Leapers UTG 4x32 T4 Compact Prismatic

I’ve always been a fan of compact optics, certainly for Practical Rifle-type shooting. My first introduction into minimal glass was an original Colt 3x20 BDC (bullet drop compensating) model, purpose made for their AR15. Set up for the old 55-grain M193 ball load on my AR15 A2, it was good out to 600m on Fig 11 targets. Though optics have moved on considerably, there is now a plethora of this sort of equipment around, which seems well suited to the sorts of discipline we shoot today; 3-Gun, Action 22 rimfire, Service and Practical Rifle etc.

Trend setter

However, in all this technology, one name stands out and that’s Trijicon’s ACOG (advanced combat optical gunsite), as it’s the optic that has seen more service than any other on modern military and law enforcement firearms. Like the original Colt 3x20, the ACOG shape and build has been much copied, no doubt to the delight of shooters everywhere, equally the price is considerably less. Plus, as we are sportsmen and don’t go rolling in and out of ditches and getting shot at for a job, we perhaps don’t need the bomb-proof build and expense of the ACOG, just something that works and yes, to a degree, looks Tacti-cool. If that’s the case, then Leapers UTG of China, who are well known in the industry for their range of accessories and optics have just the thing for you; the 4X32 T4 Compact Prismatic telescopic sight. Like many Chinese companies that supply the Western shooting market, Leapers upped their game many years ago, with an innovative product range that is as good as its competition and at very competitive prices.

Pack it in

The build spec is comprehensive; prismatic refraction technology offers increased light transmission and clarity in a compact and handy package. Typically, it’s Nitrogen-filled and shock, fog and rain-proof. It has bidirectional, double twist lock mount; for that, read an integral and reversible Picatinny base, a 34mm body tube, all lenses are multi emerald coated for maximum light transmission and glare reduction. The reticle is a simple circle dot and is glass-etched. A little over the top, in my opinion is the EZ-TAP® Illumination Enhancing (IE) system, with red/ green dual-colour mode and 36 more in Multi-Colour Mode (M-CM). You can elect for red or green then adjust the brightness; or, in M-CM, literally blend/mix the options to give other colours, which I suppose could be useful in certain scenarios or backgrounds.
Click values are ¼ MOA @ 100m in lockable, tactical-type turrets, parallax is pre-set at 100m. Also included are a set of decent, flip-up lens caps and what Leaper’s calls a TactEdge angled integral sunshade, which is just a slight hood at the top of the objective housing, which is masked when the lens cap is fitted.

Hands on

First impressions are of a well-made and compact scope; I liked the bi-directional mount, as it makes fitting highly versatile. Eye relief is 2.3” and unlike the ACOG the reticle is focusable. Image quality looks good with a crisp and sharp, colour-accurate view. At 17.3 oz it’s light and only 142mm long and is equally at home on a 22 AR15 or the full bore version.

There are two reticle options; the Circle Dot (SCP-T4IECDQ on test) and the T-Dot (SCPT4IETDQ). The former is self-explanatory and at 100m the dot subtends 1.8 MOA and the circle 36 MOA, so pretty much 2” and 3 ft accordingly. The latter consists of an open T with a dot in the centre, probably 1.8MOA again? Turrets are marked in 1MOA divisions, sub-divided into four ¼ MOA and notated with even numbers only. So, you get 18MOA per turn and five full rotations + 4MOA top to bottom. Windage is split with a central (0) position with 9MOA in either direction, which is good for dialling in a fast correction as you know where you’re going. Here, the turret only offers four rotations + 4MOA again. Locking is achieved with a rotary collar at the base, turrets are clearly marked in sliver as to direction etc. One thing I did notice, was that at the very top of the elevation movement, you start to get an aberration in the view, though it did not occur in windage.

Multi-coloured

The rheostat is located on the left of the body with the battery compartment at the front and two rubber-covered buttons in front marked R (red) and G (green) accordingly. You get two operating modes RGB (red green & black), black shows when unlit; here, you press the colour button you want and adjust UP/DOWN for brightness with more presses. Turning ON/OFF is just a 1 second push, this is the default setting. To go to RGB Multi Colour Mode, hold both buttons down for 1 second. The instructions include a colour index table, which shows all the permutations you can use, to select; press R then toggle UP/DOWN to get the colour pallet you want, then use G to adjust brightness.

The circle dot reticle is quite slim and in black can be hard to pick up on certain backgrounds or lighting conditions. In use, I found red or green good enough for my needs and of the two, green seemed to give better definition in bright sunlight. Plus, the last illumination setting (colour and brightness) is saved and returns to it when the sight is turned back on. It also has a 1 hour shut down if it has not been moved in that time.