relief: 3.8in

  • Capped Turrets

  • ½ MOA windage and elevation adjustment clicks

  • 210 MOA adjustment range

  • Fast Focus eyepiece

  • Power Selector: Knurled Posi-Grip with Removable Zoom Lever

  • Fully Multi-Coated - 11 Layers

  • SFP (Second Focal Plane)

  • Length: 10.5″

  • Weight: 16.5oz

What other aesthetic options or finishes are available?

Different Reticles

What others are saying?:

Nothing found as of publishing

Link to other reviews:

Nothing found as of publishing

Price point:

MSRP = $559.00

Retail = $499.99 at OpticsPlanet  

I need it now! Availability:

Hawke Optics or OpticsPlanet

Our Rating:

Pros:

  • Simple SFP reticle

  • Bright center dot

  • Smooth adjustment ring

  • Lightweight

  • Clear glass

Cons:

  • Reticle accurate at 4x

  • Price compared to others in this market

Score: 8.00 Great

Favorite Link:  Endurance Red Dot review

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Primary Arms SLx 1-6x24 ACSS NOVA

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  Primary Arms has come out with a new Low Power Variable Optic in their SLx line, it’s the 1-6x24mm SFP Gen IV with the Illuminated ACSS Nova Fiber Wire Reticle. The difference between this new 1-6x24 LPVO, and others, is its new fiber wire reticle. The fiber wire produces an actual daylight bright center red dot. The SLx 1-6x24 Nova reticle also has a bunch of other upgraded features when compared to the SLx gen 3's. Let’s go check it out. 

  This new SLx 1-6x24 comes packed with features. Of course it has 1 power magnification so you can use it like a red dot. Or you can crank it up to 6 power to identify and engage targets at longer distances. To change the magnification, Primary Arms has upgraded the throw lever to their new dovetail style. This new throw lever can be taken out and swapped for different heights, including a fold down style. The magnification ring moves about 180 degrees between 1x and 6 x, which is nice. The SLx 1-6 is still a second focal plane optic, but now has different reticle options, including the Nova Fiber Wire reticle. To zero in the reticle, the SLx 1-6 uses capped turrets that adjust in 0.1 MIL increments. The turrets have a good audible clicks to them. There are also 3 tiny set screws to loosen and set those turrets to a known zero position. The scope weighs in at 17.9 ounces and is 10.4 inches long, which is a good balance for this style of optic.

  It’s time to talk about the SLx 1-6’s Nova fiber wire reticle. This Nova reticle is one of the reasons the Gen 4 SLx shines. Using a fiber optic wire allows the Nova reticle to have a center illuminated red dot. I used to complain when companies would say “daylight bright”, not anymore. The red dot inside the SLx 1-6 is BRIGHT. Not only can you see it in direct bright sunlight, but I'm pretty sure it can be seen while aiming it at the sun, but I wouldn’t recommend trying that. The dot is bright enough that it also doesn’t wash out when using a weapon light, a big plus in my book. Because the SLx is an etched reticle, the red dot does not starburst out for those of us that have an astigmatism, something I can’t say for normal red dots. The illuminated dot size measures 0.6 MOA at 1x and 3.6 MOA at 6x. Brightness for the center dot is adjusted on the left side of the scope. It has 11 levels of brightness with only one off position. It is not night vision compatible, the dot is just too bright at level 1 for that. Also included in the reticle are MIL hash marks. The vertical crosshair’s marks are at 1 MIL intervals. There are narrower 0.5 MIL subtension marks between the large 1 MIL ones. These 1 MIL marks decrease in width as you move down the crosshair. This is to estimate a 18” target’s width to help determine what range the target is at. Being a SFP optic, these stadia marks only are accurate at 6x. The horizontal crosshair has marks for wind or travel speed. These are 3,6, and 9 MPH as you move out away from the center dot. The Nova reticle is a great multi-purpose reticle that can range targets or be used as a red dot.

  Since the Primary Arms SLx 1-6x24 is now on the fourth generation of upgrades, this means the user gets upgraded glass. This upgraded glass gives the SLx fantastic clarity. To my eye, it compares to the clarity of my GLx 1-6, which is the next higher level of optics in the Primary Arms optics line. Eye relief on the SLx is stated at 4 inches, but it is very forgiving. The eye box is also pretty good for a scope in this class range. These two specs actually make it very easy to find the optic when shouldering the rifle.  

  I mounted up the SLx 1-6x24 Nova fiber wire on my purple AR15. For this particular rifle, the SLx is great. It is super clear and easy to pick up the reticle. That fiber wire makes the center dot so bright that I can actually use the scope like a red dot at 1x, in bright sunlight. The dot is so bright that I had to turn the brightness way down to get a good picture of the reticle, if that tells you anything. The turret adjustments give me good clicks, so when I turn them, I can tell when they moved. My only complaint about the SLx is the throw lever. It is too stiff for my liking. Even though it’s stiff, the throw lever’s movement is super smooth.

   If you are even remotely looking into getting a LPVO, the Primary Arms SLx 1-6x24 Nova reticle needs a look. The glass clarity is great. The reticle is top notch for a “one optic” rifle. Plus that red center dot has got to be one of the brightest of any LPVO in this price range. I would encourage you to go take a look at the SLx 1-6 Nova from Primary Arms. It might be one of the best LPVO’s in its price range

Firearms Insider Reviews - 8 Key Points

Claim to Fame:

Low power variable optic with a super bright red dot

Target Market:

Those wanting a LPVO that is actually daylight bright 

FNBs (Features & Benefits of this product):

  • Integrated Magnification Throw Lever

  • ACSS NOVA Fiber Wire Reticle

  • Battery Life: Up to 500 hours

  • Magnification: 1x – 6x

  • Second Focal Plane (SFP) 

  • Objective Lens Diameter: 24mm

  • Exit Pupil: 10.6mm – 3.8mm

  • Eye Relief: 4 in.

  • Total Windage/Elevation Adjustment: 120 MOA

  • Field Of View @100 Yards: 120 ft. – 20 ft. (Low – High)

  • Illumination: Red, 11 Illumination Settings

  • Click Value: 0.1 MIL

  • Length w/o Lens Covers: 10.4 in.

  • Weight w/ Included Battery w/o Lens Covers: 17.9 oz.

  • Lifetime Warranty

What other aesthetic options or finishes are available?

Different Reticles

What others are saying?:

5/5 Stars at PrimaryArms.com

THE NEW STANDARD FOR BUDGET LPVO'S

Absolutely lives up to the hype, punches well above its price point. Yeah, it's going to get compared a lot to the PST Gen 2, and I can honestly say the overall glass quality and image/FOV/Reticle, and illumination are frankly better than the Vortex. Still doesn't quite match the Vortex in build quality or external controls, and the eyebox is a tad less forgiving, but this Nova scope is hands down the best LPVO on the market under $500.

Link to other reviews:

Lynx Defense

Price point:

MSRP = $339.99

Retail = Same, but Primary Arms runs sales often

I need it now! Availability:

Primary Arms

Our Rating: 

Pros:

  • Super brightly lit dot in center of reticle

  • Removable and changeable throw lever

  •  Lightweight 

  • Mil style reticle

Cons:

  • Second focal plane

  • Stiff throw lever

Score: 8.50 Great

Favorite Link:  Timber Creek Enforcer Review

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Primary Arms SLx MD-25 gen 2 red dot

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  Primary Arms has updated their SLx MD-25 red dot optic to a Gen 2. The Gen 2 gives you all the great stuff as the first generation, but it now includes Primary Arms’ AutoLIve. With the added AutoLive function, this makes a great red dot for either a rifle or carbine. There are two versions available, one with just a red dot, or one with an ACSS reticle. I received the ACSS version, so everything here will be on the MD-25 Gen 2 with the ACSS CQB reticle. Most of the specifications, except the reticle, apply to the dot only version of the MD-25 Gen 2 also.

  Let’s start this out with an AutoLive explanation. The AutoLive function, of the MD-25 Gen 2, automatically turns the red dot “On” when you pick up or move the optic. It also turns the optic into a sleep, or “Off” mode, after a few minutes of no movement. A big advantage to an auto-on reticle/dot is that it is ready when you need it to be. The AutoLive also extends the battery life, since your optic isn’t “on” all the time. Whatever setting the brightness dial is set to, is the brightness that it turns on at. No readjusting necessary. I absolutely love the AutoLive function. Speaking of brightness, the MD-25 Gen 2 has 11 adjustments on a dial. From night vision compatible all the way up to super bright. The 2032 battery is also housed in the brightness dial. Primary Arms specs the battery life at 12000 hours on the medium setting, so 5 or 6 on the dial. Battery life might seem a little low to some people, but there is more information in the ACSS reticle. For comparison, the MD-25 Gen 2 dot only version has a 50000 hour battery life.

  This particular MD-25 Gen 2 has the ACSS CQB reticle. If you don’t know anything about the Primary Arms ACSS reticles, they are usually a horseshoe line around some sort of chevron (think triangle). The horseshoe on the Gen 2 measures 65 MOA. The chevron triangle sits inside the horseshoe and is used as your main aiming spot. For close up work, just cover the target with the chevron. For more precise work, use the top point of the chevron. The ACSS CQB then has three dots below the chevron. These dot’s are for ranging, as is the bottom of the chevron. The reticle can work with a few different common caliber options as seen in the photo. I like the ACSS CQB reticle, but it is pretty small, so it can be difficult to make out the aiming points for different ranges. The MD-25 Gen 2 is still a red dot style optic. So this means that the image is projected onto the viewing surface. It is not an etched reticle like a scope. This really only affects you if you have an astigmatism, which I do. So for me, the chevron “starbursts” out and looks more like a dot. This is just something to take into consideration. If you have decent vision, the reticle will be very clear. For my use, the MD-25 Gen 2 is not a long range optic, so this doesn’t bother me at all. When shooting real close targets, an advantage to the ACSS CQB reticle is that you can figure out how far above a target you need to aim, to compensate for mechanical offset. Those dots below the chevron, as well as the 65 MOA horseshoe, also help for aiming at those close targets. You don’t have this option with a standard dot only reticle, which is why I feel the ACSS CQB is a better reticle option for an AR rifle.

  The Gen 2 MD-25 is not one of those super tiny red dot optics. I’d say it is medium size. Not so small that it’s hard to see through, and not so large that it’s a tank sitting on your picatinny rail. It only measures 3” long, so almost half the length of those expensive “red dots”. The MD-25 uses 25 mm lenses, but the field of view is really good. Primary Arms says it rivals 30 mm red dots, and I believe it after looking through the MD-25. Even though the MD-25 isn’t a small red dot, it still only tips the scales at 6.5 ounces. It also comes with different mounting height options. So no matter what you put it on, you can get the sight right up to your eye level. If for some reason you don’t like the supplied mount, the MD-25 can be mounted on standard T1 And T2 micro mounts. 

