Primary Arms 2.5X CQB Scope Review

[alamo5000]

When I was selected to do this review I had a number of reactions. The first thing I was tempted to do was to go online and see what everyone else was saying about this optic. Thankfully I resisted that temptation. I want this review to be my review. It wouldn’t be very fair to Primary Arms or anyone else involved (including the reader) to just paraphrase or restate what other people have said. I can honestly say that I haven’t seen nor read a single other review.

In the days after I received the scope the weather was horrible. We had about two weeks of nothing but cold drizzly rain and ankle deep mud. During that time it left my mind racing. I, like many enthusiast shooters have never been in the special forces or even in the military. I am not a cop or a SWAT officer. That said I realized quickly that I am missing out on a big aspect of recreational shooting, that being doing more CQB type shooting.

I grew up on guns but as a kid I was shooting tin cans off a fence. The idea to shoot ‘far’ but still hit the target has always been ‘where it’s at’. From that stems hunting and ballistics and many other aspects of shooting out to whatever distance. This basis forms my own and others general impressions of firearms sports. That said it’s never really crossed my mind to storm a building to take out a bad guy or to have a battle from opposite sides of the street. I realized very quickly that I am outside of my element when talking about CQB, but that said, studying it, learning it, and somewhat practicing it is not only a whole new level of fun, but it will make me more knowledgeable and a better overall marksman.

Now in steps the CQB scope to open my mind and world up a little bit more. My first impressions are that the thing is pretty much solid. The build quality and image clarity is good. Don’t be mistaken though, I will tell you straight what I like, don’t like, and what I would like to see.

There is no question about it that you are getting a quality piece of hardware when you get this scope. The mount I received was not a QD mount. That said, I am somewhere in between ‘I don’t care’ and ‘I don’t really like’ QD mounts. The mount I received was solid as was the entire scope, which is a compliment of the overall build quality. If you are worried about build quality you can stop now. The turrets are capped and the adjustments are crisp. The absolute only part that I didn’t like was the flip up caps. The front one was a bit sticky but might get better with some break in. I ended up just taking them all the way off. I personally would prefer a bikini cover instead, but it’s hardly an issue and not a deal breaker by any means.

The reticle is nice and crispy. I REALLY like the idea of it being etched. For the most part I am not a fan of red dots although there might be a rare exception. If you are up in the air between a red dot of similar price and something else…I would take the Primary Arms all day long every day instead.

Using the scope as is had some very good points and others that I would like to see improved. It works fine as is and if I haven’t said it enough already, this thing is a great build. If I bought this sight unseen I would feel like I got more than my money’s worth.

The reticle has a lot of features. First thing are the horse shoes. I personally found them to be simple and of very good use. The side ‘range finder’ hash marks…umm… I still don’t get those. They don’t get in the way, but they also haven’t added much so it’s a wash if they are there. That said in order to ‘range find’ with this you have to slightly pull off target to use that feature. I don’t like that. With a 2.5X magnification, at farther distances this could be a big deal. Throw in doing some kind of proprietary calculation to figure out how far your target is, not to mention trying to see those microscopic drop compensation dots it will make your eyes and brain both hurt.

The drop compensation dots are tiny. They are smaller than a grain of salt. They really are hard to see, and depending on the background and lighting it’s just something that can get ‘washed out’ very easily. In a ‘real’ case of needing to use it it would be for targets of opportunity only when you can really take your time. That said I am confident that I could hit a man sized target out to 200 yards with this scope. Without a doubt this is doable, but that is not this scope’s bread and butter.

You have ‘lead dots’ which supposedly is calculated to be able to lead a target that is running at full speed…this is assuming they are running side to side I guess. It’s a great concept but those dots are bigger than your bullet drops but so small I still couldn’t see them very well either unless they were placed over a very contrasting background. (The same thing is true for the ‘range finder’ as well as the bullet drop compensator.) My vision is better than 20/20 and those three elements of the reticle were hard to see unless conditions were better than average, which is probably the biggest weakness of this scope overall. Illuminated or not it just depends on what you are putting them up against as a background and in what kind of lighting conditions. The horse shoes have no such issues. I like the horse shoes.

