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.