Chad Wallace

December 14, 2024

Optics, Review

Primary Arms SLx 1-10x28 ACSS NOVA

Chad Wallace

December 14, 2024

Optics, Review

Primary Arms

SLx 1-10x28 ACSS NOVA Review

A few years ago, Primary Arms started making their NOVA fiber dot reticle. This bridged the gap between the Low Power Variable Optic (LPVO) and the red dot. Primary Arms has recently put the NOVA reticle into their SLx 1-10x28 optic. This is huge for those wanting more magnification over the SLx 1-6x24 NOVA.

The Primary Arms SLx 1-10x28 NOVA is packed with features. For starters, they increased the tube to 34mm from 30mm’s in the 1-6. This allows more light to get into the optic and back to your eye. This larger tube lets you see better at lower light levels as well as at the full 10x magnification. They also throw in flip up lens caps to keep the glass clean when not in use.

Next on the feature list is the capped turrets. The turrets are a vital part in setting up your optic. Or at least getting it sighted in. I am not super thrilled with the turrets that Primary Arms uses on this LPVO. The clicks are fine and can be felt easily. My gripe is that they remind me of something that was used on scopes 20 years ago. They are small plastic knobs with a flat piece of metal that rotates to set your zero position. Then there is a tiny recess, in the threads, to line up your “zero” with. I was just hoping for something more like the SLx 1-6x24 NOVA. The caps that cover the turrets are nice. They have good texture to unscrew them. The windage knob cap also has storage for an extra 2032 battery. Yes, it comes with an extra battery already in the cap. On the left side of the LPVO is the brightness knob. It has 11 brightness settings from low light to burn your eyeballs out bright. However, it is not night vision compatible. The SLx 1-10 does not have Primary Arms’ Autolive. However, I did install their Autolive battery cap and it works like a charm.

Eye relief for the SLx 1-10 LPVO is pretty good. Primary Arms states 3.2 - 3.5 inches, which seems about right. I did notice that the eyebox is pretty forgiving. I did not need to be exactly in the stated window to see through the optic clearly. The SLx also has a fast focus diopter so you can adjust the reticle to be crystal clear. Also, on this end of the optic is the magnification throw lever. Of course it goes from a true 1x all the way to 10x. The magnification adjustment is very smooth and rotates right at 180 degrees from 1x - 10x. Primary Arms also uses their removable throw lever. This one is about ¾ inch long. You can get different height ones from Primary Arms, as well as a fold down lever.

Now it is reticle time. The SLx 1-10x28 uses Primary Arms ACSS NOVA fiber wire reticle. This gives you a daylight bright red dot in the center of the reticle’s crosshairs. Basically a red LED travels through a fiber optic cable to the reticle, thus illuminating the reticle dot much brighter than a normal illuminated reticle. The center dot is roughly 0.6 MOA. Some people say the dot is too small to use it like a red dot. I am not one of those people, I love the Nova red dot. The rest of the ACSS NOVA reticle is a Mil based Second Focal Plane optic. So the reticle stays the same size throughout the magnification range. This also makes the Mil subtensions only accurate at the highest power, or 10x in this case. For elevation, there are 4 mil stadia lines below the center red dot. They are spaced 1 Mil apart, with ½ mil dots between them. These Mil stadia are wider at the top and progressively get narrower as you go down the reticle. This is so you can use them to range distance on an 18 inch wide target. On the horizontal stadia, there are 2 dots. These 2 dots represent approximately 3 mile per hour wind holds each. The crosshair taper can be used as a 3rd wind hold. The reticle is very useful for all kinds of things. I am a huge fan of the ACSS NOVA Mil reticle.

