DarkLordOfOptics
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MPVO vs Crossover

These two terms get thrown around a lot, by me most of all, while what they really mean is very much open to interpretation. I do not have the power to unilaterally define them. I can, however, at least explain what I mean when I use them.

The term crossover scope arguably came about due to the advent of western hunting. Out west, it is not uncommon to take a shot on game from a considerable distance often in pretty gnarly conditions. That requires something akin to a precision scope if you want to do it well. Modern precision oriented riflescopes are frequently large and heavy. While it is possible to drag one uphill with you, it is not something I recommend. Plenty of people do it and I applaud their mental fortitude. I've done it and I don't like it. It is hard enough to drag my fat ass uphill. I am clearly not the only one, since quite a few years ago Premier Reticles came out with their Light Hunter scope. That was a version of their 3-15x50 design, except with simpler and lighter turrets all stuffed into a 30mm tube. Optically, it was the same as the larger tubed scope, but it weighed a lot less. It gave up some adjustment range and turret features, but that's largely it. When Premier went under Armament ended up with their assets. The scopes were re-engineered and improved. Then re-designed again and merged with a different ongoing development project that resulted in Tangent Theta scopes. TT315M and TT315H are the spiritual successors to the Premier Light Hunter: 3-15x50 scopes with 30mm tubes, limited adjustment range, simpler turrets and spectacular optical performance. They weigh around 27 ounces.
In parallel, Bushnell made their 3-12x44 and 4.5-18x44 LRHT scopes for a while (eventually they Bushnell-ed them), Leupold developed the 3.6-18x44 Mark 5HD and, more recently, Vortex introduced a 4.5-22x50 Razor HD-LHT. The latter, along with the Tangent are probably the purest expressions of the crossover concept we have today.
What's a crossover scope, then? To me, it is a FFP scope with max magnification of no less than 15x, illuminated mrad (or MOA for the masochists among us) reticle, elevation turret equipped with a zero stop and locking or covered windage turret. The objective lens diameter should be between 40 and 50mm. The scope weight should be no more than 30 ounces. Many of these criteria are somewhat arbitrary, but I have to draw the lines somewhere. On the low end I am looking for magnification of not more than 5x for an occasional offhand or badly supported shot. It is important that the reticle works adequately well across the entire magnification range, which is one of the reasons I require illumination. That is also why, to me, tree or grid type reticles that illuminate the whole thing are a problem. I want a small center portion of the reticle illuminated: a dot or a crosshair. You can get clever with it and illuminate a few more hold points, but not the whole thing. That has a tendency to make the scope useless in low light.

MPVO stands for Medium Power Variable Optic and the concept originated when people started thinking "what if I wanted to make an LPVO like scope, but did not need 1x on the low end?" 1x definitely complicates everything and one thing we can do by getting rid of it is bump up the objective diameter a little and optimize optics better for mid-range magnification. Original MPVO concept was sort of like a "tactical tweener". The purest expression of that original idea is Leupold Mark 5 2-10x30, Vortex PST Gen2 2-10x32 also sorta barks up the same tree, but it really did not set the world on fire. The Mark 5HD is an interesting design that I plan to test in the not too distant future. Given the absolute reluctance of most manufacturers to make high quality FFP riflescopes with objective lens diameters between 30 and 40mm, the definition of an MPVO got extended to include larger designs with 40-ish millimeter objectives. For these, the definition is a little different in that one of the binding criteria is low magnification, with higher magnification being a lot more flexible. To me, one of the absolutely critical requirements of an MPVO is reasonable compatibility with commercially available thermal clip-ons. That means the low end FOV had to be at least 7.5 degrees or thereabouts. That translates to around 40ft @ 100 yards. Wider is even better (closer to 50), but 40 is reasonable. For most riflescopes, that's between 2.5x and 3x. For some short-ish eyerelief prismatics, you can get close to that FOV on 4x, but they are not variable optics.
The rest of the specs are simple: FFP reticle with some ability to hold over, locking or covered elevation turret preferably with zero stop (but reticle only distance and wind holds are acceptable, so no zerostop is OK), covered or locking windage turret, objective lens diameter between 30 and 44mm, weight of less than 30ounces. Lighter is naturally better.
There is some obvious overlap between MPVO and crossover optics, but I prioritize different features with these two scope types.
Here are the two configurations I would consider ideal that, hopefully, illustrate my point.

