TPO KT 5-40×56

by moondog on April 20, 2025 with No Comments

Texas Precision Optics is now putting out their scopes under the brand name TPO, and dropping their old brand name Sniper. I welcome this change as I always found the name “Sniper” to be a bit cringy; like a knife company using the brand name “Ninja”.

I reviewed a few Sniper scopes a few years ago. They were budget-priced scopes that came with a wealth of accessories and a few compromises. They had sharp glass but with noticeable chromatic aberration. Their build quality and construction were a bit rough and unrefined. I had low expectations when they offered to send me a KT 5-40×56 to test.

The KT has TPO’s industrial aesthetic with turret’s and knobs that look like motor gears. The fit and finish was unrefined; its parallax and magnification knobs were exceptionally stiff. The turrets had quite a bit of slop between clicks and felt imprecise. Despite this, the turrets tracked and the scope held zero.

Its most positive feature was its glass, which had far less chromatic aberration than previous TPO scopes. But the scope had a very tight eyebox and was dim and low contrast at its higher magnification. The reticle is a traditional cross-hair with MIL stadia, but may be too thick for precision shooters.

The KT promises 5-40×56 performance but compromises its fit-and-finish and eyebox. But with a street price under $300, some budget-conscious shooters who need a 40x may be willing to overlook its shortcomings