I've never been in combat because of others who have fought so I don't have to. Nor am I a SWAT sniper. I'm just an average Joe that wants to protect his family against things that go bump in the night or, God forbid, America falls and the shtf. I've had a bad experience with red dot sights in the past so I don't want to go that route. That leaves me with scopes with a range from 1x to 10x at best but those that top out at 10 are out of my price range of $800 or maybe $1000 if push comes to shove. I've been considering Trijicon Credo 1-6x or the over budget Leupold VX6 1-6x. I know there has to be others in my price range but I'm having trouble finding them. Maybe Doug will see this and give me a nudge in the right direction. What do y'all suggest?
"I know you believe that you understand what you think that I said... But I'm not sure you realize that what you heard is not what I meant." ( A quote of my Father)
First off, you don't have to spend that kind of money on an AR scope, that it sounds like you are rarely going to use. Looks like you are wanting to go with some sort of LPVO though. A lot of my buddies run 1-6x, some using Burris and some using Vortex. I have one buddy that uses an Eotech Vudu 1-10x28, and the glass is fantastic in that one. It's a spendy scope though, but he's SWAT, so it's fitting on his rifle. I've looked through, and used the Burris LPVO's at the range, and they are pretty nice, with good glass and different reticle options. There's a lot of scope manufactures out there right now that offer this type of scope, since the Modern sporting rifle is so popular, as are these scopes. I'm sure Doug can steer you in the right direction, but keep in mind, you don't have to spend $1,000.00 to get what you need.
Originally Posted by raybass
I try to stick with the basics, they do so well. Nothing fancy mind you, just plain jane will get it done with style.
Originally Posted by Pharmseller
You want to see an animal drop right now? Shoot him in the ear hole.
One is the AR series 1x-8x, should have gone with the max of 6x as the eyebox gets tiny at 8x. Illuminated reticle, really like this scope.
The other is an Elite 4500 1x-4x. Only mounted to a 6.8 upper so no clue on how I will like it once I start using it but so far I am impressed for $125.
Neither are near what an $800 scope is but that just saves me $$ for loading ammo.
Last edited by 10gaugemag; 02/21/24.
The last time that bear ate a lawyer he had the runs for 33 days!
I bought a Leupold one piece base with rings made on it for the rail. Lots of adjustment and 6 base screws. Mounted a 1-4X Leupold. Both found on the campfire. It works well for any distance I'll ever shoot.
Please note, there are other scopes similar in Trijicon's lineup but this one is the only battery powered scope they have that the illuminated dot is daylight bright. The rest of them are daylight visible but just barely. That may not make any difference to you but it does draw your eye to the dot quickly.
I have a Leupold VX6 1-6x and it's a great scope, but pretty expensive for your stated purpose. I have the Steiner 1-4x24 p4xi on a couple of AR-15's that I use in 3 gun competition and I think it's a great scope for the money. It has daylight bright illumination and has held up well after being banged around in matches. It's a true 1X and the 4x is plenty usable to 300 yards at least. They have good glass and are fairly light at 17 ounces. You can get them on Eurooptic on sale for about $470 with the G1 reticle. With the the BDC reticle they are more.
You really cannot go wrong here as there are many viable options and you only need to spend a few hundred. Vortex Strike Eagle is a good one that I have used but there are MANY others. Athlon have impressed me too. Call Doug and chat about requirements, deals and price.
Top is a Bushnell AR 1-6 illuminated. Bottom is a Credo 3-9x40. Kind of a personal thing, but I think once you start going over 6X an LPVO stops being an LP. It's almost as if anything with a straight tube is thought to be an LPVO. You may as well step up to a belled objective and get the better field of view. They also usually start getting pretty heavy in the 1-8 range.
Top is a Bushnell AR 1-6 illuminated. Bottom is a Credo 3-9x40. Kind of a personal thing, but I think once you start going over 6X an LPVO stops being an LP. It's almost as if anything with a straight tube is thought to be an LPVO. You may as well step up to a belled objective and get the better field of view. They also usually start getting pretty heavy in the 1-8 range.
Top is a Bushnell AR 1-6 illuminated. Bottom is a Credo 3-9x40. Kind of a personal thing, but I think once you start going over 6X an LPVO stops being an LP. It's almost as if anything with a straight tube is thought to be an LPVO. You may as well step up to a belled objective and get the better field of view. They also usually start getting pretty heavy in the 1-8 range.
I have optics on a couple of my AR's. One is outside the parameters of this discussion, but one is a Burris 1-6 LPVO with an illuminated reticle. I haven't really used it enough to give a comprehensive evaluation, only to say it's okay optically and I had no trouble dialing it adequately to hunt with it this fall...killed one deer with it. I'm looking forward to using it some more when I get the opportunity for some range time.
I've got ar's set up with different sights,but my go to favorite is a holographic sights. I have an eotech with magnifier on one and a sightron on the other,I like both. For the money the sightron is hard to beat...imo
I currently have three LPVOs on hand, the Credo HX 1-6, the Bushnell 4500 1-4, and a SWFA 1-4. All of them have what seems to be true 1x, or close enough for Grandpa, and that gives them an amazing wide view at the lowest setting, better to my notion than a red dot, and certainly more precise. The SWFA and Credo are illuminated, which is a good thing for defense I think. What they lack is the long battery life common to red dots now, along with auto on, which means you have to train yourself to turn them on, and off if you want to be sure you’ll have your light when you need it. I once had a Leupold AR-something or other with a motion switch, that usually worked, but not infallibly, but it was a 1.5-4 not a 1x, and that makes a difference to me.
Any of those scopes I have are acceptable, but the Credo is the best, and costs like it. The SWFA is rugged as an anvil, but does have exposed turrets, though they don’t turn easily by accident.
BTW, the Credo with a green dot has a much better battery life than the red one. Also consider the Accupoint series which feature tritium and fiber optics.
I find those reticles with a horseshoe or ring around them to be distracting, and yes I know what their purpose is. Give me a crosshair/duplex/T-plex, preferably with a lighted dot in the middle.
OTOH, some of the Sightron stuff looks pretty good, so I’ve added them to the list of possibles.
I bought an Aero Precision awhile back that was already set up with a scope I had never heard of. It a Vector Optics Grimlock 1-4. Figured I would ditch and upgrade the glass, but I love the thing. It has an illuminated circle dot reticle and a true 1X on the bottom end. I like it at least as well as my Vortex 1-6 Strike Eagle and like the reticle better. Lots of good options out there for very reasonable.
Always remember that you are unique, just like everyone else.
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