Kyle Defoor on the Benefits of Running Low Power Variable Optics

I don't think anyone has to sit here and tell us that a high end Nightforce is a great optic. Simple fact is moat people can't afford something like that. Even the Vortex Razor is out of my reach. There are much more affordable options on the market that do the same thing well enough to get the job done for far less money. I don't need a gucci rifle with a fancy scope and high quality ammo to make hits. When is the las time any of you had to identify and engage a target at 600 yards with your AR?

Ffp 1-6 acss reticle and under 500 $ I say the primary arms raptor blows it out the water and the Chevron reticle is the best from 1 to 6 ….. disclaimers I've been paid nothing to promote this product lol

US Optics 1-8X FFP less than $800 for those interested.

Calls a 1000$ optic "cheap" wtf is your budget?

I just run a Leupold 2-7 x33 because I can.

Well i have a 2-7×33 redfield on my AR. Why do I need a true 1x? Acogs are fixed at 4x and they seem to be getting the work done just fine.

Do you believe it's the new ACOG??

Sitting in front of a scope that costs more than my AR: “this is the least amount of money you can spend to get a quality scope.”
Me: for me and my fellow peasants, red dot it is then!
P.S. Why in the name of all that’s holy do we need a damn acronym for a red dot????

Uhh.. I thought ranging with mil-dot was only accurate at 10 power?

10 out of 10 at the 500 yd line, m855, a loop sling, and prone with iron sights, at a man sized target….. that's while wearing glasses. No excuses why you shouldn't be able to effectively engage a target at 500 yds with the AR15 platform. Positive id on the other hand lol….

Battery life, durability, ease of maintenance, low light/ night fighting capability, NOD compatibility (not really important), and peripheral vision makes the red dot king for beginner shooters, however training will make LVPOs a very viable option. But you might as well get a magnifier for the best of both worlds, so I don’t really see the point of LVPOs.

This is such a confusing presentation because he never identifies the scenario under which lpv or red dot would be used. IMHO there is no, non-offensive (I.e., self defense) situation that a civilian in a rule-of-law scenario would EVER justifiably need to shoot beyond 100yards. NONE. That said most defensive situations will be well within 15 yards. You don’t need a 1-6 optic for that. He clearly states that a red dot is fine for within 100 yards and I agree. If, as a civilian, you start shooting beyond 100 yards at humans….don’t worry about optics you had better save your money for a damn good defense attorney.

Good insight on scopes. Looking to upgrade from irons and get some optics. But don’t want to spend ACOG money.

In regard to what he said about a red dot being a 100 yard gun, marines qualify at 500 yards with iron sights. If you can hit at least 5/10 on a human size target with iron sights on an AR15 then you need to work on your shooting skills. If it can be done with irons then it can be done with a red dot.

Im still getting an MRO for my 300 blackout ar pistol. Seems fitting.

I run an etched mod/duplex reticle, 2nd plane, 1-4× with Lum center mil dot because my enemies are 1½ – 2 feet tall, with big 'ole ears at 0-250 yards.
Equip to the mission, right? 😋

Red dots are king in the dark, for SHTF or home defense in the dark (when you can't afford NVG). How can the guy in video not bring this up/or thought about this. The biggest advantage red dots have is in the dark. If you can barely see the intruder/enemy, and is just a silhouette, the red dot is king. In that situation, you wouldn't be able to see iron sights (or line them up), and without batteries on your Scope or dead batteries, you sure as hell won't be able to see your scope reticle. Batteries on scopes won't last for year, not even months, like on Aimpoints. So scopes are worthless for home defense at night, unless you got a major stockpile of batteries and changing them out once a week

Bushnell 1-4×24 .223 ffp

I don't work for any optics company right now…..you can leave your resumes in the waiting room. Good video. Breaks it down to the basic questions.

Thanks for the breakdown.

If you're gonna shoot primarily close range and wanna save some money get a red dot, if you're gonna shoot longer range and want more versatility get a variable. Either will work fine for the vast majority of situations.

"The least amount of money you can spend for a quality product." Must not have heard of the Primary Arms ACSS 1-6.

lol that vortex razor is like 2500 plus tax in canada fml

I understand how and why a LPVO is better… But I'm just a concerned citizen without a departmental budget. If I want something useful and affordable for when the balloon goes up, will I regret not dropping a grand just for an optic or would my RDS with x3 magnifier be just fine? I'm not LEO and no longer Mil, just want to protect my wife and daughter.

I made the switch this year to a Trijicon AccuPower 1X8, really is the jack of all trades, I've been converted. Only drawback is the weight, but well worth it for the versatility.

