Hey all, we here at True Shot Academy are going to explore Primary Arms optics today. This Texas-based company has carved out a distinctive position in the firearms optics market by offering feature-rich sighting systems at accessible price points. While many shooters know Primary Arms for their online retail presence, the company has established itself as a respected optics manufacturer with innovative designs that deliver impressive performance relative to their cost. Today we will examine the company’s background, their proprietary reticle technology, notable product lines including the SLX RS-10, SLX Microprism, and SLX Gen IV series, compatible firearms, and practical applications.
Who is Primary Arms?
Primary Arms was founded in 2008 in Houston, Texas, initially focusing on value-oriented imported optics before developing their own designs. The company’s evolution from retailer to manufacturer represents an interesting trajectory in the firearms industry, as their experience selling various brands provided insights into market needs and product gaps. This retail background continues to influence their manufacturing approach, with an emphasis on delivering features typically found in higher-priced optics at more accessible price points.
The company’s design philosophy centers on practical functionality and value engineering rather than pursuing the absolute lightest weight or most exotic materials. Primary Arms prioritizes optical performance, durability, and useful features while maintaining price points that appeal to mainstream shooters. This approach positions them in a distinctive middle ground between budget optics and premium brands that command significantly higher prices.
A defining aspect of Primary Arms’ development has been their creation of the Advanced Combined Sighting System (ACSS) reticle technology. This proprietary reticle design incorporates range estimation, bullet drop compensation, wind holds, and moving target leads into intuitive patterns optimized for specific applications. The ACSS reticle family has become a signature feature across their product lines, offering functionality typically requiring expensive ballistic calculators or extensive training.
Primary Arms maintains their headquarters and operations in Texas while utilizing manufacturing partnerships in various countries including Japan, Philippines, and China depending on the specific product line and price point. The company has also recently expanded their domestic manufacturing presence with the introduction of the PLx HTX-1 optic. This balanced approach allows them to offer products at different price tiers while maintaining quality control standards through their in-house testing and inspection processes.
Notable Product Lines
SLX RS-10 Red Dot Sight
The SLX RS-10 represents Primary Arms’ entry into the micro red dot sight category, designed for pistol mounting and compact rifle applications. Key features include:
- 3 MOA daylight-bright red dot for rapid target acquisition
- 50,000-hour battery life from a single CR2032 battery
- 10 brightness settings including 2 night vision compatible levels
- Fully multi-coated lenses with enhanced light transmission
- Aircraft-grade 7075 aluminum housing for durability
- IPX-7 waterproof rating for all-weather reliability
- Compatible with Holosun/RMR footprint for broad mounting options
- Top-loading battery compartment eliminating the need to remove the sight for battery changes
The RS-10 addresses the growing market for pistol-mounted red dots while maintaining Primary Arms’ value-oriented approach. The optic offers features comparable to options costing significantly more, including extended battery life and brightness range. Its durability testing includes 10,000-round endurance validation on high-recoil platforms.
Primary Arms focused on enhancing light transmission and minimizing distortion through improved lens coatings and optimized glass selection, delivering clearer sight pictures with reduced tinting or distortion often found in optics at similar price points.
SLX Microprism
The SLX Microprism series addresses the needs of shooters who struggle with red dots due to astigmatism or prefer etched reticles for their absolute reliability. These compact prism sights offer several compelling features:
- Etched ACSS reticles visible with or without illumination
- 1x, 3x and 5x magnification options for different applications
- 11 brightness settings with auto-off functionality
- Generous eye relief compared to traditional prism designs
- Compact footprint comparable to standard red dot sights
- Removable spacers for different mounting heights
- Diopter adjustment for vision correction
- Rotatable turret housing for optimal mounting on different platforms
The Microprism’s ACSS Cyclops or ACSS Gemini reticles provide holdover references, range estimation, and wind holds in an extremely compact package. The prism design reduces the dot starburst effect that affects many shooters with astigmatism, and the etched reticle functions without battery power, creating a dependable sighting solution for defensive and tactical applications.
SLX SFP Gen IV Rifle Scopes
The SLX Gen IV series represents Primary Arms’ mainstream rifle optic lineup, offering various magnification ranges for different applications. Key features across this series include:
- Second focal plane ACSS reticles optimized for specific calibers and uses
- Low dispersion glass with enhanced clarity
- Improved light transmission through enhanced lens coatings
- Zero-resettable turrets with positive click adjustments
- Partial red illumination highlighting critical reticle elements
- Aircraft-grade 6063 aluminum construction for durability
- Nitrogen purged for fog resistance
- Enhanced side focus parallax adjustment on applicable models
Magnification ranges span from 1-6x LPVO models optimized for tactical carbines to 4-14x options designed for precision shooting. Each scope uses an ACSS reticle variant tailored to its intended application.
Proprietary ACSS Reticle Technology
The Advanced Combined Sighting System (ACSS) represents one of Primary Arms’ most significant contributions to modern optics design. This family of reticles incorporates multiple functions into intuitive patterns that enhance practical shooting capabilities:
- Automatic ranging using known-size references
- Bullet drop compensation calibrated for specific cartridges and velocity profiles
- Wind hold references for common wind speeds
- Moving target leads for engaging targets at different speeds and distances
- Quick-acquisition features including horseshoe, chevron, or donut center references
- Vertical ranging stadia for holdover simplification at distance
The ACSS system reduces cognitive load during complex shooting scenarios by providing visual references within the reticle for rapid adjustments. Primary Arms has developed numerous ACSS variants optimized for specific applications, including ACSS CQB, Griffin, Cyclops, Apollo, Raptor, and Gemini. Each variant undergoes extensive field testing and refinement based on user feedback.
Practical Applications and Use Cases
Primary Arms optics serve diverse user groups based on their specific design characteristics. Competitive shooters benefit from the value proposition of Primary Arms optics, particularly in production divisions and entry-level competition. Defensive and tactical users appreciate the reliability testing and practical features incorporated into Primary Arms designs. Recreational shooters find Primary Arms optics offer an accessible entry point to useful optical features, and law enforcement agencies operating under budget constraints have increasingly adopted Primary Arms optics for patrol rifles and special response applications.
Distinctive Market Position
Primary Arms occupies a unique position in the optics market, bridging the gap between budget imports and premium brands. Their direct-to-consumer business model eliminates distribution layers that add cost, allowing investment in product development and quality control while maintaining accessible price points. Primary Arms’ lifetime warranty, which covers products regardless of original ownership, enhances resale value and consumer confidence.
Conclusion
Primary Arms has established a distinctive presence in the optics market by delivering innovative features and solid performance at accessible price points. Their proprietary ACSS reticle technology provides practical shooting solutions across various applications, while their expanding product lines address diverse shooter needs from close-quarter defensive scenarios to long-range precision applications.
We here at True Shot Ammo carry Primary Arms optics in addition to our range of ammo for sale. Our inventory covers popular calibers like 9mm, 5.56, 12 gauge, and .22 LR. Whether you want to buy a Primary Arms optic or purchase bulk ammo, we have you covered.
