Primary Arms Scopes

[AuEagle]

Does anyone have experience with Primary Arms Scopes?

I'm interested in their 1x6x24.

Thanks for your time.

[Chucktshoes]

While I don’t have experience with their LPVOs, I have used their red dots. They have grown to be a major player in the budget optic market for a reason. They make a rugged, inexpensive, good quality optic. Is it the best out there, no, but it is very good. 

[Magiccarpetrides]

My experience would be good enough for range use but I wouldn't rely on the electronics for shtf...but I would say that about most budget optics...including many I own.

[AuEagle]

The reviews I've read are pretty good.

I really don't feel like shelling out the $ for a U,S, Optics or Nightforce.

[Chucktshoes]

Now, this is something I have firsthand knowledge of. I have 4 NF optics. If the price point puts you off, don’t ever put one to your eye. It’s an expensive monkey to have on your back but once you develop a taste for high end glass, nothing else will do. 

[Capbyrd]

7 minutes ago, Chucktshoes said:

Now, this is something I have firsthand knowledge of. I have 4 NF optics. If the price point puts you off, don’t ever put one to your eye. It’s an expensive monkey to have on your back but once you develop a taste for high end glass, nothing else will do. 

I got to sit behind his rifle and I haven't stopped dreaming about a NF scope since. 

 

[AuEagle]

9 minutes ago, Chucktshoes said:

Now, this is something I have firsthand knowledge of. I have 4 NF optics. If the price point puts you off, don’t ever put one to your eye. It’s an expensive monkey to have on your back but once you develop a taste for high end glass, nothing else will do. 

I've had NF & US Optics in the past, great scopes as are the Trijicon, Swarowski & Zeiss I've had, not a stranger to high end optics.

I don't shoot rifles very much anymore so I really don't need the high end scopes anymore.

Edited April 23, 2020 by AuEagle

[Chucktshoes]

3 minutes ago, AuEagle said:

I've had NF & US Optics in the past, great scopes as are the Trijicon, Swarowski I've had.

I don't shoot rifles very much anymore so I really don't need the high end scopes anymore.

If you can walk back down to PA from NF/USO/Swaro, I salute you. If you find yourself dissatisfied with the PA glass, you should still be able to move them on the secondary market without too much of a hit. So I still say they are a good value for the quality they have. 

Edited April 23, 2020 by Chucktshoes

[AuEagle]

4 minutes ago, Chucktshoes said:

If you can walk back down to PA from NF/USO/Swaro, I salute you. If you find yourself dissatisfied with the PA glass, you should still be able to move them on the secondary market without too much of a hit. So I still say they are a good value for the quality they have. 

I still have Trijicon & Zeiss. They're both higher power than I need/want for the rifle I want to scope, plus they're on other rifles. LOL

[Refleks]

Up until now I'd been using a micro dot + 3x flip to side magnifier, because when I selected it years back LVPOs weren't as popular as they are now, were still quite expensive, and I had no idea how durable they were -- so I didn't pay much attention to them given my budget.  They've become more trendy and less expensive as of late though and so I finally pulled the trigger on the Primary Arms 1-6x FFP based on reviews suggesting it's an outstanding value (and durability) for the price, and I liked the ACSS reticle.

The 1x power isn't really 1x, and it's noticeable if you're shooting with both eyes open.  It does have noticeable fisheye distortion at 1x indoors, but this is my first LVPO and I don't remember any reviews really emphasizing that, so I guess that's par for the course.  Front to back eye relief is generous and forgiving at 1x.

Having 6x zoom is definitely nice, and the eyebox understandably gets tighter as you zoom in -- front to back is okay at 6x, it didn't seem any worse than my 3x magnifier, but there's zero tolerance for up / down / left / right shifts (even pressing your cheek harder or less hard into the stock), it just goes from perfectly clear to blacked out right away.   Again, maybe that's normal, I don't really have any experience with other magnified optics to compare it to, but it does feel very tight.

For a primarily HD gun that you'd like a little magnification on to reach out and tag things out to 300m or so, I think the red dot and magnifier is more than adequate, and probably better up close and indoors.  For a rifle with the ability to reach out to the capabilities of the gun and shooter, but can still do up close in a pinch, the LPVO seems like it's a good flexible all around option.

The impression I get is a lot of shooters tend to find themselves at the max or minimum zoom without spending much time in between, to the point where some competition shooters add an offset red dot like RMR and pretty much just keep the LPVO zoomed in.

Edited April 23, 2020 by Refleks

[Erich]

Shopping in that price point, my take is you cant go wrong with PA scopes. And part of that is they stand behind them. I have their 5x and 2.5x prism scopes (my preferred for AR / AK over variable) and they have good glass for the cost, good repeatability and zero retention.

Its one of the few items made affordably that deliver imo.