When I first received the SLx 1-10x28, I had not received the rifle I was hoping to put it on. Since I had a “Range Day” competition coming up, I mounted it to my Primary Weapons piston AR15. Primary Arms had also sent their GLx 34 mm cantilever mount to use with the 1-10. It is a great mount by itself and puts the optic at just the right height for an AR. During the competition, I was able to use it like a red dot at 3-7 yard targets. Then I moved it up to about 3x to shoot some index cards at 50 yards. The optic performed great for that particular competition. And no, I didn’t win anything. The SLx 1-10 Nova now sits on a Global Ordnance Monolith, which was the rifle I was waiting to install it on. The 1-10 fits the rifle well and doesn’t add too much weight to it. After all, the SLx 1-10x28 Nova only weighs 19 ounces. I have also done a bunch of drills with the SLx on this rifle. The SLx worked great on it also. When I was shooting for groups, I had the SLx’s magnification turned up to 10x. On 10x the targets were easy to make out. The only problem I ran across was that at 10x, the scope is not as clear as at 1x. There was not a bunch of difference, but enough that I could notice. Even though it was noticeable to me, I could still make out 22 caliber holes at 100 yards easily enough.

I am a huge fan of the ACSS NOVA reticle in the SLx 1-10x28. Not only can you use this LPVO as a normal optic, it also can double as a red dot. You can even range targets with the Mil reticle. Pair it with the Primary Arms Autolive battery cap and you have an optic that is ready to go when you are. So if you are looking for that LPVO that has a little bit more magnification, but still can be used fast and up close, give the Primary Arms SLx 1-10x28 ACSS NOVA a look.

Firearms Insider Reviews - Key Points

Claim to Fame:

Quality , inexpensive 1-10x optic with good features

Target Market:

Anyone wanting a quality LPVO at a fair price

Features, Benefits, and Specifications of this product:

Battery Type: CR2032 3V Lithium Coin
Click Value: 1/2 MOA
Exit Pupil Diameter: Low: 9mm / High: 2.8mm
Field View 100: Low: 110 ft / High: 10 ft
Focal Plane: Second Focal Plane
Illuminated MRAD NOVA fiber reticle, red color
Eye Relief: 3.2” - 3.5”
Length: 10.5 in.
Magnification: 1X - 10X
34mm tube
Objective Diameter: 28mm
Total Elevation and Windage Adjustment: 40 MOA
Low Profile Capped Turrets
Warranty: Lifetime
Weight: 19.1 oz.

What other aesthetic options or finishes are available?

ACSS Raptor and ACSS Griffin reticles

What others are saying?:

5 out of 5 stars at PrimaryArms.com

Coyote Hunting 25-200 Yards

by Coyote Cam -

So, as we all know... the SLx 1-6x24 Nova has been the standard for the red dot bright LPVO with the Gen4. When I saw that they now make the exact same Nova illumination in the 1-10x28, it was time to pull the trigger on a 1-10x LPVO, but with any 1-10x I was a bit hesitant at first... but let me tell you, I am amazed at how clear this is out to 200 yards on 10x.

Now... understand that this is for my dedicated Coyote setup out to 200 yards max, but also I have a heavy brush/timber area that I need to dial it back on and this 1x is running amazing.

The red dot illumination helps when the reticle fades in the sun/tree line, which is why I wanted the Nova, but I needed more than 6x for target identification in dim light.

If you are wanting something for the same reasons as I did, do not hesitate, the glass is actually super clear.

Link to other reviews:

Lynx Defense

Price point:

MSRP = $449.99

Retail = Same, but Primary Arms runs sales that take it below $400

I need it now! Availability:

Primary Arms or your local dealer

Our Rating:

Pros:

Red Dot NOVA reticle
Mil lines for ranging
Lightweight for size
Battery storage in windage knob cover
Capped turrets
Decent throw lever

Cons:

Old school turrets with no real zero setting
Little fuzzy around the edges at 10x

Score: 8.00 Great

Favorite Link: Primary Arms SLx 1-6x24 Nov review

Chad Wallace

June 9, 2024

Review

Swampfox Tomahawk II

Chad Wallace

June 9, 2024

Review

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.

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.