Anatomy of an LPVO: Required Features for Your Next Low-Power Carbine Scope

The hottest category in magnified optics is the LPVO, which stands for Low Power Variable Optic. You know them by sight, if not by name. These are the stubby 1-6x24 or 1-8x24, or if we’re stretching the category, 2-10x32 rifle scopes.

But here’s the thing: Not all scopes that share these configurations can really be defined as LPVOs. Some are simply… low-power variable optics.

If you struggle with the differentiation, don’t worry. So does the optics industry. We see a pile of 1-4x24, 1-6x24, and even some very good 1-10x24 scopes that have abundant utility for turkey shotgun optics, or scopes you might mount on a dangerous-game rifle you’d take to Africa, or on muzzleloaders.

But they’re not LPVOs.

Okay, I’ll quit teasing. In order to achieve the value proposition of a true LPVO — and note that this is strictly my opinion — a scope needs to kick ass at both its lowest magnification and at its highest magnification. It needs illumination adjusting in intensity from burning bright in full daylight to just visible in low-light conditions. It needs a first-plane reticle that performs significantly different functions at low (snap shooting) versus high (precision aiming) magnifications. It needs to be double-tough. My preference is capped turrets but if it has exposed turrets they need to lock solidly in place.

A true LPVO should have tube dimensions that fit a cantilevered unimount that mates to a Picatinny rail. And an LPVO should be able to accept accessories, whether a flip-away magnifier or a clip-on thermal. Double points if its rings can also accept top-mounted accessories like a bonus red-dot sight or a flashlight.

EXAMPLES OF NOT LPVOs

Again, my comments are based on my own opinion, and shouldn’t be considered formal definitions of this optical category. But I’ve tested dozens of LPVOs. I’ve hunted with them. I’ve shot in competitions with them. And I’ve used them in personal-defense situations.

And LPVOs have become a fixture of my annual Outdoor Life optics test. This is where my rigid definition has failed in reality. I basically accept into my test any scope with a low magnification, but it’s fair to note that low-power submissions that don’t have the attributes I think are required of LPVOs generally don’t do as well in head-to-head evaluations.

So, what are these non-LPVO low-power scopes? Generally, they have these attributes:

• Second-plane reticle

• No illumination

• Simple duplex or dot aiming points

• Manual focus or parallax

I’ll add a couple more attributes of these scopes that’s harder to define. Low-power scopes with stingy eyeboxes and shallow eye relief simply aren’t very useful for the sort of snap shooting that low-power scopes are designed to enable. And scopes that are hard to mount on standard Pic rails, but which have some sort of proprietary mounting system, don’t really achieve the universal mounting capability of true LPVOs.

A couple of examples of very good scopes in this year’s optics test that I don’t think live up to the full promise of LPVOs:

• Leupold’s VX-6HD Gen2 1-6x24 and Mark 4HD 1-4.5x24 – The first is a super-premium optic, with great glass and sweet controls, including Leupold’s new Speed Set tool-less turret dials. I’d take this scope in a heartbeat for a bear hunt or pig hunting, but the fancy turret is wasted on what is ultimately a close-range scope. The illuminated center-dot aiming point is fine, but utility of this $2,000 scope is limited. Ditto for the Mark 4HD, available in either second-plane illuminated Firedot TMR or Firedot BDC. Great close-in scopes, but mid- to longer-range precision is limited.

• Trijicon Huron 1-6x24 – Another great short-range scope, this price-point Trijicon has great glass and nice controls, but it is short-changed by a second-plane reticle that curiously – for a brand that built its reputation on illumination – is not illuminated. The hash-style holdover reticle is actually pretty handy for reaching out to mid-range targets, but it would be way more useful in the first focal plane.

