Lucid Optics P8 Prismatic Optic.
This report covers:
- Turn on the illuminated reticle
- The manual
- Battery dead?
- Rough sight-in
- The test
- llumination
- Parallax
- Summary
Today we take our second look at the Lucid Optics P8 Prismatic Optic. In the Part One I described the sight to you. Today I’m going to sight it in on the RAW MicroHunter in preparation to the start of accuracy testing.
Turn on the illuminated reticle
I decided to test using the illuminated reticle today. I can see the reticle on the target without illumination, but I wanted to see how the sight worked with illumination.
Oh, oh. There’s a problem right away. The reticle doesn’t turn on. I wondered if there was a different switch or button to turn on the reticle. I couldn’t find one, but perhaps I didn’t understand how it was supposed to work. Maybe I needed to push on a certain button for 5 seconds or to push two buttons at the same time or something like that. So I read the manual. Or I tried to.
The manual
The manual is one side of an 8-1/2 by 11-inch piece of paper. One-quarter of that page is devoted to operation instructions. Allow me to share with you the directions for operating the this sight.
These are the only instructions in the P8’s owner’s “manual.”
Pretty sparse, no? Not even anything about reticle adjustments when sighting it. But that’s okay. I’m a shooter; how much more do I need?
As you can see, there is a power button to turn on the illumination. They differentiate it from the brightness increase/decrease button (there are actually two — one for increase and the other for decrease), so it’s a separate button that I just needed to find.
Five minutes later I’m scratching my skull because I can’t find a power button. Did they really mean I should press the brightness button to turn the illumination on? If so, which one — increase or decrease? Here is what I’m wondering.
Should I:
- Press the brightness increase button (+)?
- Press the brightness decrease button (-)?
- Press both buttons simultaneously?
- Press and hold the brightness increase button?
- If so, for how long?
- Press and hold the brightness decrease button?
- If so, for how long?
- Press the brightness increase button, followed by the brightness decrease button?
I could go on, but you get the point.
I was on the team that wrote the manuals for the M1 Abrams tank and I was schooled how manuals have to be written for best comprehension. The Lucid Optics P8 Prismatic Optic “manual” is not even close to what a manual needs to be. It’s perhaps a good cheat sheet for someone who has worked at Lucid for more than a day and has been shown how the P8 works.
“But it’s obvious, isn’t it? Everyone here at Lucid understands what the manual says to do.” Yeah, and whoever wrote the Rosetta Stone knew exactly what they were trying to say, too.
Battery dead?
Another possibility was the new battery I installed on August 13, 2023 for the Part One report was dead. I thought I turned it off when I was done writing that part of this report, but I can’t be sure. According to the specifications the battery is supposed to last for 25,000 hours. Even if I left the reticle switched on it should shine until sometime in the year 2026.
But wait — doesn’t the “manual” say the illumination automatically switches off after 2 hours? So how can the battery be dead? Just to be certain I removed the battery and turned it around. Maybe I installed it incorrectly after the August 14th report was written? I can’t imagine doing that, but I checked just to make sure.
The last step was to install another new battery. Bingo — it worked. It turns out the brightness buttons are also the power buttons — either one. I write that in case someone else needs this information because there is nothing about it on the Lucid Optics website.
Lucid Optics — you have been scolded. Correct this!
Rough sight-in
It took me 5 shots to sight in. The first three were from 12 feet and the last two were from 10 meters, which is where I shot today. The reticle adjustments are smooth and precise. The elevation screw is turned in the opposite way from most scopes. but I believe that’s due to the prismatic design.
The test
The rifle’s accuracy test will be presented tomorrow, because I’m spending so much time on this sight today. I will tell you that I shot 5-shot groups from 10 meters and I don’t consider that to be a real accuracy test for anything made by RAW. It’s more of an extended sight-in as well as a chance to test a lot of different pellets in the MicroHunter, so when I do back up to 25 yards, I can choose the pellets I know to be the most accurate.
