Originally published 11/8/2024.
Low-power variable optics keep getting better. The popularity of these rifle optics has had a massive effect on their quality, price, and availability. Red dots underwent a similar transformation and went from costing several hundred dollars, or possibly up to a grand to 200 dollars for a pretty decent red dot. LPVOs have gotten better and cheaper. The Swampfox Warhorse LPVO 1-6X is an excellent example of the evolution of the LPVO.
Swampfox has established itself as a popular budget brand that produces a variety of variable magnified optics, red dots, and prism optics. Their LPVO line has grown and proven to be pretty dang good for their budget price. The Warhorse represents a more premium approach to the LPVO. The Warhorse has an MSRP of $639 but offers you a first focal plane optic with a 34mm tube.
Has Swampfox swung too far by diving into the pricier FFP LPVOs? Let’s dig into it.
Swampfox Warhorse 1-6 FFP LPVO
Live Inventory Price Checker
|
|
Swampfox Optics Warhorse 1-6x24mm Ffp Illuminated Red Dragoon Mil Black | Ammunition Depot | $ 401.49 |
|
|
|
Swampfox Warhorse 1-6x24 FFP Green IR MOA 34mm Riflescope - WAR16241-GM | Palmetto State Armory | $ 569.99 $ 499.99 |
|
|
|
Swampfox Warhorse 1-6x24 FFP Green IR MOA 34mm Riflescope - WAR16241-GM | Palmetto State Armory | $ 569.99 $ 499.99 |
|
|
|
Swampfox Optics Warhorse 1-6x24mm Ffp Illuminated Green Dragoon Mil Black | Ammunition Depot | $ 401.49 |
|
The Warhorse – Features
Let’s explain what some of those features mean to you as a shooter. FFP or first focal plane scopes give you a reticle that grows and shrinks as you increase or decrease magnification. An FFP LPVO has two main benefits.
First, all of the drop portions of the reticle are accurate at every magnification range. Second, at lower magnifications, the reticle shrinks. An illuminated reticle can be disguised as a red dot. The downside is its tougher production, making it more expensive.
LPVOs have been invaded by 34mm tubes. These 34mm tubes are typically used on higher magnification optics. The main benefit of the 34mm tube with the Warhorse is more elevation adjustment and rigidity.
It’s a tougher optic, and you want durability when you buy a budget brand. Sadly, they did go with a 24mm objective lens rather than a larger lens that would be permitted by the 34mm tube and would allow for more light transmission.
We have a reticle inside the optic that takes advantage of the FFP design. They call it the Dragoon reticle. (It is not the Dragon reticle, so stop spell check.) The Dragoon reticle consists of a three-quarter illuminated circle with a center dot.
Underneath the three-quarter circle sits a windage and elevation tree that allows you to compensate for windage and drop easily. The tree comes in either MOA or MIL, and the turrets match the reticle. Underneath and to the right and left are independent stadia that draw your eye to the center reticle, especially when set to 1X.
Specifications
Magnification – 1-6X
Tube Diameter – 34mm
Objective Lens Diameter – 24mm
Exit Pupil – 7.7mm to 3.7mm
Eye Relief – 3.43 to 3.5 inches
Field of View – 18.32 feet at 6x and 100 yards
Click Value – .1 MIL
Illumination – 12 Settings
Length – 10.08 inches
Width – 2.98 inches
Height – 2.48 inches
Weight – 23.37 ounces
Mounting the Warhorse
One downside to a 34mm tube is finding 34mm mounts. There are fewer modern options, but don’t fret; Swampfox has you covered. The Hostile Engagement mount from Swmapfox is a hefty, sturdy mount.
With a few levels, a vise, and a Torq wrench, I mounted the optic quickly. The Warhorse has fingertip-adjustable turrets that deliver tactile and audible feedback. On my MIL version, the adjustments are very small, and those small adjustments allow for a very precise zero.
I set up at 50 yards to capture a 50/200 yard zero. The MIL measurements are very small, and I typically use MOA for my optics. I’m trying to learn MIL measurements, and it took a little longer to zero just because of my inexperience with MIL measurements. If I have my math right at 50 yards, the adjustment is .18 of an inch and the Warhorse’s adjustments are dead on accurate.
In the Field
With the optic properly zeroed, I hit the range and started shooting at 50, 100, and 200 yards in various positions. At all of these ranges, I kept the magnification maxed out. The reticle is quite nice. For larger, fast targets, I just need to put them between the big three-quarter circle and pull the trigger.
I’m much more likely to land those hits than miss. That works for the big targets, and the small dot in the center works for the smaller targets. The dot is small enough to see smaller targets at those 100 and 200-yard lines easily.
A view through the Warhorse delivers a surprisingly clear view. There is some noticeable chromatic aberration on brighter targets, and it gets a little hazy at 300 yards and beyond. I can see grey steel targets against white sand berns with ease.
Both are light-colored. Off the range and just for observation purposes, I didn’t experience blur at a woodline, and you’d be hard-pressed to hide from the Warhorse at carbine ranges. In low-light situations, the Warhorse did well. Early evening wasn’t challenging. I could make out targets for the most part and would only be challenged if I was trying to read text or make out smaller details.
Up Close
Up close the Warhorse does as well as other LPVOs. The brightness of the reticle leaves something to eb desired. It won’t act like a red dot at high noon. It’s just not that bright. Still, the reticle design makes it easy for close-range shooting.
The 3.5-inch eye relief and the wide eye box provide some generosity when you start sighting in. They allow you to be fast and acquire a clear sight picture for those fast, close-range sight pictures. At 25 yards, I can do ready-up drills on a 10-inch gong in about a second. With a red dot, I can do that in about .7 seconds for comparison.
At 1X, the reticle works well out to 50 yards, but I’d prefer to snap in at 6X beyond 50 yards. I barely ever use the settings between 1X and max, but maybe I just need to take an LPVO class. I walked away impressed by the Warhorse in terms of shooting. The combination of the 34mm tube and Hostile Engagement makes this a beefy beast that adds some serious weight to a light carbine.
Riding the Warhorse
Swampfox continues to excel in its niche. They’ve become a favorite go-to budget brand with some innovative and interesting features. It’s easy to make a pretty decent budget optic, but it’s a lot harder to make a good budget optic with modern features. The Warhorse does break out of the typical Swmapfox price mold, but you’re getting a helluva lot of optic for the money.
About Travis Pike
Travis Pike is a former Marine Machine Gunner, a lifelong firearms enthusiast, and now a regular guy who likes to shoot, write, and find ways to combine the two. He holds an NRA certification as a Basic Pistol Instructor and is the world’s Okayest firearm’s instructor.
Swamp fox makes some good stuff. The market is pretty flooded with dots and LVPOs so it’s hard to say how this will do.
I myself prefer etched reticles that give known distance
A 24mm objective lens in a 34mm tube is indeed a big miss on low-light capability. There is a little bit of weight and cost savings but I think Swampfox erred here. Someone going with an FFP isn’t looking to shave $50 with slightly cheaper glass.
I think a viable alternative is the Arken 1-8 FFP LPVO, 28mm objective, true daylight bright illuminated reticle and Japanese glass for a hundred dollars less.