What’s your guys recommendation for an LPVO in this price range? Mainly used for home defense, carbine classes and general range usage. Kind of my do all gun and need a generally do all LPVO
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Rifle Scopes LPVO for $350?
- Thread starter BoulderE89
- Start date
In that price range I would look into primary arms
1-6 raptor ffp. Retail is $399 but they will run 12% off sales from time to time. I have the 1-8 raptor and I’m happy with it. https://www.primaryarms.com/pa-1-6x...ifle-scope-with-acss-raptor-556-reticle-black
1-6 raptor ffp. Retail is $399 but they will run 12% off sales from time to time. I have the 1-8 raptor and I’m happy with it. https://www.primaryarms.com/pa-1-6x...ifle-scope-with-acss-raptor-556-reticle-black
The Strike Eagles have been redesigned and I’ve heard they’re better (the prior gen was pretty damn bad), but the only LPVO I have personal experience with that I’d have at that price point is the Burris RT-6.
Gotta up your budget by about ~50% before you get into objectively better options IMO.
Gotta up your budget by about ~50% before you get into objectively better options IMO.
The Bushnell AR Optics 1-8 is on sale for $309 right now. I've got one on the way for a semi-lightweight AR build for my wife. For the price, they seem to be pretty solid optics.
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ACSS Raptor reticle is great!
If you can spend a little more. Here’s a sale.
TS-6X-JNG-MIL US Optics 1-6x24mm FFP w/ Illuminated JNG Mil Reticle
The U.S. Optics TS-6X-JNG-MIL TS-6X, 1-6x24mm rifle scope is one of the most versatile short-range variable power optics currently available on the market. The TS-6X features a 30mm tube, 24mm objective, First Focal Plane Illuminated reticle, and capped zeroing elevation and windage knobs.
dsgarms.com
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I'm shooting a athlon 1-4.5 for service rifle but its damned good for the money and has a illuminated reticle. I would run it on a defensive rifle if I didnt have a red dot.
SWFA SS 1-4X24 https://www.swfa.com/swfa-ss-1-4x24-tactical-30mm-riflescope-kit-111029.html?___SID=U I bought one of these a couple of years ago during a black Friday sale. It's on a Colt 6920 and I have no complaints at this point.
Glass is good for price point. SFP. Reticle is easy to use and effective through the power range. Illuminated.
Glass is good for price point. SFP. Reticle is easy to use and effective through the power range. Illuminated.
Just so you know, $350 is absolute bargain bin for optics. Especially in the LPVO world. Looking through the $600 Strike Eagle makes me want to puke. I have a PST II and it's mediocre to the point I want to replace it, but it is ok and it has worked fine for what I do with it. The 1-6 is enough to hit big steels at 500 yards reliably, hindered mostly by average glass quality and thick second focal plane stadia. I like my Trijicon Accupower that I got for $800 quite a lot as an all round optic and wish I had bought it first before the PST II.
I don't think I'd buy an LPVO if I had $350. I understand you have a small budget set aside, but with what China has done, and is doing, to us, I absolutely will not recommend something of theirs if it can be avoided. $350 would get you a used Trijicon MRO.
I don't think I'd buy an LPVO if I had $350. I understand you have a small budget set aside, but with what China has done, and is doing, to us, I absolutely will not recommend something of theirs if it can be avoided. $350 would get you a used Trijicon MRO.
I second this. I have one and it’s pretty decent for the money.
I had one of these and I liked it a lot, but had to return it when the elevation turret literally unscrewed from the scope body one day while I was attempting to rotate the turret to adjust zero. SWFA couldn't replace it at that time (out of stock) so they credited me the purchase price towards a new optic of my choice, and I grabbed the Burris RT-6 based on recommendation from Ilya and others here. I've been quite pleased with that one also. Between the two I'd keep the RT-6 mainly for the 6x erector ratio and the reticle, which I find easier to use. The SS was a good optic while it lasted though, and I wouldn't have traded it if I didn't have to.
Brutal truth is still truth...you can get a mediocre at best LPVO, or a really solid red dot for $350. I’d recommend the latter as well.
A Holosun plus a PA magnifier with a QD flip mount can be had for about $350 and it’ll weigh less and be pretty versatile.