  I’ve been really impressed with the MD-25 Gen 2. It is built super strong. I’m not sure I could break it if I tried. Even if I was to, it’s covered by Primary Arms’ lifetime warranty. The little capped turrets even have raised nubs to keep them protected. These protection nubs will also keep stuff from snagging on the turrets, or at least help. The little turret caps also are aggressively textured with an adjustment built into them for making sight adjustments. The mount is also super strong. Once clamped down, the MD-25 isn’t going anywhere. I wouldn’t hesitate to put this on a rifle that gets beat around some.

  If you are looking for a rugged red dot, that’s not a dot, look into the Primary Arms MD-25 Gen 2 ACSS. This thing is a great size for almost any rifle. It has a ranging type ACSS reticle that even works with a .22 lr. The AutoLive gives you plenty of battery life, over a years worth, and it makes the optic “always ready”. Go check out the SLx MD-25 Gen 2 over at Primary Arms, It’s a good red dot style sight with a unique reticle. 

Firearms Insider Reviews - 8 Key Points

Claim to Fame:

Larger window red dot 

Target Market:

Those wanting an auto on/off red dot with a ranging reticle

FNBs (Features & Benefits of this product):

  • AutoLive functionality

  • Wide field of view

  • ACSS CQB reticle

  • Up to 12,000 hour battery life at medium setting

  • Uses one CR2032 battery (included)

  • Next generation ruggedized mounting system

  • Includes risers and spacers for mounting to 0.96”, 1.41”, 1.54”, or 1.64” central height

  • Compatible with standard micro mounts

  • Fully multi-coated anti-reflective lenses

  • 12 Illumination settings, night vision compatible

  • 3" long

  • Weight - 6.5 Oz.

  • Fog resistant

  • 0.5 MOA adjustments

  • Lifetime Warranty 

What other aesthetic options or finishes are available?

Dot Only version

What others are saying?:

5/5 stars on Primaryarms.com

This is my 5th or 6th scope purchase from PA. I've never been disappointed yet, so when this one was announced I quickly put it on pre-order to replace a Vortex SPARC that I've never been happy with. I bought this to go on a home defense bullpup shotgun. It is fantastic for this purpose. The big outer circle, with the small aiming dot in the middle, is perfect for fast sight acquisition, and the shake-awake feature gives you one less thing to think about in a crisis situation. The included height adjustment plates let you tailor the height of the sight to your own weapon and preferences. Just another area where PA beats the competition in quality, value, and price. With eleven brightness settings on this reticle, you see it outside in the brightest sun, all the way down to night vision compatibility. I usually prefer green illumination over red, but this sight is extremely clear and my old eyes have no problems with it. - Highly recommended.

Link to other reviews:

Lynx Defense   

Price point:

MSRP = $199.99

Retail = Same, but Primary Arms runs sales quite often

I need it now! Availability:

Primary Arms

Our Rating:

Pros:

  • Clear

  • Bright, well lit, reticle

  • Autolive

  • Mounting options

  • Field of view due to larger physical size

  • 65 MOA circle of ACSS reticle

Cons:

  • Hard to see bullet drop compensation marks

  • Battery life compared to Red Dot version

Score:  8.00 Great

Favorite Link:  Walker Defense

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Primary Arms Classic series 1-6x24

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  Primary Arms’ Classic series of optics is their budget or entry level line. But don’t stop reading just yet, this Classic series 1-6x24 still has a bunch of decent things going for it. The Classic series has good visual clarity as well as an illuminated dot in the center of the reticle. So let’s dive deeper into what the Classic 1-6x24 has to offer.

  Since the Primary Arms Classic 1-6 is an entry level scope, it uses a second focal plane reticle. For anyone that doesn’t know, this means that the reticle stays the same size throughout the 1-6 power magnification range. Since the Classic 1-6 uses a duplex dot style reticle, this doesn’t really affect much. You probably won’t be trying to range target distances with it. Something that amazed me on the Classic 1-6 was the optic clarity. For an entry level scope, everything was real clear, even at 6 power. I’ve seen entry level stuff that isn’t near this clear.

  The little Classic 1-6 has some other notable features. For one, it uses a 30mm tube that helps let light through the optic, plus it’s pretty much the industry standard for low power variable optics. The adjustment turrets are capped. This helps to keep your adjustments from getting changed. These caps are decently knurled to make them easy to take on and off. However, the windage and elevation adjustment turrets don’t have any marks to line up the turret with the body of the scope. So if you want to go 4 clicks, there’s no indication that you went there. Primary Arms does put a moveable “zero” piece on top of the turret, but without a mark on the scope body, it’s useless. I’d put a tiny dot of paint on it for location purposes. Even though there’s no visual reference on zero, the actual clicks on this Classic series are great. So it’s easy to count how many clicks you moved the turret. Each click is 0.5 MOA, so approximately ½” at 100 yds. There’s also a full 120 MOA of adjustment in the scope. Last on this feature list is the nice throw lever. It sticks up high enough to easily adjust the magnification, but it’s not super tall either. If you don’t like throw levers, it is simple to remove and then you are left with a standard style adjustment ring.

  One of my favorite aspects of the Classic 1-6 is its reticle. The reticle is a duplex dot style (see picture). The 3 heavy duplex lines draw your eye to the center of the reticle. Then in the center are some fine lines that point to a center dot. The center dot measures 2 MOA. This center dot has red illumination, if you want it to. The illumination has 10 settings. These pretty much go from barely visible to pretty bright. I say pretty bright, because in bright sunlight the dot illumination isn’t visible. But it’s a $200 scope and 90% of the time, you will be able to see the illumination of the center dot. This reticle works great on something like a standard AR, where the cartridge shoots pretty flat out to 300 yds. Plus, being a 1-6 power, at 1x it’s almost like using a red dot. The reticle really impressed me.

  I mounted the Classic 1-6x24 on a standard 16” AR in 5.56. I will say it works well for close targets. Even at 3-5 yds it performed respectfully. Moving out to 200 yds and jumping the magnification up to 6x, the Classic 1-6 still worked well. Targets were clear, but getting in the right eyebox window was a little challenging. With this Classic 1-6, you really need to have your eye in that sweet spot of the eye relief. This was the scopes biggest downfall for me. I also had to remind myself that it is an entry level LPVO. Especially since the glass was so much better than I expected. So much so, that it was easy for me to hit, and see, 4” plates at 200 yds, while using the Classic 1-6.

  If you are looking into trying out a LPVO, or just want a budget one, the Primary Arms Classic 1-6x24 is a great place to start. Its reticle is simple to use and it has great optic clarity for something in this price range. I'd say, for the price, you'd be hard pressed to find something as good. 

Firearms Insider Reviews - 8 Key Points

Claim to Fame:

Budget friendly 1-6 power optic

Target Market:

Those wanting a quality budget scope

FNBs (Features & Benefits of this product):

  • 1-6x Magnification range

  • Illuminated Duplex Dot reticle, Dot is 2 MOA

  • Second focal plane design

  • Fast focus eyepiece

  • Fogproof, dustproof, and IP67 rated waterproof

  • 6063 Aluminum body with matte black anodized finish

  • Integrated magnification lever

  • Uses 1 - CR2032 battery (included)

  • Includes lens covers

  • Click Value - 1/2 MOA

  • Eye ReliefLow: 3.5in. / High: 3.9in.

  • Field of View at 100yds - 1X: 113 ft. / 6X: 18.8 ft.

  • 120 MOA windage and elevation adjustments

  • Weight - 17.21 oz.

  • 30mm tube diameter

  • Lifetime Warranty

What other aesthetic options or finishes are available?

None

What others are saying?:

5/5 stars at PrimaryArms

GREAT VALUE

Don't expect top-tier performance (the highest illumination is not daylight bright, bare-bones reticle, eye box can be tight) but a budget LPVO can't really get much better than this - Clear glass and features every functional feature (capped turrets, audible adjustments, illuminated reticle center). 100% recommended if you're in the market for a high-value optic.

Link to other reviews:

Lynx Defense   

Price point:

MSRP = $199.99

Retail = Same, but Primary Arms has sales quite often

I need it now! Availability:

Primary Arms

Our Rating:

Pros:

  • Simple reticle with red center dot

  • 2 MOA center dot

  • Lifetime warranty

  • Clear

  • Price

Cons:

  • Narrow eye box

  • No marks for turret adjustments

Score: 7.50 Good

Favorite Link:  Timber Creek

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Viridian RFX 35

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  Viridian Weapon Tech recently came out with a few pistol mounted green dots. Keeping in Viridian fashion, they only do green, hence the green dot and not a red. All of their green dots have the same features, they just are different sizes with different mounting footprints. They sent out the RFX 35 for me to try out, It uses the RMR footprint and has a huge viewing window.

  In the current pistol mounted dot sight market, there are a bunch of important features the sights should have. The RFX 35 has most of these. First, it has an industry standard footprint, a RMR in the 35’s case. Next, I feel it should have some auto on feature. Viridian’s RFX 35 checks this box as it has their “instant-on” technology. What this does for you is turn the green dot on, when any slight movement is detected. The RFX 35 turns off and into this mode after approximately 2 minutes of being stationary. The last option I think these small dot sights should have, is night vision compatibility. I don’t use this feature, but I feel it is worth having. The RFX’s lowest 2 settings are NV compatible. 

  One of my favorite things about the RFX 35 green dot is its window size. The viewing window is quite large, measuring in at 22x26 mm. This is essentially a 1 mm shorter, and 1 mm wider than its commonly known competitor, the SRO. The window is also very rounded in shape, with a flat spot near the bottom. This means that no matter what you are doing, the green dot in the RFX is super easy to pick up. It also makes transitioning from target to target faster since the target comes into the viewing window sooner. I found it extremely fast to use on my Sig P320.  

  As previously mentioned, the RFX 35 uses a green dot. Viridian uses a 3 MOA dot size for the RFX. I thought the dot size was very useful. Not too large to cover up close targets, but small enough to be used, when accuracy is needed, on those 50 yard targets. Most people tend to see the green dot better than a red one. For me, I get less of that “bloom” effect with green, that is due to my astigmatism. The RFX 35 uses a “+” and “-” to adjust brightness. The “+” is on the left side, and the “-” is on the right side. I like this layout as you don’t accidentally push the wrong button. There are 10 total brightness adjustments, 8 are daylight and the other 2 are NV. The green dot is easily visible in bright sunlight on the highest setting. To adjust the green dot for windage and elevation, there is a supplied allen wrench. It adjusts in 1 MOA “clicks”, except it doesn’t have clicks, just the turn screws. This doesn’t hurt the functionality, I just prefer clicks to make adjustments easier for me. 

