Any reason I shouldn't get one of these? I haven't really owned much from Steiner besides Binos and Scope Rings.

Nice bright illumination and lower weight is important to me. Youtube seems to show that it's good in the illumination department. Only a hair heavier then my go to Tr24.

I'm basically torn between this and a Trijicon TR24. I know I like the TR24 but just haven't had the oppurtunity to fondle a Steiner P4Xi in person

https://www.ar15.com/forums/AR-15/Steiner-P4Xi-1-4-/18-698196/
All you want to know is in this thread.
Short answer, there’s not a better daylight bright LPVO for the money.

Ah, Thanks for the linky

Agree with this right here. There are scopes that cost more, scopes with better glass, etc., but at the street price point of $379-500, nothing touches it IMO, and they seem to be overall pretty durable. I just bought my 3rd P4XI, under $500 they are my favorite of the LPVO, and are definitely daylight bright in my experience shooting in bright as hell sunlight in the desert with zero cloud cover

ETA: One of the other reasons I really like the P4Xi is that the field of view at 1X is larger compared to many other LPVO, like the Vortex Razor Gen II 1-6 FOV @ 1X is 115.2ft @ 100 yards, the P4Xi FOV is comparable @ 1X is 110ft @ 100 yards, where something like the Trijicon Accupoint/Accupower 1-4 FOV @ 1X is 97.5ft @ 100 yards and the Nightforce NSX 1-4 FOV @1X is 100ft @ 100 yards. Just FWIW, its not a ground breaking difference but that extra 10-15ft of FOV is enough of a difference that its noticeable to where I prefer the P4Xi over most other LPVO I have used/tried even at 2x or 3x the price (except for the Razor 1-6)

I agree with all of this. I have one on my primary carbine and used it for a recent carbine class. No issues at all.

I agree with your ETA. I've owned a Razor 1-6x and an Accupower 1-4x, and the Steiner is the best compromise LPV for under $600 IMO. They almost compete with the Razor on 1x for the ability to make the objective end of the scope disappear. They are very comfortable on 1x for room clearing IMO. For AR shooters on a midrange scope price budget, it's one of the best options IMO.

I agree with all of this.  It’s my favorite. Just used it in a 2k round count class with Chris Costa and it worked great. As with any lpvo transitions to the other shoulder are harder to acquire the reticle compared with a red dot.

Something you know know.  Reportedly the p4xi has a projected red dot, which means that if you have astigmatism like I do will make the dot less distinct than it should be.  I adapt by keeping the dot at low illumination ,  then it’s very precise.

I’m going to buy more of these scopes.  Nothing touches it for the price and the wide field of view have made my other low power scopes obsolete.

I would recommend an add recon-x or other extended scope mount to get it forward on the rail. I am using an adm recon now and the front ring is nearly touching the turrets.

Not intending to thread jack here but, I've been debating between the P4xi and the VX-R Patrol.

Researching and finding older threads through google it seems like the the general consensus was leaning toward the VX-R.

Are their more reasons, besides the FOV @Ej6fade pointed out, I should select the P4xi over the VX-R when the Leupold is lighter, will have better battery life/auto-on-off, equivalent glass clarity and is about ~$100 less? The optic will be going on 6lb, 16" middy that's intended to fill multiple roles.

P4Xi is a much better optic than the VX-R.  Not even close in my opinion.

I really wish they didn't have exposed turrets on the VX-R Patrol.  That's always made me Unless they make a capped one I haven't seen.

Great point, very well then. Looks like this will be my black Friday purchase, hopefully I can find one in the ~$400s.

OP, I hope you find a deal on one, so you can share the intel

I agonized over this and eventually went with the Stiener....And could not be happier...Do it! you will not be disapointed

@GHOS7 Brownell's has a mount combo 579.99 with a decent mount and $35 off free shipping.

The P4Xi is a lot closer to 1 power (maybe 1.1) on the low end. The VX-R is supposedly 1.25 but in reality more like 1.5 .

They do make a capped turret version of the VX-R but it 1/4 moa click adjustment instead of 1/10 mil click adjustments that are found on the VX-R Patrol and a Plex reticle with an illuminated dot (instead of mil-dot reticle with the circle and an illuminated dot on the VX-R Patrol).

FireDot (on the VX-R)
https://www.leupold.com/scopes/compact-scopes/vx-r-1-25-4x20mm

FireDot Special Purpose (on the VX-R Patrol)
https://www.leupold.com/scopes/rifle-scopes/vx-r-patrol-1-25-4x20mm-30mm

has anybody beaten one of these up any? I'm curious to know the durability of them. I don't beat up my guns much but i like to know were my equipment can fail.