And it’ll be made in China. Why are we still discussing buying from Chinese companies at this point?
Red dots start running out of steam at 200. Even the Burris RT-6 will get you solid hits at 300 or 400.
- Nov 3, 2010
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Call @gr8fuldoug and let him know what you want and your budget and He should be able to find something that fits
Well I’m actually about to sell an MRO because of my astigmatism so that’s out of the question. I get that $350 will not get me top tier, and I understand what good glass is from owning a vortex Razor and Leupold mk5. But with this gun being a general range use and doubling as a HD gun (11.5” barrel) by my bedside I don’t need it to have resolution at 500 yards. I have other guns to do that. I believe in always getting the best you can for the money you have, but not overpaying and over spec something for its intended use. As long as glass is clear, holds zero and has a good reticle/brightness setting it’ll do the job for my civilian ass.
Well I’m actually about to sell an MRO because of my astigmatism so that’s out of the question. I get that $350 will not get me top tier, and I understand what good glass is from owning a vortex Razor and Leupold mk5. But with this gun being a general range use and doubling as a HD gun (11.5” barrel) by my bedside I don’t need it to have resolution at 500 yards. I have other guns to do that. I believe in always getting the best you can for the money you have, but not overpaying and over spec something for its intended use. As long as glass is clear, holds zero and has a good reticle/brightness setting it’ll do the job for my civilian ass.
Ahhhh I think I saw a post about this in the PX...
In that case I’d say keep the MRO and get a magnifier in a QD mount. I have brutal astigmatism and a decent magnifier cleans the image right up for longer-than-HD distances
I was specifically avoiding that issue because 1) it may not apply to everyone the same way and 2) it’s real hard to avoid anything coming from the PRC at the $350 price range.
Well I’m actually about to sell an MRO because of my astigmatism so that’s out of the question. I get that $350 will not get me top tier, and I understand what good glass is from owning a vortex Razor and Leupold mk5. But with this gun being a general range use and doubling as a HD gun (11.5” barrel) by my bedside I don’t need it to have resolution at 500 yards. I have other guns to do that. I believe in always getting the best you can for the money you have, but not overpaying and over spec something for its intended use. As long as glass is clear, holds zero and has a good reticle/brightness setting it’ll do the job for my civilian ass.
If this is intended for HD, I'd recommend a red dot over a LPVO. I have an astigmatism, and it makes my Aimpoint H1 dot bloom a little bit, but it takes the dot from about 2moa to maybe 4moa. I can still make accurate hits at HD ranges, so I stick with it for the battery life & dependability. whether the dot looks crisp or like a distorted blob doesn't affect my ability to hit the vital zone on a silhouette.
If your astigmatism is worse than mine, you may want to consider some of the holographic red dots like EOTechs or a Holosun 407/507/510/etc.. The technology used to project the dot isn't affected by astigmatism, so will be much easier to use effectively. Plus, most of these offer a 1moa red dot, so it can be slightly more precise than the 2moa or 4moa options at longer ranges.
If you live in an area where you may need to ID or take shots at longer ranges for HD, a LPVO could be useful, but I'd still prefer a top-tier red dot over an entry-level LPVO. If you still feel that's what you need, I'd strongly recommend a quality SFP reticle that's fast to pick up & get on target like the SWFA SS 1-4x, Burris RT-6, or Primary Arms with KISS or ACSS reticle.
I have an LPVO on a rifle I intended for home defense. It works, and in reality there isn't much difference between irons, red dot and LPVO at point-blank home defense distance.
LPVO pros:
- Longer target ID distance
- Stadia lines
- Can be dialed in on target
- More enjoyable to shoot from the bench if the glass is good
LPVO cons:
- Battery life on illumination tends to be abysmal
- Black stadia lines are difficult to pick up in a dark room or against a dark background
- You need to be aligned inside the eye box, because it's a scope
- Much more expensive to get to the trustworthy level option
I know LPVO's are all the rage. Everyone has to have one. You're a poor, miserable, unworthy loser if you don't have an LPVO on every gun. Even the 4.5" 5.56 guns need LPVO's because the internet says so. And LPVO's are the coolest thing in the world until you have one and you realize it's just another option, and it isn't the red dot on 1x it was supposed to be, and it isn't the 18x you want it to be when you're trying to spot holes in paper at the range, and the battery dies three weeks into leaving the reticle turned on, which wasn't that great to start with anyway. They're ok.
