Optics Questions

Tactical Gear Optics & Mounts
1

Is it better to drop a 1-6 on a 16" and a 1-4 on a 14.5" or does it really matter?

Also Does anyone run an LPVO on a HD Carbine? That is what I use my SBR for.

Rifles:

Rifle 1: 16" mid length Daniel Defense Gov. Profile, Geissele MK1 13" rail, SSA trigger

Rifle 2: 14.5" factory pinned A2X Colt Socom, Midwest Industries 2 piece MLOK handguard, G2S Trigger

Rifle 3: 12" Larue Stealth SBR, Geissele MK8 9" rail, SSA trigger.

Optics I have:

Optic 1: Steiner P4XI in ADM Recon

Optic 2: Burris RT-6 in ADM Recon

Optic 3: Burris Mtac 1-4 in ADM Recon

Optic 4: Sig Romeo 4A in factory mount.

2

My thought is that this post is strange/confusing. Why are you asking us which optic you should put on on your rifle(s). I didn’t read the whole post because the asterisks threw me off but did you mention what each rifle is being used for?

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3

No clue where the asterisks came from.

Revised post

4

If you already have the optics, run them and decide what you like. Its not like you have to buy and are trying to decide.

Shoot and decide.

PB

5

Yes, I run a lpvo on my HD rifle, but my eyes are old.

1st question…I dont think it matters.

6

I run an Aimpoint on my HD gun, but it’s never gonna shoot more than 100 yds on my property. I have a shitload of trees.

I did put a LPVO (Primary Arms 1-8) on my 14" .308, but it’s more of a general purpose combat carbine. Seems to be almost as quick as the red dot, so one could easily work for a close in HD optic.

7

Thanks for revising! I think others have pretty much nailed it with their responses. And, I can only add that a LPVO is fine for HD but the only one I have that I’d consider over a red dot is the vortex razor 1-6. I have had and used others that I think would suck in that role because the eye box is too small. With that being said, I use a red dot on my HD rifle because it’s always on and my vortex 1-6 sits on my 3gun rifle. Also…14.5 vs 16 should not really matter based on 1-4 vs 1-6

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8

Thank you…In 60 days my whole household (myself, wife and 17 year old daughter) went LPVO. The only LPVO I had prior was the Steiner. I started to question the heck out of myself and got caught in the engineer loop.

I do run an RDS on my sbr now…but every time I am at the range I get asked why not an LPVO on on a larue barrel.

I couldn’t say no the the wife or kid…and ended up buying in 60 days 1 nib pa gen 3 1-6 (grey for the wife) $200, 2 nib burris MTAC 1-4 $206 each and then a factory BLEM burris RT-6 for $227 with the only blem being some small blue spots on a turret cap. I couldn’t say no to the “deals”.

This solidifies what I was thinking…and taught me a lesson not to replace every optic before gaining more experience with that optic platform.

9

Good choice.

10

Generally, the rifles that are more suited to longer distances fit well with more magnification. Because you aren’t trying to create a single, do-it-all rifle, you can have more specialized equipment for each intended use.

11

I always thought in a HD situation, point and shoot seems very viable. RDS or just point gun at bad guy and hit him. Unless you live in a mansion, its 5-15 yard shots. Be hard to miss with a rifle.

HD, RDS
14.5 and up, a LPVO is just fine. I have some and like them.

PB

12

Well, I’ll provide my opinion, and it’s just that, based on my more recent path with RDS vs LPVO on a shorty.

I swore I’d never put a LPVO on an SBR. Afterall, what’s the point of a lightweight, compact, maneuverable SBR if you put a 17-21 oz long log on the top of it, right?

I’ll soon be 47. After nearly 47 years of perfect 15/20, 20/20 vision, I am finally succumbing to normal age related degradation of my vision. Primary issue at this point is loss of elasticity adjustment from near to far (in other words, I’m becoming nearsighted) and some fuzziness at distance in low light. I know sooner rather than later, I’m heading for corrective vision. I’m trying to delay that as long as I can.

I’ve always used and loved RDS and still do. On perfect, bright days, still no issues. But wanting to stay a competent shooter in all conditions (I shoot and train quite a bit), I begrudgingly said, screw it, and bought a Vortex Razor Gen2 1-6 E for my 11.5 which is a HD gun. Being able to adjust focus has been wonderful when needed.

I’ve put a lot of rounds through the combo and I’m pleasantly surprised. While the gun is obviously heavy, it is well balanced and very maneuverable.

The performance is where I’m really happy. It’s taken very little adjustment to transition to using the scope. At short ranges via 1x my splits are not noticeably slower vs the RDS. What is noticeable is the increase in accuracy. I’m very happy with how my groups are shrinking even at short distances. Longer distance accuracy improvements are obvious with the variable power. I shoot the SBR out to 200 frequently and at 6x A and good C zone hits are the norm.

Of course, there isn’t quite the same forgiveness and freedom as a RDS with “unlimited” eye relief but it’s the nature of the beast and I’m finding proper training and getting used to the LPVO eye box is quick.

Again, I’m not crazy about the weight but I can get used to it based on performance. I personally don’t feel that 1-4 or 1-6 matters. I’d argue the more power the better as a 14.5 is certainly capable of longer distance shots. The transition to LPVO on an SBR and HD gun is a welcome and new dynamic for me to continue to improve my capabilities.

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13

Thanks for the reply…I have a bad astigmatism in my dominant eye and need correction in both eyes. Etched reticle is the reason I bought my first lpvo a p4xi, well that and optics planet matched a sale plus and I got it for under $400.

I will definitely look at LPVO on the sbr if my dominant eye gets worse.

14

Fixed 1x prism scopes have an etched reticle that is MUCH easier to see and can be focused for your vision quality. Granted, you give up the long range advantages of higher magnification, but we are talking HD close range work. They are lightweight, robust, and they don’t need batteries to work. There is eye relief that makes the experience a bit different from RDS, but it’s pretty close.

15

I agree. Fortunately, the eye box is pretty forgiving at 1 power, so my close times aren’t negatively impacted. The eye box only gets more finicky when you crank up the magnification, and the bad guys are (I hope) farther away.

16

Yeah. I’ll crank to 3x-3.5x for 50 yd shots, including headshots on an IPSC target. At that magnification I find it’s a good balance doing standing head shot drills and the eye box is still pretty forgiving with a consistent cheek weld which I’m working on. Shooting 25 yds and in I’m back to 1x.

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