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  • Post last modified:January 9, 2024

Primary Arms has been making some awesome scopes and red dot sights in the past few years. After spending sometime with their prism sights, I decided to do a quick research and find out where are Primary Arms scopes made.

primary arms slx scopes

Since their product qualities have amazed so far, customers should know more about their optics.

Primary Arms Product Line

Primary Arms has three major product lines.  PLx, GLx, and SLx.

Currently, the company source from various countries. Some of our entry-level Primary Arms optics originate from China, while the mid-tier ones usually come from the Philippines. Their high-end products are from Japan.

primary arms slx 1x prism sight

No matter their origin, Primary Arms maintain control over the design and quality control. We impose stringent quality control requirements on the factories and rigorously inspect every product before it leaves our door, irrespective of its tier or price, by our in-house inspection team in Houston Texas.

holosun 507c ACSS model

Primary Arms also guarantee the quality and functionality of their optics. Their testing includes checking turret travel and click values and ensuring no point-of-aim/point-of-impact shift occurs. The engineers conduct thorough recoil testing and prototyping, firing thousands of rounds through heavier recoil firearms to test the reliability. This standard applies to every product tier, maintaining consistent quality control.

acss vulcan pov 9mm

The company rigorously test products to find their failure points. If they don't break during our tests, we push to find their breaking point. As you can tell that live ammo test can be very expensive, and Primary Arms wants to understand the limits of their optics, distinguishing realistic expectations from outlandish ones.

Ultimately, this approach ensures confidence in Primary Arms optics, where the most significant differences lie in feature sets, glass quality, and clarity. Primary Arms also send out products to trusted affiliate partners to get their feedback.

Primary Arms Engineering

According to arbuildjunkie.com 's research into Primary Arms, Primary Arms specifies every material used in their scopes, including the type of glass, aluminum, and materials in the erector assemblies, saddles, and turret assemblies.

primary arms lpvo

Referenced Free Range American

They emphasize control over these components, understanding that a scope's quality is the sum of its parts. Cheaper components can compromise aspects such as the tactile feel of the turrets.

A notable feature of the Primary Arms GLx line is the steel-on-steel turret assembly, ensuring tactile and positive clicks. This design prevents skipping clicks and ensures durability over time. Unlike some competitors who opt for softer materials like brass, which can wear down and result in less precise clicks, Primary Arms avoids such issues with their robust construction.

primary arms 3-18x50 ffp ACSS

When products arrive at Primary Arms, each scope undergoes rigorous quality control. With five quality control lines and multiple personnel on each line, they meticulously inspect every aspect of the scopes.

This process includes testing for impact shift, ensuring no loose components, correct tracking, clean reticle cuts, and absence of debris or dust inside the assemblies.

primary arms career

Referenced Primary Arms

Their thorough quality assurance guarantees that the product delivered to the customer meets their high standards, backed by a lifetime warranty.

Regarding design, the team at Primary Arms, comprised of passionate shooters, draws inspiration from their personal experiences and desires as users.

They have a shooting team that contributes ideas based on market gaps and personal wishes. This collaborative effort, combined with feedback from their customer base, informs the development of new features and modifications in their optics.

Primary Arms ACSS Reticles

Most of Primary Arms optics incorporate the ACSS reticle system, which is not a single design but a family of reticles with a wide variety.

One of my favorite products is their Holosun 507C ACSS Vulcan reticle that significantly changes the way I acquire the dot when shooting a pistol.

holosun 507c acss reticle slow motion

But besides the red dot sights. Primary Arms is also taking the lead in making some impressive glass etched reticles in their magnified optics including low power variable optics.

Primary Arms offers reticles with Bullet Drop Compensation (BDC) that are caliber-specific. These cater to a range of calibers, including 5.56, 300 Blackout/7.62 x 39, .308/6.5 Creedmoor, 6.5 Grendel, and .224 Valkyrie. This variety ensures compatibility across all series of Primary Arms optics, along with a traditional MIL-based "Christmas tree-style" reticle, which is ideal for high-powered scopes used by long-range shooters.

pa slx acss cyclops
acss aurora reticle

ACSS Auroa

In their Low Power Variable Optics, the focus is primarily on the ACSS Raptor series reticles, which are based on BDC. The two primary variants in this series are the Raptor 5.56 and the Raptor 762. Additionally, they offer the popular Griffin MIL series, which is a more MIL-based system, adding to their diverse range of reticle options.

Primary Arms GLx VS PLx Quality

The most significant distinction between Primary Arms' premium PLx and GLx lines lies in the quality of the glass. The PLx scopes utilize top-tier glass, resulting in exceptional clarity. This superior clarity is the main advantage that the PLx has over the GLx line.

Primary Arms 1-6x24 SFP ACSS review

Nevertheless, the GLx series also boasts remarkable glass quality. When compared to the new compact PLx, the GLx is slightly heavier and longer. However, considering the price difference, the GLx remains a strong contender. The PLx edges out slightly in terms of the clarity and brightness of the image produced.

Regarding the PLx Compact, the first encounter with its prototype was astonishing for its lightness. Initially mistaken for a cosmetic sample without internal components due to its surprising lightness, the reality of its functionality became evident upon seeing the reticle and clear image through it. It stands out as the lightest Low Power Variable Optic (LPVO) ever handled.