LPVO pros:
- Longer target ID distance
- Stadia lines
- Can be dialed in on target
- More enjoyable to shoot from the bench if the glass is good
LPVO cons:
- Battery life on illumination tends to be abysmal
- Black stadia lines are difficult to pick up in a dark room or against a dark background
- You need to be aligned inside the eye box, because it's a scope
- Much more expensive to get to the trustworthy level option
I know LPVO's are all the rage. Everyone has to have one. You're a poor, miserable, unworthy loser if you don't have an LPVO on every gun. Even the 4.5" 5.56 guns need LPVO's because the internet says so. And LPVO's are the coolest thing in the world until you have one and you realize it's just another option, and it isn't the red dot on 1x it was supposed to be, and it isn't the 18x you want it to be when you're trying to spot holes in paper at the range, and the battery dies three weeks into leaving the reticle turned on, which wasn't that great to start with anyway. They're ok.
Not on man sized targets. A steel USPSA target is dead easy to hit at 300 with a head hold and a 200 yd zero.
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If you're so hard up that you have $350 but can't wait another 2 - 3 paychecks to save another hundo for a new Aimpoint PRO, then you can scour Armslist where there are dozens of used Aimpont PROs for $350 or so.
And they are all, new or used, made in Sweden.
Fuck China
+1
Steiner P4Xi (made in the USA) or one of the several 1-4X Trijicons (made in Japan or here, depending on which one) are the rock bottom minimum.
Oh I kinda forgot about holographic sights...maybe that’ll be the better move
Totally agree and I’d absolutely save up a bit longer personally (and would recommend that), but if you don’t want to go used and you hold to $350, it’s still really hard to avoid any chicom stuff. I LOVE my P4Xi btw, sucks for people buying them now since they’ve inexplicably gone up $300 the last year or so for no reason I can discern.
Actually I think it’s the other way around — my EOTech was a complete blur with my eyes while reflex red dots like Aimpoints, MROs and Holosuns are maybe a little smeared but still very usable without my glasses. I’d check to confirm (could be something else wrong with my shitty eyes that caused that specific outcome). Magnification cleaned them all up though. Prismatic scope might be a good call too.
A dumb decision. My very first red dot was an Aimpoint CompC that I bought used in 2005. 14 years later and it's still going strong:
You wanna pay for my lasik cause my contacts aren’t doing it lol
Find another optometrist. Not all of them are worth what they charge.
I bet your uncorrected vision isn't worse than mine, with over -4 diopters of correction in one eye and -3.75 in another plus significant astigmatism. Yet when I put on my lenses all my red dots are nice, round, and relatively crisp.
Where’s your guy at? He must be the chosen one cause I’ve tried 3 brands of contacts at various prescription corrections and it gets only marginally better every time.
Everyone's eyes are different - you may need to try a few different types of optics to see what works best for you. Worst case-scenario, you can always use a prism optic that has an etched reticle. They're usually heavier than a comparable red-dot, but they aren't affected by astigmatism and the etched reticle is usable even if the battery dies. Primary Arms, Burris, and Swampfox make them for budget prices, while Steiner & Trijicon make some pricey ones. I'd still recommend 1x magnification for HD use, but you can go 1.5x, 2x, 3x, etc if you like.
For the folks looking for a non-Chinese budget LPVO, the Bushnell I mentioned earlier is made in South Korea.
Got a chance to get a swfa 1-4 for $300, never looked into swfa LPVO. Anyone have experience with these?
I liked it while I had it. There was a bit of fisheye at 1x but with the correct diopter it wasn't bad, and the reticle was a little bit fine for speed work but with the illuminated center dot it worked pretty well. Had to return to SWFA - see Post #14 in this thread.
Oh that’s right...shoot that doesn’t sound promising. Maybe I should go up to a pst 1-6 or something. I see them for around 500 on a couple Internet forums
not that its exactly what you mentioned but have you ever looked at primary arms ? you could get the red dot and a 6 times magnifier and the flip up mount last I looked was around 300 dollars . just another option or a
Primary Arms 1-6x ACSS Gen 3
for just a few dollars more 350.