Speaking of the horse shoes though, they work exceptionally well as they are now, but I would like to offer an idea for improvement. If you look at the photos I took you can see the sight picture. The make shift target was chosen because it’s the only bright yellow contrasty thing I could find (a yellow gas can). The dimensions of the target are approximately 15.5 inches by 15.5 inches. I marked off 25 yards, 50 yards, and 100 yards respectively with the same target. If you look at the 100 yard target shot based on rough calculations the inner edge of the small horse shoe covers about 10 inches across. At 50 yards the small horse shoe covers about 8 inches across. At 25 yards the big horse shoe covers about 15 inches across. There doesn’t seem to be any rhyme or reason to this. If they made the center dot slightly larger (to where it could be easier to see), and made the small horse shoe where to covers 18” at 100 yards. (I say 18” because this is the average width of a human target shoulder to shoulder) Maybe add a fine horse shoe that covers 18” at 50 yards (this could also double as your ‘runner’s lead’), and the large horse shoe to cover 18” at 25 yards…you would be zeroed, range finding, AND on target quickly and visually without using some kind of odd formula.

100 Yards





50 Yards





25 Yards






I am a big fan of simplicity and to me this scope has some features that are more difficult to use in practical situations. While they can be useful in some situations it seems to me to be a little bit of marketing more than practicality.

One other final improvement that I personally would like to see is a larger tube size. An additional ¼ to ½ inch added to the actual tube diameter (and glass size) would in my opinion make this a stronger optic. It might add a little weight but it would also add a great deal of function.

As it stands please don’t misconstrue my constructive criticisms as saying this scope is a bad scope. It’s not. Knowing what it is and what it’s for I personally would own one of these. Undeniable good quality workmanship is present across the board. I love the 50 yard zero. I can tag man sized paper targets out to 200 yards with this as it sits. I haven’t tested beyond that. 100 yards and within the zombies just wouldn’t have a hope.

This scope is not designed to be a tack driver. That’s not what it is. To me having super fine barely visible ‘specks’ being used as bullet drop compensators are in theory more accurate but they conflict with the overall purpose of the scope. It is battery powered and batteries die, but that said the etched reticle works no matter what. Despite my desire to BMOS (build my own scope) this is a very quality buy.

[GOST]

Nice job, good review alamo5000.

[alamo5000]

Nice job, good review alamo5000.

Thank you sir!



To everyone :

Please feel free to comment, add commentary, or challenge my opinions. All insights are welcome.

[mustangfreek]

To everyone :

Please feel free to comment, add commentary, or challenge my opinions. All insights are welcome.

Okay....How come no unboxing pics?...lol...that was a friendly jab at a certain someone...


Overall not bad review, some more pics of the actual optic might be good.......... as i havent seen one besides on their site...

other stuff, maybe a comparison in size next to something we all might know, also what the adjustments look like, battery, etc..just some small things I would like to see if im researching a part...i know this T&E isnt all about master review skills, more of how the product is and for others to experience new stuff..take that all lightly as im just the Ol' grouchy wevo ginger..

[alamo5000]

Okay....How come no unboxing pics?...lol...that was a friendly jab at a certain someone...


Overall not bad review, some more pics of the actual optic might be good.......... as i havent seen one besides on their site...

other stuff, maybe a comparison in size next to something we all might know, also wha tthe adjustments look like, battery, etc..just some small things I would like to see if im researching a part...i know this T&E isnt all about master review skills, more of how the ydo and for others to experience new stuff..take that all lightly as im just the Ol' grouchy wevo ginger..

I will get some daylight tomorrow and take some more pics. I spent all afternoon getting outside with this thing... this has been the first day in almost a MONTH that I have been able to go outdoors and have fun. Every other day it's been raining and nasty... and when it's not raining and nasty I am at work :)

But yes that is a great idea...

[alamo5000]

im just the Ol' grouchy wevo ginger..

Were you bullied as a child?

[Naytwan]

Good review, but like Mustang said, no unboxing pic? :)

[alamo5000]

Good review, but like Mustang said, no unboxing pic? :)

I will put it back in the box and unbox it just for you guys.