  Another advantage to the RFX 35 is its extremely low profile. This little green dot sits lower than any of the other RMR footprints sights I own. Part of the reason it sits so low in the slide, is that it has a bottom mount battery. No side or top load battery here. I prefer to not have a bottom load battery, as I don’t like to remove things to change batteries. Is this a deal breaker? No, it’s just a slight inconvenience every couple of years when it needs to be changed. With a 30,000 hr battery life, it’s not like you have to change it all the time. 

  In the end, I am really liking the Viridian RFX 35. The green dot is crystal clear and is easily picked up with my eye. The window's viewing size is fantastic. Plus, it has that industry standard mounting footprint. The RFX 35 has been a really good sight for me. If you are looking at a large window reflex sight to mount on a handgun slide, or possibly a rifle, the Viridian RFX 35 may just be the ticket. Check it out, along with the other RFX series sights, at Veridian’s website.

Firearms Insider Reviews - 8 Key Points

Claim to Fame:

Large window green dot sight for RMR footprint pistols

Target Market:

Carry, Competition, Training, and anything else

FNBs (Features & Benefits of this product):

  • 3 MOA Green Dot

  • 22x26 mm viewing window

  • RMR Mounting Footprint

  • Picatinny mount included

  • Auto shut off and INSTANT- ON technology

  • 30,000 + hours battery life at brightness level 5

  • 6061-T6 aluminum body

  • Designed from the ground up to ensure clarity, solid function, and rapid target acquisition

  • Designed to fit full size handguns, shotguns, and rifles

  • 8 Visible & 2 Night Vision Brightness Settings

  • WEIGHT: 1.0 oz

  • WARRANTY: 7 years

  • AUTO OFF: 2 minutes

What other aesthetic options or finishes are available?

Other RFX series

What others are saying?:

4/5 stars on Amazon

Pretty nice if you get it on sale

500 rounds through my pistol with this dot and it went from being a safe toy to my EDC. I got the 35 and it turned my pistol into an entire new machine. Easier to sight in than my holosun, and over $100 less. Will be getting the 15 for my smaller pistol and ditching the holosun 507k I have on it. The green dot is super easy to see. Honestly surprised how much better I like it over my holosun.

Was honestly surprised by the dot. I expected it to be crap after seeing the glass fell out of both the reviews I watched. Ended up being a great purchase. My only gripes are the fact it has to be removed to replace the battery and that it's kind of difficult to remove the wrench used to adjust. Would be so much better if they used the same style screws as pretty much every other big-name dot to adjust. I never have an allen wrench on me, but I always have some kind of small device that can be used as a flat head.

Link to other reviews:

Terribly Tactical Youtube 

Shooting Sports USA  

Price point:

MSRP = $289.00

Retail = $202.95 on Amazon

I need it now! Availability:

Viridian or Amazon

Our Rating:

Pros:

  • Large window size

  • RMR pattern footprint

  • Clear dot

  • 3 MOA dot size

Cons:

  • Bottom load battery

  • No click adjustments

Score: 8.50 Great

Favorite Link:  Midwest Firearm Solutions

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Primary Arms SLx RS-10 red dot

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  When I first learned about the new Primary Arms SLx RS-10 mini reflex sight, I was very interested. Then I received one, and was even more excited. This little, open reflex, pistol mounted red dot is everything they said it would be. Including a great price of $199.99.

Autolive in action

  The SLx RS-10 is packed with features. It runs a 3 MOA red dot that is easily picked up. It has 11 brightness settings. Of which include night vision compatibility and daylight bright. I couldn’t try out the night vision setting, but the daylight bright setting is really bright, even in direct sunlight. You should have zero problems seeing the dot in any light. The RS-10 also has easy to use controls on the left side. These buttons are only raised slightly above the RS-10’s surface. Of course they control brightness as well as actual on/off. I say “actual” because the RS-10 features Primary Arms’ “Autolive”. The Autolive is an automatic on/off function that works fantastic. Just barely move the sight and the dot turns on. After about 3 minutes of zero sight movement, the sight turns off. Any teeny movement will keep the RS-10 on. Back to the “actual” on/off. To turn the sight off, as if you are going to store it for a long time, just hold the up and down buttons simultaneously for a few seconds and the sight will permanently turn off. Then to turn it back on, and into the Autolive feature, just hold either the up or down button a few seconds until the dot turns on. Primary Arms specs the battery life at 40,000 hours with a CR2032 battery. So if you change the battery out once a year, you should be good to go and never have the dreaded dead dot. If you couldn’t tell, I really like the Autolive feature.

  Primary Arms also stuck some other features into the RS-10. For strength, they manufacture the housing out of 7075 aluminum. This is the same grade aluminum that quality AR receivers are made from, so it should be good to go. I really like the shape they chose for the housing and window. The rounded, almost square shape seems to draw my eye to the dot. I seem to find the dot much faster than other pistol mounted red dots. Primary Arms says the window size is 23mm and even if it is a smaller window than some brands, see the above comments. I mentioned battery life earlier, but the RS-10 does have a side loading battery tray. That means you can change the battery without having to remove the sight from your desired mounting platform, keeping your zero intact. Coming in at just over an ounce, the RS-10 shouldn’t weigh you down either.

  Anymore, the mounting method for a reflex sight is very important. Mainly because one needs to know if it will fit on their handgun. The SLx RS-10 uses the fairly common Docter/Noblex footprint to directly mount to stuff. Primary Arms also includes a picatinny rail mount and a Glock MOS plate. That way if you aren’t mounting it directly to a pistol, you have some options. For instance, it would make a great 45 degree offset red dot for a rifle. I ended up mounting it on a Strike Industries Liteslide for a G19, as it has a multi optic mounting platform. The SLX RS-10 mounted in perfectly. Primary Arms decided to go with the Docter mounting footprint so they could use that CR2032 battery and have it side mounted. Since the battery is physically larger than other options, you end up getting more battery life out of it. For the small size of the RS-10, a different mounting footprint just wouldn’t work. 

  The SLx RS-10 is a great little red dot. This doesn’t come without a few tiny gripes. If you hold the RS-10 on target, and start shaking it a tiny bit, in a circle, the dot will galaxy out. So it literally looks kind of like a little galaxy inside the window. Does it bother anything? Nope, when shooting the pistol I didn’t even notice it. Even on moving and circling targets. Most people probably wouldn’t even notice it. I also would have liked to see it on a RMR footprint, but Primary Arms didn’t do this because of those “battery” reasons. I can understand this. Now, on a good note. Even for me, with my astigmatism, the dot is fairly clear. So those with normal eyes will see a nice crisp dot. 

  I am going to say this, the Primary Arms SLx RS-10 is currently my go to red dot pistol sight. This red dot impressed me more than I expected. I can find the dot easily. I haven’t destroyed it yet. Even if I did, it has a lifetime warranty. The size doesn’t get in the way. I’d say it is somewhere between one of the super small mini reflex versions and a Holosun 507. The RS-10 is always ready to go because of the “Autolive” feature. The click adjustments for windage and elevation make it easy to make adjustments, unlike other mini reflex sights that have no clicks. I ran this thing fairly hard and have had zero problems. 

  If you are looking for a mini reflex red dot, the SLx RS-10 from Primary Arms might be it. It is priced under $200. At that price, it’s a great deal for this feature packed red dot. With the Autolive function, you won’t have to worry about if the dot is on or off, because it will always be on. I don’t think you can go wrong selecting the Primary Arms SLx RS-10 mini reflex sight. 

Firearms Insider Reviews - 8 Key Points

Claim to Fame:

Quality Mini Reflex red dot sight for a great value

Target Market:

Anyone wanting a decent priced pistol mounted red dot

FNBs (Features & Benefits of this product):

  • 7075 aluminum body

  • Side-loading CR2032 battery compartment

  • Convenient push-button controls

  • 11 Brightness settings

  • Daylight bright and night vision compatible brightness levels

  • 3 MOA dot

  • Picatinny Rail Mount and Low Profile Adaptor Plate for Glock® MOS Slides Included

  • Autolive motion activation

  • 40,000 hour battery life

  • Weighs just 1.07 Oz

  • 23mm window

  • Lifetime warranty

  • Docter/Noblex footprint

What other aesthetic options or finishes are available?

None

What others are saying?:

5 out of 5 stars on Amazon 

Another great option from PA

Mounted on my Canik Rival with no issues. Great product for the price. Will highly consider getting another in the future.

Link to other reviews:

Lynx Defense  

Price point:

MSRP = $199.99

Retail = $199.99 but Primary Arms is constantly running sales

I need it now! Availability:

Primary Arms

Our Rating:

Pros:

  • Autolive motion activation

  • Price

  • Dot is easily picked up

  • Side loading battery

  • Actual “click” windage and elevation adjustments 

Cons:

  • Doctor / Noblex footprint

  • Galaxies when circling a target fast

Score:  8.00 Great

Favorite Link:  Walker Defense Research

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Athlon Midas HMR HD 2.5-15x50

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  A lot of variables can go into selecting a mid-range optic. Price, clarity, features, and so on. Athlon optics has a ton of options available to fit what best suits you. I decided on the Athlon Midas HMR HD 2.5-15x50 AHMR with the  illuminated reticle, for what I needed. The Midas HMR brought everything I was looking for together in one fantastic package.

  One thing you notice, when pulling the scope out of the box, is its quality. It has a feel to it that makes you happy. It is the typical smooth, matte black anodizing we are all accustomed to. It has some weight to it, but it really only weighs 26 ounces. Which is a tiny bit lighter than some of Athlon’s other mid-range optics. It is also 13.8 inches long, so average length for this type of optic. You also end up noticing that the Midas HMR runs capped turrets. Probably so you don’t bump your zero off in the field. 

  For a scope in the $500-550 retail range, the Midas HMR 2.5-15x50 has a ton of features. The magnification range is 2.5x to 15x, as you can figure out from the model. This magnification range is perfect for closer in shooting, but still gives you the ability to see at distances. The 30mm tube and 50mm objective lens give you plenty of light to see what you're aiming at. The low dispersion HD glass and lens coatings also help you see through the scope better. The Midas is a second focal plane reticle, so it stays the same size throughout the magnification range. For hunting, this works out well for me. The reticle is illuminated, but more on the reticle later. Athlon also put a side parallax adjustment knob on the Midas. The great thing about this parallax adjustment is that it adjusts down to 10 yds. Since I mounted the Midas HMR on a PCP air rifle, this was a needed adjustment. Lastly, the Midas has a fast focus eyepiece to get that reticle crystal clear.

