Does anyone here have any experience with Leupolds prismatic sight?  It sounds/looks like a pretty good idea.  Just wondering if anyone has used one and if so what they thought about it.

No, it's a terrible idea.  If you want a 1x only sight, get a no-parallax sight, the prismatic is crap.

I wouldn't say its crap, but as far as optics go, its not the best idea. I would say a 1-3x or 1-4x scope is better, since it has the ability to magnify, and have a pretty decent 1x CQB setting.


If you want to have 100% battery free reliability, mabey go with a Trijicon Reflex.



The ONLY real bonus to the prismatic, is that the reticle is etched into the glass, making it battery free. But for less money, you can get the Trijicon Reflex, and it uses Tritium and fiber optics, so there is nothing to fail, and you retain the bonus of a true reflex design.

bump for clarity!

I have two.  If you are not paranoid about "batteries failing you" or have some $$$ to drop, there are definitely better 1X optics out there.  I got the Prismatics because they are within my budget and last forever.  Correct me if I'm wrong, but the Trijicon Reflex using tritium and fiber optic will eventually fail after about ten years or so (the fiber optic / tritium must be replaced)?  They also have some brightness issues (I've heard) when shooting from a darker room to a brighter area?

Regarding speed, I found that it (Prismatic) is faster than my irons from high ready position - it is definitely faster for multiple targets / follow up shots***.  My biggest peeve with the Prismatic is the large dot size.  However, when I finally got the chance to use the optics out to 200 yards, it wasn't as bad as I thought.  I could hit sillhouete targets consistently and to my surprise, quite easily - but with my skills, that's the farthest I'd do with my Prismatics.

***Note: I have mine installed on a flat top and on an A-2 with a fixed carry handle.  With the fixed carry handle, the Prismatic was actually slower when employed from the low ready position than my irons for the first shot - I blame it on the "chin weld".  I overcame this obstacle, however, by dry fire and then live fire drills.  From high ready and for follow up shots and multiple targets, however, the Prismatic always won.  With the flat top "M-4", the Prismatic out performs the irons consistently from the get go.

If I had to do it over, I'd have saved all of my pennies and got me a Night Force 1X - 4X.  But I am done with optics and gadgets now because I am concentrating on ammo supply, so the Prismatics are here to stay.  

Sorry for the long reply, but I hope this helps somewhat,

Tritium decays, fiber, never.  Always daylight brightness, forever.  Nighttime = problem once the tritium fades (decade +).

I see!  Thanks for clarifiying that for me.