Chad Wallace

May 9, 2024

Primary Arms GLx RS-15

Chad Wallace

May 9, 2024

When it comes to mini reflex red dot sights, everyone seems to have one or more in their catalog. Primary Arms has them also. The difference is that Primary Arms has broken the “same old dot” mold by designing and using an innovative reticle called the ACSS Vulcan. They have put this reticle in their brand new GLx RS-15 mini reflex sight. I tested the GLx RS-15 on a shotgun and a pistol just to see how it worked.

For everyday purposes, the Primary Arms GLx RS-15 is a reflex red dot sight. That is only the beginning of the story. First, the RS-15 is in Primary Arms’ GLx line. The GLx line is Primary Arms’ mid-tier optics line. That means you get a higher class of technology and materials at a fair price. The RS-15 comes in at $359 dollars, which isn’t bad when you count how many features are in it. In this line you tend to get new and innovative reticles and sharper glass, leading to a crisper dot. It also has the ACSS Vulcan reticle. Which I will explain, at length, later. Some of the other features it has include: A top load battery, 7075 aluminum housing, and Autolive technology, just to name a few.

Camera is closer to optic, to give an almost complete view of the reticle

The GLx RS-15’s ACSS Vulcan reticle is an innovative design. For simple explanation, it is essentially a 3 MOA red dot. Then it has an outer ring around that dot. That outer ring is 250 MOA. So what happens is that when you hold the RS-15 at arms length, the outer ring is not seen if the dot is in the center of the window. If you move the sight up/down or left/right, the outer circle starts to come into the window's view. This allows the shooter to see which way the gun needs to move, so you can get back to having the dot centered. Take for instance you see a curved line in the right or left side of the window. Just move the muzzle of the firearm toward the direction of that curved line, and you should then see the aiming dot. Same with up or down. If the curved line is on top, move the muzzle up, if it is toward the bottom of the window, move the muzzle down. The ACSS Vulcan reticle is a great reticle to learn how to shoot red dots on pistols. Yes, it even helps out seasoned shooters like myself. After you use the Vulcan reticle for a while, and want to try just a normal dot sight picture, it has an option to turn off the outer ring so that it is just the 3 MOA dot. Just hold down the brightness down button for 3 seconds and it will cycle between the two modes. I’ve been really impressed with the ACSS Vulcan reticle.

Primary Arms’ Autolive function is also built into the GLx RS-15. However, it works a little differently than their normal Autolive version. After around 10 seconds of no movement, the RS-15 shuts off the 250 MOA ring and leaves just the 3 MOA dot. Then after around 4 minutes of no movement, it shuts down the dot reticle. Have no fears, just barely move the RS-15 and the full Vulcan reticle will come back on. This helps aid in longer battery life. Battery life is pretty good. Primary Arms states 25,000 plus hours on medium setting with just the dot, and around 5,000 hours with the Vulcan reticle. It may sound substantially less, but 5000 hours is still 200 days of continuous “on.” And with the Autolive, it will not be continually on for 200 days. I’m a big fan of Autolive, or any of the auto on/off systems.

Mounting the GLx RS-15 might lead to some hassles. The RS-15 uses a C-More mounting footprint. Trying to find an actual C-More footprint optics cut is not easy. Slides with these optics cuts are available, but not nearly as prevalent as a RMR footprint cut. However, If you have a slide cut for a Delta Point Pro (DPP), and it doesn’t have the recoil lug bosses built in, the RS-15 will mount right up. This is because the screw hole spacing is the same for a DPP or a C-More footprint. This mounting footprint is the GLX RS-15’s biggest flaw. First I mounted the RS-15 up to a shotgun, with the help of a Warne Red-dot Shotgun Rib Reflex Mount. On a side note, the Warne mount is fantastic. It mounts to the shotgun's rib, securely, and has options for just about any red dot footprint imaginable. I then proceeded to put it on a P320 with a Grey Ghost Precision (GGP) slide. I did this because the GGP slide is cut for a DPP and doesn't have any recoil bosses to make the RS-15 not bolt up. That is where it stays. Not because it didn’t work on the shotgun, but because I like it better on the pistol.

