At Primary Arms, we make a lot of optics. From scopes and prisms, to red dots, to binoculars and more–the breadth of the catalog can be a little disorienting, particularly when you start trying to navigate the different tiers within the same category.
Want to know what separates an SLx scope from its GLx brethren or whether a Classic Series® optic is sufficient for your needs? We’ll cover it all in detail below.
Primary Arms Optics Overview
Our focus is simple: providing the highest-quality optics at the most affordable prices possible. We’re all about getting the best possible equipment into the hands of our customers, whether you need a top-of-the-line scope for professional use on duty or just a spare red dot for rimfire plinking.
We’re big believers in having the right tool for the right job, so we don’t limit ourselves to just one category or product tier. We strive to offer a full range of products for all applications and every budget.
To that end, we’ve sorted our offering into four tiers, each with a specific focus and end user in mind. This makes it easy for buyers to find exactly what they need, without any guesswork.
Classic Series®
Classic Series optics and accessories are perfect for the budget-focused marksman. All Classic Series products come with a lifetime warranty, showing our commitment to guaranteed quality.
Our Classic Series tier of optics delivers best-in-class performance for marksmen on a budget. They are made with the same care and attention to detail as all of our optics, but are available in a more approachable price range for users seeking quality without breaking the bank.
Classic Series optics are backed by our exceptional lifetime warranty and available in popular, timeless designs such as our 3-9x SFP scope and 1-6x LPVO as well as our MRS and MRSC pistol reflex sights. They’re perfect for target practice or range use, and even suitable for some hunting or competition applications.
SLx®
SLx optics built our reputation for innovation, reliability, and value. All SLx optics undergo rigorous field testing during development to best serve you in any environment.
Our SLx series is all about affordable quality. It’s our most popular product tier, and with good reason; SLx optics deliver a massive amount of capability, reliable durability, and a robust feature set all without breaking the bank.
Manufactured under strict quality control guidelines, these optics are perfect for the average user. They’re more than durable enough for hunting, competition, target practice, even concealed carry and home defense. Our SLx optics are even appropriate for some professional applications, with our prism optics being particularly popular.
It’s also our most expansive product tier, including not just scopes and red dots, but also magnifiers, binoculars, and more.
SLx optics are all about striking that optimal balance between features and quality, delivering an optic equipped with everything you need to get the job done,while maintaining a very budget friendly cost.
One of the most popular optics in our SLx line is the 1x MicroPrism, which offers the speed and ease of use of a red dot, but the etched reticle and astigmatism-compatibility of a scope. This blend of features, combined with its incredibly forgiving eye box and long eye relief, have made it an evergreen favorite with a wide range of users.
The SLx line also includes our first pistol-oriented red dot, the RS-10. This ultra-compact mini reflex sight weighs just over an ounce and fits most Docter or Noblex footprint mounts and optic cuts. It also comes with a low-profile Glock MOS pattern adapter plate, so it’s ready to go on your favorite MOS-equipped pistol.
While some users will require a more sophisticated optic, for the vast majority, the SLx line provides incredible bang for your buck and is perfect for most civilian firearms applications.
GLx®
GLx brings premium technology and materials into a more approachable price range.
Our GLx tier represents a step up from the SLx product line and is geared more toward hard or professional use. This tier is all about taking advanced features and materials usually reserved for high-dollar scopes and integrating them into optics that won’t bankrupt your wallet. These optics often integrate features that would be unnecessary or redundant for more casual use, such as locking, exposed target turrets, and our A AutoLive® technology.
While capped or open turrets are suitable for a huge range of uses, locking turrets are often required for mobile applications, such as competition, tactical, or hunting scenarios where dynamic movement introduces a risk of uncapped turrets being bumped off of their zero. In these situations, capped turrets would require precious seconds to remove in order to adjust your zero to compensate for drop, so locking turrets are demanded.
Similarly, all of our GLx scopes feature steel-on-steel adjustments for peak accuracy and long-term durability when dialed for range over and over again.
GLx optics also feature upgraded glass that delivers superior low-light performance and greater color fidelity and clarity.
Enhanced ruggedization makes these optics ideal for use cases that involve more challenging environments, such as duty use, backcountry hunting, or high-level competition.
While all of our GLx optics remain popular, our 3-18x and 4.5-27x scopes are among the most sought after, prized for their 34mm maintubes and wide range of adjustment. In addition to locking turrets and steel-on-steel adjustments, these scopes also feature integrated throw levers for rapid magnification changes, EZ-Lock™ that automatically locks your turrets at zero, and AutoLive® illumination to help make the most of your battery life.
The GLx 6x magnifier is also notable for its high level of magnification compared to other magnifiers on the market. Despite the more powerful magnification, it still manages to provide a very usable eye box and a relatively compact profile. It also comes with an included flip-to-side mount, so it’s ready to go out of the box.
PLx®
PLx optics meet the exacting demands of professional use, offering impeccable glass clarity and advanced features from state-of-the-art production facilities.
PLx optics are all about pushing the envelope of what modern firearm optics are capable of. They are manufactured in Japan to exact standards and meticulously engineered with the very latest technology.
This line of optics features our highest-quality Extra-Low Dispersion glass for the ultimate in clarity, color, and brightness. They are ruggedized to the extreme and thoroughly tested on the most demanding firearms and in the harshest conditions possible to ensure they are fully capable of handling nearly anything even professional use can throw at them.
Our PLx optics pull no punches and spare no expense; they are the pinnacle of optics technology, designed from the ground up for users who demand the most from their equipment. These scopes are suitable for professional applications where failure is not an option–in fact, the PLx Compact 1-8x scope was chosen by the Department of Energy to be issued on their service rifles.
The PLx Compact 1-8x is in all ways exceptional, so it’s no surprise that it’s the most popular model of our PLx series. At only 9.28 inches long and less than 17 ounces, it’s among the lightest and most compact scopes in its class, but with performance that belies its size.
The turrets are capped from the factory, but the top turret on the FFP variant can be changed out for an exposed target turret for those who frequently find themselves needing to dial for range. Like the GLx series, it features an integrated throw lever that can be exchanged with our UML folding throw lever and AutoLive motion-sensing illumination. It also boasts an impressively large field of view (121ft @ 100yd) and a remarkably forgiving eye box for fast, easy target acquisition.
The PLx Compact is available with either an FFP or SFP reticle, allowing users their preference of focal plane. It can even be had with our state-of-the-art ACSS NOVA® reticle, which utilizes fiber wire technology to provide an incredibly bright dot at the center of the crosshairs for Red Dot Bright™ performance.
When only the best will do, PLx optics rise to the challenge.
Conclusion
The Primary Arms Optics catalog is vast and varied but separated into product tiers to make it easy and convenient to navigate. Each tier is geared towards specific applications and designed to offer the maximum amount of value for its price point.
Our SLx optics are perfect for the majority of users, but for those who demand greater levels of performance, our GLx and PLx optics can deliver. No matter what optic you choose, all are backed by our lifetime warranty for your confidence and peace of mind.
