A few days ago I published a first impressions review of the Primary Arms SLx 1-6x24mm SPF Gen IV rifle scope. In that review, I mentioned I would follow up with a deeper dive into the ACSS NOVA reticle that is one of the scopes distinguishing features. And so, here we are.

As I mentioned in the initial review, the reticle design seems to be some sort of cross between a traditional duplex crosshair reticle, a MIL graduated reticle, and a bullet drop compensation (BDC) reticle. It has elements of each of these types of reticles, but isn’t really any of them. While I find the design intriguing and some of the features useful, I’m not crazy about it. But before we get to my opinions about it, let’s look at what it actually is.

I should preface this by admitting that I didn’t take a good look at the packaging, which included the reticle design pictured above, nor did I peruse the included manual or online documentation before looking at the reticle through the scope for the first time. All that I really knew about the reticle before looking at it was that it featured a red dot bright center dot that I heard folks mention in good light on social media.

So when I first looked through the scope, the first thing I noticed about the reticle is the edge to edge crosshair that reminded me of a duplex reticle. It’s an old, but tried and true, functional design. This was interesting because I was expecting to see an etched center dot not connected to any part of a reticle that would be illuminated. I immediately assumed the illumination implementation was going to bleed out onto the crosshairs and not leave a crisp center dot. Admittedly, the missed expectation combined with my assumption gave way to a new expectation of incoming disappointment. Furthermore, the new expectation might have been avoided had I first looked at the documentation where I could have learned that the reticle is a wire reticle and not an etched reticle.

Before I switched on the illumination to confirm or reject the expected disappointment, I took a closer look at the reticle and noticed the stadia lines along the bottom half of the vertical crosshair which I found to be reminiscent of a MIL graduated reticle. There are minor and major stadia which I assumed were spaced half a MIL apart given their even spacing and having seen the turret click value label of 0.1 MIL. I later confirmed this assumption was correct in the documentation. The major marks represent 1, 2, 3, and 4 MIL respectively and 5 MIL is represented by the transition to the thick duplex portion of the crosshair.

One thing that I found odd about the major stadia was that they got smaller as the MIL value increased. This is not something I recall seeing on a reticle before. Normally on a MIL graduated reticle, the major stadia are consistent in length or increase in length as the MIL value increases. Turns out that this was some random design decision, but that the length of the major stadia are calibrated to match an 18″ wide target, like an average adult male torso or an IDPA/USPSA target, at distances in 100 yard increments starting with 300 yards on the first major MIL stadia. In other words, they are intended to be used for quick range estimations without having to do MIL ranging math.

Another note about the major stadia came from the documentation which stated that with some cartridges and zero combinations the major stadia may line up with holds at their ranging distance. The example combinations given in the manual were 5.56 with a 100-yard zero and .308 with a 50-yard zero. In other words, with these cartridges and a little luck, the stadia can also function like a BDC reticle.

Of course, I wasn’t going to take the BDC functionality claim at face value. So I plugged it into a ballistic calculator and saw that it is possible to get good enough major strata alignment to use it like a BDC given the right cartridge and zero combination.

The horizontal stadia also threw me for a loop. There were only two stadia lines on each side of the crosshair. A small one closer to the center. And a larger one closer to the duplex transition. The spacing was odd as well. Eyeballing it they seemed to be about 1.5 MIL from the center and from each other. Turns out these are intended to be used as moving leads representing walking (~3 mph), jogging (~6 mph), and running (~9 mph) speeds. The documentation states that the leads are most effective for moving targets at ranges from 100 to 300 yards.

After getting acquainted with the reticle and the stadia, it was time to turn on the illumination. It was the moment of truth. And what I saw was astonishing. A crisp bright center dot. The illumination did not bleed out into the crosshairs at all. I don’t know what sort of black magic is at play here, but that illuminated center dot is without a doubt the crowning jewel of the ACSS NOVA reticle.

So, why am I not crazy about this reticle?

The reticle is well executed and it’s functional. That said, how functional it is depends on context. More specifically, application context. The applications I’m likely to participate in aren’t necessarily the applications others are likely to participate in. With that in mind, some of the functional features on this scope are features that I’m unlikely to use and would prefer something different.

For example, the likelihood of finding myself needing to engage a target at a distance between 100-300 yards that is moving at a rate of 3, 6, or 9 mph is virtually nonexistent. That makes the moving lead stadia a feature that I’m probably never going to use. I would have preferred graduated MIL stadia instead to help with windage holds or to range targets with different known widths with.

The pseudo BDC functionality is neat, but it lacks related wind hold reference marks which I would have found useful in competition and hunting contexts.

Based on the feature set, I see this reticle being more functional in the context of a law enforcement patrol rifle. But that’s not my life.

Another context where this reticle will likely shine is for varmint eradication in a rural setting. Hogs? This LPVO with the ACSS NOVA reticle on a 308 AR-10 would be very useful especially when the sounder starts fleeing after the first shot is fired. Coyotes? The same scope and reticle on a 5.56 AR-15 would slay. But again, these are not frequent activities for me.

I think it’s also worth pointing out that the illuminated center dot, while it is red dot like, is not a red dot. While the eye box of the Primary Arms SLx 1-6x24mm SPF Gen IV rifle scope is quite forgiving with generous eye relief (as pointed out in the linked review), the eye relief distance is not infinite like it is on a reflex sight. This matters for close quarter target engagement in dynamic environments where time matters. In skilled hands, this dot in the LPVO will not be as fast as a red dot reflex sight.

Don’t get me wrong, I like the reticle. My opinion of it is positive overall. I’m simply not head over heels crazy about it. It is certainly worth entertaining for a hog or coyote gun. All I’m really trying to say is take a moment to consider what the gun the SLx LPVO will end up being used for. If the ACSS NOVA reticle makes sense, then by all means go for it. Just keep in mind that the same Gen IV SLx LPVO is also available with the ACSS Aurora reticle which is a BDC reticle that might be better suited to the applications that rifle is likely to be used for.