help finding optic

[PRSDietitian]

So I have been pondering a scope for an upcoming SPR build.

Ideally would be

30 or 34mm tube
36-44mm objective
FFP
exposed locking turrets
zero stop
side paralax
2-10 or 2-12 or so but could go higher if the criteria are in other mag ranges
has a christmas tree style reticle
illuminated reticle
japanese glass if possible

i like the Primary Arms GLX 2.5-10x44 but i wish it had japanese or better glass

Any ideas what might fall into this criteria?

obviously i liked the Glx for it being shorter and lighter but not sure on the glass quality. The credo is also a consideration but it has a fixed parralax

 

[FuhQ]

It sounds like you're looking for a good budget-priced scope. Primary Arms has recently upgraded 2 of their GLx scopes with better Japanese ELD glass, and features and magnification ranges. Personally, I'm a big fan of the 4.5-27x56 version, and hope to get one to try out when they get in stock...

Primary Arms GLx 3-18x44 FFP Rifle Scope - Illuminated ACSS Athena BPR MIL Reticle

DetailsThis rifle scope is part of the mid-tier optics line called GLx. GLx brings premium technology and materials into an approachable price range.Building on the features of our award-winning GLx rifle scopes, the GLx 3-18x44mm FFP Rifle Scope brings premium optical performance to a versatile...

www.primaryarms.com

Primary Arms GLx 4.5-27x56 FFP Rifle Scope - Illuminated ACSS Athena BPR MIL Reticle

DetailsThis rifle scope is part of the mid-tier optics line called GLx. GLx brings premium technology and materials into an approachable price range.Designed for superior long-range performance, the new GLx 4.5-27x56mm FFP Rifle Scope combines the proven GLx turret system with enhanced glass...

www.primaryarms.com

 

[beetroot]

So I have been pondering a scope for an upcoming SPR build.

Ideally would be

30 or 34mm tube
36-44mm objective
FFP
exposed locking turrets
zero stop
side paralax
2-10 or 2-12 or so but could go higher if the criteria are in other mag ranges
has a christmas tree style reticle
illuminated reticle
japanese glass if possible

i like the Primary Arms GLX 2.5-10x44 but i wish it had japanese or better glass

Any ideas what might fall into this criteria?

obviously i liked the Glx for it being shorter and lighter but not sure on the glass quality. The credo is also a consideration but it has a fixed parralax

For lower magnification options your best bet is the Trijicon Credo 2-10x36 if you don't really need side focus, or if you have money to burn the new March 1.5-15x42.

If you are happy with 3x on the low end then there are a tonne of options, deciding on your budget and maximum weight will help narrow down the options.

 

[PRSDietitian]

Probably keep it under 30oz but that 20-25oz range would be ideal. I know that the Glx 2.5-10 is made in the Philippines but wasn't sure what glad it used. I saw the march but didn't see a Christmas tree reticle

 

[PRSDietitian]

It sounds like you're looking for a good budget-priced scope. Primary Arms has recently upgraded 2 of their GLx scopes with better Japanese ELD glass, and features and magnification ranges. Personally, I'm a big fan of the 4.5-27x56 version, and hope to get one to try out when they get in stock...

Primary Arms GLx 3-18x44 FFP Rifle Scope - Illuminated ACSS Athena BPR MIL Reticle

DetailsThis rifle scope is part of the mid-tier optics line called GLx. GLx brings premium technology and materials into an approachable price range.Building on the features of our award-winning GLx rifle scopes, the GLx 3-18x44mm FFP Rifle Scope brings premium optical performance to a versatile...

www.primaryarms.com

Primary Arms GLx 4.5-27x56 FFP Rifle Scope - Illuminated ACSS Athena BPR MIL Reticle

DetailsThis rifle scope is part of the mid-tier optics line called GLx. GLx brings premium technology and materials into an approachable price range.Designed for superior long-range performance, the new GLx 4.5-27x56mm FFP Rifle Scope combines the proven GLx turret system with enhanced glass...

www.primaryarms.com

So the 3-18 has japanese glass now?? Hmmmm... giving me ideas

 

[Hecouldgoalltheway]

I'll throw the sig tango 6 in as a valid option. Feature rich, 3-18×44mm, 34mm tube. Excellent glass, internal level, tracks like it should. Can often be found in great shape used for about $800. Excellent hunting scope. I have 2 of them and have or have had just about everything.

 

[FuhQ]

So the 3-18 has japanese glass now?? Hmmmm... giving me ideas

I think that's what the PA guy on here said... It could just be Pilipino or Chinese ELD glass, but I know it's ELD glass for sure. The glass in my new SLx 1-10x28 LPVO's is quite impressive for $450. So I have high hopes for the redesigned GLx with even better glass than the SLx line.

 

[PRSDietitian]

I'll throw the sig tango 6 in as a valid option. Feature rich, 3-18×44mm, 34mm tube. Excellent glass, internal level, tracks like it should. Can often be found in great shape used for about $800. Excellent hunting scope. I have 2 of them and have or have had just about everything.

Do they still make them? I saw a lot of discontinued on sites

 

[PRSDietitian]

I think that's what the PA guy on here said... It could just be Pilipino or Chinese ELD glass, but I know it's ELD glass for sure. The glass in my new SLx 1-10x28 LPVO's is quite impressive for $450. So I have high hopes for the redesigned GLx with even better glass than the SLx line.