Ideal crossover:
30mm tube, illuminated tree reticle (Vortex XLR2 or similar), 3.4-17x50, side focus, 20 ounce weight, 3 - 3.5" eye relief, single turn 12mrad turret with 0.1mrad clicks, no low power tunneling, covered low profile windage turret, exposed low profile zerostop elevation turret. Essentially, I am looking for a fusion of Razor HD-LHT and USO FDN-17x.

Ideal MPVO:
30mm tube, illuminated abbreviated tree reticle (S&B's MDR-T6 or similar), 2.4-12x36, side focus, 20 ounce weight, 2.5 - 3" eyerelief, single or double turn turret with 0.1mrad clicks and at least 10mrad of available adjustment, locking zerostop elevation turret, covered low profile windage turret. Essentially, I am looking for a fusion of the Mark5 with Blackhound Emerge or something in between. Leupold turrets are near perfect for this application.

Neither configuration currently exists. Both are eminently makeable and whichever OEM currently makes the Razor HD-LHT 4.5-22x50 with sub 22 ounce weight, can pull off these exact configurations if properly motivated.

Unfortunately, there is no one out there except for me who thinks these will sell. The wait continues....

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Delta Stryker 3.5-21x44 Wrap-up

This scope comes up a lot since I really like the configuration. It is time to do a final wrap-up of it.

It is one of my favourite scopes on the market today, especially for the money, since I naturally lean toward general purpose-ish designs. Still, while the 3.5-21x44 Stryker is relatively compact and light, it still clearly leans toward the precision side of things, which suites me very well.

https://annexdefense.com/optics-and-optic-accessories/delta-optics/

00:10:25
AR-15 Handguards with integrated Arca rail

I had a couple of ARs I wanted to set up for long range training. There is more to do with them, but I started out by swapping out the handguards for models with an integrated full length Arca rail. Larger flat on the bottom of the handguard helps it settle on the sandbag and makes it easier to shoot off of a tripod. I also found the ability to slide the bipod to different positions occasionally helpful.

The two handguards I have been testing are:

Fast Track my Catalyst Arms: https://www.anarchyoutdoors.com/fast-track-arca-precision-rifle-handguard-ar-15-rpr-only/?ref=fl0iza41

IWI/CMT HDM https://alnk.to/8iWcTQE

Both work well once installed, but IWI/CMT was ultimately less of a hassle to get properly lined up.

Fasttrack barrel nut arrangement is a little goofy and getting properly lined up took some trial and error. Here is the video they made that shows how it is set up. I was going to do my own, but once I got it all aligned, I did not want to mess with taking it up and ...

00:19:29
Burris XTR PS Wrap-Up

The first Burris XTR PS scope I got my hands on landed here in the beginning of March.
That means I have been messing with this design for a bit under four months. That does not quite qualify as a long term test by my standards, but it is a fair amount of time and quite a few rounds shot, mostly 5.56 and 308.
I have both of the models of XTR PS and both work well.
https://alnk.to/3U3cZEC

For matches and such, I would lean toward the 5.5-30x56 version, but for general purpose use, the smaller 3.3-18x50 model does have an edge. You can shoot a match with it, take it hunting in the mountains or slap a thermal clip-on in front to go shoot some pigs. While not light weight, it is a very flexible design owing to moderate size and mid-pack magnification range.

As I said in the video, I think XTR PS is a meaningful step forward in simplifying how we shoot at distance.

I will provide occasional updates as I continue using the scope.

00:26:02
Sig P320

I just got an e-mail from my local range that they are banning any and all use of the Sig P320 due to the appearance of the gun going off by itself.

I have not been following the P320 saga very thoroughly, so I did a quick search to try to figure out what's happening and then called a friend of mine who is more on that side of the gun industry than I am and has better insight.

Here is a gyst of it.

There is a good number of anecdotal accounts of P320 going off on its own, including the incident that resulted in the tragic death of an airman in Wyoming a few days ago.

Neither Sig, nor the various government entities nor any of the 3rd parties were able to re-create ANY of these incidents.

A large number of P320s were retrieved, tested and abused. That includes the actual firearms that the incidents happened with.

Noone, to the best of my knowledge, has been able to make any of them go off without trigger manipulation.

What does that mean? That means that we do not know what is true ...