I was concerned that, because this sight is more of a dot sight than a telescope despite four times magnification, that the groups wouldn’t be up to snuff. The P8 is, after all, a hunting sight — not a precision optic.
That being said — I was wrong! I will show you groups smaller than 0.15-inches between centers. True they are five-shot groups and not ten, and they are shot at 10 meters, but they still show a proclivity to put all the pellets in the same place. While I wouldn’t choose a P8 to shoot groups at 100 yards in a benchrest match, you will see tomorrow that it gives nothing away.
Illumination
I discovered that the illumination had to be reduced four levels to get the precision I was after. The paper target was indoors and illuminated with a 750 watt lamp, so that was surprising.
I then took the rifle outdoors at almost noon on a bright Texas day. I could see the illuminated reticle against a bright background after two reductions in intensity and against a dark background that was still in full sun after three reductions.
The illumination decrease button takes the illumination in one direction only; it doesn’t recycle. Same with the increase button. Holding either button down for three second turns the illumination off and when it’s turned on again it comes back to the last setting.
Parallax
The P8 is parallax corrected at 100 yards. The image I see (a 10-meter air rifle bullseye) is slightly fuzzy at 10 meters (11 yards). I thought that would be a problem, but as you will see tomorrow, it isn’t. Remember that this sight is made for firearms. Airguns are just another possibility.
Summary
Today’s report put me through a wringer. I had the silliness of the manual, followed by the incredible brilliance of the optic being tested. The bottom line is, the P8 is a hunting optic and I am still very impressed. I think you will be too.
B.B.
After reading your first post about this Prismatic Scope, I dug in the archives and found this,
/blog/2017/01/2017-shot-show-part-5/
I wonder that ever happened to T4 Tactical Compact Prismatic scope?
-Yogi
Yogi,
Yeah, me too!
BB
BB, you read the manual?
Man card revoked.
SL,
Yep. But what else could I do? Surely not ASK someone?
BB
BB,
That does not matter. Your man card allows for no exceptions. You should have struggled on without even looking to see if there were any instructions.
Mine was revoked many years ago. 😉
BB
I’m still LOL. Sometimes the humor on this site is as much fun as the airgun stuff.
Deck
Deck,
I know, I’m also LOL at the responses to BB, as he tries to figure out how to work this interesting sight. We’ll see how long this replacement battery lasts!
We all know this story about trying to follow a manual that doesn’t give the info we want, at least directly, and BB does well in the telling us about this one.
Cheers,
Will
SL,
Awww darn!
I’m one of those strange people who downloads and reads the product manual BEFORE purchasing a product.
My bad! Sorry 😉
Hank
Hank
You are Canadian so you get a pass this time.
BB,
I have to agree with Yogi. I have seen several Prismatic scopes for sale over the years, but not the T4. Apparently, it just did not make it.
Can Lucid Optics create a lucid operation manual?
lu·cid
/ˈlo͞osəd/
adjective
1.
expressed clearly; easy to understand.
I think a lot of manufacturers could do better. Yesterday I was looking at the manual that came with a BugBuster scope. Sadly they chose to create one manual that is intended to cover many of their scopes and the different configurations that can be chosen from the myriad of options. It gets downright ridiculous trying to pick out which instructions apply to what I have. Please encourage them to provide a manual that is specific to what is in the package…
Elmer,
Try reading a Harley Davidson manual sometime. 😉
BB
Elmer,
Yeah, the “one manual for multiple products” is a pet peeve of mine as well – had that issue with a new lawnmower this year. Even the website was of no use.
The descriptive number on packaging, on the product and the literature don’t match and none of the nine detailed pictures look like the actual unit! So I’m still am not sure which set of instructions apply to my unit.
Considering the price of the product you’d figure that they could afford to include a decent
manual. Most annoying!
