Prism scopes

[2damnold4this]

I've been thinking of replacing a red dot with some sort of prism scope that is light weight but has some magnification. What are some options that have worked for you?

[Shadow9mm]

The primary arms ones are pretty nice and are reasonably priced. Friend just got a 3x. Fantastic mounting kit that came with it. All kinds of options.

C-does did a great comparison between all the primary arms options and has individual reviews on each one as well. https://youtu.be/4fySOGoBGHs?feature=shared

[mikejonestkd]

I have primary arms micro and Burris prism optics and they are both good quality and a decent value for the money.
Personally I like the Burris RT-3 and RT-5 slightly better than the Primary arms, but only because I like the reticle better.

[zukiphile]

Originally Posted by 2do

I've been thinking of replacing a red dot ...

What is it about the red dot you don't like? I have a bunch of prism optics I like because the idea of battery dependence bothers me even of a battery can last for years, I don't care for the tinted image, and I find the eye relief more forgiving than with conventional scopes.

I have several Bushnell Lil P 1x Prisms I like quite a bit. They still come up on the used market. The center dot is 2moa with a footprint about the same as a Daniel Defense fixed rear sight. With the diopter adjusted for my eye the image is actually slightly reduced from 1x, but perfectly sharp, much like looking through an aperture sight, but without the alignment issues. I can shoot precisely with it, but identifying what I am shooting isn't aided much. Atibal still sells a 1x prism in that very small format.

A 1.5x optic is surprising helpful in figuring out what I am seeing, but it isn't so much magnification that my standing wobble becomes a distraction. I don't have a Primary Arms 2x prism, but I'd bet it would be good too.

There are a lot of 3x prisms in the current market. If that's your choice, it seems that getting the reticle you like would be the driving consideration.

Swampfox makes a 3x that is said to have an extraordinary field of view. I wonder how important that is on a rifle sight. If I'm focused on a three inch target 50 yards away with a 2 or moa dot, I don't see how the things 20 feet on either side need to be visible through my optic.

[2damnold4this]

Thanks for the great advice and suggestions.

In answer to zukiphile, I'm looking for a light weight optic to go on a 16" pencil barrel 5.56 upper that I carry at the hunting land while I change camera cards during the off season or after the freezer is full during the regular season. The potential targets are coyotes and the less likely feral pig. A red dot has worked for me in the past but my eyes aren't what they used to be and I wasn't 100% on an eight inch plate at 114 yards with the red dot this last range session. It's still very easy to hit the plate when looking through a scope, even at low magnification with a 3x9 or an LPVO but I didn't perform as well as I wanted with the red dot this last time.

[tangolima]

You can't see the target, or you can't put the shots on target? For the latter, magnification probably won't help. 8" at 100m is still much bigger than 2moa dot.

-TL

Sent from my SM-N960U using Tapatalk

[FrankenMauser]

My only prism is a Vortex Spitfire 5x.
I haven't had it long.

But I like it.
Adjustments are coarse - 1 MoA per click.
But that is good enough for what I have it on - and probably your intended application.

Some people think 5x is too much, and believe the 3x model is superior. But I like the magnification. Gives me enough to better identify targets, without being overbearing like 6x+ would be.

I have learned a lot in the last year, having jumped into competition shooting. And I can tell you unequivocally that learning the reticle in whatever you choose to buy will be very beneficial.
Know those subtensions, dots, etc. They can be very useful.

[2damnold4this]

You can't see the target, or you can't put the shots on target? For the latter, magnification probably won't help. 8" at 100m is still much bigger than 2moa dot.

The dot is more of a smear than a dot for me these days. Using an LPVO at 1x, it's easy to get hits. I can get hits a little bit quicker at 3x. I'd like an optic that is lighter than the LPVOs but has a reticle I can see clearly and some magnification is a plus.

[2damnold4this]

Thanks for the suggestion, FrankenMauser.

[mikejonestkd]

The dot is more of a smear than a dot for me these days.

I am getting older too and have Astigmatism, so even quality red dots are blurry to me.
A prism is an excellent choice for your intended purpose

[tangolima]

Originally Posted by 2damnold4this

The dot is more of a smear than a dot for me these days. Using an LPVO at 1x, it's easy to get hits. I can get hits a little bit quicker at 3x. I'd like an optic that is lighter than the LPVOs but has a reticle I can see clearly and some magnification is a plus.

I see.

I have near sight, astigmatism, and aging. Have been wearing progressive prescription lenses. It is still ok to use dot. But the ability to pick out target, especially in low light has much degraded.

Prism scopes sound a good option. I quite like lpvo.

-TL

Sent from my SM-N960U using Tapatalk

[zukiphile]

Originally Posted by 2D

I've been thinking of replacing a red dot with some sort of prism scope...

I'd be interested to read where you end up on this.

Where someone is coming from may influence what sort of prism he likes. You are coming from a RDS with which you were happy until you though you needed a bit of help. I came from iron sights and wasn't as put off by a lack of magnification as some might be. Perhaps people coming from LPVOs would put greater emphasis on magnification and tolerate complexity better.

[stagpanther]

Burris RT3 is my all-around favorite AR sight/scope.

[2damnold4this]

I'd be interested to read where you end up on this.

I will report back when I get a chance to try the optic I have selected.

[2damnold4this]

I tried out a Primary Arms SLx 3x and was able to do much better than with the red dot. I could focus the reticle and the 3x helped me to see the plate better than with the red dot. It was easy to get hits on the plate. The weight isn't much more than a red dot but the downside is eye relief. The advantage of this optic over an LPVO is weight savings but when actually shooting, I think even a budget LPVO in the same price range like a Vortex Strike Eagle is better for me at getting hits.

[zukiphile]

The weight isn't much more than a red dot but the downside is eye relief.

I've found 1x and 3x prisms to have much greater range of eye relief than LPVOs. On some 1xs, I can see the reticle from the end of an A2 stock yet still have the entire image without shadowing as my eyeglass lens is clinking up against the ocular.

Of course, nothing matches the eye relief of a RDS.

Prisms get pickier on eye relief range as magnification increases. I have a 5x that was hard to use until I moved it a couple of picatinny notches forward. Now I like it quite a bit.