Originally Posted by
Vegasshooter
Man, the LPV game is one area where you truly get what you pay for! Potentially more than most other things in the gun world.
My background, just so you’ll understand where I’m coming from, is in LEO Training. I am a full time instructor at a very large Sheriff’s department. About two years ago, we got very serious about getting LPV’s on our Officer’s rifles. We have approximately 1500 rifle carriers on the dept, so we are not little. In preparation for what optics we were going to approve, we (instructor staff) started buying, begging, collecting, and T&Eing anything we could get our hands on. I have had time on almost every LPV on the market, and go to SHOT every year. Another benefit of being an Officer in Las Vegas. I have literally watched the market explode over the last couple years in LPV’s.
I will offer my opinion, for what it’s worth. But understand, I’m looking at it as a duty grade, lives at risk proposition. First off: GET THE BEST YOU CAN AFFORD. It will pay dividends in the end, and greatly cut down on your disappointment. Bad optics (think Millet, Super Sniper etc) will give you a headache, and cause eye strain. You will come away with a bad taste for LPV’s, and it won’t be wrong, it will be preventable. The Vortex Razor was IMO, the king of the hill until recently. It was the best glass, fov, good reticle, best cost in the upper end category. Yes, the Kahles was better glass, but it was more $$, and harder to get ahold of, and didn’t offer enough more that most guys could justify it. I think the new NF options are the newest, BEST there is. They are lighter, have FANTASTIC brightness, excellent reticles, are FFP in a Reticle that’s designed to be a good FFP, and don’t have a huge footprint on the gun. They are seriously the best out there currently. Downside is cost. They aren’t cheap, but the quality is insane. Watch the NF torture test. Aaron at Sage Dynamics threw his NX8 off a two story building then shot it at 100 yds. No loss of zero. However, these scopes are absolutely geared towards the military/LEO market, guys that are very hard on equipment, but it HAS to work.
Next option is the Primary arms Platinum series. Made by LOW in Japan. Same company that makes Vortex Razor, several NF scopes, and Leupold MK6 and MK8. Excellent glass, fantastic reticles, really top shell optics. More affordable than the NF, and probably 80% as good. Really worth a look. Next would be the Primary Arms non Platinum line. We’ve had them, really shot them....a bunch. Never had one fail. Same awesome reticles. All in all, I think this is where most guys should be looking. Very affordable, but some excellent offerings.
The Vortex Strike Buzzard.....I mean Eagle. No, just no. Only scope we’ve seen fail. And not just one......FOUR of them. When you look at the numbers that Vortex sells, the failure rate probably isn’t that high.....until it’s on your gun when it does. Sure, “The Warranty”..... I know, but that does you no good when you’re out hunting, competing in a match, or just enjoying an afternoon with your wife and kids. The best warranty is one you never use. I’m not a Vortex hater AT ALL. I had a Razor 1-6 for years. Still have a Razor sporting scope. I feel like Vortex should be two companies, one is the Razor, below that is everything else. It’s that bad.
So, these are my ramblings. If you have any questions about specific optics, hit me up, chances are very good I have been behind it. I am currently running a NF ATACR 1-8, a NF NX8 1-8, and a Primary Arms Platinum 1-8. You can see where my opinions translate to my wallet. But, when I’m working an overwatch assignment where I’m responsible for crowd protection and my rifle HAS to work, NightForce.
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