I've been starting to see more and more of them on the 3 gun circuit.

If they would have had this thing out 3 or 4 years ago it would have a huge chunk of the market because of light weight, glass quality, reticle design, and daylight bright dot.

The only complaint I have seen is that the turrets are a bit mushy.  I have a T5Xi and it is excellent but when it comes to turrets it does sadly lag behind my Razor by a fair amount.  It does track properly but the clicks are not as tactile and defined as I would like.

I can't speak to durability but Steiner is going to stand behind anything they put their name on.

I have to say I do like how the crosshairs taper on the Steiner P4Xi, it really draws the eye to the center where they intersect.
I am looking at getting a throw lever to put on mine because the magnification ring is a little stiff.

I don't agree with what he says about the parallax but this guy did make a decent video of it looks like looking though the scope.

Yeah that was a nice view of the reticle/dot moving around.

I went ahead and took the plunge via Brownell's. I can't find a used one for the life of me on the EE or elsewhere. It's going on a work rifle so I guess we'll see how it handles daily wear and tear and rattling.

@GHOS7, Having owned both, and spending quite a bit of time in the glass of both the glass clarity is IMO much better on the P4Xi than the Leupold VX-R patrol, especially edge clarity and at dawn/dusk. Its probably just me and a training issue, I was never as fast with the VXR 1.25-4 as my aimpoints up close, the Steiner feels like its almost RDS fast, and it sure seems equivalent with the illumination at close range as long as you can get in the eyebox. The illumination is stupid bright, so bright in fact in my experience that I actually had a little bloom at max brightness shooting in desert sun. I also prefer the P4Xi's reticle, its less cluttered and as someone else posted, I do like how the reticle tapers down towards the crosshair. The leupolds's 1.25 always felt more like 1.4 or 1.5, the steiner I can actually adjust to a roughly true 1X, more like 1.1ish where I have the diopter set for my eyes. I know I covered FOV but the VXR had much more of a "tube" effect vs the P4Xi on 1X, and that big FOV on the P4Xi is really great in no light/low light. The leupold's battery will probably last much longer but its not that big a deal IMO, buy a pack of 100 CR2032's off amazon and throw them in your pack, BOB, whatever; my go to rifle gets a new battery every 3 months regardless if it needs it or not, I would change batteries on my go-to Aimpoints once a year too regardless of need. The VXR is lighter, but the extra ~5oz of the P4Xi is worth the weight penalty IMO with how much better it performs; its also in a spot where adding a little more weight shouldn't throw off the balance or handling of the rifle, unlike adding a PEQ or DBAL + a light. Cost is a wash IMO if you do your homework, and search around for a used one or wait for the big yearly sales like black Friday

ETA: One thing I will add though is the VX-R 1.25-4 has a longer track record vs the P4Xi, but Steiner has been putting out quality optics for a good while now (yes, they have had some issues with some of them). As much as I like the P4Xi, there is no replacement for track record, but aside from a handful of people, I haven't seen much negative press on the P4Xi

Yep, I constantly see people talking about how mushy the turrets are on the P4Xi, and IMO its a non-issue and not that big of a deal; its set it and forget it, if people want to dial on the P4Xi its the wrong scope for that application

Don’t drop one off a coffee table....
Attached File


Attached File

I’ve been lusting after one of these.  Especially when DSG regularly has them with an ADM mount for cheap

True to a point.  One of my rifles exhibits a repeatable 1 MIL vertical zero shift when I attach the silencer.  It would be nice to have crisp adjustments if I want to adjust for that.

Just because it is a BDC type reticle doesn't completely exclude it from criticism about adjustment.

That's a fair point I'll give you that

All good points, I'm pretty much already convinced that the P4Xi will be the best option in it's price range. Battery life is a non issue for me, it was really just that factor and a combination of other features that made the VX-R considerable. I actually already stock up on Cr123s for my Surefires and EXPS-2 and will without a doubt do the same with 2032s. Daytime brightness is something I keep hearing about with the P4Xi and it sounds pretty impressive. I also like the fact that the brightness adjustment knob has a off switch after each adjustment. Thanks for the input!

That's not bad at all with an included mount. I think black Friday will be worth the wait though. Planning on mating it up with a LaRue SPR.

No kiddin? Does it effect performance at all? I did the same to the Accupower just on the other end. Didn't effect a thing.

