Primary Arms Optics: July Optics Update
July has been a busy month here at Primary Arms, with exciting releases in both our PLx® and SLx® product tiers. Whether you’re looking for a high-performance AR-15 optic or just a reliable scope for hunting season, this month’s update should have exactly what you’re looking for!
We’ll follow the same format for this update, so you can jump right in:
– Latest NEW Optics
– Upcoming Releases for August
– Primary Arms Optics News
– ‘Eye-Opener’ Mini-Blog
– Upcoming Events
As always, we hope you’ll send us your thoughts and feedback on our Facebook or Instagram. Our team will be standing by to answer all your questions (or at least those we can!)
New Optics for July
So, what’s new for July? This month, we had two major product releases: our first SLx 4-12x HUNTER™ Scopes and a brand-new reticle for our PLx 1-8x24mm FFP Compact Rifle Scope.
SLx 4-12×40/50 HUNTER Rifle Scopes
Hunting season is right around the corner, and now’s the right time to update your rifle with a scope that’s specially built for the avid outdoorsman.
Available with either a 40mm and 50mm objective lens, our new SLx 4-12x HUNTER SFP Rifle Scopes are all about quality materials and craftsmanship with proven reliability to last a lifetime. Featuring a lightweight 1-inch body diameter, these scopes offer high-clarity glass, a forgiving eye box, and a bold duplex reticle that makes it easy to acquire your target.
Primary Arms SLx 4-12×40/50 HUNTER Rifle Scopes
We’re so confident in these new scopes, we back them with our industry-leading lifetime warranty and a commitment to customer satisfaction. If you’re interested in upgrading your hunting gear this year, make sure this one is on your list.
ACSS® Raptor M8 Meter for the PLx 1-8x Compact
The PLx 1-8x24mm FFP Compact Rifle Scope has quickly become one of our most exciting optics yet, offering unmatched performance with an ultra-compact footprint. Already, this scope has garnered a lot of attention in the community, but many are asking about the new reticle options.
Today, we’re excited to say the next reticle is just a few days out! In the next week or two, we’ll begin shipping the first PLx 1-8x24mm FFP Compact Rifle Scopes with the ACSS Raptor M8 Meter 5.56/.308 reticle.
As the name suggests, this variant of the ACSS Raptor M8 is calibrated for metric, meaning the ranging and BDC holdovers are in meters rather than yards.
That isn’t the only difference, though. The ACSS Raptor M8 Meters also has a larger outer horseshoe with variable-speed moving target holds inside. The Meters reticle also has simpler vertical auto-ranging stadia and no vertical MIL crosshair, which gives the reticle a slightly more ‘open’ layout.
Primary Arms Compact PLx-1-8x24mm FFP Rifle Scopes Buy Now
If you’re in the market for one of the absolute best AR-15 scopes around, make sure you check out the PLx 1-8x24mm FFP Compact Rifle Scopes. No matter which reticle you choose, we’re confident it’ll live up to its excitement.
What’s Coming?
We have a few other new optics planned to land this August. If you keep an eye out, you can expect these new products to hit your inbox over the next month!
SLx 3x MicroPrism Green
How do you make a great optic even greater? You offer it with a green reticle option, of course.
The award-winning SLx 3x MicroPrism is getting its first green-illuminated variants in early August, likely in the first week.
Many marksmen prefer green reticles because they seem brighter and faster for high-speed shooting. While red-illuminated reticles offer slightly better contrast in heavily wooded areas, green is a popular choice for urban or arid environments, where you’re commonly shooting against warm- or neutral-colored backgrounds.
SLx products like the 3x MicroPrism built Primary Arms Optics’ reputation for innovation, reliability, and value. All SLx products undergo rigorous field testing during development to best serve you in any environment.
SLx 4-16x44mm FFP Rifle Scope
Speaking of SLx, our first batch of SLx 4-16x44mm FFP Rifle Scopes should arrive for customers in August. This scope is the next iteration of our esteemed SLx 4-14x44mm FFP Rifle Scope, offering enhanced glass quality with a slightly larger max magnification.
Combined, these upgrades will stretch the effective range of the optic further, making it easy to land shots out to the 1,000-yard line or beyond. Best of all, the new 4-16 is only 1.3 inches longer and 0.2 oz heavier, so there’s minimal trade-off.
Expect to see these scopes landing in very early August, as we’ve already sent them to our dealers.
[Pre-Release] SLx 1-10x28mm SFP Rifle Scope
Announced as part of our 2022 Catalog, the new SLx 1-10x28mm SFP Rifle Scope is our first 1-10x optic, bringing unique versatility to our existing lineup of low-power variable optics.
