lpvo

Swampfox Tomahawk II

  Not too long ago, Swampfox Optics released an updated version of their Tomahawk Low Power Variable Optic (LPVO). It is rightfully called the Tomahawk II. Along with other upgrades, it also offers a new style of reticle called the Bright Fiber Optic or BFO. The Tomahawk II still retains its second focal plane as well as coming in either a 1-4 or 1-6 magnification range. Swampfox sent me the 1-6x24 Tomahawk II with the Blue color BFO to review.

   LPVO’s are all the rage right now. The Tomahawk II falls nicely into this category with the magnification going from a red dot style 1x, to a useful 6x. It also has a pretty standard 30mm tube. Of course it has multi-coated optics, a fast focus diopter, an optional throw lever, and a great warranty. 

At 6x, Brightness is around 7 or 8

  Swampfox’s Tomahawk II Bright Fiber Optic reticle is probably part of the reason you are looking at this. The BFO has a brightly illuminated dot inside the scopes crosshairs. This particular LPVO has the Blue dot.  An Amber, Red, or Green center dot are available. The only illuminated part of the reticle is the center dot. The Dot size is listed as 0.6 MOA. Because of the crosshairs, the tiny dot size just looks like a normal size 1-2 MOA dot, at least to me. The crosshair itself is very useful too. In the reticle are hash marks spaced at 5 MOA increments. Since this is a second focal plane (SFP) optic, the stadia marks are only correct at 6x, or the largest magnification range. The reticle’s visual size also does not change with magnification increases or decreases due to it being in the SFP. There are 6 stadia marks for elevation and ranging. While there are 3 stadia marks, in each direction for windage. You can use the MOA stadia marks to range with if needed. The big advantage of the BFO reticle is that you can run the LPVO like a true red dot at 1x. Or in this case, a Blue dot. Why blue? Because it is easy on the eye and is picked up quickly due to our eyes color sensitivity. Then if you need ranging ability, you can turn the adjustment ring to 6x and use the MOA stadia of the reticle while still having the illuminated blue center dot.

  Magnification adjustments on the Tomahawk II are pretty straightforward. To adjust it, there is a large adjustment ring toward the rear of the scope. Turn it to the left to increase magnification, and to the right to decrease it. From 1-6x is a little less than one half turn. The adjustment ring has deep grooves in it to aid in getting a grip on it. This adjustment ring is smooth to operate and not too stiff. Swampfox also includes a separate throw lever. This throw lever just clamps on with a little screw. They send 2 screws with it, but do not give a torque specification. Which is probably why I needed the extra screw after breaking the first. The throw lever is very usable. At first I did not think I would like how it clamped on. But this feature allows you to put the throw lever in any position you desire. An actual plus over some of the fixed throw levers. 

  Illumination for the BFO is done by the knob on the left side. This knob also houses the 2032 battery. There are 12 levels of illumination for the BFO dot. Essentially from night vision dim to needing sunglasses bright. Yes, the dot is super bright at the 12 setting. So bright that even in direct sunlight I did not use the 12th setting. Between each brightness setting, on the dial, is an off setting. This is a feature that I really like. Especially since the Tomahawk II does not have any type of auto on/off feature. If you want this feature, the Tomahawk II does work with an Auto Live battery cap, as I did try it. 

   Swampfox installed some pretty nice reticle adjustment knobs on the Tomahawk II. Both the windage and elevation knob have 0.5 MOA click adjustments. These clicks are pretty decent, but the elevation knob’s are better than the windage ones. The windage knob is capped. However, the elevation knob is not capped. Instead it uses a pull up to turn knob. One must first pull the knob up, then it can be adjusted. Push the knob back down and it locks that adjustment into place. With the turret being locked into place, there is no need to worry about it moving if bumped or bashed around. Both the windage and elevation knobs can be set to zero so you know where to turn them back to. I’ve used push to lock style turrets before, and always like them.

