LPVOs in 2023 and beyond

[Nephrology]

So in the time I use to distract myself from my rapidly approaching thesis defense I've been diving into the optics world a lot more deeply than I have in the past, in part because they seem to be one of the few firearms accessories where deals can still be had, and good glass is never a bad investment of money.

Particularly interested in LPVOs as the next gun whose optics I am looking to upgrade is a heavy 16" AR-15 that usually wears a bipod. Currently hosts a PST II 1-6 which is fine for now, but would like a little more high end mag (1-8/1-10) on this gun in particular. Casually investigating 2-10 range optics; the Trijicon Credo 2-10x36 seems particularly interesting.

What is everyone using for LPVOs/what other optics have you tried in the search for the right low power optic?

For what it's worth, I have a Meopta Optika6 1-6 on one of my guns that I love. A reasonable review of this model can be found here, though as a caveat, the illumination in the model reviewed in that video is much worse than the one I have, likely due to the difference in reticle. Mine sports a KDOT RD reticle with an illuminated 2 MOA center dot, which is not daylight bright, but usable vs. a dark background during the day. I would definitely not recommend any of the FFP models of the Optika6 as the illumination seems to suffer even more with those.

[shane45]

Personally I like 1-4 and 1-6. Once you start getting into the 1-8 and above, it seems you really split the difference in usefulness. What I mean by this is the reticle in the 1-4 is usable even if illum is off. On my 1-8, you better have the illum dot on if your below 3 or you really dont have anything useful as a reticle. So in my mind 1-6 and below favor close distance and usable to 500 yards or so. Above 1-6 and your favoring the longer range spectrum of usefulness. So I tend to put 1-4's on 5.56's and 1-8's on 308's.


Edited to add all my optics are FFP.

[dontshakepandas]

I've got some time behind the Trijicon Accupoint 1-6, Steiner 1-4 , Razor Gen 2 E 1-6, Kahles K16 1-6, Nightforce NX8 1-8, and Razor Gen 3 1-10. I moved on from all of them except for the Razor 1-10, which is currently on my upper with a Centurion Arms Recce barrel. Everything else I've actually switched to an Aimpoint T2 + Magnifier in Unity mounts.

I really like the Razor 1-10, but haven't had a lot of time behind it yet. Out of everything I've tried it gives me the best combination of quick shots up close and shooting at a distance. Sounds like it would be a great option for you if your budget allows it.

[joshs]

So in the time I use to distract myself from my rapidly approaching thesis defense I've been diving into the optics world a lot more deeply than I have in the past, in part because they seem to be one of the few firearms accessories where deals can still be had, and good glass is never a bad investment of money.

Particularly interested in LPVOs as the next gun whose optics I am looking to upgrade is a heavy 16" AR-15 that usually wears a bipod. Currently hosts a PST II 1-6 which is fine for now, but would like a little more high end mag (1-8/1-10) on this gun in particular. Casually investigating 2-10 range optics; the Trijicon Credo 2-10x36 seems particularly interesting.

What is everyone using for LPVOs/what other optics have you tried in the search for the right low power optic?

For what it's worth, I have a Meopta Optika6 1-6 on one of my guns that I love. A reasonable review of this model can be found here, though as a caveat, the illumination in the model reviewed in that video is much worse than the one I have, likely due to the difference in reticle. Mine sports a KDOT RD reticle with an illuminated 2 MOA center dot, which is not daylight bright, but usable vs. a dark background during the day. I would definitely not recommend any of the FFP models of the Optika6 as the illumination seems to suffer even more with those.

I've found that I prefer LPVOs that prioritize 1x effectiveness like you PST II. The small objective on LPVOs is limiting if you spend a lot of time on higher magnification. The 1-6 Razor is still my favorite carbine optic.

For a more precision oriented AR, I prefer running a larger magnification optic (with a correspondingly larger objective) and an offset red dot instead of the larger magnification LPVOs. This setup can end up at approximately the same overall weight as a larger LPVO with more capability. I'm currently using a US Optics TS-12x, but the compact nature of this scope requires some work if you want to mount an offset red dot off of the receiver. I'm using some Vortex extra high rings and an Arisaka offset dot mount (with a little bit of one corner filed off to eliminate interference between the mount and the Vortex rings). Using a mount with a provision for dot mounting would eliminate this problem.

[DamonL]

Because you are using a heavy gun with a bipod, I am also going to suggest looking at a higher magnification scope with an offset sight. It will take advantage of the capability of the rifle better. I am working on a project like this now. I bought a second hand Bushnell LRTSi 3-12x44 scope. The advantage is the scope is a real long range scope with more magnification and FFP. Different than the LPVO which you already have. I would also consider looking at scopes with a higher top-end magnification than the Credo you are looking at now.

I searched for SPR info and I think I found your rifle in this thread.

https://pistol-forum.com/showthread....d-SAM-Rs-oh-my!

So consider an SPR type optic.

[theJanitor]

I've actually switched to an Aimpoint T2 + Magnifier in Unity mounts.