  The Midas HMR HD has 2 reticle options available. A BDC option and an AHMR option. I’m not big into BDC reticles, so I chose the AHMR reticle. The AHMR reticle (see inset pic) is an MOA reticle with marks every 2 MOA, both for windage and elevation. No Christmas trees or anything like that, just simple crosshairs with little hash marks. The inner reticle can be illuminated red by turning the side knob to one of 6 brightness settings. The brightness knob also has off positions between the settings, a nice touch so you don’t have to cycle through them all to turn it off or on. The illuminated part of the reticle measures 10 MOA. Everything outside of the 10 MOA is not illuminated. The whole marked reticle has measurements to 30 MOA. Might I mention, all these MOA values are measured at 15x. One would have to calculate them for the lower magnification ranges. I just use an app on my phone that does it for me. I am a huge fan of the AHMR reticle. Athlon made a great reticle for hunting and precision shooting, all in one. It is not too busy to distract you from whatever game you are hunting. Also, the center aiming “plus” and 2 MOA marks provide an excellent choice for precision shooting. 

  As mentioned, I mounted the Midas HMR on a pre-charged pneumatic air rifle. So I didn't do any work past 100 yds with it, of course I did look at targets past 100. The clarity on this scope is amazing. I could easily spot the pellet trace, when looking through the optic, at the same time I was shooting. Especially at 50 and 100yds, there’s a lot of drop on a pellet slug at 100yds. The reticle is super clear also, even at full magnification. The magnification adjustment ring is super smooth. It has some resistance, it's not very stiff, but it stays in place. There’s also a little raised bump on the adjustment ring to help turn it easier, not that it’s needed on the Midas. Under the capped turrets are the ¼ MOA adjustment knobs. The clicks on these are pretty outstanding. No mush to them at all. After you get your zero, you can set the turrets to read zero. Just use a coin to loosen the center, pull the cap off, set it back on at “zero”, then tighten the screw down. I would have liked to have seen a Zero stop on this optic, but that’s not an option. Eye relief on the Midas is stated as 3.9”. It’s pretty forgiving, even at 15x.

  I was pleasantly surprised at how well I like the Midas HMR. I can’t get over how clear the optic is. The reticle is so simple to use and didn’t get in the way for me at all. I think this would be an awesome scope to put on an AR style rifle. In fact, I have thought about moving this one over to a varmint rifle style AR. The click adjustments make it easy to adjust for bullet drops, if needed. Those 2 MOA marks work so well for hold-overs that I really didn’t need to use the turrets. When I adjusted the turrets, the scope always returned to zero without any deviation. The Midas performed better than I expected.

  So if you are looking for a second focal plane mid-range optic, the Athlon Midas HMR 2.5-15x50 might be the ticket. It is even its own product line in the Athlon catalog. The Midas did everything I was hoping for and more. It is super clear, is priced right, and has a fantastic reticle. Athlon Optics has a ton of different optics options, so go take a look and be sure to check out the Midas HMR when you’re there.

Firearms Insider Reviews - 8 Key Points

Claim to Fame:

Extremely clear second focal plane optic with illuminated reticle

Target Market:

Hunters, competition shooters, or anyone just wanting a good mid-range distance optic

FNBs (Features & Benefits of this product):

  • Fully coated, low dispersion HD glass

  • XPL protective coating

  • 2.5-15 magnification

  • 30mm tube

  • 50mm objective lens

  • 3.9” eye relief

  • Field of View: 41.8 ft - 6.8 ft

  • Side parallax adjustment to 10yds

  • 0.25 MOA click adjustment value

  • Capped turrets - adjustable for zero

  • Length - 13.8”

  • Weight - 26 ounces

  • Second focal plane Illuminated AHMR reticle

What other aesthetic options or finishes are available?

600A reticle 

What others are saying?:

5/5 stars at Athlon Optics

I have used a wide variety of optics on various rifles, from high-end tier 1 optics to cheap rimfire scopes. I wanted a SFP optic for a long-ish range hunting rifle. This scope is, IMO, perfect for this application.

The eyebox is very forgiving at max mag, the glass resolves very well and shows good contrast, and the color rendering is neutral. There's a bit of barrel distortion at the low end of the mag range, but it's reasonable for the zoom range and it's pretty much unnoticeable after 8x or so. All the controls move easily and smoothly. This scope really shines in low light at lower mag where the 50mm objective gives you a very large exit pupil that really maximizes the available light. The AHMR reticle is, IMO, the perfect width for this application being thin enough not to obscure the aiming point and bold enough to see against all but the darkest of backgrounds (and then there's the illumination for those conditions). Parallax is marked down to 10 yards and I've tested it down to 8 yards at max mag. As the magnification is lowered the depth of field really expands making it possible to leave parallax set, let's say for 100 yards, and the image stays in focus for objects up close (25 yards) and far away (250 yards). Optically this scope is really well balanced for hunting.

Unlike many scopes with capped turrets, the turrets on the Midas HMR are tactile and solid with no play between detents - they feel like the turrets of a tactical scope that have been scaled down to fit under the caps. It doesn't have a zero stop, but the turrets are resettable. This makes it actually useful as a long-range hunting scope where you might need to dial for a ballistic solution. The parallax knob is very smooth and moves easily making it easy to dial out parallax and focus on the target. I can say that this scope has the best mechanical feel of any hunting scope I've used.

This is really an impressive package for the price, and IMO it may be the best value in a SFP hunting optic out there. And of course, it's backed by Athlon's outstanding reputation for customer service. I have zero regrets about buying this scope and recommend it 100% for a mid- to long-range hunting optic.

Link to other reviews:

The Firearm Blog 

Price point:

MSRP = $649.99

Retail = $519.99 at Brownells

I need it now! Availability:

Athlon Optics or Brownells

Our Rating:

Pros:

  • Super Clear

  • Tactile click adjustments

  • Parallax adjustment

  • AHMR reticle

  • Illuminated reticle

Cons:

  • No zero stop

  • No Auto on or off for the illumination 

Score: 9.00 Amazing

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Athlon Midas TSP1 Prism

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  I’m starting to convert some rifles over to 1x prism sights from red dots. This is because they offer a reticle without the need for a battery. Thus, the Athlon Midas TSP1 prism sight was right up my alley. Prism sights usually have an illuminated reticle option. As does the Athlon TSP1. The Athlon Optics Midas TSP1 prism sight has been out for some time now, I just finally have one I’ve been using, for about 3 months, with good results.

  Let’s start by why I am converting over to prisms. The main reason for this is that, if for some reason the battery happens to die, prism sights have an etched in reticle. Similar to your typical scope. Some prism sights, as with the TSP1, have a non-magnified option, or 1x. This makes them an ideal replacement for your everyday red dot optic. Prism sights are also usually pretty compact.

  The Midas TSP1 comes feature packed. Like any good scope these days, it has all the fancy lens coatings, is nitrogen purged, fog proof, shock proof, and waterproof. The TSP1 has a 21mm objective lens that gives good light transmission. It even comes with both hi and low mounts. Zeroing adjustments are made in 1 MOA click increments by using the top side of the turret caps. Just unscrew the cap, flip it over, and the flathead built into the cap fits perfectly into the adjustment screw slot. Lastly, it uses a single AAA battery for the reticle illumination.

  Most prism sights aren’t as small as a comparable red dot. However, the Midas TSP1 is not much larger than your current, tube style, red dots. For one, the TSP1 is only 2.7” long. Height is always determined by what mounting base you have on it. But with the high base, it measures 2.5” to the top of the battery compartment, from the mounting rail. I measured the width to be about 1.9”, this is from the battery compartment to the outside of the adjustment buttons. As you can see, it’s not very big at all. It also isn’t very heavy, weighing in at 6.25 oz’s. 

  Now for the most important part, the reticle. The Midas TSP1’s reticle is top notch. It is mainly calibrated for 223/5.56, but should work reasonably well with other calibers. For reference, I mounted it on a 5.56 AR15. The reticle design works really well. It is a horseshoe style with a few usable differences. The outer ring is 66 MOA, or the equivalent of an average size human at 100 yds. In the middle of the ring is a 3 MOA dot. Sight the 3 MOA dot in at 50/200 yds for the rest of the holdovers to work properly. Below the 3 MOA dot, is a 2 MOA dot. This is your 300 yd aiming point. Having a smaller dot below the main dot may seem odd, but it isn’t. The smaller dot actually makes it easier to see your 300 yd target because it doesn't obscure it as much. Below that dot, is a vertical line with a couple of hash mark lines. The top of the line is your 500 yd aiming point. It is also your human height range estimation for 300 yds. The wings on the edges of the reticle really just let you know how level the gun is, or where the center point is for range estimation. The actual MOA numbers for all the dots and lines are in the Midas TSP1 manual, or online, if you are curious. The TSP1 also has a fast focus eyepiece to get that reticle crystal clear.

  The Athlon TSP1’s reticle is also illuminated. But not just your normal red illumination, the TSP1 also has green illumination. Most other prism sights only give you the option of one color. One can switch between the two colors by pressing both the up and down brightness buttons at the same time. I really like the options of green or red. I usually leave the TSP1 on green, as the reticle is clearer for me in that color. Not to be misunderstood, the red illumination is also clear, but I prefer the green in this case. To initially turn the illumination on, just push the brightness up button. To turn it off, hold the brightness up button for 3 seconds. Once it’s on, just use the +/- buttons to increase or decrease the reticle brightness. There are 10 brightness settings to choose from. Both colors are daylight bright and neither washed out for me in direct, bright, sunlight. The Athlon TSP1 also has a 6 hour auto off function. So if you haven’t pressed any buttons in that time frame, it will turn off. The TSP1 does not have an auto on function. Remember, it has an etched reticle, so you will still have an aiming point. Of course, once you turn the TSP1 back on, the brightness is where it was last left. The soft touch brightness buttons are large enough that I don’t have trouble using them, something I can’t say about some of the other optics I have used. 

  I am really enjoying the Athlon Midas TSP1. It is super clear. The etched, illuminated reticle also doesn’t affect my astigmatism like red dots do, so no “starburst”. Which is another reason I am switching over to prism optics. The somewhat limited eye relief didn’t seem to be a problem. When I say somewhat, the reticle is still visible at 12” of eye relief, it is just harder to locate because the window size gets smaller. The TSP1 also performed very well for me when I used it in a big local shooting match. Athlon doesn’t state battery life, but the initial AAA battery is still going strong. After all, the AAA batteries are super easy to find, even at a tiny store in the middle of nowhere.

  Athlon Optics did a pretty good job with the Midas TSP1. The MSRP may seem a little high, but street price is right on par for a 1x prism sight. Plus you get multi-colored reticles and it uses that AAA battery. If you are like me and want a good 1x prism sight, check out the Athlon Midas TSP1. It’s a good all around prism to replace that fully battery powered red dot.