  Glass quality on the Tomahawk II was pleasantly surprising. For an approximately $400 LPVO, I was impressed with how clear the Tomahawk II is. Images appear clear and bright with very little distortion around the outer edge. The eye relief is pretty forgiving, even at 6x. There is also a decent 20 foot field of view at 6x. Lastly, the fast focus diopter lets you get the reticle adjusted for a picture perfect image. I could not ask for anything more out of this optic.

  Swampfox also sent one of their Hostile Engagement Mounts for the Tomahawk II. This is their top of the line one piece mount. The Hostile Engagement Mount (HEM) includes a place to mount an RMR footprint reflex sight directly to the rings, at a 45 degree offset. I didn’t use the RMR feature, but it does have steel inserts for the screws, so they probably will not strip out. The HEM has some really nice recoil lugs built into it. So I would not hesitate to install it on something with a little more recoil than my standard AR. It is available in a 30mm or 34 mm size. I used the 30mm one because that is the tube diameter of the Tomahawk II. Being that the HEM weighs a bit over 8 ounces, and the Tomahawk II weighs 20 ounces, this combo does add a bit of weight to your rifle. So if you are looking for something super light, maybe use one of Swampfox’s other AR mounts.

  I like the Swampfox Tomahawk II. The BFO is fantastic for close up work. It literally is like using a 1x red dot, or should I say blue dot? The MOA style reticle also works well for me. I like the 5 MOA stadia marks as I can use them for bullet drops or ranging. My one dislike is that I can definitely tell the weight of the scope/mount combination. Especially when transitioning from target to target. However, the clear glass and bright dot make this an excellent option in the LPVO market.

  The Swampfox Tomahawk II is a stand up LPVO. The BFO reticle makes it both fast and precise. That center dot of the reticle is probably why you are looking at this anyhow. Why not have an LPVO that you can use as a dot style optic? Plus, you will be able to see your target nicely due to the clear glass. The lock down turret knob is also a nice touch. So if you are looking at fair priced LPVO's that work as red dots, take a look at the Swampfox Tomahawk II.

Firearms Insider Reviews - Key Points

Claim to Fame:

Affordable 1-6 LPVO with a bright colored illuminated center dot

Target Market:

Anyone, Hunters, Target shooters, Competitors, Law Enforcement, etc

Features, Benefits, and Specifications of this product:

  • Magnification: 1-6x

  • Tube Diameter: 30mm

  • Objective Lens Diameter: 24mm

  • Exit Pupil (mm): 7.6mm-3.9mm

  • Eye Relief: 3.39”-3.54” (1x-6x)

  • FOV @ 100 Yards: 120.43’-20.9’ (1x-6x)

  • Click Value: 1/2 MOA

  • Parallax Setting: 100 yds

  • Travel Per Rotation: 100 Clicks/50 MOA

  • Max Windage & Elevation Adjustment: 100 MOA

  • Fully Multi-Coated / Anti-fog / Hydrophobic lens coating

  • Illumination: 12 illumination settings with intermittent on/off positions

  • Side-mounted CR2032 Battery

  • Second Focal Plane Bright Fiber Optic Reticle

  • Fast Focus Diopter: -2 to +2

  • Push/Pull Locking elevation Turret with Zero Reset and capped windage turret

  • Length: 10.55”

  • Weight: 20.59 oz

  • Waterproof Rating: IPX7

  • Impact Resistance: 1,100 G Force

What other aesthetic options or finishes are available?

1-4x

Red or Green BDC reticle

Red, Green, or Amber BFO reticle

What others are saying?:

Nothing found as of publishing

Link to other reviews:

Parallel Defense on YouTube    

Price point:

MSRP = $449.00

Retail = $380 at Brownells

I need it now! Availability:

Swampfox Optics or Brownells

Our Rating:

Pros:

  • Super clear glass

  • Bright Fiber Dot MOA reticle

  • Locking Turret

  • Useful magnification range

Cons:

  • Weight

Score: 8.00 Great

Favorite Link:  Swampfox Liberty Green Dot review   

Primary Arms AutoLIve Battery cap

  We have all had that feeling of forgetting to turn off an optic. Then, the next time you go to the range, or worse, the field, and go to turn on the optic, you see no illumination. Advances in optics allow auto on/off capabilities. But maybe you don’t want to have to buy a whole new optic. Primary Arms has you covered. They have introduced their Autolive battery cap! The Autolive battery cap turns your optic into one that has auto on/off capabilities.