Hank
Hank,
I’m with you on that; I spent thousands on a ZTR, but when the drive belt shredded (not the deck belt that “drives” the blades, but the actual drive belt that drives the wheels), the manual was of no use; I dug around online and found some pics and some good Youtube videos…sadly, the Youtubers had found a WAY better way to replace the drive belt than the manufacturers [poor and complicated] advice. 😉
Cheers 🙂
dave
BB-
Count me as a lifetime adherent of RTFM. I have also been using a prism dot/scope of late on a couple of the carbines/truck guns. I would urge your readers to check out Primary Arms’ SLx 3x MicroPrism. Current pricing is $319 for the various models. Number one on the list of pluses is two included manuals. One is how to operate the scope (10 pages) and the second is for utilizing the ACSS reticle (again, 10 pages). Parts and pieces in the box allow for 8 different mounting heights. Thirteen visible and three NV compatible reticle brightness levels are accessed via the side wheel. Dead nuts simple to use. Lots of other features- check the web site. I got the green/5.56 reticle- lighted chevron and donut with unlit Christmas tree below. My astigmatism appreciates the prism advantage and Primary Arms did an excellent job on making the package compact and sleek. A lifetime warranty from a company that has been around awhile. Check it out, please.
paco,
Thanks for that. I will look into it.
BB
BB-
Yeah, please do. I have had very good results from their products over the years. Sorry, it only comes in Red or Green- no Blue.
BUT———, I also got a package from Glow-On. Yes, you too can have glowy thingy sights! They make some of the best phosphorescent paint and stick on tape. I have used it on pistols and 22 rifles that really don’t warrant the investment of tritium sights. Clean the front sight well and put a dot of paint on it. Three or four layers, let dry well and then a couple of coats of clear nail polish. Hit the sight with the flashlight for a few seconds before entering the chicken coop or garden at night. Varmints, beware!
Glow-On makes multiple colors, including Blue.
Cool, I’ve tried that stuff, and the crystals of “strontium aluminate doped europium”, big ones that look like salt or sugar crystals. They are bright! Anyone want some, just let me know, I still have most of the baggie, in yellow-green.
Nighttime sudden snap-shooting/pesting can be a challenge. I need to see the target AND whatever sights, not just one or the other. I’ve tried a cheap nightvision camera attachment (way too complicated for a sudden wake-and-shoot event), just a flashlight (lights the target but not the sights), the glow paint/crystals (stumbling about half asleep I may not have the clarity to charge the glow), and I’m currently with a dot sight (no buttons, just one knob) and a motion light at the coop.
By far the easiest is to just let the dog go get ’em! Nobody really gets hurt and so she gets to chase again another night.
Mike
“RTFM” = Read The F’ing [expletive] Manual
I normally don’t bother with acronyms, but this time, I went looking for an English translation. 🙂
Hi3-
You will notice that I didn’t claim to always RTFM, FIRST! But it almost always gets read.
One of the things I like about BB’s reports is that they are often written with the beginner in mind. Showing the common errors that people new to something are likely to experience. The operating manual writers could take a similar approach and make their instructions a lot clearer, if they only would.
Now I know why I find those 1-4 scopes, especially a Nikko Stirling and a UTG EER, very useful. Enough magnification (for my shooting conditions) and dot sight speed of target acquisition in 1X. The Nikko is like looking at a wide TV screen.
You think that is bad…try resetting the clock on a Samsung microwave; it’s a CROCK!
I’m very fond of telling people, “when in doubt, read the manual”. I don’t tell them their “man card” will then be automatically revoked. Why spoil my fun?
Fred formerly of the Demokratik Peeples Republik of NJ now happily in GA (hi SL!)
Fred
Good day to you sir. We will have to hit up the silver comet trail sometime again, preferably when the temps dip down into the 80s.
Tom,
I did a little (very little, but it was helpful) graduate study in manual writing in a couple technical writing courses. I have a couple issues with what you showed above, but besides the text I am surprised that such a high-end item does not come with a higher-end manual. In particular they should have had a diagram with each control labeled. To find the power button you should have been able to consult a clear diagram with an arrow and description. That would have taken you three seconds at the most. Hey, a picture is worth a thousand words, even more if they are words in a translation of a translation!
Michael