Firearms Insider Reviews - 8 Key Points

Claim to Fame:

1 power prism scope with green or red illuminated reticle

Target Market:

Those wanting a non magnified optic with the benefits of having an etched reticle

FNBs (Features & Benefits of this product):

  • Obj. Lens - 21mm

  • FoV ft @100Y - 66ft

  • Red or Green illuminated etched reticle

  • 1-10 illumination settings

  • Center Height - 0.88” Low mount / 1.50” High mount

  • 1 MOA windage/Elevation adjustment

  • AAA battery

  • Weight - 6.25 ounces - 7.8 ounces with high mount

  • Length - 2.7”

  • 6hr auto off

  • Multi-coated lenses

  • Has Aimpoint T1 mounting footprint

What other aesthetic options or finishes are available?

3 and 4 power 

What others are saying?:

5/5 stars at Athlon Optics  

Really nice optic. It needs more information,

A representative told me the mount is proprietary. It however does in fact work on Industry standard T1 Micro Style mounts. Fits good in an ADM Mount, RS Regulate for AKs, or even a low mount for Shotguns or PCCs like the Scorpion/Stribog.

Athlon if you were open about this tidbit, you'd sell a lot more! It's a prism scope with a similar size to other micro red dots and it takes T1 mounts. Almost perfect for what it is.

Link to other reviews:

Nothing worthwhile found

Price point:

MSRP = $337.49

Retail = $269.99 at Brownells

I need it now! Availability:

Athlon Optics or Brownells 

Our Rating:

Pros:

  • Etched ranging reticle

  • AAA battery

  • Green or Red Illumination

  • T1 compatible mount

Cons:

  • Eye Relief

  • No auto on

Score: 7.50 Good

Favorite Link:  JSD Supply

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Primary Arms SLx 1-6x24 ACSS 22lr

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  Primary Arms may have come out with the perfect 22lr scope. It’s their SLx 1-6x24 with a second focal plane ACSS 22lr reticle. Since there are so many 10/22’s and AR22’s around, the 1-6 seemed like a great all around optic for these platforms. 

  The SLx 1-6 has a lot of features packed into a $290 scope. First up is the 1-6x power. The 1x lets you use the scope like it was a red dot or pism, more like a circle dot style because of the ACSS reticle. Is it a true 1x like a red dot? Not really, It’s pretty darn close. Anything closer than 10 yards is ever so slightly magnified. Not enough to cause any weird problems, just a little noticeable at close ranges. The 1x didn’t cause any problems for me shooting with both eyes open. The 6x will let you see targets farther away. The 6x is fine for certain targets and gives a good magnification, especially if you aren’t looking for precision shooting. In typical 1-6x fashion, the SLx uses a 30mm tube and a 24mm objective lens. It also uses ½ MOA click adjustments for windage and elevation. The clicks are nice and audible with decent detents stopping them.

  Where the SLx 1-6 really shines, is the ACSS 22lr reticle. This reticle is a horse shoe style with a center aiming dot. At 6x, the reticle has a 1 MOA dot and the outer part of the horseshoe is 8.6 MOA. The reticle also has ranging and a Bullet Drop Compensator (BDC). The BDC is calculated to work at 6x, since the SLx is a Second Focal Plane (SFP) reticle. The reticle therefore stays the same size throughout the magnification range. Just zero your 22lr at 25 or 50 yards using the center dot. Then the BDC has marks at 100, 125, 150, 175, and 200yds. It also has 5 MPH wind, or moving target, holds at the respective ranges. These holds are just an estimation and really depend on the ammunition used. I found they were a little off, even with some pretty fast 22lr ammunition. Just try them out first, so you know about where they shoot with your ammo. One can also “true” the scope to the ammo you use, which I haven’t done yet, but will be. Primary Arms can help you with this if you can’t figure it out, they have great tech support. The reticle and BDC can also be illuminated red. There is a brightness knob on the left side of the scope. This knob also houses the CR2032 battery. There are eleven brightness settings, including ones that can be seen in bright sunny daylight. The clicks on the brightness knob are pretty good, you can definitely feel each brightness setting as you turn to them. Off to the right of the reticle, is a ranging bar, which is also calibrated to the 6x magnification setting. It, however, does not illuminate, but It does let you range objects like cans, bottles, clay pigeons, and even small varmints. 

  I’ve found a few things I really like about the SLx 1-6, and a couple I don’t care for. The optic is really clear and bright, especially for the price. But, it also has very unforgiving eye relief. Yes the eye relief at 1x isn’t bad, but at 6x, it really gets limiting. At 6x, it can get fuzzy around the edge if you are not in the perfect eye relief spot. I like the size of the power adjustment knob. It even has a little bump to help aid in turning. But, the knob is pretty stiff, which makes it hard to use. I would like to see a larger bump, or maybe a removable lever that goes on the adjustment knob, to make turning it easier and quicker. The SLx 1-6 also weighs in at a little over a pound, which isn’t bad, but since it’s a dedicated 22lr scope, I’d like it a little lighter. One of the coolest features, in this Primary Arms optic line, is the extra battery storage in the windage adjustment cap. It even comes with an extra 2032 already in the cap!

  For a plinking or fast hunting scope, the Primary Arms SLx 1-6x 22lr is great. Yes, it has a few slight downfalls, but nothing that can’t be overlooked for the price. I really liked the clarity and the ACSS 22lr reticle. The center dot and horse shoe make using the SLx 1-6 extremely fast. Also, the BDC reticle can be useful for quick target changes. The Primary Arms SLX 1-6 is a decent scope that fits my criteria for a fast 22lr optic. Go check out the SLx line of optics at Primary Arms, they are good little optic for the price.

Firearms Insider Reviews - 8 Key Points

Claim to Fame:

1-6 optic with .22lr ACSS reticle

Target Market:

Those wanting a low power variable optic, with BDC drops, for a 22lr

FNBs (Features & Benefits of this product):

  • Second focal plane ACSS reticle designed for .22LR

  • Red illumination with 11 brightness settings

  • BDC accurate at 6x magnification

  • 1-6x total magnification

  • Uses one CR2032 battery

  • Single piece 6063 aluminum construction

  • Hardcoat anodized matte black finish

  • Fully multi coated lenses

  • 1/2 MOA adjustments

  • Extra battery holder in windage cap

  • Eye Relief: Low: 3.50 in / High: 3.30

  • Field View - Low: 110.00 ft / High: 19.30 ft

  • Objective Diameter: 24mm

  • Tube Diameter: 30mm

  • Weight: 16.9 Oz

  • Comes with Flip-up lens covers

  • Lifetime warranty

What other aesthetic options or finishes are available?

None

What others are saying?:

5 out of 5 stars @PrimaryArms 

MY NEW FAVORITE 22LR SCOPE

This is by far the best 22LR Scope I've put on my S&W M&P 15-22 and I've played around with some very nice Optics on my rifle including night vision. Primary Arms makes the only scope that I know of with this much Ballistic Data for a 22LR Rifle and once you have it sighted in all the hold over dots are right on the money. It really makes shooting different size targets out to 200 yards so easy. The glass in this scope is so crystal clear and it's something you normally only find in optics at a much higher price point. The # 10 - 11 power settings are very bright and it's easy to see that red reticle in the heaviest of sunlight but you really don't even need it as everything is etched in the glass when the power is off and it's just as easy to see. To put it simply, if you're like me and bought a .22lr Rifle just to have fun with and you don't have the Primary Arms SLx 1-6x24mm SFP Rifle Scope Gen III - Illuminated ACSS-22LR then you're really missing out.

Link to other reviews:

As of writing, nothing was found on the Gen III

Price point:

MSRP = $289.99

Retail = Same

I need it now! Availability:

Primary Arms

Our Rating: 

Pros:

  • Full illuminated reticle

  • Daylight bright

  • Clear, especially for $290

  • Hold over marks

  • Extra battery holder in elevation cap

Cons:

  • Battery Life, yes I left it on and it doesn’t have “AutoLive”

  • Second Focal Plane

  • Eye relief is a little limiting

Score: 7.50 Good

Favorite Link:  Walker Defense

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Primary Arms SLx 1x Prism

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  I was looking around for a prism sight to replace one of my red dots on an AR rifle. I was tired of the flared out dot due to my astigmatism. So when the chance came along to get behind the Primary Arms SLx 1x prism, I was literally a kid in a candy store. The Primary arms SLx worked great as the red dot replacement.

  The SLx 1x prism had all the features I wanted in a true 1 power optic. For one, it was a prism sight. Therefore it has an etched reticle, like most magnified optics. I really like this as a feature, it takes away the burst that red dots have for me, and it gives an actual reticle, even when not illuminated by the battery. I’ll get to the actual reticle later. The SLx’s reticle illumination is red, but green is also an option. Another feature that I wanted was good eye relief. Since it’s not a red dot style optic, eye relief is important. The SLx has a stated 2-6” of eye relief. But it really feels like more. I can get right up on the optic or back off even more than the 6”s and still get a good sight picture, so much so that it feels very much like looking through a red dot optic.

  Primary Arms gave the SLx 1x prism their ACSS Cyclops gen II reticle. The ACSS (Advanced Combined Sighting System) Cyclops is a horseshoe style etched reticle with a chevron, think triangle, in the middle. The round horseshoe part gives extremely fast target acquisition, especially for close up targets. It is also about the size of a 00 buck pattern at 25 yds. The chevron then takes over for precise aiming. You can also use the chevron like you would a red dot, if up close. The top point of the chevron is where you would zero your rifle. This point is also where you get pretty precise aiming by just putting the point on the target. The zero depends on what barrel length and caliber you are using (see picture). With a 16” 5.56 barrel, it would be 100 yds. The inner point of the chevron is now a bullet drop compensator. So with the same 16” barrel, this would be for 300 yds. Then the bottom part of the chevron would be 400 yds. The BDC is just a close estimation, since it also depends on ammunition type and the height at which the SLx is mounted. There is also range estimation built into the SLx. It uses a 5’10” tall or 18” wide object for range estimation. When sighting in, the SLx has 1 MOA clicks for both the windage and elevation adjustments. The clicks are very positive. The adjusting dial is recessed into the SLx’s housing so that the adjustments won’t be hit and knocked out of zero. It also makes for a smoother look. Even though the 1 MOA adjustments worked fine, since the SLx has the precise chevron aiming point, I would have liked to see more accurate adjustments, maybe more like ¼ MOA, or even ½ MOA.  