Besides the ACSS Vulcan reticle and Autolive functionality, the GLx RS-15 has some other great features. First up is the actual window size, which is 26x20mm’s. The window size is decently large and seemed easy for me to get on target with. Next is the RS-15’s top load CR2032 battery. Which also comes with a combo wrench to make removing the battery cover easy. The 7075 aluminum housing is stronger than comparable sights that use 6061 aluminum. Probably most notable, is that the RS-15 has 0.5 MOA click adjustments. Almost all mini reflex sights use a 1 MOA adjustment, and some do not have clicks. Lastly, the buttons on the right side control brightness. It has 13 brightness settings, 3 of which are night vision compatible. The top brightness settings are super bright.

The GLx RS-15 is one of the clearest red dots I have used. The clarity is just amazing. I say this because with my astigmatism, red dot’s are usually a little starred out for me, making them a little blurry. Not the RS-15. I don’t know what Primary Arms did to get this red dot so clear, but I like it. Maybe it is the very slightly tinted blue lens. Either way, it works. In fact, it is the first time, in a while, that I can turn the brightness all the way up and not have the dot look distorted.

I mentioned running the GLx RS-15 on a shotgun. I wanted to try out a non conventional use for it. I really liked shooting trap with the RS-15. However, the 250 MOA outer ring didn’t really do anything for the shotgun. Something about looking down a long gun barrel that tends to line up the sight. I am not sure if it helped me shoot trap better, but I see how having something like the RS-15 on a field shotgun could be immensely useful. The dot just made aiming at a moving target easier.

After the shotgun try out, I proceeded to go conventional. Using the GLx RS-15 on a handgun is where it really shines. This is where the ACSS Vulcan reticle can be used to its full potential. I ran some drills with the RS-15 to test it out. I am a little faster, shot to shot, under recoil thanks to the Vulcan reticle. One because it is so clear, and the other because the reticle just helps you find the dot faster. This is definitely a more useful sight on a handgun.

If you are looking into a red dot that can help you shoot better, the Primary Arms GLx RS-15 might be a good option. Partly due to its innovative ACSS Vulcan reticle. For new red dot shooters, it helps you find the dot and get used to it. For seasoned shooters, it helps you to find the dot faster. The GLx RS-15 even works for non-conventional uses like a shotgun. I have a hard time deciding what would be my favorite feature of the RS-15. Is it the Vulcan reticle, or the sights' clarity? Go check out the Primary Arms GLx RS-15 and see for yourself.

Firearms Insider Reviews - Key Points

Claim to Fame:

Quality red dot with the ACSS Vulcan reticle

Target Market:

Anyone wanting a quality red dot, but also those who will benefit from the ACSS Vulcan reticle

Features, Benefits, and Specifications of this product:

7075 Aluminum construction
Hardcoat anodized black
Top loading CR2032 battery compartment
5,000 Hour battery life with full reticle on medium setting
25,000+ Hour Battery life with dot reticle on medium setting
Side mounted buttons for brightness (13 settings with 3 night vision)
Red Dot Bright® ACSS Vulcan Dot reticle (3 MOA center dot with 250 MOA outer circle)
Multi-reticle select can be changed between circle/dot and just the dot
0.5 MOA windage and elevation adjustments
Autolive® functionality
Waterproof and shockproof construction
Multicoated lens
C-More footprint which is very similar to the Delta Point Pro footprint
Includes GLOCK MOS compatible mounting plate
Length: 1.84"
Weight: 1.11 oz.
Aperture diameter: 26x20mm
Lifetime warranty

What other aesthetic options or finishes are available?

Dot only version

What others are saying?:

5 out of 5 stars at primaryarms.com

SUPERB RDO WITH DIRECT FITMENT ON SIG PRO-CUT SLIDE

This optic is my third with the ACSS Vulcan reticle, but first PA-branded open reflex (others are HS 507k & 507c). I've become a real believer in this reticle, in either red or green.

