By now, we all know the use case for LPVOs. They’ve always been useful, versatile options for AR platform rifles — and others — letting you be effective at every range from up close and personal out to the practical limits of .223/5.56 ammunition.
For years, LPVOs — low power variable optics — almost exclusively gave you a light, versatile 1-6X magnification optic in a second focal plane package. In recent years, 1-8X optics came on line and recent years have seen the rise 1-10X scopes in both first and second focal plane options, depending on how much money you want to spend and your particular needs. Among the very best of these 10X LPVOs is Maven’s RS.6 1-10×28 first focal plane scope.
Like all the 1-10X LPVOs the RS.6 has a 34mm tube to accommodate the optics involved in a 1-10X magnification range. The Japanese ED glass is flawless and the like its competitors, the reticles — either MOA or MRAD…your choice — are illuminated. But unlike the others, the RS.6 gives you both red and green illumination options.
The RS.6 is just a beautifully made optic. Everything about it screams quality from the grippy knurling on the zoom ring and elevation knob (as well as the windage cap) to the feel of the elevation clicks on the two-tier dial. The RS.6 also gives you two options for positioning the zoom throw lever.
The windage ring lifts up to adjust and does so with cracker-crisp clicks. As you dial up for increased elevation, the indexed indicator moves from 1 to 2 so you always know right where you are.
The illumination brightness dial on the left side doesn’t have the same kind of knurling that’s used on the rest of the scope, which is unusual. The brightness dial is divided into green and red illumination levels with much-appreciated off positions between each setting. I like to keep it parked in the off position between the G5 and R5, the brightest green and red settings. That way it’s a short, quick turn to get either green or red illumination and I can adjust brightness from there.
The scope I tested has Maven’s MOA3-LPI reticle. They also offer an MRAD version. Being a FFP scope, the ranging is accurate at all distances. The graphic above gives you a good idea of what you’ll see at 1X and 10X magnification.
The RS.6 has you well covered for close-in work as it’s a true 1X, non-magnified image (above) The etched “acquisition ring” is visible in daylight on its own, but can also be illuminated along with the center dot. Again, Maven gives you your choice of either red (above left) or green (above right) illumination at five different brightness settings.
As you can see above, light transmission is excellent, as is edge-to-edge clarity. There’s virtually zero color shift. While it doesn’t show well in the photos, the illuminated circles are easily visible at maximum brightness in full daylight.
Here’s the view at 10X. The reticle becomes useful as you zoom from about 4X magnification on up. Again, in daylight, there’s no need for illumination. In low light, the “box” around the center dot is brightly lit while the rest of the reticle and subtensions are more subtly illuminated.
Maven calls the RS.6 the “ultimate multi-purpose riflescope.” Yes, that’s marketing speak, but for the great majority of rifle shooters, that’s also a true statement. A 10X magnification lets you easily reach out and touch targets at 600 yards and beyond. As most shooters will likely mount an LPVO on a an AR, that’s the practical useful limit of the platform.
I’ve been using this scope on my primary AR for a few months now. I’ve knocked it around some. I’ve gotten it wet. I’ve frozen it. I box-tested it. Nothing I’ve done has phased the RS.6. You’d hope not, given its $1,600 price tag. No, that’s not inexpensive, but first focal plane optics with top flight glass never are. And if you compare it to other FFP 1-10X scopes, it’s actually less expensive. Significantly less, in some cases.
The Maven RS.6 1-10×28 is first rate glass that falls into the buy once/cry once category. Yes, you’re going to lay out a significant amount of cash for it. But given its build quality, features, and incredible versatility, this is a scope that will do everything most shooters need a scope to do short of long range competition. Mount it on your go-to rifle. Use it for everything you use a rifle for. It will likely still be there when they put you into the ground. At least they’ll plant you with a smile on your face.
Specifications: Maven RS.6 1-10×28 LPVO
Magnification: 1 to 10X
Objective Lens: 28mm
Focal Plane: First
Glass: Multicoated ED low dispersion
Reticle: Etched MOA3-LPI MOA (CFR2-LPI MRAD also available)
Tube Diameter: 34mm
Eye Relief: 3.9 inches
Length: 10.6 inches
Weight: 20.1 ounces
Made In: Japan
Price: $1600 (about $1699 retail)
F.Y.I. typical optics (such as binoculars) exhibit an effect called “exit pupil”. That refers to the diameter of the cylinder of light exiting the eyepiece and striking your eye. In a perfect world your pupil dilates as large as 7mm in diameter and your optic would produce an exit pupil of 7mm diameter as well for the best view coming from your optic.
So far, so good.
It turns out that the exit pupil is simply the diameter of your optic’s objective lens divided by the magnification. For example, if you had 7×35 binoculars, that means 7 times magnification and 35mm objective lens which would produce an exit pupil of 35mm divided by 7 == 5mm which is smaller than the “perfect” exit pupil of 7mm. Since the exit pupil is less than 7mm, you may notice that you have to keep your eye perfectly centered on the eyepiece and even then you may tend to see a dark “ring” around the edges of your view.
Why did I go to the trouble to mention all that? If that simple Physics applies to the rifle scope featured in this article (and I cannot imagine why it would not), that means your highest usable magnification where you maintain an exit pupil of at least 7mm is: 28mm (objective lens diameter) / 7mm (target exit pupil) == 4 times. Similarly, that would also mean that your exit pupil at 10 times magnification would be a tiny 2.8mm (2.8mm == 28mm objective lens diameter / 10).
With that potential drawback–which is a potential drawback of ALL Low Power Variable Optic scopes with small objective lenses–I recommend that you look through one before buying one just to be sure that you like the view at the highest magnifications.