What Makes an Optic Worth the Money?
It’s easy to open everyone’s favorite delivery app and order a few inexpensive red dots and scopes. Having worked in the Guns.com warehouse for years, I can tell you that this is an extremely common practice. In fact, when I first got into firearms, I was also guilty of buying cheap optics with no real understanding of what makes for good quality.
(Photo: Alexander Reville/Guns.com)
Any firearm optic is going to have to endure a tremendous amount of abuse. After all, firearms contain minor explosions, and in some instances, those explosions are repeated in rapid succession. The recoil of the firearm constantly jars any accessory that is attached to the system. Just watch a slow-motion video of a rifle firing, and you will be amazed at the flex and vibration that is sent through the entire system.
With that in mind, an optic needs to be well constructed to hold up to this abuse. The adjustment knobs must be able to hold strong in place to maintain zero, while the electronic components must also be tightly secured to keep proper function. That $80 optic that you got on Amazon was definitely not made to stand up to that kind of abuse.
How Does Swampfox Hold Up?
Now, many people may not be as familiar with Swampfox as they are with some other popular optic brands. Before getting into the specs of the optic, I want to commend Swampfox for the quality of this product. From my experience, Swampfox has outdone itself with this Tomahawk II.
I have a pair of Swampfox Tomahawk II 1-6X LPVOs with different reticles, both with lots of time on several firearms. One optic has about 1, 000 rounds on a 5.56 NATO FN-15 SRP and about 600 rounds on a SIG Spear in .308 Win, while the other has about 600 rounds on an FN SCAR 17S in .308 Win. Both optics have maintained zero and functioned flawlessly.
The optic is intuitive, easy to use, easy to zero, and the reticles are extremely easy to pick up. I have been impressed by their quality and function for everything from shooting distance to up-close drills. That is coming from someone who is pretty loyal to other optics brands with no previous experience with any Swampfox products.
From rapid shooting Bill drills to printing groups at 100 yards, the optics have performed admirably. Now, 1,600 rounds on one and 600 rounds on the other is by no means a full lifetime review, but I have big plans to up the round counts and give an update after the optics have been put through the wringer.
The Tomahawk II Design
Let’s talk about the concept of the LPVO and the Tomahawk design. An LPVO is basically a scope meant to aid the shooter in engaging close-range targets all the way out to intermediate distances. LPVOs have a quick and easily adjustable zoom lever, making it fast to adjust to the range of the target. LPVOs also have reticles designed to work well with quick target acquisition at close distances, while giving holds and a sight ladder for shots at longer ranges.
The Swampfox Tomahawk II is a second focal plane (SFP) LPVO. Second focal plane just means that the reticle stays consistent as the user operates the zoom, as opposed to first focal plane, where the reticle zooms with the magnification as it increases. Second focal plane reticles are designed for quicker shooting and faster target acquisition.
The Swampfox Tomahawk II features two different reticle options: a bullet drop compensation (BDC) reticle and the company’s bright fiber optic (BFO) reticle, both with MOA subtensions. The BDC reticle features a hotshot-style reticle, with a center dot and bullet drop markings for predetermined distances (based on caliber) below the center dot.
The BFO reticle is an internally battery-powered illuminated fiber-optic rod, designed specifically to be rigid for shooters with astigmatism. There are also several different color options, including amber for shooters who have color deficiencies and blue to relieve eye strain. The reticle is a more classic laddered scope reticle, easier to make more precise adjustments along the ladder.
More Features
The Tomahawk II has precision adjustment turrets, with a tactical locking elevation turret that features a zero reset and 0.5-MOA adjustments on a 100-yard zero for the 1-6X option. The windage adjustments are protected inside a cap, but they are also 0.5-MOA adjustments with the 1-6X option.
The optic itself is constructed from 6061 aluminum with anti-fog and hydrophilic lenses. After having tossed them around and shot them on the SCAR (a rifle known for eating optics), the construction has held up well so far. To boost confidence in the optic, Swampfox has a limited lifetime warranty and a 10-year warranty on the LED emitters.
In addition to the optics, I have been using Swampfox’s lightweight Freedom mount and Hostile Engagement Mount with an offset Liberty II red dot. I ran the offset red dot on the BFO reticle scope, because the large outer-circle, inner-dot reticle is excellent for up-close shooting.
I have been impressed with the red dot so far. My one complaint is that the mount keeps it at a 45-degree angle, canted to the right. This is great for right-handed shots, but canting it on the off hand is awkward. The only change I would make to the setup is mounting the red dot directly to the top, much like the Trijicon ACOG and RMR setup.
Summary
Swampfox has impressed me with the quality of this product, but what is really remarkable is the competitive price. It’s comparable to – and maybe even cheaper than – brands like Vortex and SIG Sauer, and significantly cheaper than Leopold, EOTech, and Trijicon. For the price, these are excellent optics that seem to hold up well, in addition to offering solid options when it comes to reticles and setups.
