Tag Archives: LPVO

Shooting Sports

Will a Monstrum Banshee Hold Zero?

I’ve tested the Monstrum Banshee and discovered it was a surprisingly good for a budget LPVO. No, it’s not just as good as a Leupold, Vortex, or [INSERT YOUR FAVORITE PREMIUM OPTIC BRAND HERE]. But optically, features, and performance it checks the boxes, especially for a street price under $200.

One most common question about the optic is, does it hold zero? Over the course of five months, I’ve put the Banshee through hundreds of rounds of 5.56mm and .22LR and it’s held zero. And it’s not just me, regular viewers of my channel have posted similar results shooting the Banshee on their .308 AR10s. Regardless I still get the occasional doubter challenging the number of rounds shot or the caliber of the rifle used.

To address doubters I proposed a torture test. I asked my buddy Mark on the GD Boomer Channel if he would try a Monstrum Banshee on his Barrett M107A1 rifle to see if it could handle the recoild and hold zero after 10 rounds of 50BMG. I contacted Monstrum Tactical and they agreed to sponsor the video to reimburse GD Boomer for the ammo he would use. Monstrum ordered a brand new Banshee 1-10×24 from Amazon and shipped to him directly.

At his local rifle range, GD Boomer zero’d out the scope at 100yrds and set up a two targets. He was able to print a decent 5 shots group on the first and a similar sized 5 shot group on the second, with one flyer on the 9th round. He was shooting military surplus rounds so nothing close to match grade or hand loaded cartridges, or user error jerking the shot, or both. Ok, it was user error.

Hopefully this test will satisfy most folks that the Monstrum Banshee is capable of holding zero on their rifle.

AFFILIATE RETAIL LINKS

Monstrum Banshee 1-10×24 BDC (B1 reticle) on Amazon: https://amzn.to/3WN08Hi

Monstrum Banshee 1-10×24 BDC (C1 fiber optic reticle) on Amazon: https://amzn.to/3WIo9iF

Monstrum Banshee 1-10×24 (MX1 MOA reticle) on Amazon: https://amzn.to/44MZ7ku

Monstrum Banshee 1-6×24 BDC (C1 fiber optic reticle) on Amazon: https://amzn.to/3wO337O

Recoil testing, conducted at a rifle range, courtesy of GD Boomer. Ammo sponsored by Monstrum Tactical: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hwZssTN1oGs&t=1s

Shooting Sports

Monstrum Panzer 1-6×24 FFP

The Monstrum Panzer, is named after the famous German WW2 tanks (“panzer” is the German word for “armor”). The Panzer sports tank tread inspired design to its turret caps and magnification ring that provides a useful grippy surface beyond its unique aesthetic. Monstrum showed me the prototype of the Panzer 1-6x at SHOT Show 2024.

The Panzer is Monstrum’s first focal plane (FFP) line of LPVO. Externally it is nearly identical to the Panzer 1-10x that I reviewed previously save for a 1″ shorter tube making it a few oz lighter. The trade off to the top end of magnification is that the 1-6x has a slightly more forgiving eyebox but the differences is subtle. One could argue that the difference in practical clarity between a 6x and 10x to the typical shooters ability to hit targets is similarly subtle. The biggest object difference is the $30 lower price of the 1-6x.

The Panzers come with a user replaceable fin on the magnification ring which can be swapped out for the included throw lever. In addition, the package includes a quality, high-recoil, cantilever mount and basic flip up caps. The turrets are capped and resettable with a hex key.

The Panzer now offers two choices in FFP reticle. The Panzer 1-6x I tested has their new CM3 reticle which has a tactical style BDC reticle with a tree style set of windage holdovers below a circle dot. I previously tested the CM2 reticle which is an MOA range finding reticle. Both reticles are illuminate only the center circle dot with a selection of 5 intensities in both red or green. The illumination is low light / CQB bright but not true daylight bright like Monstrum’s BDC-C1 Banshee.

Recoil testing, conducted at a rifle range, courtesy of GD Boomer. Ammo sponsored by Monstrum Tactical: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hwZssTN1oGs&t=1s

AFFILIATE RETAIL LINK

Amazon https://amzn.to/3UzK9cC

RESOLUTION (50yrds)

Element 6 / Group -2

SPECS

Magnification: 1-6x, 1-10x

Objective Diameter: 24 mm

Tube Diameter: 30 mm

Max Windage Adj: ±70 MOA

Max Elevation Adj: ±70 MOA

Adjustment Increments: 1/2 MOA

Eye Relief: 4.0-4.5 in

Weight: 17 oz

Length: 11 in

Lens Coating: Full Multi-Layer

Materials: 6061 Aluminum

Shooting Sports

Panzer 1-6x FFP: SHOT Show

I got a first look at the upcoming Panzer 1-6x LPVO. This is a lower power version of the 1-10x which I previously reviewed back in 2023. That LPVO impressed me with how well it compared to the Razor 1-10x at a 1/10th of the price.

