A solid, affordable “crossover” choice for long-range shooting and hunting, Riton’s Primal 3-18×50 riflescope hits the perfect balance of performance and price
by Mike Dickerson
Finding a decent, high-magnification riflescope for less than $1,000 can be a challenge these days, especially if you’re shopping for a first focal plane (FFP) design optimized for long-range shooting.
For the uninitiated, FFP designs are specialized for long-range shooting because the size of the reticle, which is small at low magnification, increases as the magnification setting of variable-power scopes increases. The benefit, compared to generally less-expensive second focal plane (SFP) scopes, is that range-correcting or graduated reticles on FFP scopes work at any magnification setting versus one specified setting for SFP scopes.
A new FFP scope that breaks that sub-$1,000 barrier is the Riton 5 Primal 3-18×50 riflescope, which is designed as a crossover scope to serve hunters as well as long-range target shooters. Priced at just $829.99, this scope is a bargain in its category. Since there is no free lunch when it comes to quality optics, there are, of course, a couple of compromises with this scope. Let’s get those out of the way first.
HD Glass That Won’t Break the Bank
The first is weight. This is a beefy, rugged scope machined from 6061-T6 aluminum. With its 34mm tube and 50mm objective, the scope weighs 2.03 pounds. It would not be my first choice to park atop an ultralight mountain rifle, but it’s a great choice if you’re hunting from a blind or mostly stationary positions. It is, of course, very much at home on the bench.
The second compromise, for some, may be where the scope is made. The majority of Riton products are now manufactured in the Philippines, says Riton’s Trent Marsh. “The glass,” he says, “like 95-percent of consumer-grade optical glass, is of Asian origin, typically China, but there are other suppliers as well.” This shouldn’t automatically rule a scope out of consideration, as the quality of many scopes made in Asia has improved dramatically in recent years.
If you are looking for a scope with the same extremely high-quality glass as some European scopes, you will pay dearly for it. If you are looking to get into long-range shooting with a good HD optic that won’t break the bank, the Riton is definitely worthy of consideration. Here’s a rundown of the features that make this scope a contender.
Sharp, Positive Turret Adjustments
For starters, the scope’s 34mm main tube, combined with a large 50mm objective lens, provides good light transmission in low-light conditions and offers a greater range of adjustments than most scopes with smaller main tubes. The large elevation and windage turrets have an adjustment range of 25 MRAD, and adjustments are marked in 1/10th MRAD increments, allowing for fine corrections.
The oversized turrets, which are knurled to provide a good grip, can be easily reset to zero but do not have a hard zero stop. I don’t see that as an issue, as the turrets are capped like those on many hunting scopes. If you wish to employ the scope without the caps and dial corrections, the turrets require enough force to turn that I doubt they would be accidentally turned out of position. In any event, I would likely dial for elevation compensation and just use the reticle to correct for windage. Notably, turret clicks are sharp, tactile, and audible. The scope gets high marks from me for its turrets.
Of course, the sharpness of adjustment clicks matters little if the adjustments aren’t accurate. Happily, the scope passed my tracking tests with flying colors. Tracking was spot-on, and it stayed that way when I mounted the scope on a .308 Win-chambered rifle and put it through its paces at the range. The scope also held zero after I deliberately thumped it several times with my hand. The scope was mounted in Riton’s proprietary 34mm diameter, 11mm mid-height aluminum scope rings that attach to a Picatinny rail. I used the recommended torque specifications for these rings of 35-40 in/lbs. for the two large base screws and 15-18 in/lbs. for the ring screws. The rings proved to be solid and stable.
Parallax Adjustment and Illumination Controls
On the left side of the scope, you’ll find controls for parallax adjustment and illumination. Happily, the inner control ring for parallax adjustment is large, knurled, and easy to manipulate. The same is true of the outer knurled ring that controls reticle illumination for using the scope in low-light conditions or anytime illumination is helpful. This control has six different illumination intensity settings with off positions between each. Illumination is powered by a single CR2032 battery.
I found the power ring to be smooth throughout its range, with just the right amount of resistance. A repositionable throw lever allowed for quick adjustments. The fast-focus eyepiece was likewise easy to adjust, but not so easy that it could be accidentally turned out of position.
Long-Range Reticle
I liked the scope’s somewhat simplified LRH (Long Range Hunter) reticle. It’s a “Christmas tree” design with hash marks on the vertical and horizontal stadia in 0.5 MRAD increments. The reticle provides up to 10 MRAD of vertical holdover and 7 MRAD of horizontal hold to either side of the center aimpoint. At low magnification, the hash marks are not visible, and the reticle functions as a standard duplex. At higher power, the hash marks become visible, but the reticle isn’t so busy as to obscure your view of your target. Illumination lights up the center aimpoint as well as the stadia portions with hash marks, making them easy to see in low light.
Riton claims 99.5% light transmission from its fully multi-coated (wide-band, anti-scratch, and anti-reflective) HD glass. I can’t verify that without laboratory equipment, but I can confirm that the glass delivers good clarity, contrast, and color rendition, especially in low light. To my eye, resolution was only slightly behind that of far higher-priced, similar-power scopes in my collection. In direct comparison, there was some slight sharpness falloff at the very outer edge of vision. I do not, though, shoot animals or targets at the outer edge of vision of a scope, so that matters little to me. The scope is plenty sharp for any purpose I can envision using it for, including long-range target shooting and hunting. All things considered, I view this scope as a steal at its current MSRP.
Lifetime Warranty
The scope is protected with a hard-coat anodized finish, and it is dry nitrogen-purged and sealed against the elements. Riton says it is 100% waterproof, fogproof, and shockproof, and tested up to a 1,200 g shock-force level. I checked the waterproof claim by submerging the scope in a sink of water for 30 minutes with no ill effects. I also dropped it from shoulder level onto a hard surface, again with no ill effects. That’s more than I can say of some higher-priced scopes.
Despite their affordable price, Riton optics come with a solid, limited lifetime warranty. Simply stated, Riton warrants that its variable riflescopes will be free of manufacturer defects for the lifetime of the original product owner from the date of purchase.
With its combination of relatively low price and solid warranty, it’s hard to go wrong with this scope.
Riton 5 Primal 3-18×50 Specifications
- Reticle: LRH (Long Range Hunter) MRAD
- Color: matte black
- Knob Style: oversized capped
- Illumination: yes
- Magnifications: 3-18x
- Objective Diameter: 50 mm
- Ocular Diameter: 38 mm
- Focal Plane: first focal plane
- Main Tube Size: 34 mm
- Field of View: 36 – 6.3 ft.
- Eye Relief: 3.35 in.
- Fast Focus Eyepiece: yes
- Exit Pupil (low – high): 7 – 2.8 mm
- Click Value: 1/10 MRAD
- Elevation Adjustment Range: 25 MRAD
- Windage Adjustment: 25 MRAD
- Parallax/Focus: side focus
- Parallax: 10 yds. – infinity
- Length: 14.76 in.
- Weight: 2.03 lbs.
- Waterproof: yes
- MSRP: $829.99
- TESTED: Riton 5 Primal 3-18×50 Riflescope - December 24, 2025
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