Primary Arms 1-6x ACSS Gen 3
for just a few dollars more 350.
I like mine and my wife likes it enough to keep it in her lightweight 16" AR. The illumination isn't daylight bright, but the diamond in the center draws your eye well enough that it's actually pretty quick to pick up even without illumination. It has been rock solid and I love the MIL based reticle which was pretty rare in LPVOs when I got it - most were MOA or BDC.
I have mine zeroed with the top of the diamond at 100 yards, and it's pretty handy for shooting silhouettes out to 400.
I paid $300 for mine and think that's a fair price for it. It tracks well , the glass is good for the price, and the reticle is useful with whatever caliber you like. If you want to try a LPVO, it's a dependable option.
Would you see it being viable for up close? I’m starting to consider the pst 1-6 cause it’s brightness can almost act as a red dot. The exposed turrets and mil mil stuff is super appealing tho.I like mine and my wife likes it enough to keep it in her lightweight 16" AR. The illumination isn't daylight bright, but the diamond in the center draws your eye well enough that it's actually pretty quick to pick up even without illumination. It has been rock solid and I love the MIL based reticle which was pretty rare in LPVOs when I got it - most were MOA or BDC.
I have mine zeroed with the top of the diamond at 100 yards, and it's pretty handy for shooting silhouettes out to 400.
I paid $300 for mine and think that's a fair price for it. It tracks well , the glass is good for the price, and the reticle is useful with whatever caliber you like. If you want to try a LPVO, it's a dependable option.
If you can afford the PST Gen 2, that's definitely the way to go. Better glass, daylight bright illumination, and it's also available in Mil/Mil. If you're on a tight budget, the SWFA will work, but I think the optics in the $500+ range are a worthwhile step up if you can afford it.
that is a nice reticle!I like mine and my wife likes it enough to keep it in her lightweight 16" AR. The illumination isn't daylight bright, but the diamond in the center draws your eye well enough that it's actually pretty quick to pick up even without illumination. It has been rock solid and I love the MIL based reticle which was pretty rare in LPVOs when I got it - most were MOA or BDC.
I have mine zeroed with the top of the diamond at 100 yards, and it's pretty handy for shooting silhouettes out to 400.
I paid $300 for mine and think that's a fair price for it. It tracks well , the glass is good for the price, and the reticle is useful with whatever caliber you like. If you want to try a LPVO, it's a dependable option.
Alright I’m hijiacking my own thread...between pst 1-6 and Steiner 1-4 which would you go for? I have two people who agreed to $500 so price is the same. Which would You choose and why...go!
edit: I have no experience with either and YouTube videos only do so much
edit: I have no experience with either and YouTube videos only do so much
I’ve compared both back to back and prefer the Steiner. Slightly.
Back when the Steiner was $450 it was a no-brainer; at $500 straight up it’s admittedly a tougher decision. Steiner is almost 6oz lighter so if weight is at all a concern that’s the answer.
Both are substantially better than the models you were considering earlier in this thread so either way you’re going to be very, very happy
Back when the Steiner was $450 it was a no-brainer; at $500 straight up it’s admittedly a tougher decision. Steiner is almost 6oz lighter so if weight is at all a concern that’s the answer.
Both are substantially better than the models you were considering earlier in this thread so either way you’re going to be very, very happy
I have a PST II. It’s alright. Glass is meh, second focal plane, but nice bright center dot what works well with both eyes open if you want to go fast. I’ll probably sell mine and swap some scopes around. I don’t know anything about the Steiner. I think I looked at it and decided on the Vortex but I don’t remember.
Vortex is exactly 6oz heavier going by their website listed weight of 22.7oz so the Steiner is lighter in QD rings than the Vortex is by itself.
I recall the PST II glass being darker with a little less resolution/definition than the Steiner, though it didn’t have the fisheye or reticle illume issues of the RT-6. Having 6x on top is absolutely a benefit in my book though, esp given my crappy eyesight.
The Steiner’s flaws are the mushy turrets - basically not used - and the fact that it tops out at 4x. The dot is easily daylight bright, the glass is way clearer than price would suggest, and it’s a true 1x at the low end.
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