Target and sight acquisition are super-fast and consistent -- intuitive, too, once a little muscle memory is achieved. For me, it also had a minimal learning curve, with the added benefit of presentation depth feedback, making it simple to verify the gun is in the correct position for each round fired.

Too far away, the 250 MOA outer ring disappears. In too close, the outer ring circles the 3 MOA dot. At just right, the outer ring guides the dot to perfect target alignment. It's a system beneficial to both experienced shooters and new RDO users, and it just plain works.

This optic, like the HS RDOs, checks all the right feature boxes too, including shake awake, top-mount battery and side-mount brightness.

It’s a real winner. A+ performance and value.

Link to other reviews:

Nothing found as of publishing

Price point:

MSRP = $359.99

Retail = Same

I need it now! Availability:

Primary Arms

Our Rating:

Pros:

ACSS Vulcan reticle
Clarity
Autolive motion activation
Window Size

Cons:

C-More mounting footprint
Slightly higher price when compared to similar reticles in red dots

Score: 7.50 Good

Favorite Link: Primary Arms SLx 1x prism review

Rusty Odom

August 9, 2023

Review, Primary Arms, Binoculars

Primary Arms GLX 10x42 ED Binoculars

Rusty Odom

August 9, 2023

Review, Primary Arms, Binoculars

The Primary Arms

GLx 10x42mm ED Binoculars

As you can tell this review is about a pair of binoculars. I was lucky enough to receive the GLx 10x42 binos from Primary Arms for review. I wanted to use these during turkey season but life got in the way, so I carried these in my backpack and used them at work. For those of you that don’t know, I'm a paramedic and I run as an intercept, which means I’m in a SUV by myself and I cover a lot of area. I cover three counties when needed, and a lot of it is interstate or in a very rural area. So I’ve been using these to survey the scene of wrecks before I get there, certain hazmat situations. or just try and find a mailbox or house number from way off the road. A lot of the time I use them to just people watch. But l have been using them a lot lately while fishing. I have been looking for skip Jack or shad breaking the water and looking for my buoys when I set out trotlines.

So a little about these GLX 10x42 binoculars:

Features:
Grey finish
10x Fixed magnification
42mm Objective lens
Waterproof and shockproof
Magnesium construction with rubber overmold
Fully multicoated lenses
15.2mm Eye relief
6.5 Degrees angular field of view
341 ft. Field of view @ 1,000 yards
2 Meter close focus
Prism Type: Roof
Length: 5.5 in.
Width: 5 in.
Height: 2 in.
Weight: 23.74 oz.
Includes soft case and Neoprene neck strap

These are the technical specifications off of the website, I know it’s a little boring but you need to know what you’re getting. I don’t have a lot of experience with other binoculars, I have carried the same pair for about 15 years or so from another leading company and I can tell you they don’t hold a candle to the GLX pair. These are super clear, light enough to carry with the neck strap around your neck all day. The color and light transmission I got from them reminds me of several high end rifle scopes I have looked through. I have tossed these in the bottom of my flat bottom boat, carried them in a backpack, in the saddle bags while riding horses. I even used them some during trapping season when I had a bunch of skunks I was trapping out of a piece of property. So to say the least they are durable, tough, waterproof and have survived the encounters that I have put them through. I have not been easy on them.

I really wanted to see how the body held up with hard use without keeping them in the case all the time. I found out they are tough as nails. The only piece that came off was off the focus ring in the center and it was just the logo for the company. I think it was glued on and it did not affect use of the binos. They were easy to use with sunglasses or my regular glasses. They just seemed to fit to your face once you get them adjusted.

What I like about them is that they are over rubber and are easy to handle with wet or sweaty hands. I went to my local sports store and looked through their binoculars and tried to make a comparison but it’s hard to do inside. But from what I found is that the GLx 10x42’s are in the same quality of craftsmanship as others that are twice the price.

I would like to tell you about field of view and all the other specs that are on there but it’s Greek to me. What I can tell you, is that for the money, you’re getting a quality pair of binoculars, for half the cost of a comparable model from those other large manufacturers.