All things being equal, a 1-6x power should offer the same sharpness as a 1-10x with a slightly smaller length (and weight). In some cases some 1-6x even offers slightly better eyeboxes. But it’s actual performance remains to be seen. I just received an early release sample and will be testing it soon. Be sure to Subscribe and press the Notification “bell” icon on my YouTube channel to be updated when it posts.

You can also get early access to all of my upcoming videos when you become a paid Member of my channel.

Shooting Sports

Monstrum Banshee 1-10x BDC-B1

When I compared the new Monstrum Banshee 1-10x to the SIG Saur Tango the Banshee outshone the Tango in most aspects, save for one: its reticle. The Tango’s MSR reticle is a bullet drop compensating (BDC) reticle similar to the Primary Arms ACSS. But within weeks of completing my video, Monstrum released a new Banshee with their own BDC reticle: the BDC-B1.

The Banshee’s image quality is bright and clear with very no chromatic aberration (the 1-8x and 1-10x models have ED glass). The image is flat and with very little edge distortion. The eyebox and eye-relief are decent for an LPVO, especially for a 1-10x which are notorious for their unforgiving eyeboxes.

I’ve been using this Banshee for a few months now on my H&K G36/22 and it’s held zero and been an exemplary optic for action shooting matches. I sent a Banshee to my friend Mark on the GD Boomer channel. He mounted it on his Barrett .50cal rifle and confirmed that it would hold zero even under 50 BMG recoil.

The Banshee BDC-B1 is physically identical to the original version that I reviewed, save for the MX-1 reticle. The turrets are clearly audible and tactile positive. The BDC-B1 has a circular Donut of Death graphic with windage holdovers and a BDC vertical crosshair bar. It is significantly more tactical and faster to aim than the MX-1 but it is not perfect. That said, the Banshee is probably my favorite Monstrum LPVO and this BDC-B1 version is the best variant.

I do have a few suggestions for Montrum. Make the illumination brighter and truly daylight bright. The aiming donut should be both smaller and thicker, while the central aiming dot should be a smaller 0.5 MOA dot. In short, do a better job copying the Primary Arms ACSS like SIG did.

AFFILIATE RETAIL LINKS

Amazon https://amzn.to/3QpDGA3

RESOLUTION

50yrds: Element 3 / Group -1

SPECS

Magnification: 1-10x

Objective Diameter: 24 mm

Tube Diameter: 30 mm

Eye Relief: 4.0-4.5 in

Lens Coating: Full Multi-Layer

Materials: 6061 Aluminum

Length: 11 in

Weight: 17 oz

Shooting Sports

Hi-Lux CMR LPVO

Hi-Lux is best known for making replica antique optics for 19th century and early 20th century firearms. After visiting their booth at SHOT Show this year, they showed me their newest optic that is decidedly 21st century: their new CMR (Close to Medium Range) 1-8×24 LPVO.

The CMR has capped 1/2MOA turrets and a removable throw lever. It has a 30mm tube and an overall typical design for an LPVO. The package contains the scope and lens covers but like most non-budget scopes, ships without mounts.

Hi-Lux sent me a CMRB which has a SFP ‘B’ullet Drop reticle that utilizes fiber optic illumination. This provides a true Daylight Bright dot in the center of the reticle. In my testing the dot remained bright and visible even looking into the sky in bright noonday sun.

Optically the image is bright and sharp at 100yrds with a bit of chromatic aberration. But at 1x the scope exhibits edge distortion and parallax shift. This is disappointingly not uncommon even with premium scopes costing twice or even three times as much as the CMR.

The Hi-Lux is a mid-tier optic at just under $400 retail. With a lifetime warranty from a US company, this scope is a good contender against similar scopes like the Vortex Venom. Its the scope for those that don’t want to put out a grand or more for a daylight bright LPVO but want a boojier brand than an Athlon or Primary Arms.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA
OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA
OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

AFFILIATE RETAIL LINKS

Amazon https://amzn.to/3U230gm

RESOLUTION

8X @ 50yrds
ELEMENT: 1
GROUP: -1

SPECS

Magnification: 1-8X

Objective Lens Diameter: 24mm

Eye Relief: 3.8″

Field of View: 119.3′ – 15.7′ @ 100 yards

Tube Size: 30mm

Length: 10.4″

Weight: 18.7oz

Exit Pupil: 10.5mm – 3.2mm

Adjustment Value: 1/2 MOA per click

Illumination: True Daylight Bright

Battery: CR2032

Battery Life: 300hrs

Shooting Sports

Nightforce ATACR & NX8

Nightforce is one of the most highly regarded combat optics used by Special Forces and Law Enforcement officers. Their ATACR and NX8 are 1-8x LPVOs with truly daylight bright illumination. Moreover, the NX8 is one of the shortest FFP 1-8x you can buy. And while they’re over a thousand dollars, professionals say they’re worth every penny.

