PA 2.5 CQC scope - WEVO T&E

[SwissyJim]

So, I'm starting my review of the Primary Arms 2.5X Compact AR15 Scope with CQB ACSS Reticle and I am planning on adding to this review as I play with it more. I should probably mention that I am not military or LEO trained, just someone who has been around guns pretty my all my life (I also am NOT a pro reviewer, or even someone who is good at writing!). My only real experience with scopes, up until the very recent past, has all been with variable power hunting scopes chasing moose and caribou. Now I have a variety of scopes, red dots and even a couple of reflex sights.

The first test, or use, of the scope for me was for helping test some new subsonic reloads for my 300BLK SBR, which is not really a good test of the functions of this scope. Normally, I have a Primary Arms red dot on this rifle, but for accuracy testing on reloads I'd move my Vortex 4x16 PST onto it. But this time I put the PA 2.5 on it and went to the range. I was hoping for some freezing cold temps to test the anti-fog nature of the scope, but with the wild, weird winter we are having someone in Georgia needs to do that test. I mean, it's been above freezing and raining here in Alaska. go figure.

So sitting on the rifle, the scope looks good enough. Not too big, not too small, and sits at a good height. The build quality seems to be on the higher side, as everything is nice and tight. Overall, it reminds me of a Primary Arms item - I have a couple of Primary Arms sights (2 red dots and a reflex sight) and they all have been good to me, even surviving on my Saiga12 shotgun. The zero adjustments are firm, but not overly so. They click as you change them, but for lack of a better word, the click is tiny? It's most likely due to the fact that the adjustment turret is the small type, and while the movement is firm, it does not take much to start turning and keep turning. I do like them however... positive feedback on adjustments, you just have to pay attention. The illuminated reticle knob is also nice - and there is a wide range of brightness levels. I would assume the lower would work with night vision, as the first setting is not even noticeable. and it ranges all the way up to so bright it almost becomes a huge red dot! In the bright desert sun I could see that working well, but for our level of sun it was very overpowering.



The glass is clear and bright, which is nice considering the gloomy, grey day I had it at the range. One thing I really like so far, is the reticle. Or, I should say, the fact that the reticle is etched and not projected. One thing I have found out recently that projected reticles/dots are NOT that cool if you have an astigmatism. Which I do, apparently. So red dots and things like the EOTech on my Colt? Not a sharp, clear little dot and ring, but rather a slightly fuzzy dot and ring, even with my new corrective lenses. But, a reticle physically etched on the glass? Sharp and clear as can be. Score one for getting older... . Also, even though it is illuminated, should the battery die you still have the reticle to use.


(sorry - hard to get a good shot. I tried to get it at the same spot as my eye. I'll try to get a better one)

As far as the actual CQB reticle with the ranging and drop features... well, that's something I'll add later. This first test was to help get my subs tweaked, and was all bench shooting. I can say that initially, I like the horseshoe. It was easy to put on my sight-in target. However, my first impression of the drop compensator dots is that they are really, really small. I wonder how they would be in a hurry to use them? As I mentioned, I don't have any prior training on them (something I'd like to change). But soon I hope to hit the range with my steel gongs and set them up on the 300yrd range and I'll move the scope over to my Colt and see how it does.

The mount is a no frills, non-QD mount. Mounts on solid, but having a QD would be nice. Should the need ever arise, it would take a few moments to remove the sight to access the backups. And if you had them tightened down, and had to grab a tool... but it's also a matter of personal preference as I like a quality QD mount.

Other nice feature include the flip up caps - they don't always come with a scope. These are average quality, but it's nice to see them included. From the times I've been slogging thru the brush in the rain hunting, I've always liked flip ups as I could keep one up and the other down, depending on how I had my rifle slung, to keep the glass clean, but still only have to open one to get a fast shot off. And they also include the battery, and the box has a decent amount of directions imprinted on it for the features.

So my actual use of the scope was as I said, testing some subsonic 300BLK loads. My target stand was at 25yrds, and I was using multiple 8½x11 visicolor 50yrd sight in targets stapled across a standard IDPA cardboard target. It was not the optimal test for this scope, but I wanted to at least get started with a review and I figured it was a decent way to introduce the scope. Next week as I mentioned, I'll take my steel with me, which includes a 2/3 torso and gongs ranging from 8" to 16", plus the range gong on the 300yrd lane that is permanent. That should give me a better idea on what the scope is capable of. Stay tuned!

[alamo5000]

Good job man! Really good. Keep it coming.

[SwissyJim]

and just for stupid fun... after all the testing of my reloads, and finding they were accurate, stable in flight and did stay subsonic, it was time to attach the suppressor and let a few fly

[voodoo_man]

sweet

[Kopis]

Looks very similar to the bushnell 3x.

[FortTom]

Great review. Good pics too. Shooting, fishing and hunting, is that all you guys do up there? Hell, where do I sign up? Oh...wait, I forgot about the cold part...never mind. Real good review though.

[SwissyJim]

Great review. Good pics too. Shooting, fishing and hunting, is that all you guys do up there? Hell, where do I sign up? Oh...wait, I forgot about the cold part...never mind. Real good review though.