Leupold Scope dump at CDNN.

I just got an email, multiple models and reticles for 3HD, 4HD and 5HD scopes. You need call to get prices.

https://www.cdnnsports.com/optics.html?manufacturer=LEUPOLD

Independence Day, 2025

Publishing a "Happy Independence Day!" a day after independence day is probably bad form. It is also bad for posting affiliate links. Everybody and their grandmother is having discounts and I am not posting any links. To be honest, I do not particularly like posting general links and I simply did not have time to dig through everything and come with specific product links.
Still, if you plan to be buying something from one of the retailers I have an affiliate account with, I would appreciate it if you were to start with one of my links listed in the FAQ: https://darklordofoptics.locals.com/faq

I started writing the more substantive part of this post yesterday, but got sidetracked with thinking about the origin of the ideas that make America and ran out of time. I was only able to get back to it now. I suppose, better late than never.

We live in the world that, as far as the details go, is dramatically different from the world of the founders of the United States.

For the majority of this ...

Scoping Gas Guns
an interesting question that acme in via PM

I received this question via a private message and thought it was interesting enough to answer it in some detail.  I have been thinking a lot about appropriate optics for gas guns recently, so this came it at the right time.

 

Here is what I ahve been messing with last few days:

 

Above: 18" WOA barrel 5.56 AR-15 with Burris XTR PS 5.5-30x56 on it.

Below: 22" Satern barrel 224Valkyrie AR-15 with Delta Stryker 3.5-21x44 on it.


For obvious reasons, I am not posting who asked the question, but what I'll do is send him a link to this article, so that he gets an answer and we might have a good discussion.
Here is what I received:

Had a question for you
I have a Knights Armament SR25 6.5CM with a 14.5" barrel - I plan on shooting 100 - 600 yards at targets at 100 yd intervals
I am favoring the TT 315P with an Aimpont Acro mounted on top -( see you liked the TT315M) - would that be enough magnification?
I saw the SB SB 5-20 which offer more top end - I like the turrets on the Tanget and tooless Zero - what are your thoughts between the 2?
If I stayed 400 and under - how do you see the TT315P with the Acro Red dot against the SB 1-8 Short Dot (saw your review on that)

There isn't really enough information in the question for a simple answer, so let's consider a couple of options.

What is the gun for? 

For shooting medium range (out to 600) with occasional close range use?  If yes, go with a conventional scope and offset or piggybacked RDS.

For shooting at close distance with occasional med/long range use? If yes, so with a nice LPVO like the above mentioned S&B Short Dot 1-8x24 https://alnk.to/3J8vlFv.  It is quite capable at long range, but where it will really knock your socks off is up close and personal.

The question of what is enough magnification is pretty personal.  For me, 3-15x is plenty, but I shoot a lot off of the tripod and off of barricades which likely influences my decision.  For that, my 3-15x50 TT315M Tangent works great and 6mrad of elevation is plenty.  https://alnk.to/gVNkUXB  175gr #08 out of a shoter tube will drop in the 5 to 5.5mrad range at 600 yards.

For a dedicated long range semi-auto, other than the looks, there isn't much downside to a larger scope, which is why I set up Burris' XTR PS on the 5.56 AR pictured above.  It is for my son to learn to shoot at distance and to us in next year's BOTC match.  https://alnk.to/gp33YuR

If I were setting up an accurate semi-auto and wanted a high mag scope for it, I would likely lean toward March 4.5-28x52. https://alnk.to/dLjHgjh  It is compact, relatively light and very good optically for any use other than the dead of the night (for which we should be using clip-ons anyway).

S&B Short Dot is a very nice scope, but March is a newer design and, other than the lowest light, has an edge in terms of image fidelity and stray light control.

TT315P Tangent is a veyr ncie scope and toolles turrets are appealing.  However, there is a weight penalty to that.  For me, that was not worth it.  I ahve 5-25x56 and 7-35x Tangents and those toolless turrets are spectacular.  However, in a 3-15x50, I am quit ecomfortable with simpler 6mrad per turn knobs on the TT315M.

 

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A morning with a chronograph

When I tell people that I am using Hornady's factory ammo for matches, I get occasionally surprised looks.  Occasionally.  Most of the time, I get fairly condescending looks from handloaders who would not let a factory round pollute the chambers of their precision rifles if their lives depended on it.

