To use or not use a Leupold Tactical Illuminated Prismatic Sight

[usmarine0352_2005]

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As I've stated earlier some of us on my dept. are going thru a patrol rifle class and will be allowed to buy our own personal AR15's, although any accessories/mods are the ones stated and cannot be replaced with anything else. The sight that was chosen for us is the Leupold Tactical Prismatic Illuminated 1X14.


I know there are other options out there and our SWAT guys use whatever they want, most choose Aimpoints, Eotech's or ACOGS, (mostly Aimpoints) but we are limited to the Leupold. I was talking to one of the guys in our group is who going to the class. He was a Marine also, but about 20 years ago (the last time he fired an M16/AR15 type rifle). He said he purchased the Leupold sight but after talking to some other guys was doubtful about putting it on and just sticking with his iron sights. I told him I'd put the scope on and sight both in, and after shooting the course if he didn't like it, he could take it off, leaving his iron sights which would have been sighted in already.






Where we work is a downtown area which is almost all business's, and few skysrapers, although there are a lot of apartments and hotels in the area and we work at night.



So a few questions about the Leupold Prismatic sight.



1.) I'm assuming that since it is 1X14mm there is no actual magnification?



2.) Knowing where I work would you leave the Leupold sight off or on?



3.) Some have said one of the benefits is that the Leupold sight sets everything on the same focal plane, what does that mean and why is it a benefit?



4.) If the reticle is the not illuminated will the etched sight be enough to see in darklit areas (streetlights).



5.) Can you shoot this sight with both eyes open?



6.) Some have said that you cannot co-witness with the FSB with this scope, is that correct?



7.) Any in-sights you have into this situation?





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[JustinJ]

So a few questions about the Leupold Prismatic sight.



1.) I'm assuming that since it is 1X14mm there is no actual magnification?

Correct although it should work with a detachable magnifier such as those by Aimpoint, Eotech, etc.

2.) Knowing where I work would you leave the Leupold sight off or on?

On, a red dot allows for quicker target acquisition.

3.) Some have said one of the benefits is that the Leupold sight sets everything on the same focal plane, what does that mean and why is it a benefit?

I'm not sure how this is a benefit on a 1X scope. Maybe something with eye relief?

4.) If the reticle is the not illuminated will the etched sight be enough to see in darklit areas (streetlights).

The unit comes with a removable illumination module although i don't know what the battery life span is and can't find it on their webpage. I don't know if the reticle will be easily seen in darlit areas either.

5.) Can you shoot this sight with both eyes open?

Yes

6.) Some have said that you cannot co-witness with the FSB with this scope, is that correct?

I don't see why not. The base has multiple spacers for different heights and there is an Arms throw lever that works with the unit. I don't know for sure but would be very surprised if there is no way to cowitness. At the very least i'm sure a lower 1/3 configuraiton would be possible.

7.) Any in-sights you have into this situation?

I'm an Aimpoint fan. They are indestructible and a battery will last til the end of time.

 

[Tirod]

I've hunted with red dots since the introduction of the first generation Aimpoint in the '70s. Still have it. Knowing Leupold's reputation from other reviews of products, I'll assume it's as top notch as the rest of the lineup.

http://www.leupold.com/tactical/pro...cope/prismatic-1x14mm-tactical-illum-reticle/ answers a lot of your questions, the etched reticle would be visible in most lighting situations. Because of the absolute need to identify targets, illumination in the way of a light mounted on the fore end with momentary switch to control it will fill in use in the dark.

The "one focal plane" is about being able to just put the reticle on the target alone, and then shoot. No lining up front and back sights to minimize inaccuracy, illuminated dots and reticles allow fast target acquisition. That's the entire point of why they were added to the M4 for combat. And because most encounters in urban/suburban terrain are distance limited, they work fine out to 300m. They won't create a narrow tunnel the way a powered scope does, causing the shooter to hunt for the target or shift to see which end they are looking at. Scopes are not fast at all for that, they require more valuable seconds to get spotted in. Fine for a single shot - not on a running target.

I'd definitely use it with the iron sights cowitnessed at a lower one third. It's exactly what the Army is doing with Aimpoints, Eotechs, and the others, making it easier to target faster in near range situations - where 85% of the action is.

 

[Andrew Wyatt]

you can't cowitness irons with it, since it's not a red dot.

 

[JustinJ]

"you can't cowitness irons with it, since it's not a red dot."

Why not? From looking on the website the reticle displayed has a central point where the cross hairs meet so why not just cowitness the irons with that?

 

[Andrew Wyatt]

It's a 1 power scope. The focal plane is in front of the front sight.

It would be like trying to cowitness irons through an ACOG or an accupoint.

 

[-v-]

Its because even though they write that it is a 1X sight, its actually a very low magnification scope. Something on the order of 1.01x-1.1, or so, not enough to really notice other then in very forced situations. With that said, just like you can't co-witness a 1-4x powered scope with irons (which are also >1x at lowest magnification), you cannot cowitnes a prismatic either. Someone with more knowledge in optics hopefully will come along and explain why.

IIRC the battery life of the illuminator module is 50 hours. Uses tiny watch/hearing aid batteries. The top button on the illuminator is an On/Off, not sure how it handles brightness adjustments.

 

[Bartholomew Roberts]

1.) I'm assuming that since it is 1X14mm there is no actual magnification?

Correct.

2.) Knowing where I work would you leave the Leupold sight off or on?

Off. This thing has a much shorter battery life than an Aimpoint or Eotech. All leaving it on is going to do is make sure you have dead batteries when you need it.

3.) Some have said one of the benefits is that the Leupold sight sets everything on the same focal plane, what does that mean and why is it a benefit?

Any red dot or scope does this. All they are saying is that the aiming point and the target are on the same place. Your eyes can only focus at one distance at a time. With irons, you have a rear sight at one distance, a front sight at another distance and the target at a third distance. Typically, this means to get good results the target and rear sight are "blurry" as your focus is on the front sight. Having the aiming point in the same focal plane as the target lets you see both clearly and helps with speed and precision.

4.) If the reticle is the not illuminated will the etched sight be enough to see in darklit areas (streetlights).

Never liked the Prismatic well enough to try it out that thoroughly, so I can't say.

5.) Can you shoot this sight with both eyes open?

Yes.

6.) Some have said that you cannot co-witness with the FSB with this scope, is that correct?

Yes.

7.) Any in-sights you have into this situation?

It weighs a ton. OK, only 12oz; but that seems like a lot of weight for what you get. As optics go, I think it is mediocre at best. If I was limited to Leupold products only, I'd probably look at their CQT or their new 1-8x (which will break your wallet).

I'd still rank it above irons in utility; but when you do cost balancing (weight and cost of optic) against the utility it provides, irons start to look pretty good.

 

[tkopp]

I have a PKAS 1x scope on my Saiga. I almost never illuminate it, and rely on the etched circle and dot. In daylight I find the non-illuminated sight to be much easier to use than a red dot or holographic sight. I also find it easier to make precise shots with it at range than with a red dot -- the boundaries of the reticle are just a lot sharper.