Primary Arms’ Classic series of optics is their budget or entry level line. But don’t stop reading just yet, this Classic series 1-6x24 still has a bunch of decent things going for it. The Classic series has good visual clarity as well as an illuminated dot in the center of the reticle. So let’s dive deeper into what the Classic 1-6x24 has to offer.

Since the Primary Arms Classic 1-6 is an entry level scope, it uses a second focal plane reticle. For anyone that doesn’t know, this means that the reticle stays the same size throughout the 1-6 power magnification range. Since the Classic 1-6 uses a duplex dot style reticle, this doesn’t really affect much. You probably won’t be trying to range target distances with it. Something that amazed me on the Classic 1-6 was the optic clarity. For an entry level scope, everything was real clear, even at 6 power. I’ve seen entry level stuff that isn’t near this clear.

The little Classic 1-6 has some other notable features. For one, it uses a 30mm tube that helps let light through the optic, plus it’s pretty much the industry standard for low power variable optics. The adjustment turrets are capped. This helps to keep your adjustments from getting changed. These caps are decently knurled to make them easy to take on and off. However, the windage and elevation adjustment turrets don’t have any marks to line up the turret with the body of the scope. So if you want to go 4 clicks, there’s no indication that you went there. Primary Arms does put a moveable “zero” piece on top of the turret, but without a mark on the scope body, it’s useless. I’d put a tiny dot of paint on it for location purposes. Even though there’s no visual reference on zero, the actual clicks on this Classic series are great. So it’s easy to count how many clicks you moved the turret. Each click is 0.5 MOA, so approximately ½” at 100 yds. There’s also a full 120 MOA of adjustment in the scope. Last on this feature list is the nice throw lever. It sticks up high enough to easily adjust the magnification, but it’s not super tall either. If you don’t like throw levers, it is simple to remove and then you are left with a standard style adjustment ring.

One of my favorite aspects of the Classic 1-6 is its reticle. The reticle is a duplex dot style (see picture). The 3 heavy duplex lines draw your eye to the center of the reticle. Then in the center are some fine lines that point to a center dot. The center dot measures 2 MOA. This center dot has red illumination, if you want it to. The illumination has 10 settings. These pretty much go from barely visible to pretty bright. I say pretty bright, because in bright sunlight the dot illumination isn’t visible. But it’s a $200 scope and 90% of the time, you will be able to see the illumination of the center dot. This reticle works great on something like a standard AR, where the cartridge shoots pretty flat out to 300 yds. Plus, being a 1-6 power, at 1x it’s almost like using a red dot. The reticle really impressed me.

I mounted the Classic 1-6x24 on a standard 16” AR in 5.56. I will say it works well for close targets. Even at 3-5 yds it performed respectfully. Moving out to 200 yds and jumping the magnification up to 6x, the Classic 1-6 still worked well. Targets were clear, but getting in the right eyebox window was a little challenging. With this Classic 1-6, you really need to have your eye in that sweet spot of the eye relief. This was the scopes biggest downfall for me. I also had to remind myself that it is an entry level LPVO. Especially since the glass was so much better than I expected. So much so, that it was easy for me to hit, and see, 4” plates at 200 yds, while using the Classic 1-6.

If you are looking into trying out a LPVO, or just want a budget one, the Primary Arms Classic 1-6x24 is a great place to start. Its reticle is simple to use and it has great optic clarity for something in this price range. I'd say, for the price, you'd be hard pressed to find something as good.

Firearms Insider Reviews - 8 Key Points

Claim to Fame:

Budget friendly 1-6 power optic

Target Market:

Those wanting a quality budget scope

FNBs (Features & Benefits of this product):

1-6x Magnification range
Illuminated Duplex Dot reticle, Dot is 2 MOA
Second focal plane design
Fast focus eyepiece
Fogproof, dustproof, and IP67 rated waterproof
6063 Aluminum body with matte black anodized finish
Integrated magnification lever
Uses 1 - CR2032 battery (included)
Includes lens covers
Click Value - 1/2 MOA
Eye ReliefLow: 3.5in. / High: 3.9in.
Field of View at 100yds - 1X: 113 ft. / 6X: 18.8 ft.
120 MOA windage and elevation adjustments
Weight - 17.21 oz.
30mm tube diameter
Lifetime Warranty

What other aesthetic options or finishes are available?

None

What others are saying?:

5/5 stars at PrimaryArms

GREAT VALUE

Don't expect top-tier performance (the highest illumination is not daylight bright, bare-bones reticle, eye box can be tight) but a budget LPVO can't really get much better than this - Clear glass and features every functional feature (capped turrets, audible adjustments, illuminated reticle center). 100% recommended if you're in the market for a high-value optic.

Link to other reviews:

Lynx Defense

Price point:

MSRP = $199.99

Retail = Same, but Primary Arms has sales quite often

I need it now! Availability:

Primary Arms

Our Rating:

Pros:

Simple reticle with red center dot
2 MOA center dot
Lifetime warranty
Clear
Price

Cons:

Narrow eye box
No marks for turret adjustments

Score: 7.50 Good

Favorite Link: Timber Creek

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