This scope takes many of the new features and additions from our most recent LPVOs, including the dovetail throw lever, Daylight Bright® illumination, and enhanced quality glass. The larger 28mm objective lens will also improve functionality for maximum magnification, ensuring that you’re never fighting to find your eye box. Best of all, since it’s part of our SLx product line, you can still count on an unbeatable price, fit for almost any budget.
So, keep an eye out! We should have more information coming out for pre-release later in August. Of course, we’ll also keep you updated as we approach its final release date, too.
Announcement: Primary Arms Optics Earns ‘Gold’ Rating from NTOA
In other news, Primary Arms Optics recently received two new product recommendations from the National Tactical Officers Association (NTOA).
Following weeks of extensive testing, the NTOA gave a SILVER-tier recommendation for our SLx RS-10 Mini Reflex and a GOLD-tier recommendation for our GLx® 1-6x24mm FFP Rifle Scope.
Shop All NTOA Recommended Optics
NTOA testing encompasses weeks of field trials by a panel of Law Enforcement professionals, who score products according to at least 6 of 13 primary criteria, including Design, Performance, Ease of Use, Size, Quality, Durability, Storage, Versatility, Convenience, Application, Comfort, Accuracy, and Cleaning & Maintenance.
Silver- and Gold-tier recommendations are given to products that perform exceedingly well across all categories, and we are honored to receive such glowing reviews for these two new optics.
Whenever we develop a new optic, we commit to delivering the best quality we can for the price. Whether it’s an SLx, GLx, or PLx, we want our customers to be fully confident in their optic, knowing it’ll be there when they need it most.
For that reason, we’re especially pleased to hear the NTOA’s findings. It means that we’re doing our job right—building quality optics that perform well at any price point.
Monthly Eye-Opener: Height Over Bore
How much does optic height matter? Nowadays, it seems like optic mounts just keep getting taller and taller. In the past few years, we’ve gone from 1.7” mounts up to 1.93”, 2.10”, and beyond. Surely there’s a downside to all this, right?
That answer is somewhat subjective, but if there’s one thing to really think about, it’s the term ‘height over bore.’
‘Height over bore’ describes the height difference between the centerline of your optic and the centerline of your rifle’s bore. Note that this is different from your ‘mount height’ since there’s an additional gap between the top rail (where the mount starts) and the actual center of your barrel.
Most traditional AR-15 scope mounts have a mount height of 1.4” to 1.6”, translating to a 2.6”-2.8” height over bore. If you add a riser—or use a 1.93” height mount—your height over bore increases considerably.
So, why does this matter?
First, height over bore determines your holdover when shooting at targets at close distances. If your rifle is zeroed at 100 yards, and you shoot at a target at 10 yards, your point of impact will be somewhere below your aiming point. By increasing your height over bore, you increase the holdover distance, making it harder to predict your exact point of impact.
For flat range shooting, this might not matter much, but if you work in Law Enforcement, knowing your height over bore and CQB holdovers is mission critical. For example, consider a hostage situation, where missing even an inch can have life-altering consequences. SWAT teams emphasize holdover drills for a reason: not all precision shooting happens at long range.
That said, height over bore affects more than your close-quarters performance. It also affects the properties of your zero.
Many AR-15 owners have heard that a 50-yard zero will also line up at 200 yards. Or that a 25-yard zero will line up again around 300 yards. This is just a crude estimation and will vary heavily by your barrel length, cartridge, and other ballistic conditions—including your height over bore.
By increasing the angle between your line of aim and the bullet’s trajectory, you push the second ‘far” zero out even further. At the same time, you might find a more extreme climb over your aiming point at distances between your near and far zero.
This isn’t necessarily a bad thing. In fact, a 1.93” mount might offer a larger Maximum Point Blank Range than a standard 1.5” mount. However, you will need to use a ballistic calculator to find the new sweet spot for your zero.
As always, research and mathematics are the king of effective ballistics. If you’re thinking of increasing your mount height for that fast ‘heads up’ technique, just make sure you re-train yourself with your new CQB holdovers and trajectory.
And that concludes this month’s eye-opener!
Upcoming Events
We have a couple industry events coming up. These aren’t open to the public, but if your business is planning to attend, keep an eye out for us!
August 19th-20th Mid-States Fall Rendezvous
August 30th Worldwide Show 2022
We’ll also be attending the American MILSIM Copperhead VII Event, which takes place on September 3rd and 4th at the Playas Training Center in Playas, New Mexico.
If you’re serious about MILSIM, this is going to be one of the biggest events of the year, so you should certainly check it out.
Wrap-Up!
We’ll have more exciting announcements for you in the coming weeks, so be sure to keep an eye out on your inbox. August should see the release of several new optics, and we’ll be sure to keep you updated—both via email and social media.
If you haven’t already, be sure to follow us on Facebook and Instagram! That’s where we get to hear your feedback and implement it for all our future updates (and releases.)
