Review - https://youtu.be/9AGSGm0wSm0?si=MF3dMaHsfHWAuKOe
Acquire - https://rebrand.ly/1d4009
The Run Down:
- Chinese Made
- $400
- 3 Reticle Options
- 20.5oz
- 10.1”
- Simple
THIS Primary Arms SLx Compact 4-16x44 is a Wonderfully thought out and designed scope. It fits the bill probably for a lot of people, and they dont even realize it. Its Small…. Really small. Only about 1/2” longer then the PLxC. And only 3 oz heavier, despite its much larger front objective! There is a hot debate going on with whether or not this should have exposed turrets or not. IMHO I think they chose the right direction with setting this scope up. Capped turrets keep the size and weight, cost, and concern of an accidental adjustment way down. The turrets are also pretty poor when it comes to sound and feel. So having an exposed knob that will remind you of that every single time you use it, well that doesnt sound enjoyable to me. These are also FFP, so the reticles will scale with the magnification. Just hold, and press.
But thats where this almost ‘too good to be true’ seeming scopes starts to fumble. At least with the reticle that I had tested. The ACSS Athena BPR in Mil’s looks great on paper. But once you get into an area where things are. Like grass, trees, bushes, ANTYHING really, the center part of the reticle vanishes before your eyes. Despite there being a center chevron, its actually very small, and gets lost easily. The center hash marks are also substantially finer then the rest of the reticle. Which to me is backwards…. It completely kills this scopes usability throughout most of its magnification range. Now I cannot say for the rest of the reticles that they would perform the same way. The DEKA G2 is a more traditional milling reticle, which would probably be a better fit for me personally. And the HUD DMR 308 reticle relies on precise holds for elevation and wind. And if your ballistics dont match up, your kind boned. To add insult to injury its optics start to fall apart hard above 10x. CA gets heavy, the eyebox tightens, and the image becomes soft. Id much rather have something like the Athlon Midas TAC 4-16. A bit larger and heavier, but a superior scope overall. In fact, thats exactly what I did.