• Hawke Endurance 30 FD – This British optics brand has any number of low-power scopes that generally share the excellent and coherent center-dot illuminated by fiber-optic. But the model is held back by second-plane duplex reticles that don’t have much utility as either close-range red-dot sights or mid-range precision optics. Still, these are excellent turkey-gun optics and are equally at home on straight-wall carbines and in-line muzzleloaders. This year we also were pleased with Hawke’s first-plane XB30, a crossbow-specific Endurance in 2-8x36mm.

There are plenty more examples of these low-power scopes that I don’t really consider bringing the full horsepower of the platform to the game. So… what are some scopes that have the attributes I look for in a true LPVO?

• Front focal plane reticle

• Illumination from barely visible to daylight bright

• Magnification throw lever

• Locking or capped turrets

• Liberal eye relief

• Ability to accept unimount or Pic-rail base

Here are some entries in this year’s Outdoor Life optics test that I think achieve the ideal of the LPVO category:

• Athlon Ares ETR Gen2 UHD 1-10x24 – 

This is a heavy fireplug of a scope, but it generally has the attributes I look for. Its MOA-based front-plane reticle functions as a 2MOA red dot at lowest magnifications, but zooms up to provide a very useful segmented ¾ circle that frames the floating dot and has 40 MOA of bullet holdover references and a ton of windage references. It has stout pull-to-turn turrets (windage is capped). It has 6-step illumination. I wish it was brighter, but this is a scope that can handle close-in instinctive shooting as well as slow-fire precision work at longish ranges.

• Monstrum Beast 1-6x24 – This Amazon special scope, which sells for the ridiculous price of $179 – is built around a super-versatile FFP MOA-based CM5 reticle. The reticle illuminates nicely but functions as a bright red dot at lower mags but at about 2x the numeric references are visible inside the segmented outer circle. At full 6x the outer circle goes away and you’re left with very clear holdover and windage references out to 50 MOA on either side of the floating center cross. Exposed turrets lock nicely in place, and the throw lever riffs from low to high power effortlessly. Adding to its value, the Beast ships with a very good unimount that has a built-in level and accepts accessories.

• Sig Sauer TANGO-MSR Compact 1-6x24 – I’m about to violate my own precept and recommend an LPVO with a second-plane reticle. But this is such a well-constructed effort that I can overlook that shortcoming because the BDC6 reticle is so versatile, and the illumination is so good that it functions as a red-dot and a decently precise mid-range scope. The inverted horseshoe reticle frames the aiming point for fast close-in shooting, and the hash-and-dot tree reticle has nearly 40 MOA of holdover. The power-changing lever is fast and grabby, the turrets are capped, the spring-loaded lens covers snap out of the way, and the unit ships with a very good unimount.

Here are a couple more LPVOs worth a look that deliver all the performance you (and I) expect from the platform:

• Steiner T6Xi 1-6x24 with FFP KC-1MIL reticle

• EOTECH Vudu 1-10x24. This is the OG of the LPVO category, with an illuminated circle-and-cross aiming point in the LE-5 MRAD FFP reticle. It’s a hawg, built on a 34mm tube, with push-button illumination and exposed locking elevation turret.

• Trijicon Credo 1-10x28 with FFP MRAD Segmented Circle reticle. This is a big number, built on a 34mm tube, but illumination is wonderful and it’s built for battle.

• Burris RT-6 1-6x24 with SFP Ballistic AR reticle. Ships with unimount and FastFire3 red dot for mounting on top of rings. A very good AR-carbine scope.

• Leupold Mark 5HD 2-10x30. Not quite an LPVO because of its magnification range, this is a do-everything low-power scope for Designated Marksman type duties, from close-quarters engagement to precision shooting at distance. The FFP CMR-MIL illuminated reticle is versatile, and the 7-step red (plus 2 night-vision) illumination is intense. Belongs on every AR carbine.

There are dozens more products and brands that I haven’t mentioned, but the field of talented LPVOs has never been fuller or more diverse. Ultimately, pick the features and prices that work for you, but know that if you find a low-power scope falling short, it’s probably because it’s not a true LPVO.