Leatherwood CMR 1-4x24 30mm scope

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Article by: Andrew Rolfsen
Originally found at: UrbanTacticalGearReview.com

Freshly released from Leatherwood, the CMR (Close Medium Range) promises to be the best value 1-4x optic on the market.

purchased from: SWFA (ordered on saturday, had it on wensday)

Recently I started putting together a new 16 inch AR-15. I was torn between mounting a 3-9x scope with an offset micro dot pairing; or to find a 1-4x optic that would function well as a close range optic. In the sub $500 price range there aren't many scopes that include an illuminated reticle, mil-dots and low profile turrets, with quality glass. While doing my research on the topic I ran across this newly released optic from Leatherwood / Hi-Lux optics. It is the CMR which is an acronym for Close Medium Range. And guess what, It has all the features one could ever want.

A Few technical specs:
Weight (oz):16.5
Length (in):10.2
Eye Relief (in):3
Field of View @ 100yds (ft):94.8 - 26.2
Exit Pupil (mm):11.1 - 6
MOA:1/2
Lens Coating: Diamond TuFF14
Warranty: Limited Lifetime

We'll start with the standard packaging contents. The CMR comes with the Optic, Two batteries, an allen wrench for adjusting the ZRO-LOK (as discussed later), a cleaning cloth and two slip on caps.

The CMR features three low profile turrets. The rear most turret is for turning on the illumination and adjusting it's brightness. There are 11 brightness settings, including a NV (night vision) setting. It also holds the Battery. The battery cap is mounted relatively flush with the top of the turret, so when you unscrew it be careful not to turn on the illumination. Same with replacing it. Not the contact points in the below picture. The battery should be installed so that the writing is face up.

The Next turret is on the top of the optic and almost in a straight line from the illumination turret. This would be the elevation turret. Note the two allen screws. We're about to get to those.

 

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The Final Turret is located just to the right of the elevation turret, on the side of the optic. This is the windage turret. Again, note the allen screws. Almost to those.

Now. About those allen screws I've had you note. These are part of the ZRO-LOK turret system. This is a quick and easy return to zero system. Basically Before you zero your weapon you would loosen these allen screws, zero the elevation, and then tighten them back down, zero the windage, and then tighten those down. This system will ensure that you can adjust the scope for whatever shooting conditions and that when you return the adjustment ring to zero, your back to your inital zero. To quote from the manual "With this ZRO-LOK turret locking system, you can never lose your scope zero."

The Final external option is a fast focus adjuster. This is used to bring your weapon into focus quickly for varying depths. It is located at the user end of the scope.

So enough of the outside. Let's move into what REALLY matters. The Reticle. Unlike some sub-$500 scopes the reticle is laser etched into the glass. This means that there are no cross hairs free floating that can be broken. Everything is etched, including the cross hairs, horseshoe center dot, and the mil dots. All are visible with the illumination turned off. The first picture below is a stock picture from the manufacturer's website. The other two are my own.</p>

 

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By now your probably trying to figure out what you want to mount this optic in. We used the American Defense Mounts (ADM) AD-SCOUT. With 30mm rings this mount is spec'ed out to have a 1.5 inch lift from the reciever. Using this scope/mount combination will clear a Magpul MBUS rear sight..... by a hair. For whatever reason the first picture shows that the optic is bent. It's not. It's an optical illusion.

One final gratuitous **** shot.

Now that the initial write up is done, it's time to field test it.