  Illumination comes from a CR2032 battery that rides inside the brightness knob. The SLx has 13 brightness settings. The highest are “daylight bright”, and the lowest 3 are for night vision. Yes, the “daylight bright” does illuminate the reticle in bright sunlight. It’s not quite as bright as a quality red dot, but you can still see that it is a brighter red. My biggest complaint about the SLx is it’s mushy and hard to turn brightness knob. The click between levels just suck, plus it’s hard to get the dial to turn to them. If it had better “clicks” I wouldn’t complain as much about the stiffness. But, on the other side of that is the awesome “Autolive” function. This is a motion activated auto on function. After a certain time of no motion, the illumination will turn off. Then, when it gets moved, even just a little, the reticle turns back on to the last brightness setting it was on. The Autolive works fantastic, see this as to how well it works: YouTube Video. Because of the Autolive function, battery life is greatly extended. In fact, Primary Arms states the battery life to be 29,000 hours on the medium setting! Remember, if the battery dies, you still get the advantage of having an etched reticle, it’s just no longer illuminated. 

  The SLx gives a very clear window in which to look through. I found this prism sight to be way clearer than I expected from a $250 optic. It has a pretty good Field of View at 76.5 ft @ 100yds. It has a very forgiving eyebox and even has a diopter to focus in the reticle for your eyes. Even when looking through the SLx at odd angles, I was still able to get a good sight picture. 

  The Primary Arms SLx 1x prism comes with a variety of mounting options, all of which are included in the package. The SLx comes with 4 spacers and a picatinny rail mounting base. 3 of these spacers are cantilevered, the other 1 is straight. This lets the SLx mount right above the rail, with no spacers, or up super high off the rail with the straight spacer plus the high cantilever one, and anything in between (see picture). Of course all mounting screws and wrenches are included to swap the heights around. Oddly enough, the SLx can also be mounted to a carry handle of an AR. All these height options let you tune the height, so if you are using a magnifier or back up iron sights, you can get it just how you like it. Yes, the SLx prism will work with those too.

This is not on full brightness, more like around setting 7 of 13, in full sun

  Primary Arms did a fantastic job with the SLx 1x prism. It does almost everything I wanted it to do, okay, it does everything I need it to do. The clarity is great, it’s bright, has auto on/off, good battery life, and even works without the illumination. The 1x appears to be a true 1 power to me. Everything close up and far away is clear and size appropriate. Shooting with both eyes open is just like shooting with a non magnified red dot, plus no starburst. Having the ability to mount the SLx at various heights is also nice. I like this optic so much that I might even mount it on my “go to” rifle. Go check out the SLx 1x prism at Primary Arms.

Firearms Insider Reviews - 8 Key Points

Claim to Fame:

Etched reticle micro prism sight

Target Market:

Anyone wanting a solid 1x optic 

FNBs (Features & Benefits of this product):

  • ACSS Cyclops Gen II reticle

  • 13 Illumination settings including Daylight Bright

  • 3 Night Vision Settings:  Low, Med & Flood 

  • AutoLive motion-sensing on/off battery saving technology 

  • 29,000 Hour battery life at medium setting

  • Includes 8 Mounting Height Options (incl. Absolute Co-witness & Lower 1/3 heights)

  • Length: 2.48”  

  • Weight: 7.6 oz with height riser (only 5.5 oz without riser)

  • Etched Reticle

  • Diopter for precision reticle clarity

  • Eye Relief Range:  2” to 6” with 3.6” for optimum Field of View

  • Field of View: 76.5 ft @ 100 yds

  • 120 MOA total Adjustments

  • 1 click = 1 MOA

  • Fully Multi-Coated optics

  • IP67 Waterproof, nitrogen purged for fog resistance, and dust proof

  • Uses (1) CR2032 Battery (Included)

  • Lens Covers included

  • Backed by Primary Arms Lifetime Warranty

What other aesthetic options or finishes are available?

Green reticle or FDE housing

What others are saying?:

4 out 5 stars @PrimaryArms 

MAY BE MY NEW FAVORITE OPTIC!

Put this on an AR15 in 5.56 and the performance was fantastic. The included mounting system is excellent, the reticle is outstanding and the field of view for such a small optic is surprising. I like the etched reticle and the brightness settings are perfect for all lighting conditions. Up until now my favorite optic was the Trijicon MRO but at half the price red dot is hard to beat. Seems just as if not more so rugged that much more expensive options. The only drawback and it's a small one is the 1 MOA adjustment increments which could make it difficult to really dial it in at range but out to 50 yards on my rifle it was dead on.

Link to other reviews:

The Firearm Blog

Price point:

MSRP = $249.99

Retail = Same

I need it now! Availability:

Primary Arms

Our Rating:

Pros:

  • AutoLive

  • Super Clear

  • Etched ACSS Cyclops reticle

  • Daylight bright

  • A lot of mounting height options

  • Forgiving eye relief

Cons:

  • 1 MOA click adjustments

  • Mushy brightness clicks

  • Tight brightness knob

Score: 8.50 Great

Favorite Link:  Walker Defense

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Strike Industries LITESLIDE

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  Strike Industries has been introducing new products at a phenomenal rate. Some of these products are for Glock style handguns. One of them is called the “Liteslide.” The Liteslide is a slide for Gen 3 Glock 17 and 19 size pistols. This includes Strike Industries “Strike 80” 80% pistol frames. The Liteslide can be had in black or FDE, Strike Industries was kind enough to send me one of the black coated ones.

  Pistol builders, and those looking to modify a current pistol, are the primary market for the Liteslide. After all, it is a Glock Gen 3 style slide. The slide is a drop in replacement for those wishing to do so. However, it comes in the “stripped” form. Meaning it has none of the parts to make it function.. Strike Industries does make a “completion kit”, and a barrel, so that you can make it a fully functioning slide. The tighter tolerances, used during manufacturing, can possibly lead to better accuracy and a tighter slide to frame fit.

  One reason someone might want a replacement slide is to allow the mounting of pistol sized optics. The Liteslide has you covered here. It has a machined out flat, on the rear of the slide, to mount optics on. What Strike Industries did was make this a multi-optic mounting surface, or the “SI Universal Optics Mount cut.” This was done by adding a bunch of different screw holes. The optics that fit are mentioned below in the “FNB’s”. But essentially, it’s most of the ones currently available EXCEPT the Leupold DeltaPoint Pro and the Sig ROMEO 1 PRO/03. Strike Industries supplies a bunch of screws and pins for the various mounting of the aforementioned optics. Also included is a cover plate, in case you aren’t mounting an optic to the slide. The cover plate is just a machined piece of plastic that matches the lines of the slide.

  The Strike Industries Liteslide abounds with features. The slide is fully enclosed. It is not one of the ones with lightening slots or holes, but it is still lightweight. It is lighter than a factory slide, giving it reduced momentum during cycling. This can aid in faster follow up shots for the shooter. Since there are no cut-outs in the slide, there is less of a chance that dirt and grime can get inside the slide to cause problems. Front and rear, angled, cocking serrations are cut into the slide too. They are sharp on the front side, and angled on the back side. They give a fantastic grip when manually cycling the slide. The Liteslide also has angled cuts between the top and the sides of the slide. These give the slide a nice slim profile and look. There are a few other machined out cuts to help aid in the looks department too. Also, on the left side is a “SI’ and on the right side is a “19”. These are not obtrusive. In fact, I usually forget they are there. As expected, it uses Glock front and rear sights. However, some rear sights may be too deep/long to work with an optic, as they may interfere with the optic sight. Strike Industries sights, however, do not have this problem. Strike Industries also gave the Liteslide a black nitride coating, which should help it last a lifetime.

  Since the Liteslide comes in a stripped form, it must be assembled first. I just used a G19 upper parts kit that I purchased from an on-line retailer. All the parts went in just fine and worked as expected. The internal machining of the slide is fantastic. I didn’t notice any machining marks, which probably led to the ease of assembly. I already had a barrel to complete the build, and it dropped right in.

  I used the Liteslide with both Iron sights and an optic. When I first received the slide, I installed a set of Night Fision sights. The front screwed on and fit great. The rear also pressed in like normal. Then after using it for a while with iron sights, I installed a Swampfox Liberty. The Liberty uses a RMR pattern, which is one of the options on the Liteslide. This style of optic sits toward the front of the “Universal Optics Mount cut.” I installed some of the supplied pins, along with screws, to hold it down. It mounted up nicely. Because the Liteslide has a universal mounting cut, the Liberty sits toward the front, leaving about an ⅛” gap at the rear. This gap doesn’t hurt anything, it just looks a little odd. This is really the only downside to Strike Industries universal mounting cut. Otherwise it works great.

  I’ve shot the Liteslide on various pistol frames. It has been used on 3 different Polymer 80 frames and a Lone Wolf frame. It’s permanent home is the Lone Wolf frame, as I feel it looks the best on it. However, function wise, it worked flawlessly on all 4 frames. It fit the tightest on the most recently built P80 frame, but still functioned fine. I’ve used the current setup in a pistol match and really liked the way it handled. As previously mentioned, the slide serrations work very well for manipulations. The Liberty has stayed where it’s supposed to also, probably a testament to the mounting pins that help secure the sight from moving. The Liteslide is really nice, especially if you're looking to add an optic to your pistol.

  Strike Industries Liteslide would be a great addition for anyone looking at a Glock 19 slide. This could be a builder or just someone wanting to add an optic to their pistol. It performed well for me, the machining is great, it’s heat treated for years of use, and it just looks great. If you’re in the market for anything like the Liteslide, go check out Strike Industries. They don’t just make Glock parts.

Firearms Insider Reviews - 8 Key Points

Claim to Fame:

Gen 3 Glock slide with optic mounting options

Target Market:

80% builders or those upgrading their Gen 3 Glocks

FNBs (Features & Benefits of this product):

  • Stripped slide for Gen 3 pistol frames

  • Black Nitride coated

  • Front and rear serrations

  • Multi-cut optics mount

  • Cover Plate included

  • Various screws and pins for optics mounting

  • Standard cuts for Glock sights

  • Made from heat treated 17-4 Stainless Steel 

  • Weighs 9.8 ounces

  • Made in USA

  • RED DOT COMPATIBILITY: Trijicon RMR, Burris FastFire, C-More RTS/STS, Doctor Red Dot Sight, EOTech MRDS, Holosun 407/507/508, Leupold DeltaPoint, SIG SAUER ROMEO 01, Swampfox Optics Kingslayer/Liberty/Justice, Sightmark Mini Shot M-Spec FMS, Vortex Viper/Venom

What other aesthetic options or finishes are available?

