At SHOT 2015, Leupold will introduce their LCO 1X red dot along with the paradigm-shifting D-EVO inline, prismatic 6x magnifier. The two combine to make a supercharged 1-6 x 20mm Red Dot reflex optic with a CMR-W reticle. These have been appearing over the past 6 months in places as varied as Kyle Lamb VTAC videos and at the Leupold Tactical booth at AUSA in Washington, DC.
The D-EVO optical magnifier is the most interesting part of the system. It's a very clever optic that gives the user an almost instantaneous "switch" between 1X and 6X views. With proper cheek weld, what you see is similar to a bifocal lens from your granddad's glasses- from top to bottom: a clear 1X view up top, then a blurry thin line, then a magnified image. Without changing cheek weld, you can transition between 1X and 6X with just a slight nod of your head.
The D-EVO has a zigzag shape when viewed from above and places the objective lens offset to the right side of the red dot just above the ejection port. Through a series of prisms and lenses, the image gathered by the objective banks left and exits a small ocular lens that is below and directly behind the red dot's window. it is completely self-contained and must be zeroed separately from the red dot.
In contrast to existing magnifiers, the new Leupold offering is a self-contained unit with its own reticle, versus just a set of lenses that magnify the red dot's reticle similar to Aimpoint's and Eotech's magnifiers. It borrows the close mid-range reticle with wind holds (CMR-W) from the MK6 line. This result is a relatively crowded view when including the host sight's dot and various ranging and BDC points. And, yes, it works with a wide variety of red dot optics, provided you have some real estate between the optic and your rear BUIS.
The Leupold Combat Optic (LCO) is a mid-sized rugged red dot sight. It features a precise and fast single dot reticle projected with night vision compatible user adjustable brightness settings onto a wide rectangular window similar in size to the newer Eotech XPS models. The LCO uses manual push-button switches for power and brightness settings, instead of relying on automatic activation and adjustment by ambient light levels. This means you can husband power of the CR123 powering it. Adjustments are measured in 1/2-MOA clicks and the LCO has no tethered adjustment caps to lose or snag.
In my quick time behind it, the LCO/D-EVO combination presented a very novel approach to multiple magnifications that was fast to use and had the advantage of no flips, buttons, or hinges. I look forward to spending more time with it at the show next week. MSRP as a combo with the D-EVO and LCO is $2999.99. The D-EVO alone will MSRP for $1874.99; pricing on the LCO is MIA.