  Primary Arms has made optics that turn the reticle on and off automatically for some time. The Autolive battery cap does the same thing for optics that don’t have this feature. Autolive works by sensing when the optic moves, or hasn’t moved. When Autolive senses movement, it will automatically turn the reticle on. It is so quick, that you will never notice that the reticle was off. After the 2-3 minute mark of no movement, the Autolive function will turn off the power to the reticle. Then, when you move it again, the cycle starts over.

  So what is the Primary Arms Autolive battery cap? It is a battery cap that has built in electronics for the Autolive function explained above. Granted, it is larger than the original battery cap that it replaces, but not by much. I’d say it’s only about ½” taller. Or, it only adds ½” in height to where the battery is installed. A pretty small price to pay for Autolive functionality.

  Installation of the Autolive battery cap is simple. Just unscrew your old battery cap. Remove the 2032 battery. Screw in the Autolive battery cap until snug/tight. Now, the Autolive battery cap has a lock ring on it. Screw the locking ring down and tighten with the supplied tightening tool. Install your 2032 battery into the Autolive cap. Then screw on your original battery cap to the top of the Autolive one. Now adjust your reticle brightness to your desired level. You are now ready to save your battery life and have the illumination function automatically turn on when you move the firearm. 

  I ended up trying the Autolive battery cap on two different optics. The first one was a Lucid Optics L7. Primary Arms doesn’t list the L7 as an optic that the Autolive battery cap works on, but it did. As long as the thread pitch is correct, the Autolive cap should work. As expected, the L7 now had instant on and off reticle illumination. I then transferred the Autolive cap over to a Primary Arms SLx with their NOVA reticle, since this is on a gun I use more. The Autolive cap performed great on it also. The main drawback I see with the Autlive battery cap is that it only works on selected models of optics. These optics are, as listed on the Primary Arms website:

Primary Arms SLx 1-8×24 FFP & SFP

Primary Arms SLx 1-10×28 SFP

Primary Arms SLx 1-6×24 SFP Gen III and IV

Primary Arms SLx 1-6×24 FFP

Sig Optics Tango6® MSR 1-6x24mm

Vortex Strike Eagle® 1-6 SFP

Vortex Strike Eagle® 1-8 SFP

  So if you want to upgrade that optic to auto on/off, the Primary Arms Autolive battery cap just might be the thing. It will save you battery life and hopefully you won’t have that dead battery next time you head into the field. It’s a great option for that beside the bed gun, especially since you know the reticle will turn on when you grab it. If this is something you are interested in, head over to Primary Arms and check out the Autolive battery cap. 

Firearms Insider Reviews - Key Points

Claim to Fame:

Turns illuminated optics on with motion

Target Market:

People who forget to turn off their optics or want better battery life

Features, Benefits, and Specifications of this product:

  • Integrated AutoLive motion sensing technology

  • Instantly turns on optic illumination when you pick up your firearm

  • Low profile design

  • Extends battery life

What other aesthetic options or finishes are available?

None

What others are saying?:

5 out 5 stars from Connor M. at Primaryarms.com

PERFECTION

Does exactly as advertised, and the install was a breeze. Set my rifle with the Gen 4 Nova 1-6 on a table, illumination was on, left it for 5 minutes and came back it was off and then with a poke it came back to life again. Just find your favorite brightness setting (i've found 8 works best for both darker rooms and full day light bright) set it and forget. This and the Nova are a hell of a combo to beat for $400.

Link to other reviews:

Tiberious Gib YouTube    

Price point:

MSRP = $49.99

Retail = Same

I need it now! Availability:

Primary Arms

Our Rating:

Pros:

  • Massively increases battery life on optics without this feature

  • Small - adds very little size

  • Works on a variety of LPVO’s

Cons:

  • Price

Score: 7.50 Good

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Primary Arms GLx 1-6x24 FFP ACSS Raptor

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  When I opened the box with the Primary Arms GLx 1-6x24, I was super excited. The GLx 1-6x24 is one of Primary Arms’ mid-tier optics. So it falls, price and feature wise, in between their SLx and PLx lines. This particular GLX 1-6x24 has an ACSS-Raptor reticle and is a first focal plane (FFP) optic. This low power variable optic (LPVO) is packed with features.