Flat Dark Earth (FDE)

What others are saying?:

5 stars on Optics Planet

awesome slide 

The Strike Industries Series Slide was created with optimal accuracy and performance in mind. Machined in the USA from billet 17-4 Stainless Steel using clockwork precision to ensure increased consistency in barrel lockup that results in levels beyond than match-grade accuracy. The Strike Slide weighs significantly less than the factory production model, reducing the recoil momentum, and allows faster and more efficient follow-up placement. Strike Industries proudly designed the Strike Slide with Durability and Function in mind, giving the slide a premium Black Nitride Coating that is protective against scratching and scrapes. We’ve also improved the silhouette with unmatched aggressive styling from the Angled Forward Serrations Points on the front and large

Link to other reviews:

Nothing found with any substance 

Price point:

MSRP = $249.95

Retail = $191.96 at Primary Arms

I need it now! Availability:

Strike Industries, Primary Arms, or various other places

Our Rating:

Pros:

  • Fairly slim profile

  • Front & Rear cocking serrations

  • Multi use optics cut

  • Pins and screws included for optic mounting

  • Slide cover plate

  • Fantastic frame fit

  • Enclosed style

  • Made in USA

Cons:

  • Some rear sights are too long to work with an optic

  • Hard to find “in stock”

  • Cover plate is plastic

Score: 8.50 Great

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Favorite Link:  Primary Arms

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Primary Arms GLX 2x prism w/ACSS Gemini 9mm reticle

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  When Primary Arms offered to send their new GLx 2x prism sight out for review, I jumped at the chance. I had been looking for something to put on my 16” pistol caliber carbine, and this sounded perfect, especially since it was specifically designed for a 9mm PCC. This prism scope uses Primary Arms’ popular ACSS reticle with daylight bright illumination. The GLx prism is something different, that works quite well.

 The GLx 2x prism has numerous features. All of which make it a great optic. The first is the ACSS Gemini reticle. This reticle was designed for the 9mm Luger cartridge in a pistol caliber carbine. The simple explanation of the ACSS reticle is that it’s an upside down horseshoe shaped circle with a center triangle aiming point. It also has ballistic drop compensation (BDC) built into the reticle. Below the reticle is a target ranging ladder. The horseshoe also acts as an 8.6 mph lead when shooting moving targets. I do wish the reticle had some sort of hash marks, on the horseshoe, to keep it lined up with the aiming point, when leading a target. The bullet drops and ranging are best described by Primary Arms’ diagrams. Sighting adjustments are done with capped turrets. Once unscrewed, the caps can be turned over to adjust the windage and elevation in 0.25” MOA increments.

  Primary Arms uses multi coated low dispersion glass in the GLx. This glass gives the optic great clarity. I found that the view through the GLx is super bright and clear. The etched reticle is also very clear and defined. This is probably due to an adjustable diopter for getting the reticle perfectly clear and adjusted to your eyes. Because the GLx is a prism sight, there is eye relief. Primary Arms states the optimal eye relief is 3.7” from the optic. I found that the GLx is very forgiving in the eye relief department. I get a good sight picture with my eye only an inch away and all the way out at around 6 inches of eye relief. The reticle is still very clear and usable at both extremes.

  The GLx’s illuminated reticle has 11 brightness settings. The first 3 can be used with night vision devices. The highest 2 are what is called “daylight bright”, and are bright enough to be used in bright sunlight. Yes, the reticle shines a bright red, even in direct sunlight. However only the horseshoe and aiming triangle are illuminated. The BDC and ranging portions are not. Because of the nature of prism sights, if you have an astigmatism, the illumination will not “starburst” out like a normal red dot will. My only complaint about the illumination is the adjustment dial, the detent clicks are mushy feeling and not crisp at all.

  Battery life can be a concern for some people. Primary Arms gave the GLx what they call “AUTOLIVE” motion sensing technology. This greatly improves battery life from the single CR2032 battery. How you might ask? Well, it automatically shuts off the illumination after 3 minutes of inactivity and turns it back on when motion is detected. They say this gives a battery life of approximately 20,000 hours on the medium settings. The Autolive works extremely well. Everytime I pick up the rifle, the reticle is on. I tested the off function also, and it does turn the reticle off after around 3 minutes of sitting idle on a bench. I have left the reticle turned on for most of its life here, without any problems. Plus, if the battery does go dead, the GLx still has an etched reticle for you to use.

  Some people might wonder why the GLx prism comes in a fixed 2 power. The fixed 2x gives a little better target identification. But it also still gives the shooter an option to shoot with both eyes open. It barely took me any time to get used to it. I found the GLx to be just as quick, transitioning from target to target, as my previously mounted red dot. Having twice the magnification, plus the ACSS reticle, made the longer shots easier also. I was consistently hitting a 12” steel plate at 200 yards using the BDC portion of the reticle. For close targets, I just put the triangle on the target and pressed the trigger. If you want more precision, on close targets, one can use the top point of the triangle. 

  The GLx sight comes with all the mounting hardware needed. For one, it comes with three spacers to get the correct optic height for your carbine. It also uses standard mini ACOG bases, so if you don’t like the supplied mounting options, you can choose someone else's mount. Primary Arms also supplies various screws for the mounting of the spacers and for other styles of mounts. A little tube of Vibra-Tite (thread locker), wrenches, and a cleaning cloth are also included.

  I wouldn’t consider the GLx 2x prism to be on the large size for this type of optic. It leans toward the smaller side, but still larger than most of the red dots of today. The GLx is not a red dot, but I am using them as a comparison for size. Total length comes in at 5.3 inches. The total width is 2.3” inches because of the battery and brightness adjustment. Otherwise the tube is about 1.5 inches in diameter. Total height without any spacers is roughly 2 inches. It does weigh 11 ounces, so about twice what their 1x micro prism weighs, but the same as some other 1x prism sights. I thought the size and weight were about right for all the features the GLx has to offer.

  The Primary Arms GLx 2x prism works very well for its intended purpose on a 9mm PCC. I really like the AUTOLIVE feature. The 2x is a good all around magnification for a 9mm rifle. The ACSS reticle is clear, easy to use, and packed with features. I would definitely check out Primary Arms’ optic line. They did a very good job on the GLx with the Gemini reticle.


Firearms Insider Reviews - 8 Key Points

Claim to Fame:

2x prism optic with horseshoe style ACSS Gemini reticle

Target Market:

PCC shooters that want something more than a red dot

FNBs (Features & Benefits of this product):

  • ACSS etched reticle

  • 2x fixed power

  • 11 brightness settings

  • Night Vision setting

  • Daylight bright red illumination 

  • AutoLive motion activation

  • 20,000 hr battery life

  • Uses 1 CR 2032 battery

  • 5.3” long

  • Weight - 11.0 ounces

  • 3.7” optimal eye relief

  • 0.25 MOA adjustments

  • FOV - 42ft @ 100yds

  • Low, Med., & High spacers included

  • Mini ACOG mounting interface

  • IP67 waterproof - 1 meter for 30 minutes

What other aesthetic options or finishes are available?

5.56/.308/5.45 BDC, 7.62x39/300 BO BDC, 

What others are saying?:

5/5 stars @ primaryarms.com

SHOCKINGLY AMAZING OPTIC

For a CZ Scorpion, this optic is perfect. As a member of the old eyes club, if its not a Prism sight, I can't see as clear as I need to, so red dots are off the table. I have tried many red dots, and they have a snowflake image when I look through them and they are 1X, so a 2X is much better for my needs. This optic is extremely clear. This is not quite a Trijicon, but at 1/3rd the price and with the ACSS Gemini 9mm Reticle, this is a fantastic optic, especially for PCC's. When they come out with a 3X GLX, I will buy it too.

Link to other reviews:

Nothing found on the 9mm version

Price point:

MSRP = $369.99

I need it now! Availability:

Primary Arms

Our Rating:

Pros:

  • AutoLive activation

  • Battery life

  • Clear optics

  • Etched reticle

  • ACSS reticle

Cons:

  • Brightness knob detents are mushy

  • Has Eye Relief, unlike a red dot

  • Weight

Score: 8.00 Great

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Primary Arms is a sponsor of the Gun and Gear review podcast. This has no bearing on the review. It was rated on its merits and not the sponsorship.

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Hawke Optics Endurance red dot

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 If you didn’t know, I am a big fan of red dots on carbines. So every chance I get, I like to try out new ones. This leads us to the new Endurance line of red dots from Hawke Optics. Particularly the 1x25 version. 

  Hawke Optics recently introduced the Endurance line of red dots. They are aimed more at the AR/MSR/Sporting Carbine market. I say this because they have many options one would want for these applications, at least in my opinion. I’ll be talking about the 1x25, which is the smaller version of the Endurance, as they also offer a 1x30. Both versions have a 3 MOA dot size.

  The Endurance red dot has a nice compact size. You can read the dimensions below in the FNB’s. However, it is very light at 6.5 ounces, so it adds very little to the weight of the rifle. Because it is small, it is very unobtrusive. This makes it very nice for moving around obstacles, may they be walls, trees, or anything else you might bump up against. 

  This little red dot has 8 brightness settings. Utilized by using the “+” or “-” buttons on the top of the optic. The brightest setting is plenty bright outside in the sun, or when using the red dot with an artificial light source (flashlight). You can also hold down either of the buttons to turn it off. Or hit either one to turn it back on. However, I don’t use the on/off function. This is because the Endurance has an auto off, auto on function that works fantastic. After sitting still for 5 minutes, the optic turns the dot off. Yes, I sat there for 5 minutes and watched it turn off. Then when you move the optic, it turns back on. It even turned back on after sitting in my safe for 2 weeks with no use! The auto on/off function is my favorite feature of the Endurance red dot. 

  Some might say that having a 25mm objective lens is too small. I actually appreciate the smaller window on this optic. I am still able to pick the dot up extremely fast without “searching” for it. The 3 MOA dot might help with the fast acquisition. I would like to see a smaller dot size for more accurate work, but the Endurance doesn’t fall into the “Duty” category for me. It is, however, great for range and hunting use. 

Adjustment of the red dot is pretty straight forward. It has covered windage and elevation knobs. Unscrew them, and underneath is a nice little click adjustment dial. No having to use a coin or a screwdriver here. They are 1 MOA adjustments per click. The clicks are pretty good. You can hear them and feel them. Just like you would want. I liked the fact that they were finger adjustable.

  Another reason I put the Endurance red dot in the range/hunting use, is the battery life. Even though it turns itself off after use, it only has a 22 hour run time when on the max brightness setting. Of course, this increases to 190 hours on the medium setting. Which is a good actual use setting for this red dot. The low setting gives 2200 hours, but unless it’s pretty dark, there is not much use for this setting. Standby time, when using the auto on feature, is 10,000+ hours, so no need to worry about that. 

