Primary Arms Scopes

Widow maker 223

Active member
Anyone have any experience with them? My brother is looking for a budget scope. He is looking at the 4-16x44. I read a lot of reviews on it, for a lower end scope it seems decent.
 
I would suggest taking a look at Athlon. They make a 4-14 FFP with a street price a little under $300 that has been getting pretty good reviews.
I bought an Athlon 1-4 SFP that I'm very happy with. I'm no scope expert but the glass is plenty clear and they have a lifetime warranty.

Good luck with whatever you end up with.
 
I've owned the 1-6x24 with the ACSS reticle and currently own the 4-14x44 with the R-Grid reticle. Both scopes have been very good for the money. The glass has been surprisingly crisp and clear for the cost. I don't know about the 4-16x44 but, I have been very happy with the 2 I've owned and would recommend them for anyone on a budget.
 
My son has a Primary Arms 4-14 MilDot on a Ruger American Predator in 6.5 CM. The scope is holding up well. My only knock is that it is very heavy, but since the rifle is a bench gun it is no problem.
 
Don't have any of their scopes but I do have one of their red dots that I got second hand. I was having some issues with it so I contacted them. I was told it was out of warranty but to send it in and they would see what they could do. They not only fixed it free of charge but they also gave me a bikini cover and optic mount base that originally came with the optic. Great customer service even for someone who hadn't spent a dime with them.
 
Ranging with PA ACSS-HUD – Id never be so rude to leave without laying out the gist of the acronym ACSS; Advanced Combined Sighting System - Heads Up Dummy. And this can be yours for the moderate price of a Primary Arms rifle scope. This reticle is quite ingenious, really. Instrumentally designed as mil. combat sighting system, its application extends into the joyful realm of harvesting wild game.
Through a simple hip pocket cheat sheet or mental acumen you divide the multiple by MOA. The important critter measurements may vary by neighborhood.

COYOTE 18” length shoulder to rump x 27.78 = 500 / MOA measurement = distance in yards.
10” height back to breast x 27.78 = 277.8 / MOA measurement = distance.

DEER 36” height hoof to back x 27.78 = 1000.08 / MOA measurement = distance in yards.
18” width/height/depth x 27.78 = 500 / MOA = yards
10” diam. Crown to throat x 27.78 = 277.8 / you guessed it

YETI (chilled or standing) width, handle to handle or nipple to nipple 30” x 27.78 = 833 / 8 MOA = 104 yards back to the beer cooler or TV fame. The MOA measurement is the same as body portion multiple.

XY QUARRY dimension times 27.78 / MOA measurement either broadside or head-on using PA ACSS-HUD Reticle. There are other higher or lower math means to the same end.

The multiples of a target size are constants unless were speaking of Bruce Banner. Simply divide Your Neck of The Woods multiple by the length or height in MOA.

I recently purchased one of these FFP (1st focal plane) scopes with the ACSS. Im still ingraining the delicacies of it. GOTO youtube to get the real spiel on it; the users pamphlet is like a Hoover vacuum. Now it you want a scope with a top notch presentation box, go with Athlon. Their customer service is also a Hoover associate.

The particular flavor I chose was .308 WIN/.223 WIN Paisley. Im aghast really theyre on the same page. My ballistics tabulation for the .308 make the assigned BDC reticle hashmark distances laughable at times and fairly close on occasion. BDC reticles are a crap shoot. When I speak of the paisley caliber (TIC) I remember the .223 like I do Viet Nam and paisley, and the graphical devils peace sign. And the V for victory hand sign, or was it peace. Ive not assessed the ACSS BDC reticle by ballistics tables for the .223 WIN. Just my nickles worth.
 
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Addendum: Youve got to see the ACSS-HUD-DMR (Designated Marksman Rifle) to get a good feel for its capabilities. This is IMO the RANGE FINDER scope of today. The prime vertical line has them laughable designated yardage hashmarks AND when you zoom it in youll see the incorporated (Combined) MOA dots. Windage adjustment out to 10MPH is built in provided you guesstimate well. A 10 inch head diameter ranging means and more. There are many "Combined" attributes to the ACSS-HUD-DMR everyone should at least spend a bit of youtube video observance of.
Ive seen/heard it said, once you get the ACSS ingrained youll forget about turret adjustments.
Just to be clear...the MOA dots on the main reticle line is for ranging calculation purposes. That standing deer is X # MOA on this line hoof to back. Or that 70" Sasquatch, aka Osama bin Biden, is X # MOA tall, or 70 x 27.78 / X MOA hgt = Yards to TV fame.
 
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Originally Posted By: Widow maker 223They do seem like a decent scope. I will have him check out the Athlon also. Ive the Talos flavor 3-12x40. For the little $$ difference go with Primary Arms ACSS-HUD-DMR 4-14x44. Ive alot more pride in the PA. It has the rangefinder like none other. The Talos is SFP while the PA is FFP and the latter is a whole lot more. But, if youd rather have a very nice box sitting on the shelf, go with Athlon.
 
I've never owned a PA scope but my shooting partner (Gunsmith, 24 year MP Vet and current VA police firearms trainer) swears by their higher end scopes. I've looked through several of his PA scopes and they seem to be on par with the Leupold/Vortex scopes I use.
 
No experience with the 4-16x44 but Primary Arms 3x compact scope is very well built, tracks perfect on my Garand and customer support was great when I had a question they were very helpful. I wouldn't hesitate to order another of their products.

Regards,
hm
 
I have the Primary Arms 4-14 FFP Mil/Mil and so far I like it. It seems to track just the way it's supposed to and is pretty decent glass for the money. I bought it off a guy for $140. He said he didn't use it much and from the looks of it he wasn't lying.

I have it on my TC Contender 16" TCU and it's perfect for that gun. I didn't find it terribly heavy, but the dials seem to be build well. They aren't sloppy or overly hard to adjust. Just nice and smooth and responsive.
 
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