[BoilerUp]

I will get some daylight tomorrow and take some more pics. I spent all afternoon getting outside with this thing... this has been the first day in almost a MONTH that I have been able to go outdoors and have fun. Every other day it's been raining and nasty... and when it's not raining and nasty I am at work :)

But yes that is a great idea...

If I only went shooting when it wasn't raining, I wouldn't get much shooting done. That said, I learned on my last trip to the range that I really need to invest in some quality anti-fogging shooting glasses and to replace my cheap-ass spotting scope which isn't good for much beyond 50 yards on a rainy, low vis day.

[alamo5000]

If I only went shooting when it wasn't raining, I wouldn't get much shooting done. That said, I learned on my last trip to the range that I really need to invest in some quality anti-fogging shooting glasses and to replace my cheap-ass spotting scope which isn't good for much beyond 50 yards on a rainy, low vis day.

"Location: Seattle, WA"


HAHAAHAAAA!!!

On a more serious note it when it gets to raining here... it RAINS. It's a bit different than just being overcast and dreary and drizzly like I remember from my visits up there. The most I recall it raining in a single day recently was 17 inches (a few months back). But these last few weeks were not just "misty rain" but more of a 'rain rain'... you go out and still you sink up to over your shoes in mud. It was actually flooding (over the road must take detour flooding) Plus it was like 20 to 30 degrees. But the funny thing is, today it was like 65 degrees and PERFECT. I was running around in shorts all day... not bad for the middle of January but that's Texas. I don't know what the deal was. It was just terrible out for a couple weeks. And then throw in work... normally after the time changes I can get a couple hours at least of good shooting time in during the week... but now by the time I get off work and get home it's pitch black outside most of the time. I started a new work schedule and usually only one week a month I get off before it gets dark whereas before I was always on the early shift...

Usually the only time I ever pay to shoot is when it's raining. About 30 minutes from me there is an indoor range...100 yards with tv cameras and all that jive. So I technically could have driven over and shot some... but honestly speaking the down time (so to speak) was actually pretty valuable. It gave me a chance to think about it some. I practiced 'clearing' my house with it, and doing 'entries' (like I knew what I was doing)...

For me though I took the pictures literally from my back porch. When I can shoot (easily) 150 yards with room to spare out in the back yard it's just a hassle to pack all the stuff and drive over and hand them 20 bucks to be on the clock...

[UWone77]

Good review, but like Mustang said, no unboxing pic? :)

Ha!!

Mustang has made the unboxing mainstream like a YouTube Review.

[mustangfreek]

Ha!!

Mustang has made the unboxing mainstream like a YouTube Review.

lol...damnit..

[FortTom]

Great job Alamo...

[DutyUse]

Dang y'all were definitely the right guys to start the T&E.! I hate to have generic response but I'll echo what I said about Mustang's review. Spot on, informative, good photos. Alamo you knocked it out the park!

I agree with what you said about the "ranging feature" being confusing on a 2.5x. Maybe on a 4x? I'm sure it's the same reticle on both.

I've always been a fanboy and loud and often endorser of PA but these T&E's are making it hard to stay away from their site with my CC :D

[alamo5000]

Dang y'all were definitely the right guys to start the T&E.! I hate to have generic response but I'll echo what I said about Mustang's review. Spot on, informative, good photos. Alamo you knocked it out the park!

I agree with what you said about the "ranging feature" being confusing on a 2.5x. Maybe on a 4x? I'm sure it's the same reticle on both.

I've always been a fanboy and loud and often endorser of PA but these T&E's are making it hard to stay away from their site with my CC :D

Thank you!!

But I am not sure about PA's 4x... or the reticle there. But if it is the same reticle you STILL have to pull off target to range out. I am not sure if it's the same or slightly different.

Now let us look at a competitor... this is from the throwdown scope I bought... let's see how they tackle this...



The horse shoe covers 18" at 100 yards when at 4x. The center dot is 100 yard zero.

The next crosshair down covers 18" at 200 yards.

And so on and so forth.

I can range easily with that format and there just isn't some formula needed. If that cross hair covers his chest then it's 200 yards. Simplicity at it's finest.

I would be curious at how other manufacturers employ 'ranging' with their optics.