Likely a step up from Chinese glass. I do know the Glx 4.5-27 has better glass than the Slx 5-25x

 

[Hecouldgoalltheway]

Do they still make them? I saw a lot of discontinued on sites

I don't think they are in production anymore. Sig went hard on their bdx line a couple years ago ago and may have stopped that entire line up.

 

[PRSDietitian]

That's lame because it does look solid. I'm thinking about the Glx 2.5-10 or 3-18

If ZCO puts their 1.7-12x with the mpact 2 reticle in the US, that'd be absolutely perfect

 

[Charger442]

March has a couple options that satisfy this criteria.

 

[PRSDietitian]

March has a couple options that satisfy this criteria.

Damn that March 1-10 with the Christmas tree reticle is really nice

 

[PRSDietitian]

So I was doing a little digging and i came across the Apex Hunter 3-15x44. I have heard good things about their rival scopes in 4-32x56. Only downside is it only has 20 mils of elevation, so likely around 10 mils of usable elevation, but i plan to get a 20moa mount anyway. It has an illuminated christmas tree reticle and is only 26oz compared to some others hiting 29-30+oz

What are ya'lls thoughts?

 

[Glassaholic]

Have you thought about the NF NX8 2.5-20x50? It is Japanese and has pretty wide FOV at the bottom, but if you really need 2x then you are certainly limited as there are very few options in the MPVO class. Hopefully the new Leupold and ZCO will open more doors.

You didn't put a weight requirement so maybe the chunky Steiner T6Xi 2.5-15x50, it's not Japanese but the German glass in my 3-18x56 is very impressive.

The new March 1.5-15 may be the best thing going, and first shipments will hopefully be out next month so we'll see how this scope performs as the first MPVO with 10x erector.

One note with the 1-10, they just came out with the new 34mm tube 1-10 and you might start seeing some of the previous gen version up for sale in the classifieds.

 

[Glassaholic]

So I was doing a little digging and i came across the Apex Hunter 3-15x44. I have heard good things about their rival scopes in 4-32x56. Only downside is it only has 20 mils of elevation, so likely around 10 mils of usable elevation, but i plan to get a 20moa mount anyway. It has an illuminated christmas tree reticle and is only 26oz compared to some others hiting 29-30+oz

What are ya'lls thoughts?

I would look at the PA GLx 3-18x44 before this one, if you can live with 3x at the bottom it seems to check a lot of your boxes.

 

[PRSDietitian]

I would look at the PA GLx 3-18x44 before this one, if you can live with 3x at the bottom it seems to check a lot of your boxes.

What's your reasoning other than the greater elevation?

 

[Glassaholic]

What's your reasoning other than the greater elevation?

Mostly because PA has a really good track record with their optics and Apex is a relative newcomer, but it could very well be that Apex turns out to be outstanding scopes for the value. Try not to get too caught up in the whole "Japanese glass" paradigm. I bought a scope from a new company (at the time) that advertises "made in Japan" and even advertised ED glass but my copy had quite a bit of CA, when I shared this with one of the owners he was shocked and basically said ED glass eliminates CA, yes, ED glass can help but there are other factors at play (you can't just say ED = no CA). I also asked him why their 30mm scope weighed so much and his comment was "good glass weighs more"

based on that criteria, the Tangent Theta TT315M doesn't use very good glass, or the Schmidt US 3-20x50 (both weighed less than the scope in question and were within the mag range). Granted, he was just giving me the "marketing" answer but leaving it at that felt a bit disingenuous. While I agree that certain glass that may be spec'd for a particular scope may weigh more than other "lesser" glass in other scopes, it's more about the total design.

If what you really want is good Japanese glass in an MPVO style scope at a decent price, you might want to try to hunt down one of the old Bushnell Elite Tactical LRHS 3-12x44 scopes, but these are rare, especially illuminated reticle versions. Again, there just isn't much in the MPVO world that checks your boxes.

 

[PRSDietitian]

Mostly because PA has a really good track record with their optics and Apex is a relative newcomer, but it could very well be that Apex turns out to be outstanding scopes for the value. Try not to get too caught up in the whole "Japanese glass" paradigm. I bought a scope from a new company (at the time) that advertises "made in Japan" and even advertised ED glass but my copy had quite a bit of CA, when I shared this with one of the owners he was shocked and basically said ED glass eliminates CA, yes, ED glass can help but there are other factors at play (you can't just say ED = no CA). I also asked him why their 30mm scope weighed so much and his comment was "good glass weighs more"

based on that criteria, the Tangent Theta TT315M doesn't use very good glass, or the Schmidt US 3-20x50 (both weighed less than the scope in question and were within the mag range). Granted, he was just giving me the "marketing" answer but leaving it at that felt a bit disingenuous. While I agree that certain glass that may be spec'd for a particular scope may weigh more than other "lesser" glass in other scopes, it's more about the total design.

If what you really want is good Japanese glass in an MPVO style scope at a decent price, you might want to try to hunt down one of the old Bushnell Elite Tactical LRHS 3-12x44 scopes, but these are rare, especially illuminated reticle versions. Again, there just isn't much in the MPVO world that checks your boxes.

Sounds like a maven scope hahaha. Hopefully you're not talking about Tract haha that's what i got for my main build

I am a big PA fan boy and the new glx is on my short list of choices for this next build

 

[PRSDietitian]

Does anyone have any experience with the MPO 3-18x50 from brownells? That one seems like a good option too