Stlhead Posted December 20, 2015 Share Posted December 20, 2015 As a limited shooter who is slightly near sighted but also loosing my near vision due to old age and the effects of a misspent youth I have found the Prismatic from Leupold to be a superior optic. Unfortunately the pris was sold with a mounting system that blew goats, and an illumination system that was nearly as bad. They built an excellent optic and cobbled together an illumination system and mount and dumped it on the market without even thinking people would notice. The greatest advantage for me with the pris is that I can wear plain non corrective shooting glasses that allow me to see my pistol and shotgun sights perfectly, and correct my distance vision to perfect with the ocular adjustment of the pris. My eyes may be the exception, but if you have mutant eyes like mine the pris or some similar optic may be just the ticket. So I started tinkering, trying to come up with a better mount and illumination system. After many hours of drunken engineering it became clear that I would never fix the illumination because no matter how I lit the reticle there was a slight shift in point of aim from illuminated to non illuminated and it degraded the reticle. I decided to just fix the mount and that I did not want illumination. Now the mount solution was clear to me, I would just put the scope in a single 30mm ring. A Seekins ring is perfect for this duty, but need to be modified as they are just a bit to thick and hit the threads of the ocular if not modified. The first couple I did I had face milled to fit, these worked well but the next time I took the ring and sanded both faces slightly on a disk sander, this was the ticket, not only do they work well but they look cool as well. Just don't forget to chamfer the sharp edges a bit after you are done. I prefer an extra tall, but the AR tall works just as well. There has been much talk of the pris being discontinued or that a new and better option was coming out. Both of these may be true now or someday, but right now you can buy a brand new pris from nearly any optics dealer, and there is nothing that has a clearer more defined reticle and better glass currently available that I have found. More better limited gear equals more better limited shooters and fun. A clear tight reticle that holds zero and hammers the steel is a joy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigBamBoo Posted December 20, 2015 Share Posted December 20, 2015 I have the two Leupold Prismatics....one on my traveling/SHTF 14.5" AR and one in a 9mm AR. I too have failing eyes and like you, the ability to adjust to scope to counter my eye issues is great. I too agree that the illumination setup leave a bit to be desired, but I can live with it. I would like to see Leupold update the sight with a modern illumination and mounting system. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jon49erfan Posted December 20, 2015 Share Posted December 20, 2015 Why not get a Vortex spitfire so you have a solid mount with daylight illumination all while spending less money? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stlhead Posted December 21, 2015 Author Share Posted December 21, 2015 I don't like the Vortex. When the new Burris comes out it may be as good or better than the pris, but until it is actually widely available who knows? If it was better in some way would it be worth changing? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RiggerJJ Posted December 21, 2015 Share Posted December 21, 2015 whats not to like with the Spitfire? I avoided the Priz like the plague BECAUSE of the sucky mounting, non-daylight illum, and being horribly over-priced. The Spitfire fixes all of that, is pretty much what the Priz should have been, and works great... I tried the AR-1x, just could not figure out the reticle while on the clock... jj Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stlhead Posted December 21, 2015 Author Share Posted December 21, 2015 I could not get the one I tried to ever be as sharp as my prismatics. They may be better in every other way, but if I can't see the reticle and the target as well it does me no good. I have still yet to find a more precise 1x reticle for my eyes than the pris. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RiggerJJ Posted December 21, 2015 Share Posted December 21, 2015 Humm, did you try others? Maybe a flaw in that one... Mine is real clear and sharp... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joelogic Posted December 21, 2015 Share Posted December 21, 2015 I thought my spitfire was hard to focus as well using one eye but once I spun the ring with both eyes open it was clear as day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stlhead Posted December 21, 2015 Author Share Posted December 21, 2015 It could very well have been a bad example, but if it was then I would not be filled with confidence in the product in any case. Far more likely is that it is my eye that is defective and for some reason the prismatic works better for me. I did not post this thread to convince anyone that the pris was better for them than the vortex or anything else, just that the pris can be made to not suck (in my opinion), and that it could be an option for some if they toss the mount and illumination crap it came with. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bmiller Posted December 22, 2015 Share Posted December 22, 2015 (edited) Stlhead, could you post a pic of your setup? I agree, the illumination stinks. I bought a Larue mount and slathered on the red loctite. It hasn't lost zero yet. Thanks Edited December 22, 2015 by bmiller Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TRUBL Posted December 22, 2015 Share Posted December 22, 2015 I used the factory mount and 620 loctite.......has never lost zero.......as for the illumination???? It's great at night at the lowest setting. Otherwise....it blows chunks. I use the cross hair model.......other wise i would have gone to the vortex Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PacMan Posted December 22, 2015 Share Posted December 22, 2015 (edited) I've been using the ADM mount AD-20 since day one and it is holding up very well. Yes the prismatic illumination sux but I normally don't use illumination anyway so no big deal. The Vortex factory mount is slightly higher that the Leupold + ADM mount, and glass isn't as good as the prismatic so it is sitting on my practice gun. Can't complain since its cost is less than 1/2 of the prismatic! Edited December 22, 2015 by PacMan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moltke Posted December 23, 2015 Share Posted December 23, 2015 Great thread STL I have found two solutions for the poor mounting system of the Prismatic 1) peen the metal on the mount to pinch the optic base and essentially quick fit the optic & mount together 2) buy a Larue mount for the prismatic for $95 and throw the factory mount in the trash Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stlhead Posted December 23, 2015 Author Share Posted December 23, 2015 The Larue mount still uses the sloppy stack of crap from the factory mount. Getting rid of it will fill your heart with joy and inspire the sort of confidence that will part clouds and allow rays of sunshine from on high to illuminate your chosen target. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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