  Since the reticle is such an important part of your optic, let's start with the ACSS Raptor M6 reticle. The Raptor M6 Advanced Combined Sighting System, or ACSS, is a range estimating and bullet drop compensating reticle. Being that it is a FFP optic, the ranging and estimation properties stay the same throughout the magnification range. This is a big plus as one doesn’t have to recalculate anything at different magnification ranges. The Raptor M6 reticle is calibrated for these cartridges: 5.56 NATO, 5.45x39, .308 Win, 6.5 Grendel and 6.8 SPC. Give or take a few differences in actual ballistics. I mounted it on a 5.56 AR with a 16” barrel and the drop estimations seemed to work well, at least for the ranges I could test. 

1x - targets at 50, 100, & 200 yds. Full reticle illumination

6x - 200 yd targets. Full reticle illumination

  A description of the Raptor M6 reticle is probably in order. The Raptor is a horseshoe style reticle. So there's a larger circle around a chevron aiming point (think triangle). The circle is missing the bottom portion, hence the “horseshoe” name. Then the Raptor has a vertical line, with short horizontal lines on it, to compensate for bullet drops at various ranges. There’s also some dots for wind holds, if needed. On the right and left side of the chevron are MIL ranging lines. These are to quickly assess the range of a 5’ 10” target. The middle chevron aiming point is where precision comes into play. Use the top point of the chevron for accurate aiming. Or just put the chevron over something for quicker shots. The bottom triangle point will be your 200 yard holdover, and then the bottom of the chevron will be your 300 yard holdover. All of this is in Primary Arms’ manuals, I’m just trying to give you a quick summary. Now, if you turn the GLx 1-6 down to its true 1x, the reticle gets pretty small. Don’t fret, this is actually very useful. Now you can use it for super quick shots up close. Very similar to a circle dot reticle in a red dot. Even with both eyes open. Oh, did I mention the chevron is illuminated? It is, but it and the horseshoe are the only parts that are illuminated, the rest of the reticle stays black. 

  Primary Arms also stuck their “Autolive” on/off into the GLx 1-6. The autolive turns the reticle off after 3 minutes of no physical movement, then quickly turns it back on when a tiny bit of movement happens. I love the autolive function and in the case of the GLx, it gives around 600 hrs of battery life. They say it is a daylight bright reticle, but in direct sunlight, the red illumination is pretty non existent. Any time besides direct sun, the reticle’s illumination is easy to see and brightly lit up. It has 10 brightness levels, with and off between each one. I like that there's an “off” between each “on.”

  Now that the long winded reticle explanation is done, we can focus on the glass in the GLx 1-6. Primary Arms uses low-dispersion glass that is multi coated. Why do you care? Because it makes everything look super clear and bright. Yes, the glass is really that clear. The magnification ranges are true to the numbers, so 1x is really no magnification, and 6x is really 6 times normal. I really appreciate the true 1x for running close targets at the range. The 6x makes it pretty easy to hit targets at various ranges also. The field of view is pretty decent, specs are below if you're interested. The eye relief is pretty forgiving at 1x, it’s around 3 to 3.5 inches, but you don’t need to be perfect with it. At 6x that’s a different story, you really need to be in the scopes sweet spot. The clarity of the glass really does rival some of the higher end 1-6’s

