UTG

I have purchased three of these scopes total - Two for myself and one for a friend. I so much enjoy these low-powered variable scopes by UTG that I have abandoned red-dots on my rifles & pistols. The BG4 reticle is great for target acqusition. While I do not use the various calculation markings, my scope is setup for holdover in most scenarios, and the reticle allows me to hit targets with confidence.The 1x mode is my "red dot" mode. It is really more like 1.1x or 1.2x, but not so bad that I have to close one eye. I can keep both eyes open on 1x mode, and acquire targets easily. For CQB scenarios, I highly recommend that you use a riser with the scope mount so that you can acquire the reticle quickly without the "tunnel" effect.I do not use the mulitple colors, and the red dot is not totally bright in super bright light, BUT, in the daytime, the etched reticle is fine, and even in bright light, the dot will illuminate against a dark background. I have also practices using this scope as a red dot - using a mounted flashlight, and once again, the reticle shows up clearly without using the red-dot illumination. Having the red-dot is a plus.The glass is relatively clear with some distortion around the edges - once again - totally acceptable at this price point. To me, this scope performs better than some scopes that are at a higher price point, and definitely has more features. The 8x Zoom is a big plus and the 28mm eye box and 3-4" of eye relief is amazing. .

I zero'd this on my 16" 5.56 rifle at 100 yards and then shot it out to 600 yards with ease. I'm sure it could have connected at 700 if I had a range that long. Overall very accurate. I love that the turrets are resettable. Good value for the money like most things UTG makes. Definitely not a light weight option but worth the weight. I'm going to buy another one for my other AR.

I kept this one and returned the well regarded Primary Arms 1-8x24 ACSS. Reasoning below. In short:The good:- Good optical quality, especially at 8x with nice usable eye box (see below).- Mostly true 1x- Have hold zero for around 500 rounds (.223/5.56)- Nice BDC reticle. Although not as featured as ACSS it is still very usable and lest cluttered on the center- Good value for a 1-8x with a 28mm lensThe bad:- Distortion on the edges at 1x (as opposed to clean ones on the Primary Arms). I don't notice much in use, but other may- QA appears to not be perfect (see below)Neutral/I don't care:- The 36 colors looks gimmicky to me, but you can just use red and green buttons basically- I don't love the locking mechanism on the turrets, what makes them taller. Capped turrets will probably work better since the reticle has a BCDI wanted to like the Primary Arms 1-8 but with its 24mm objective lens the eye box at 8x is so tiny that you have to be perfectly and absolutely centered what made it practically unusable. At least for me; perhaps because I am a glass wearer, but I have seen others complain about the same. The UTG one though has a much better eye box. I guess that is because the 28mm objective, what also makes it brighter in low light. 28mm/8x = 3.5mm exit pupil (although it is listed as 3.4mm in the specs).The only problem besides the mentioned slight distortion on the 1x is that I got a second sample (the rings were missing screws on the first) and the optical quality was worse on that one, so they may have QA issues (at least on my limited experience with 2 samples), not to forget missing the screws on the mount. Otherwise I would have given it 5 starts instead of 4.

As described

If you're looking for Nightforce or Trijicon then this isn't for you. If you're looking for the best glass, IR reticle, and build for the money, then this will work for you.The reticle is clean and very functional with it's BG4 ranging set up. IR dot is bright enough for day light use and small enough for precise shots on target. 1X is almost damn near on the money. Turrets are firm with distinct adjustments. Some people have stated they have spherical aberration (distortion around the edges looking through the scope) in their scope. Mine has none and is comparable to my Nikon Monarch in clarity. Great close range to 600yd scope all day long.

The build quality was pretty good but performance subpar.1x image was smaller than actual so you have to stop quarter inch before full stop on the zoom knob. Eyebox was ok from 1x-6x but became unbearably small from 7x-8x. Image was not very sharp at any zoom and became more fuzzy at higher zoom. This would have been decent scope if they would have stopped zoom adjustment at 1.2x before image got too small and at 6x before usage became too usable. The reason being is that the BDC is only valid at 8x.

Shipment arrived quickly and I was able to go sight it in the following day. I was pleased with how clear the glass is on the scope and the eye relief. Sighting in was no trouble and it held zero for the duration of my range time.The red illumination is not as bright as the green for some reason but since I prefer the green, it should not be an issue to me.It does feel heavier than my other optic I had on this rifle so it will take some adjustment for me to get used to.For the price point, I don't think you will be disappointed.

First one I ordered the illumination didn't work at all. The replacement I received the green illumination was great, but the red was very dim for some reason. I have a UTG OP3 3-12x44 with illumination and that model has similar green and red brightness that works great. I noticed the "G" and "R" font on the push buttons of this model differ from the 3-12x44 so I wonder if the LED board is made in a different factory or something. Also, as others have stated it is pretty fish-eyed in that 1-2x range. It flattens out after that, but it also starts to get a little cloudy around 6-8x. It's usable, just not great. For these reasons I ended up returning it.