To be fair, if I had the time, I might be reloading as well.  I might be able to do better than modern factory ammo, but the truth is that I am not a quarter MOA shooter, so a lot of that would be lost on me.  The UKD matches I fidn most interesting can be done by a competent shooter with a 1MOA gun.  I am working on that first part.  I reload when I have to, but if I can get factory ammo that's not outrageously expensive and that shoots well, I will go with that every time.

I looked around and realized that I have about 600 rounds of Hornady 147gr 6.5CM factory ammo from two lots.  400 rounds from one that I will use during the match later this month.  The remainder I will likely use up practicing prior to that.

I woke up early and snuck out to the range while my family was still asleep earlier today.

I set up in the 100 yard tunnel we have.  I took my four shots to zero with the lot I plan to use for the match.  Then I fired a six shot ~0.7MOA group.  That's accurate enough for my purposes.

Here are the chronograph results:

It is slow, but accurate and consistent.

Then I shot a five round group of Hornady 147gr ammo from the other lot.

Both of those lots are not too shabby for factory ammo.  POI was within 0.2mrad between the two lots, all laterally.  

 

I had some other ammo on hand, so I fired two five shot groups with Berger 144gr hybrid target ammo and Sako TRG 136gr.

Here is what I got for five rounds of Berger:

That's not a ton of statistics, but it is a data point.  The group was ~1.1MOA

 

Here the data for the Sako TRG 136gr ammo:

This ammo showed some mild pressure signs, but not too significant.  

Again, this is not a ton of data, but Hornady is looking pretty decent here.

I'll repeat the zero retention and consistency tests a couple more times between now and June 18th when we head to Wyoming.

I might pick up a couple more boxes of Hornady 147gr from a different lot to get some more data.

More to come.

 

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First PRS Match is behind me
High Noon at Del Norte

My first PRS match is officially behind me.  It was, I think an officially sanctioned regional PRS match at the shooting range called Del Norte about an hour from me (just east of Rio Rancho).
As I discussed previously, rather than using the rifle I originally prepared for it, I ended up having to change gears at the last moment and slapping a 5-25x56 Tangent on my daughter's 6ARC MiniFIx.  A lightweight 16" Proof barreled 6ARC is not an ideal set up for PRS competition, but, in the grand scheme of things, the rifle did hot hold me back at all.  I had a couple of weights that fit the Q-cert handguard, so I slapped them on there as well, which got the rifle to right around 12lbs.  The balance point was almost where I want it, but not quite.  In all other ways, this was a very handy rifle to shoot.  I am actually thinking of getting a couple more weights that I can stack on it (Sawtooth weights are stackable), so that I can shoot some future local matches with it.  It shoots Hornady's Black 105gr ammo very well (it also shoots 108gr ELD-M and 103gr ELD-X well, but I had a larger supply of Hornady Black ammo on hand).

It chrono'ed pretty consistently for factory ammo.  Here are the measurements for a 20 shot group.

If I were to take out the fastest shot, SD drops down to 8fps.  

In terms of wind performance, it is a 5mph rifle, so slightly better than the 308 ammo I was going to use originally, but not as good as the 6.5CM that was my intended match rifle for this year (we make plans, but then life happens).

I do have to admit that I really enjoyed shooting the match with the MiniFix.  So much so, that I am seriously thinking of building another one for myself, since this rifle is technically my daughter's.

The closest shot we had was a bit over a couple of hundred yards.  The furthest was around 1150.  That was a bit challenging for the 16" barreled 6ARC, especially since the terrain there is tricky and wind is doing strange things.  Morning was relatively quiet wind-wise, but then the wind becamse gusty with changing directions.

It was a one day match with about 30 shooters (six squads) and ten stages.  The 17 year old kid who won the match was in my squad with his dad.  Apparently he is on the US team, so it should not be surrpising that he won.  He was very good.

Overall level of the shooters in the match was quite good.  I really was not sure what to expect.  Somewhat paradoxically, the only matches that I have shot in so far are the much larger two day NRL Hunter matches.  In those, I am just out of the bottom third in terms of skill level.  In this match, it was pretty much in the same spot, I think.  

The terrain was a little bit like Cameo, I think (I have been there, but not shot there), with some angle changes and sufficient vegetation to make getting on target occasionally troublesome. 

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