There's also really, REALLY good beer up here too Another one of my weaknesses

And this year, I'm not so sure... the weather here has been FAR more mild than what is happening down there. We have had a yearly TOTAL of 7 inches of snow, and it's been above freezing more than below.

More stuff coming on the review... making plans with the nephew to spend the day out at the range either next Monday or the following.

[CK 187]

I like the looks and sound of that a lot. I was thinking about one of these, so I hope you give some more feedback

[alamo5000]

I like the looks and sound of that a lot. I was thinking about one of these, so I hope you give some more feedback

Not to take away from SwissyJims review but I put one up on this exact same optic as well. Jim is the second reviewer so you can get more than one viewpoint.

[Uffdaphil]

Very nice review so far. Sounds like this is designed to compete with my favorite sight, the 3x ACOG. At $220 it looks like a no-brainer.

Have you tried it occluded as a 1x red dot with front cap closed, both eyes open?

I don't think the tiny drop dots will be an issue. The 300 dot is even with the bottom points of the horseshoe for quick locating. You won't be taking quick snap shots at 400 & 500 will you? I'd think that a small dot at those distances would be an advantage. My old eyes could not make those far shots with 2.5x at all.

The 3x ACOG eye relief, rated 1.9", is actually good to much more. Is the 2.5" of the PA likewise understated?

Edit: link to Alamo's review for more info. Great reticle pix.

http://www.weaponevolution.com/forum...t=Alamo+review

[CK 187]

Not to take away from SwissyJims review but I put one up on this exact same optic as well. Jim is the second reviewer so you can get more than one viewpoint.

Thanks!!!

[SwissyJim]

Off to the range with my Colt 6920, Tavor, SBR w/ 5.56 upper, suppressor(s), 6 steel gongs from 6" to 2/3 IDPA torso, PA optic, Nephew, and LOTS of ammo. And a camera.

[Pyzik]

Looking forward to following this one. Good job so far. That .300 really is quiet!

[SwissyJim]

First, I'll just drop these in here

brass from today, 2/3 of a cloth grocery bag full


paper targets @ 100yrd, large 3' diameter range gong @ 300yrds


PA 2.5 on top of my Colt 6920 MOE

I'll finish up after dinner... have to organize my thoughts with some IPA

[SwissyJim]

ok, so the IPA scrambled my thoughts... so I'm a day late

I (we) ended up shooting nearly 400 rounds yesterday, mostly thru my rifles while swapping the scope from one to the other. The more I shoot with the scope, the more I tend to warm up to it. But I'll be honest, I'm not a big fan of it. To Me, for MY use, the reticle is too busy with too much going on, most of which I will not use.



I can't place my finger on it, but something about it is not for me. It may be because everything I have used up to this point was either a dedicated red dot, or standard crosshairs, I dunno. It could just be it's a single power magnified scope.

But, don't take this as it is a bad scope- quite the contrary. The build quality is good and it feels very solid -I had no issues with it in any way. It held zero very well, and moving it from one rifle to the next only required a small effort to get it zero'd for the new host rifle. The glass is good (altho not like the ACOG my nephew now sports on his SIG516 thanks to the WEVO classified!) and once I realized the zero adjustment clicks were very tight/close together that was not an issue - I was getting it zero'd very quickly after weapon swap. After a weapon swap, as long as we tightened the mount down, it never once came loose during shooting. I did try to add my PA 6x magnifier to it when it was on my Tavor, but it must be that you cannot magnify an already magnified scope? It was totally fuzzy and completely unusable. The magnifier works flawlessly on my EOtech or other PA red dots.

We tried a few different things, like starting at the low ready and putting 2 rounds into the large range gong @ 300yrds. I'm used to an EOTech on my Colt, and a PA red dot on my Tavor as well as my SBR - both of which I like. Doing the same drill with them seemed to 'flow' better for me - I think part of it is the fact that I'm not used to the PA ACSS reticle as much, and I may be 'over-thinking' it. I do believe that if I had more experience with it, it would become more natural. But the times that I used the sights I was used to, I was both faster and more fluid with my shots, even tho I was using the exact same rifle.

Unfortunately we were not able to set up much in the way of targets in close... minimum target distance at the 300yrd range is 100yrds. All the other banks of lanes at the range were being used by the Anchorage Police training guys with new recruits, so we couldn't move to the shorter ranges like we had planned. Altho the training officer did let me put a few rounds into a target car they had downrange, to show the recruits that doors don't offer any cover, unlike the movies show! Makes me wish I had taken my 300BLK with sub loads, to see what kind of real world penetration it would have done. If I see him out on a call, I'll ask when they are doing it again

So my final thoughts? It's a quality scope for the budget - well built, bright and clear enough to use out to distances. And if you need, want or don't mind, all the ranging features as well as the leading points, it would be a good option. It's still low powered enough for the 'Close Quarters Battle' in the name (note my FSB in one of the photos) and yet with the drop compensators and ranging features it should be good out farther. Pinging steel out at 300yrds was no problem, be it the 3 foot round range gong or my own 18x24" 2/3 IDPA torso and 18" round gong. If you sense any negativity in my review towards the scope, understand that it's not the scope - more that it's the fact that as a (mostly) range shooter, the scope offers more in the reticle than I will ever use, and that's not necessarily a bad thing. That's when it boils down to personal choice.