As my search for a rifle capable of target engagements from point blank to 800 yards started to become a reality, I needed an optic equally capable of the task. I knew I wanted a short .308 to shoot competitively with and to hunt game in Texas, but I was asking for an optic capable of a huge task. I needed illumination that was daylight bright with a reticule that on 1x was CQB fast. I also needed something that would track perfectly should I decided to dial, and a reticule that would help me with holds at the effective limits of a 16” .308. I decided to give the fine folks at US Optics a call and get one of their fantastic SR8 optics. The SR8 is a 1-8×27 that weighs in at 1.6lbs, is 12” long and has 3.7” of eye relief. What is a little different about the optic that I am testing is the reticule, and the elevation turret. I have one of the pre-production models to test drive that includes a US#4 mini EREK knob, and a new Horus Vision reticule.
The T&E scope arrived from US Optics wrapped in plastic, stuffed in a box with a set of rings all wrapped in bubble wrap. The optic came with a set of butler creek flip caps with the ocular piece having the USO logo on it. The instructions came in an envelope inside the shipping box and were very Spartan. A new color manual in a booklet format (like what comes with all TPAL scopes) is in the works and will accompany each production scope when released. The scope has a very solid feel to it, and appears like all US Optics I have seen in the past, built like tanks. The optic feels a little heavy, but with all that is stuffed into this small package, it’s not surprising. The mini EREK knob is very nice with tactile clicks that are confident and easy to use, even with gloves. The windage knob is capped but the clicks are equally well done and unmistakable. I like that the windage knob is capped and after looking at the reticule some, I’m wondering if I should have ordered the EREK knob at all as the reticle (Horus) can negate the need to dial. The US#4 has a built in zero stop feature, and I will work with that more on the next review The Horus is a different reticule than I’ve used in the past but seems very fast. I do not have a diagram that I can share, and unfortunately I my photography skills are not up to par to get that yet. I do promise that I will follow up with that in the near future. The reticle has a circle in the middle with a Christmas tree type reticle with elevation and wind holds. In the middle of the reticle is a very fine dot, that when the illumination is turned on becomes a red dot that is in fact day light bright. The reticle’s complicated tree does not become very visible until around 6x. The reticle has a ranging feature and as soon as I get some measurements I will post those up. The field of view on this optic feels good, especially with how much magnification it has. Just in a dry environment I feel as though the optic will be very effective up close and very fast. I believe that I will be able to adapt to the Horus reticule and look forward to seeing how far I can make quick engagements. The overall build quality of this scope is fantastic. I would say the mechanicals and reticle are definitely better than most I have seen.
With that said, the glass seems a little cool to my eyes, but still very clear edge to edge with no fish eye. It’s a true 1x and identifying objects quickly is a breeze. The eyebox is not picky, and I found it to be so far very forgiving, but I want to see how forgiving it is under pressure and at distance. US Optics sent me a pair of 30mm rings to give a look at and I have to say they are real nice rings. Mounting them to my LaRue OBR with the built in 20MOA rail I found them to be perfect and lighter than a 1 piece mount. The quality of the rings matches the quality of the optic, and I feel confident that the gun would fail before the rings or optic. I believe that US Optics has a real contender with the SR8, and think it’s a viable alternative to the other 1-8x offerings. In the near future we plan on doing a side by side comparison with the SR8, a Leupold CQBSS and possibly a March 1-8x. Please keep an eye out for that review. Once the 1 piece mount comes in, the SR8 will find its home on the Mega Arms MKM where I will take it hunting and will participate in a match. This new US Optics SR8 1-8 model will be debuted at SHOT and is expected to be ready to ship in the first quarter of 2014. Look for some follow up articles soon. Thank you for reading.
By: Jason Hallmark
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