How high is this coffee table, and was the optic mounted? I mean did it fall with the weight of the rifle on top of it or what?

Are you asking about my experience with the Acucupower or the other guy that dented his Steiner?

Sorry, the dented Steiner. Intended to quote both of you with a follow up of your reply to his images.

DVOR just had them for 458 shipped with throwlever.
I got one and used a Larue Mount.

DVOR still has em in stock right now. If you buy used you can do a little better, I recently picked up a used one with a GG&G mount for $412 shipped (5202 model with throw lever)

I guess we will never know the specifics about that coffee table fall

@Ej6fade, would you consider your P4Xi gtg for duty/SHTF? I've taken note of the fact they specifically state it's made with duty/LE in mind on their site, but just wanted to hear some user testimony in regards to that. I personally don't expect any variable scope to withstand forces that are unrealistic or irrational. Waist height drops/falls, a bit of dragging, banging around at the most.

I don't know about the coffee table, I'm tempted to drop one of mine on a table or concrete to see if I can replicate that result; it looks like the diopter adjustment is out a little bit but I can't tell. Its not very informative to post "look at this' then offer no real details. Steiner has a stellar warranty like vortex and burris, so I'm not that worried about it.

@GHOS7 I don't think I am the right guy for that answer. For my own uses, I consider the P4Xi "SHTF/duty" ready on a budget. I was an Aimpoint guy but my astigmatism is so bad I've switched to LPVO in case I ever break my RX glasses and spares, also more importantly PID (I live in a very densely populated suburban/city-ish area). If you want the cream of the crop, the Vortex Razor Gen II 1-6 IMO is the way to go with the cost of $$ and more weight but its super durable, Leupold VX6 is also a good option from a few LEO guys I know; there is also higher end like Nightforce, then super high end S&B and Kahles if you got the coin for it. I honestly can't comment from a duty standpoint, I am not MIL/LEO or an instructor that beats gear, but I'm my experience the P4Xi has been trustworthy being banged around the truck and courses, I don't baby my rifle, riding no case in the truck bed sometimes in the desert, rifle falling over leaned against the truck, tripping and falling once or twice on the rifle, all around general just using it; all good but modest use with no loss of zero and no issues with illumination or internal components. and I have all 3 of mine on AR's (Primary carbine, back up carbine, training carbine, all set up the same way, FSB free floated middy builds, same triggers/99% same components, lights, hand guards, etc). I plan on eventually switching over to Razors, but I have other $$ obligations and I can't drop a couple grand just for a few scopes at the moment (I like redundancy). For my needs and purposes, the P4Xi exceeds all my requirements. For the money, its damn good choice IMO, and seems to be pretty durable. Maybe someone else can chime in thats LEO that has one on a patrol rifle or maybe someone that just all around has abused theirs much worse than I have

Iam not sure the height of the table as the optic was not mine in the pictures.  It was posted in another thread, the person who has the optic said it was not mounted to the rifle, they did contact Steiner and the issued an RMA to look at it.

Just throwing it out there for others on the market that may not know. In the scope world cost doesn't directly correlate with durability.

A "Quality" scope for a given job is going to depend on your needs.(and yes you usually get what you pay for, I just mean in general).

I don't care if it's a $3000 aluminum tube or a $50 aluminum tube, it getting dropped on its extremities is an activity to be avoided when possible.

Thanks for the input.., AGAIN! I'm no LEO myself but I'am a contractor working in a border town and personal self protection is permitted by my company. The circumstances that you described are good enough for my standards. I don't necessarily need something that will survive a helicopter crash, house fire or IED blast (because as a human I probably won't), just want something that can take daily abuse and does not have to be babied. Your experience correlates with examples of more realistic scenarios; ie. I probably dropped my weapon once my entire term serving in the Army, including during deployment. Besides that I got caught in thick mud, lost my balance and fell barrel first while carrying a SAW. Weapons handling and maintenance is pretty instinctual which is why I personally see some durability/"torture test", etc irrational. With that being said, LEO or not, this is what I hoped to hear about the P4Xi.

Oh ok, thanks for the follow up. I'm still pretty confident in the P4Xi durability, given that I haven't really seen this repeatedly or commonly reported.

Exactly, couldn't have said it better myself.

I would also supposed the Steiner "M" line would compete very well with higher end brands like Kahles etc?

There was another user I think in the big thread that said he killed two by putting one through a couple thousand rounds of .308 use and the lens glue became undone or something and getting a replacement through Steiner a d having the same issue occur.