Leupold lco: great product but a high price (4.5 stars) - Leupold LCO Carbine Optic Red Dot Matte 1 MOA Dot

I was looking for a red dot optic for my LWRCI M6-SPR. It does not have a quad rail. It has a "sculpted" forward area. The optics I decided to choose between were the Leupold LCO ($1000), the EoTech XPS/EXPS ($500), the Trijicon MRO ($550), and the Aimpoint Micro T2 ($800).

Due to their smaller size, the Trijicon and the Aimpoint would definitely look better on my rifle. I was able to check out both of them. They were both well made. For me, I did not like the somewhat limited field of view or the tube effect (compared to the Leupold and EoTech). If I were to choose one, I would definitely go with the Trijicon MRO based on the larger diameter objective plus a price point of $200-$250 less than the Aimpoint.

This left me with the larger Leupold LCO and the EoTech XPS/EXPS. Both had a larger field of view due to the rectangular window. They were also better for peripheral vision as well. The EoTech is nice (I have a EoTech 512.), but I thought the Leupold LCO was better made overall. The viewing windows for both optics are about the same size, and it looks like the exterior dimensions of the Leupold are just a tad smaller than that of the EoTech in height and length. The width appears to be about the same.

The LCO housing is made of 6061 aluminum. and the weight is about 9.5 ounces. It has a large viewing window. The 1 MOA red dot is very crisp and uniform, and the unit has 1/2 MOA adjustments with the dials at the rear of the unit. There are 10 daylight illumination settings and 6 night vision settings (which I don't need). For the daylight settings, you can dial down the illumination for a finer point. Conversely, you can dial up the brightness level to make the dot easier to see. A dial on the left side of the housing controls the illumination settings. I liked this set-up compared to the push buttons on the EoTech. The "clicks" on the dial are positive. In the middle of the dial, there is the on/off push button. The unit is powered by a single CR123A battery which is inserted in the right side of the housing. There is a sleep mode which makes the optic go dormant after about 15 minutes of inactivity in order to save battery life. The sight has an integral base in order to mount it to the 1913 rail via a slotted nut just like the EoTech XPS. Due to the integral mount, a throw lever mount cannot be installed. The EoTech EXPS mounts have a throw lever. It should be noted that no actual tools are required to make any adjustments on the sight. A screwdriver will work but so will a coin or even a cartridge rim as mentioned in a product description I read. Also, the optic window is scratch resistant and fogproof. The unit is also waterproof to 66 feet. Finally, Leupold has a lifetime warranty on the optic. It can be transferred to another owner if you sell the optic.

There are a lot of great things about this sight compared to the others I was considering. There were also some negatives. The first one has to deal with cosmetics. In particular, I'm talking about all the large white lettering on both sides and the top of the sight against a matte black background. This is marketed as a tactical optic. To me, the white says otherwise. The LCO box is a black and gray digi-camo pattern. The lettering is not needed on the (tactical) optic. If Leupold deemed it had to put all the lettering on it, then it should have been done in a subdued gray color. Another negative for me is the integral base. I like throw levers for attachment like the one on my EoTech 512. It makes things easier in my opinion. I wish Leupold made two versions from which one could choose...one with an integral base and one with a base with a throw lever attachment. Another issue is the fact that the optic housing is made out of 6061 aluminum as opposed to 7075 aluminum. I have read that 7075 is stronger than 6061 by 75-80%. Most M4-style receivers are made of 7075 aluminum as is the Trijicon MRO housing. Finally, my other issue is the price. At $1000, it is around twice the price of the other optics that were on my short list. Luckily for me, I purchased this during the holiday season and received an extra 10% off from Optics Planet. For this price though, the lettering issue should have been thought out better for a tactical optic, there should be a throw lever mount system, and the housing should be made out of 7075 aluminum as opposed to 6061 aluminum.

This is a great sight overall, and I'm glad I purchased one. I have other Leupold tactical scopes too. They make excellent products. I would actually give this product closer to 4.5 stars as opposed to the 4 stars. If this optic had smaller lettering done in a subdued gray with a throw lever base and a 7075 aluminum housing, I would absolutely give this optic a 5 star rating. I hope Leupold would consider these changes in future versions of the optic.