DarkLordOfOptics
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Guns, Optics, 2nd Amendment and resisting the Left in everything they touch.
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Black Friday

There is little doubt that all of you are inundated with a large number of emails and notifications about, to quote our incoming president, "amazing, wonderful, best ever, never seen anything like it before" Black Friday sales.

I have to admit that I have not been looking very closely to whether there is anything particularly appealing on offer, but I will make an effort to look through my emails and see if any of the stuff I can comfortably recommend is discounted into a particularly attractive price range.

In the meantime, if you are out there shopping on Primary Arms, Brownells, etc websites, I would appreciate it if you clicked on one of my links. It makes no difference to you, but it helps me fund all the tests I do.

I have all the companies I have an affiliate account with listed in the FAQ section, at the very top https://darklordofoptics.locals.com/faq

This particular post is going to stay pinned for a week or two and I will keep adding to it as I notice anything interesting.

Starting with Palmetto State Armory, they always have some nicely discounted AR variants and this year is no exception. I have a good amount of experience with their ARs. They are not the most polished guns I have ever seen, but they are reliable and surprisingly accurate. I think PSA makes their own barrels and they have some a long way. Looking through what they have, I would probably lean toward this one for $500: https://alnk.to/6TANw5j
It already has upgraded furniture and I like the full length top rail on the handguard.
This one from Radical is even less expensive https://alnk.to/dAnAN9F and $400, but PSA's own builds have a more polished trigger.
Either one should be a reasonable reliable basic AR.

If you are just going to go plink with it at close range, there are plenty of inexpensive red dots out there. If this is more of a general purpose AR, you would be hard pressed to do better for the money than PA's SLx 1-6x24 with the Nova fiber illuminated reticle: https://alnk.to/btov1Sn
PA has a 13% off discount going on with a code TAKE13. That's their "Pre Black Friday". I assume there will be more discounts as we get closer.
If you are willing to spend a little more money, there is the PLxC 1-8x24 that is a big step up in quality and price https://alnk.to/2jN61wn
TAKE13 works for both scopes.

For those of you, who insist on not using Chinese optics, Brownells is closing out their 1-6x24 Japanese made LPVO and you can pick it up for $300 with the mount. https://alnk.to/6IG2y0y
The dual circle reticle definitely marches to the beat of it sown drum, but it works. I have one here and (surprisingly) like it. To be clear, I think the recently designed fiber reticle Chinese LPVOs for similar money have notable advantages, but if you want a decent Japanese LPVO on the same budget, the MPO 1-6x24 is your only option.

Eurooptic is running a sale on S&B scopes that has all sorts of interesting stuff in it: https://alnk.to/58rdIKi
For example, you can pick up 2.5-10x50 or 3-12x54 Polar for under $2k. These are remarkably capable hunting scopes if low light is important. Capped turret 3-18x42 Meta is right at $2k. That is easily one of the best general purpose hunting scopes made today.
If you are shooting paper, they have a version of the 10-60x56 for $3k https://alnk.to/9buEhzB
Also at EO, Vortex Razor UHD 8x42 bino is $900 https://alnk.to/9xkaffv and 18x56 is $1300 https://alnk.to/7X5lpUG
That's a steal, in both cases. There is a new version coming out with a different accessory set (same binocular), so EO can call these discontinued and discount them. UHDs are VERY good.
On the regular priced Vortex items, EO has a VTX15 discount that gets you 15% off of Razor Gen3 and other products. I generally like Vortex scopes if I were to zero in on three I recommend most routinely, it would be 1-10x24 and 6-36x56 Razor Gen3 https://alnk.to/9buEhIH and 4.5-22x50 Razor HD-LHT https://alnk.to/gVLZrD1
I do think that PST Gen2 3-15x44 is the most underrated scope they offer https://alnk.to/6TANxet

Opticsplanet has a couple of discount codes going. "PREPARTY" gets you $75 off on anything over $500. "PREFUN" gets you $40 off on anything over $250. A lot of individually discounted stuff is agglomerated here: https://alnk.to/dAnATBD

I was quite excited to find Steienr H6Xi for under $1500 on Opticsplanet, just to discover the same scope going for $1330 on Eurooptic: https://alnk.to/9mppm3Q

With March 4.5-28x52 that I am quite fond of, Eurooptic again beat Opticplanet to the punch. They have several in stock with the older style turrets for well below $3k and some below $2500. https://alnk.to/clYi1Xe That's a good price for a very capable scope. I am continuously shocked I do not see it more on NRL Hunter rifles. At that weight and magnification range, the March 4.5-28x52 is probably the best option going. If you want the new Shuriken turrets and can live without illumination, there is one for $2700. https://alnk.to/d3DjXgU