  The Endurance comes with 2 mounts. A low mount, and a quick release high mount. The high mount is for AR style carbines, and puts the red dot at the proper height for these rifles. As mentioned, it is a quick release high mount. When I first received the red dot, the quick release would not clamp on to the mounting rail, ugh. I had to take it apart and cut the screw shorter, then it clamped on just fine. The mount did loosen up after essentially throwing the rifle on the ground, but that could happen with other mounts also.

  I drop tested the Endurance red dot. Watch the quick video. It survived nicely. No loss of zero and only a few minor dings from the rocks. The quick mount did loosen up after the second drop. This didn’t surprise me, I just turned the adjustment screw, on the quick mount, in a ½ turn and I was off to the races again. 

  The actual dot is very clear for me. I do have an astigmatism, so most dots appear “starry”. The Endurance’s dot is actually clearer than some of my other red dots. I don’t know if it is because of the coatings that Hawke uses, or if it’s just me. Looking through the Endurance is also very clear. The glass doesn’t seem to distort the color spectrum like some red dots do. I didn’t even notice any weird reflections or halo’s. 

  The Hawke Endurance red dot works well. I really like how durable it is. It’s super clear. My only wishes would be a smaller dot and more battery life. Everything else, on this little red dot, is top notch. It would be perfect for a .22lr or Pistol caliber carbine. If you're in the market for a reasonably priced, almost indestructible, red dot, go give the Hawke Optics Endurance line a look. 

Firearms Insider Reviews - 8 Key Points

Claim to Fame:

Small Red dot optic with auto on/off

Target Market:

Those wanting a red dot sighting option

FNBs (Features & Benefits of this product):

  • 3 MOA Red Dot Reticle

  • 8 Digital Brightness Settings

  • Uses  1 - CR2032 battery

  • 5 minute auto off if no movement

  • Auto on when movement is detected

  • 25mm Objective lens

  • Rubber lens cover included

  • 25-Layer Anti-Reflection Multi Coated lenses

  • 1 MOA windage and elevation adjustments

  • Anodized Aluminum Housing

  • Nitrogen-Filled, Water and Fogproof

  • Quick Release Weaver / Picatinny “high” Rail Mount

  • Low and High Mounts included

  • Weighs 6.5-ounces

  • 2.8” long

  • 2.2” tall with low mount

  • 2.8” tall with high mount

  • 1.7” wide

What other aesthetic options or finishes are available?

Larger 1x30

What others are saying?:

Nothing found

Link to other reviews:

Nothing found

Price point:

MSRP = $189.00

Retail = $169.99 at Optics Planet or B&H Photo

I need it now! Availability:

Hawke Optics or Optics Planet

Our Rating:

Pros:

  • Auto on

  • Durable

  • Physical Size

  • Weight

Cons:

  • Battery Life

  • Mounting base

Score: 7.00 Good - for the Red Dot

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            5.50 Mediocre - for the included quick detach mount

Favorite Link:  Firearms Insider affiliates   


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Vortex Viper PST GEN II 5-25x50

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 Everyone who has looked in to buying optics probably already know the name Vortex. Vortex Optics makes a vast selection of optics for the shooter, hunter, or plinker. Their range in scopes basically goes from beginner to professional. The Viper PST Gen II that they sent me for review is more toward the expert level of user, but still applicable for certain beginners.

 The 5-25x50 Viper PST Gen II First Focal Plane scope has a bunch of features. XD glass and XR coatings are first up. To put it easily into words, these help to make images clearer, sharper, have better color, increase light transmission, and give it some anti-reflectives properties. Since I have no way of checking this, besides my vision, you just get my input. The view through the glass is sharp, at least when it’s sunny, I’ll get to that later. It doesn’t seem to distort any colors. And it has better light transmission than other scopes I have used. The 50mm objective lens and 30mm main tube probably help aid in these qualities also.

Red fiber optic Radius Bar

 This particular scope uses a FFP (first focal plane) MRAD EBR-2C illuminated reticle. Yep, that’s a mouthful. With a FFP reticle, the size of the reticle stays constant, no matter what the magnification is set at. What this does for the shooter is make it possible to measure a target and then figure out the range to the target, if the target size is known, at any magnification. Also with a FFP, if you see that your shot is off, you can adjust accordingly without scaling issues. I really like the MRAD reticle that Vortex uses in this scope. It has nice size markings, but isn’t too busy. It also has a Christmas tree style, for windage and moving target hold offs. I will leave it to Vortex to explain their reticle, here’s a link: MRAD reticle instructions. The MRAD reticle is also illuminated red. The dial for the on/off illumination is on the outside of the adjustable objective knob. It has off positions between every brightness setting. The CR2032 battery is also housed in the turret unit. It is not a daylight visible reticle, more for low light and bad weather. If you are not into MRAD, they have a MOA version also.

 As a lot of the scopes in this class do, the Viper PST gen II has tactical style turrets. These turrets are nice. They have good quality “clicks” to them. The size is not overly large or small. I really liked the style of knurling they machined into them. The knurling made it easy to adjust them with gloved hands and wet hands, so dry hands were even better. The height of them seemed about right also. Since this is an MRAD scope, the adjustments are 0.1 mil/click. There are also 0.1 mil lines on the knobs. Every number on the knob (1,2,3, etc) is 1 full mil of adjustment. On the windage knob, right and left are also marked with a “R” and “L” so you won’t get confused. On the elevation turret, you also have 0.1 mil clicks with numbers for 1 full mil also. A nice feature of the elevation turret is the fiber optic rod at the zero location. Vortex calls this the “Radius Bar”. It gives a visual reference to where the turret is located. To go along with the radius bar, is an updated zero stop adjustment. Vortex went from a shim style to their Razor style zero stop. To adjust the zero stop. First rotate the turret all the way clockwise until a hard stop is felt. Loosen the 3 set screws that hold the zero stop on, pull the knob up and off. Now loosen more set screws on the turret lock. Now shoot and adjust elevation until you are happy with the zero. Now tighten the lock screws, slide the zero stop back on and align the zero/radius bar with the zero mark on the scope body, tighten those set screws, and now the zero stop is adjusted. It is a little confusing on how to adjust the zero stop. I tried to do it after adjusting for a shooting zero. Then I had to go back and do it the way I explained. Even though it isn’t self explanatory to adjust. The zero stop is a huge plus. You never have to worry about where it is adjusted, just turn the knob and it stops at your initial zero.

 The Viper PST can handle the elements. It has the standard waterproof, shockproof, and fogproof that any quality scope should have. I even used this scope in the snow and rain without any problems. As far as scope tracking goes, I only checked it by adjusting the windage and elevation knobs 1 full turn left/ right and up. Shot a round, and then turned them back to their respective zero’s. And shot another round, all the shots after returning to zero, hit where I was aiming. So it returned to zero for me. If you demand more precision than I do, Vortex uses a precision spring and erector systems to help maintain repeatability, so you should be good to go.

350 yards, sunny day, 5x

350 yards, sunny day, 25x

 I shot the viper PST in a variety of conditions. From sunny days to snowing days. I thought the clarity was really nice, until the snow came. When the snow rolled in, a rarity here in Oregon, I purposely took the PST out to see how it performed. At lower magnifications, say 5-10, the clarity was decent. But bump it up to 20-25x and it just didn’t impress me at all (see pictures). I talked with the Vortex guys about this. Them and I concluded that the main reason for the degradation was do to the magnification picking up the rain and snow. Thus magnifying it. I was told it is kind of like looking at a tree. When its on low magnification, the tree looks small. When on a high magnification, the tree is big. Relate this to snow flakes and rain drops, and they get larger also, thus making it harder to see through them and making the image appear not as clear. When in fact it is the clarity that causes one to see the rain and snow. The light transmission was pretty good in the bad weather, so that’s a plus. If you are using the PST for hunting in bad weather, I would say it is good for about 300-400 yds. Anything past that, and I don’t think you could positively ID your target. Another noteworthy drawback is the weight, especially for hunting. The Viper PST weighs in at almost 2 lbs. If using it on a varmint rifle, the weight might not matter to you. Now, if the sun is shining and it is a great day, I think you could see just about anything out to 1000 yds. But alas, this is a target scope, and not really a hunting one.

200 yards, Snowing, 5x

200 yards, Snowing, 25x

385 yards, Snowing, 5x, Illuminated

385 yards, Snowing, 25x, Illuminated

 The Viper PST Gen II is a nice optic. It does have Vortex’s no questions ask warranty, so it breaks, or you break it, they fix it free. I have heard it is the best entry level long range scope. Is it? Maybe, but I would look and see if the features are what you need compared to what you want. Vortex has such a wide variety of scopes, I am sure they make something for just about everyone.

 

Firearms Insider Reviews - 8 Key Points

Claim to Fame:

Quality long range scope

Target Market:

Tactical and PRS shooters, Long range Hunters and shooters

FNBs (Features & Benefits of this product):

  • 5-25x magnification

  • 50mm objective lens

  • First Focal Plane reticle

  • MRAD EBR-2C illuminated etched reticle

  • 30mm one piece tube

  • Tactical Turrets

  • RZR Zero stop

  • XD Glass

  • XR Coatings

  • Waterproof, Shockproof, & fogproof

  • Fiber Optic Radius bar

  • 16” length

  • 31.2 ounces

  • 3.4” eye relief

  • VIP Warranty

What other aesthetic options or finishes are available?

5-25x50 FFP MOA reticle

5-25x50 SFP

What others are saying?:

The optics are better although slightly behind the razor still 5/5 star on Amazon

I was one of the first ones to get this scope. It is definitely a step up from the first gen. The optics are better although slightly behind the razor still. I find it hard to justify spending nearly double for a slightly better image. Where the razor does stand out is anything passed ~20x magnification, but the viper still is more than clear enough for my needs. The gen 2 finally got rid of the shims for adjusting your zero stop and replaced it with one similar to the razor. It stops right on zero and no more mushiness like with the shims.Illumination is nice and bright and adjustable.

Now I will say that I did have a problem with my first one. I have it mounted on a 338 lapua magnum. After about 200 rounds my parallax adjustment crapped out. The yardage didn't match up anymore and every so often it would shift focus after firing.Sent it back into Vortex, they said there was an internal issue and sent me a brand new one to replace it. Great customer service and quick turnaround! Haven't had any issues since with the replacement!

 

Link to other reviews:

None found

Price point:

MSRP = $1399.99

Retail = $1099.00 on Amazon

I need it now! Availability:

Amazon or Brownell's

Our Rating:

Pros:

  • Zero stop

  • MRAD reticle

  • First Focal Plane

  • Illuminated reticle

  • Large knobs

  • Nice adjustment clicks

  • Radius Bar

Cons:

  • Zero stop adjustment

  • Heavy

Score: 7.50 Good

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Favorite Link:   Axelson Tactical

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