I just did the same, but with an EXPS and a G33. I like it more than the 1-4x ive had in the past. I might skip the LPVO for my current needs

[John Hearne]

For what it's worth, I have a Meopta Optika6 1-6 on one of my guns that I love. A reasonable review of this model can be found here, though as a caveat, the illumination in the model reviewed in that video is much worse than the one I have, likely due to the difference in reticle. Mine sports a KDOT RD reticle with an illuminated 2 MOA center dot, which is not daylight bright, but usable vs. a dark background during the day. I would definitely not recommend any of the FFP models of the Optika6 as the illumination seems to suffer even more with those.

I wonder how the more expensive Meopta 1-6 is - the R2 which runs closer to $1400. I don't need a reticle that allows me to shoot to 600 yards. I want to be able to see better and don't want a cluttered view. If the R2 with KDOT2 reticle is daylight visible then it seems compelling to me.

https://www.meoptasportsoptics.eu/en...d/mr-7666_974/

[Nephrology]

I wonder how the more expensive Meopta 1-6 is - the R2 which runs closer to $1400. I don't need a reticle that allows me to shoot to 600 yards. I want to be able to see better and don't want a cluttered view. If the R2 with KDOT2 reticle is daylight visible then it seems compelling to me.

https://www.meoptasportsoptics.eu/en...d/mr-7666_974/

I'm somewhat interested in the R2 myself. If I remember correctly the R2 1-6 is daylight bright from the little I've been able to find online. I have the Meopta ZD 1-4 which is absolutely daylight bright. As bright or brighter than my Aimpoint PRO on the 2nd to highest setting. Assuming they share the same reticle illumination tech it will be good to go, but worth doing your homework before purchasing.

The ZD1-4 has exceptional glass - clearly better than the Optika6 which is no slouch, so I imagine the R2 has similarly good clarity. That said at the $1500 ish price point you are competing with the Razor IIe, which seems pretty hard to beat.

Because you are using a heavy gun with a bipod, I am also going to suggest looking at a higher magnification scope with an offset sight. It will take advantage of the capability of the rifle better. I am working on a project like this now. I bought a second hand Bushnell LRTSi 3-12x44 scope. The advantage is the scope is a real long range scope with more magnification and FFP. Different than the LPVO which you already have. I would also consider looking at scopes with a higher top-end magnification than the Credo you are looking at now.

I searched for SPR info and I think I found your rifle in this thread.

https://pistol-forum.com/showthread....d-SAM-Rs-oh-my!

So consider an SPR type optic.

Yup, I'm pretty sure I've posted this rifle in that thread. It's the heavier of the two.

I've definitely thought about going with a higher mag scope and using an offset RDS for true 1x. I've been poking around for candidates - the trijicon Credo 2-10x36 so far is the most appealing (FFP, illuminated, 23oz). Would be nice to get the mag up to 15 or so on the higher end but seems hard to do without going with a much heavier or much more expensive scope.

I've got some time behind the Trijicon Accupoint 1-6, Steiner 1-4 , Razor Gen 2 E 1-6, Kahles K16 1-6, Nightforce NX8 1-8, and Razor Gen 3 1-10. I moved on from all of them except for the Razor 1-10, which is currently on my upper with a Centurion Arms Recce barrel. Everything else I've actually switched to an Aimpoint T2 + Magnifier in Unity mounts.

What do you like about the aimpoint + magnifier combo? what power magnifier are you using? This is something I've thought about doing for one of my SBRs which currently has a 30mm PRO.

[Default.mp3]

What do you like about the aimpoint + magnifier combo? what power magnifier are you using? This is something I've thought about doing for one of my SBRs which currently has a 30mm PRO.

RDS is typically going to be faster than an LPVO overall unless you put in some serious time with LPVOs, once you throw in unorthodox shooting positions that make getting into the optimal head position much more difficult. There's also the ability to remove the magnifier and swap it between different guns, removing it to use as a monocular, or to make the gun a little lighter. If the emphasis is on unmagnified shooting, I think there's a strong argument for it. For true mixed use, a magnifier will suffer from lack of reticle (usually, though there are newer RDSes and HWSes that will have options that provide some level of hold over) and poorer light transmission (since the sight picture will have to pass through the RDS/HWS first to begin with).

[dontshakepandas]

What do you like about the aimpoint + magnifier combo? what power magnifier are you using? This is something I've thought about doing for one of my SBRs which currently has a 30mm PRO.

I'm using the Aimpoint 3x-C magnifier. I've tried the "military" 3xmag-1 with the same setup and didn't find enough advantage (or really any) to justify the additional cost.

I like that I get true red dot capabilities with the added ability to see and identify further. I've had some of the best LPVOs and even the ones with the most generous eye box just can't compete with an Aimpoint when it comes to weird firing positions where you may not be able to get your head lined up perfectly. The magnifier flipping to the center instead of off to the side is a game changer to me. Other than the additional weight, you don't notice its there like you do with flip to side mounts that affect the balance of the gun and your field of view.

The setup is a bit lighter than even the lightest LPVO + mount setups, and I can pop the magnifier off to shave more weight if I won't need it AND includes BUIS (although I run a fixed front instead of the built in front). It also gives me the ability to share one magnifier across multiple guns, although I'll probably buy another at some point.

It obviously won't be as good at ranging as a scope with a reticle designed for that, but I live in a mostly urban setting where I'm very unlikely to have to engage anything past 100 yards.