  If you are not using the GLx’s Raptor reticle for bullet drop compensation, it has some pretty nice turrets to use instead. The GLx 1-6 comes from the factory with capped turrets. But hold on, there’s something more in the box. Also included is a single exposed turret. Yes, you can replace the elevation turret with a non-capped one. I suppose you could put it on the windage turret also, but why.  Now you can dial in the adjustments as necessary without having to take the cap off. I get that if you are running around in the woods, or doing secret squirrel stuff, you might want the advantage of having capped turrets. But for me, I instantly installed the tactical, non-capped turret. Adjustments are the same either way and adjust in increments of 0.1 MIL’s. These adjustments also use a steel on steel mechanism. This means you’ll have consistent adjustments and repeatability for a lifetime. The GLx 1-6 does have some physically large turrets. This makes it much easier to adjust with gloves, or just in general. The clicks are fairly decent and audible. They feel a tad bit mushy to me, but that’s probably due to the sealing that keeps water and dust out. In all, the turrets adjust well. These turrets can also be loosened up and set to zero. Not a zero stop, but at least you’ll have a zero point to adjust from. 

  There are a few other notable aspects of the Primary Arms GLx 1-6. One is the throw lever. The throw lever makes it easier and quicker to adjust the magnification ring. The ring adjustment operates smoothly, but having the throw lever is really nice. It sticks up about ½” above the ring. So it isn’t really in the way, but is still large enough to matter. Primary Arms also made the lever removable and changeable. It is screwed onto a tiny dovetail. Just unscrew it and slide it off to change it to a larger one, a folding one, or just to leave it off. This next aspect is its weight. It weighs in at 21 ounces. This is a few more ounces than some others in this mid-tier. When I say a few more, it’s like 3 ounces difference, so not much. But on the plus size of the weight, the GLx 1-6 is built like a tank. It is solid. I wouldn’t hesitate to use this LPVO harshly.

  If you are in the market for a top quality LPVO, but don’t want to pay top-tier pricing, the Primary Arms GLx 1-6x24 might be everything you need. The glass is super clear, it has a very useful FFP reticle, is pretty much indestructible, can range objects on the fly, and turns on and off automatically. What more could you want? I’d definitely look into one of these if you intend on running your stuff hard. You can check the GLX 1-6x24 ACSS Raptor M6 out at Primary Arms, as well as all the other products they have over there.

Firearms Insider Reviews - 8 Key Points

Claim to Fame:

Mid-tier low power variable optic (LPVO) with first focal plane reticle (FFP)

Target Market:

Those wanting a quality mid grade LPVO

FNBs (Features & Benefits of this product):

  • 1-6x Magnification

  • 24mm objective

  • 3.3" - 3.5" of eye relief

  • FOV: 104 ft at 1x, 18 ft at 6x

  • 30mm main tube

  • High strength one-piece 6061-T6 aluminum body

  • 10.25" long

  • Weighs 21.3 Oz

  • Premium grade glass

  • Steel-on-Steel precision adjustments

  • Tactile and audible 1/10 MIL click value

  • Turrets are user configurable between Tactical or Capped

  • Movable and replaceable magnification ring fin

  • Partial reticle illumination - Inner part only

  • First Focal Plane ACSS Raptor M6 Reticle

  • Autolive motion activated illumination

  • 10 total brightness settings, 2 of which are night vision compatible 

What other aesthetic options or finishes are available?

Griffin M6 reticle   

What others are saying?:

5/5 stars at Primary Arms

EXACTLY WHAT I NEEDED

Using this for an old m1a, as a red dot and magnifier don't really work for that platform. The glass is very clear and good eye relief, I zeroed and used out to 400 yards. Impact at 200 and 300 worked well on the bdc reticle, but I had to hold about 450 to hit the 400. I have access to longer range but haven't had chance to try it out yet. I let my friend shoot it and he was very impressed by the glass. Great scope for the price, it is bright on 11 but not like an aimpoint when shooting in the sunlight

Link to other reviews:

Thin Line Defense on YouTube it’s the Griffin reticle, but close enough 

Price point:

MSRP = $599.99

Retail = Same, but Primary Arms runs sales all the time

I need it now! Availability:

Primary Arms

Our Rating:

Pros:

  • Super clear glass

  • Ranging reticle

  • Large capped turrets

  • Optional Elevation turret that replaces capped one

  • Autolive motion activation

  • Removable Throw lever

Cons:

  • Reticle is not daylight bright

  • Heavy-ish

Score:  8.00 Great

Favorite Link:  Walker Defense Research

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