Quick (budget) prism sight comparison

[BigWaylon]

I’ve bought four different kinds of prism sights over the last year or so…most in the last two months. Thought I’d do a quick comparison of them for anybody looking to buy one.

Disclaimer…the only one I’ve actually shot so far is the Lil P on my 357 lever. So this is more of a feature/price/size discussion.

Monstrum Tactical Raven 3x32
Monstrum Tactical Blackbird 1.5x20
Bushnell Lil P
Vortex Spitfire

Basic info:



Put them all on an AR, along with a red dot most of you are familiar with, just for a size comparison.



L-R: Raven, Spitfire, Bushnell TRS-25, Blackbird, Lil P

A shot of each one mounted on an AR:



T-B: Spitfire, Lil P, Raven, Blackbird

As anybody that’s tried it knows, getting a pic looking through one of these is not a fun task, but I tried. Pics of each one looking at the same area just so you can see the reticle in real life.

Raven (3X):



Blackbird (1.5X):



Lil P (1X):



Spitfire (1X):



Initial thoughts, in no particular order:
1. I prefer the retical of the Spitfire (again, having not actually shot 3/4 models)
2. The eye relief of the Blackbird is the worst, but (as discussed in another thread I started) it’s probably a training/practice issue on my end since I’m only used to red dots
3. I’d love to buy a dozen of the Spitfires, and I might get a couple more in addition to the six I’ve grabbed…assuming they stay in stock at the clearance price
4. I decided to swap the Blackbird around on its mount to gain some eye relief (discussed in a separate thread)…and will probably buy at least three more of them soon
5. The Lil P is tiny. I mean tiny. The lens is roughly the size of the 5/8” thread protector on my Henry BBX 357. But I haven’t really noticed a problem trying to sight through it.
6. I’ll probably ditch all my MBUS after installing all these…as they need to be mounted (at least for me) further back than red dots. Haven’t decided if leaving the front MBUS would help at all.
7. It’s nice not having to worry about a battery or turning anything on. Yes, they all illuminate, but work fine when powered off.
8. The Raven is definitely the bulkiest. TBD on whether or not the 3X will be ok for me.
9. The Spitfire is the only one that came with flip up caps. They’re removable. I’ll probably do like I do with my red dots and install them so they flip down instead of up.

If you have any questions about things I could add, let me know. If you’ve used any of these, share your input. If you have other prism sights I that fit this category, post it up…I could even add them to the chart if that helps anybody.

 

[Jeppo]

I’d leave all 5 on. People will immediately recognize you as a serious operator. 🤓

 

[BigWaylon]

I’d leave all 5 on. People will immediately recognize you as a serious operator. 🤓

I thought about it. It’s why I asked Jayne where I could mount a magnifier.

Unfortunately, you can’t see through the combo set up due to eye relief issues. If they were all red dots, it probably would’ve worked fine. 😁

 

[NKD]

Now you gotta go back and change everything to "spitfire". haha,

 

[BigWaylon]

Now you gotta go back and change everything to "spitfire". haha,

Dang it

I got it right on my chart, and the reticle pic…partial credit! 🙄

 

[BigWaylon]

Made an optic swap today and just thought I’d throw the pics up in this thread. In my move away from red dots, I decided to steal the Lil P from my Henry BBX 357 to use on my PS90 SBR.

SPARC:



Both for a size comparison:



Lil P:



Full shot:

 

[Solidsnack.]

I bought a Primary Arms slx 1x prism and I'm legit impressed.
It was 283 shipped to my door. Field of view is enormous, it's really clear, the brightness settings are awesome and the reticle is visible in direct sunlight at it's brightest.
It's super small, weighs like 5 ounces and came with the stuff to make 8 different mounting options which is cool.
It even came with a battery in it already which is pretty neat.
I have a picture below of it next to my ACOG, and it's definitely not Acog clear but it's probably 90% as clear.... at 20% the price. Also the eyebox is enormous and the eye relief is crazy.. it's like 2"-7"


This is the Slx, 1x prism. Really clear for the price.


This is the acog. Gold standard of prism sights.



Overall I'm really impressed so far. I'm tempted to buy a 3x slx prism when they come out out, if the Field of view is close to the acog, and it's as clear as the 1x, I'll be happy.

Actual size as well.



Here it is on my ace, and the acog on my AUG.