These LPVOs are available through my Amazon affiliate links
NX8 https://amzn.to/3SWJ4Mq
ATACR https://amzn.to/3SEfABJ

Shooting Sports

What is ED glass?

Some scopes and binoculars advertise the fact that they use: ED Glass. And no this is not short for ‘erectile disfunction’, ‘Dept. of Eduction’ or ‘Edward’. ED stands for Extra low Dispersion glass, a special type of glass that has been formulated with chemical compounds that are designed to reduce chromatic aberration.

Chromatic aberration is a prismatic effect caused by light passing through a highly curved lens or lenses; such as in scopes with a high magnification factor. With 1-10x LPVO’s chromatic aberration is all too common. The light is refracted and slightly separated into its component colors like in a prism. ED glass compensates for this refraction, producing a clearer image that is in register.

So why don’t all scopes use ED glass? There are some trade-offs. ED glass is more expensive, can be more brittle, and has a little less light transparency. The practical benefits of ED glass can outweigh these trade-offs in many use cases. For long range precision, having a scope that is slightly darker but clearer would arguably be better than a scope that’s better in low light but blurrier.

The scopes in this video are available on Amazon through these affiliate links which support my channel:

Panzer https://amzn.to/3NZUk8e

Razor HD Gen iii: https://amzn.to/3tZSP2K

Shooting Sports

Monstrum Archangel 1-6x FFP LPVO

At SHOT Show, Monstrum showed off a concept optic named the Archangel. This LPVO has the internals of their upcoming 1-6x Panzer FFP LPVO but with a radically different body. It has a very angular futuristic body design that reminds me of video games like Halo or Mass Effect. Their Marketing Director told me they took inspiration from Vortex’s Next Generation Squad Weapon system optic being developed for the US Army and Marine Corp.

This is still a concept design. I am puzzled by the utility of a piggy back red dot on an LPVO? This would be more practical on an MPVO. Post a comment in the YouTube video if you would like Monstrum to move forward with producing this eye catching optic.

Shooting Sports

Vortex Razor HD Gen3 1-10x LPVO

The Razor HD is Vortex Optics top tier LPVO. With its destinctive  trademark burnt-bronze color, the Razor certainly stands out. And up close it has the looks of a premium optic.

The HD Gen iii has a very precise low-profile capped turrets, with a fine 1/4 MOA per click adjustment. It has a lockable illuminator knob and offers 11 levels of brightness that at its highest settings is truly daylight bright; almost too bright for indoor use.

The Razor’s 34mm sized tube body allows it 120 MOA of internal adjustment. This is useful for extreme long distance shots made possible with it’s 10x maximum magnification and a fine, detailed, Christmas Tree reticle. In many ways this is an LPVO optimized for 10x rather than 1x. Because that FFP reticle become a small, simple floating ‘T’ at 1x which can be somewhat hard to acquire under rapid fire. Thankfully its crazy bright reticle illumination solves that problem, making this LPVO as quick to aim as a red dot at 1x.

The image through the scope at all magnifications is satisfyingly bright and sharp. Unfortunately it has “Fish Eye” at 1x and quite noticeable chromatic aberration at 10x. These issues shouldn’t be found Vortex’s top scopes, yet here it is. The Razor is a premium LPVO that sells for $2499 on Amazon. The Razor is clearly a higher quality scope. But for a weekend shooter like me, I was able to shoot just as accurately with either scope.

These optics are available on Amazon through these affiliate links which support my channel:

Razor HD Gen iii: https://amzn.to/3tZSP2K

RESOLUTION (at 50yrds)

Group -1 / Element 5

SPECS

PANZER 

Magnification: 1-10x

Objective Diameter: 24 mm

Tube Diameter: 30 mm

Coating: Full Multi-Layer

Max Windage Adj: ±70 MOA

Max Elevation Adj: ±70 MOA

Click Increments: 1/2 MOA

Eye Relief: 4.0-4.5 in

Weight: 17 oz

Length: 11 in

Shooting Sports

Monstrum GHOST 2x Forward Magnifier

Red dot magnifiers have been around for over almost two decades. These specialized scopes allow users to add magnification to their red dots. But for prism scopes, magnification has been fixed due to their limited eye relief. Monstrum did something innovative.

The Ghost magnifier is the first of its kind that I’m aware of that fits forward of the aiming optic instead of behind it. This allows the GHOST to work with both red dots and prism scopes; converting a 4x prism scope to an 8x. It comes with a side-flip mount.