Hooyaaah Kyle.

trijicon accupower 1-8 FFP $1100, Primary Arms (black friday) 1-6 FFP $240($400 normally). I like the glass in the trijicon better but the primary arms is solid. I very rarely see the point in spending Night Force money. I mean I get it, but dam.

Having been an astronomer for decades, I'm fascinated how many suckers buy $500 RDS.

Lol keep it consistent. If you like the mil system say 100 meters etcetera not yards.

I’ll always have a RDS on my gun for deer drives in brushes and marshes. It’s quick, light and I’m not shooting over 50yrds. I put LPSO on my varmint guns and HPSO on my long distance rifles. Every optics have their own uses. Use what you like and is comfortable shooting.

Love my primary arms 1-6 and vortex strike 🦅 1-6. Both are crystal clear and quick to engage a target with. No need for $1000 scope

Burris 1-4 PCL. Great price point and optics

The MRO is a horrible example of an RDS. The MRO has an atrocious parallax shift of 15.2 MOA at 25 yds and 12.9 MOA at 100 yds. That's pathetic.

Nope. Atibal XP6 is the best bang for buck.

2nd focal at $1k is freeking stupid.

Kind of get tired of hearing the difference between FFP and SFP scopes. Just saying.

@$1000 I'll stick with my rds

I know I'm late but hear me out… I don't believe that anyone needs to spend $1000 on a Vortex Razor HD or close to it unless your in the service or contractor in some war zone who needs that reliability and durability. For those who are looking to save money and get something that you could use everyday and would fit the role for law enforcement or some grand scale collapse where you would need to potentially protect you and your family then I would highly suggest the Primary Arms 1-6×24 gen 3 with the acss reticle which is a SFP at $289.99 or the FFP version with the Raptor reticle for $399.99.

Reason I suggest these two are because they are well built, glass is pretty good- specially at the price point and if something does go wrong with them the warranty is really good. I personally suggest the FFP version for the reason that on 1 power the reticle shrinks down small enough to use is like a red dot or circle dot and the reticle is great due to it's ability to quickly range estimate and the wind/moving target holds. You are getting alot of bang for the buck and it's rugged enough to handle anything that would happen state side. There's other options which are good but your typically gonna pay alot more.

If you want something more rugged with higher class quality they offer the same products in the Platinum series which are gonna be more money. Another good LVPO that's cost effective is the Hi-Lux 1-4×24 CMR4 by Leatherwood Optics which is a good one that won't break the bank. Just don't buy it from the website cuz you can find them sub $300. Glass clarity is good and the reticle is nice. It's SFP and you can get it in red or green illumination. I have one in green illumination. One potential down fall is (I can only speak to the green illumination) the green isn't daylight bright. For me that isn't an issue as I don't use illumination during the day on magnified optics. In low light and at night the illumination is just fine and is also crisp which come in two configururations- 5.56/.308 and 7.62×39.

Just my two cents.

No operator beard, obviously fake.

good video! informative! thanks for taking the time to make it! i agree with the qd scope mount. i run that setup on a few of my rifles. just in case i need to use iron sights. and guys if you are going to have iron sights under your variable power glass make sure and zero them cause they won't do much good otherwise!!

You can hit clearly visible targets very easily with a RDS out to 300m at least. The advantage of magnification is finding concealed targets and identifying visible targets at a distance.

For hunting and/or competition shooting the LPVO's are nice options. but for up close "defensive" shooting they are not needed. i don't know anyone who has 300 yard hallways in their homes! and if a potential bad guy is 200+ meters away than so are you, this leaves plenty of time to find cover or disappear. plus it's really not hard to hit a silhouette target at 200-300 meters with a RDS or irons if one actually trains. this relates to "defense situations" in which an average defensive engagement is well under 100 meters. if you cant hit a target within 100 meters without using a scope than your problems extend far beyond your equipment.

For the types of people that want a good comparison of LPVO vs red dot, go coyote or other predator hunting with each. take your duty rifle. hunting game like coyotes- they can be in your lap, or you can spot them at great distances. they are small, tough creatures that rarely stand still. The benefits and comparisons of each optics characteristics will be clear on the hunt, and is also valuable training for the time you may have to use it on the 2 legged critters.

Good info thanks!

They are situation dependent. You want a home defense sight or close range sight up to 100 to maybe 150 yds, take the RD. If you intend to engage targets well past 150 yards, run a LPVO.

Love my Steiner 1-4x. Super clear.

Burgess Optical 1 to 12 power with red and green dot.