I am not seeing a ton of stuff that jumps out of me on Optics Force website, but Vortex Defender CCW for $205 is quite good. https://alnk.to/fwrVGY7

For a competition-oriented or just full size handgun, I would still lean toward the larger Defender XL where Euro's VTX15 seems to get the better bargain https://alnk.to/hhBvv8U

Updated on 11/26/2024:
It looks like Primary Arms has formally launched their Black Friday sale:
https://alnk.to/6mQxhFV
New things will be added every day. Several things there are quite interesting. Troy upper for $350. Complete SCT G19 frame for $53. Complete Precision Defense G19 slide for $130. Between the last two, you can have G19 sized Glock clone for $183 and the slide already has an RMR cut. That is quite tempting. I have one SCT frame (G48 compatible) and I am quite happy with it.
SLx 5x for $340 is very good too https://alnk.to/d3DkyIt

Brownells is busy discounting various BRN-180 variants like this upper https://alnk.to/hDr243g I am somewhat tempted by the "S" variants where the gas block is easy to adjust for suppressed vs unsuppressed use.

Added on 11/29/2024:

Tract has a series of significant discount on some of their more popular products: https://help.tractoptics.com/p/5GBO-891/2024-great-deal-weekend

SWFA has finally gone public with their Gen2 riflescopes and has them discounted for Black Friday. www.swfa.com The first out are the fixed power 10x42, 12x42, 16x42 and 20x42 scopes along with the FFP 3-15x42. Aside from the more visible markings, the turrets have been redesigned to incorporate zero stop. Each scope comes with two sets of turrets: larger diameter ones that you can easily grip and smaller diameter ones that can be capped. All the fixed power scopes are rear focus. The 3-15x42 is side focus.

FoldAR has all sorts of discounts going on their website. The most appealing looking are a few cosmetic blems they have. https://alnk.to/hhBxaWa To re-iterate, if you plan to travel with an AR, I think these are the best takedown AR variants on the market today. I have one that I take to classes and I am extremely happy with it. Mine is from the first batch they made and it has been absolutely rock solid. The new ones are modular and better than the one I have, but I am very attached to mine. Still, it is very tempting.

XLR has their Black Friday discounts live. I use their Element 4.0 chassis on my TIkka T1X and I am quite fond of it. https://xlrindustries.com/pages/sale?mc_cid=2d1ebd32a1&mc_eid=9b4557a093

MDT has all sorts of interesting things happening at very deep discounts https://mdttac.com/black-friday-2024/

Brownells has 15BF code for 15% off on almost everything. https://alnk.to/gp1Kh3a

Armaisght has 15% off on almost everything on their website. They make some very nice thermals and night vision devices. https://alnk.to/clYjImY

Opticsplanet has a new discount code "GETET" that gets you 14% off and 2% bonus bucks on just about everything they have. https://alnk.to/1N2QRGs

Primary Arms has been busy adding to their Sales page. 15% off on all of their optics is probably of most interest to me, but there is all sorts of stuff in there https://alnk.to/6IG4kFM

With Field Optics Research, BF2024 gets you 25% off

More to come.

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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
5x Prismatic Wrap-up

This is not the end of my commentary on 5x prismatics, but it is a wrap for an unintentionally very long term project I had. I spent an unhealthy amount of time evaluating these four prismatic riflescopes:
Element Immersive 5x30 https://alnk.to/gzXEPUr
Swampfox Sabre 5x36 https://alnk.to/aAPTubq
Vortex Spitfire Gen2 5x https://alnk.to/3co4hVD
Primary Arms SLx 5x https://alnk.to/2jOhnT7

Two are large prism designs. Two are small prism designs.

The order in which I list them above corresponds to the image quality, from best to worst, although there isn't a ton of difference between SLx and Spitfire Gen2. Purely on the merits of resolution, Sabre is comparable to them as well, but much wider FOV and forgiving eyebox does put it a step above in terms of performance (at the expense of about a pound of weight). Element Immersive 5x30 is a different beast optically and it should be at a higher price at which it sells. It resolves better, has higher contrast and widest FOV of the bunch. Side-focus adds ...

00:16:40

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 ...

July 04, 2025

This is a good deal:

https://alnk.to/c0a5bf9

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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