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Black Owl Gear Advanced 1x 4 x 32 Illuminated Reticle Rifle Scope

34 Customer Reviews

by Harry G. on 03/30/2013
"I bought this and it was the damn right thing to do. The magnification is either 1 or 4 nothing in between which isn't a problem. The fact that I can run it with or without the unit turned on is another plus. Eye relief was hard to get use to but once I did it's easy to use. My KWA LM4 can reach out if I have to so it's nice to have the 4x if I really need it and the switch back and forth is very quick.
by Jesse B. on 08/07/2021
"Writing this review as of 08/07/2021.

Summary: It's a good scope, that seems to be made of aluminum. the 1x-4x switching like most elcans will throw off your zero, and in this case BIG time. This was used on aeg's so as of writing this i cannot comment on how this scope handles with GBBR's. There are pro's and Cons. I found the lens to be very very clear! the eye relief is decent.. maybe 3.5-4 inches. comfortable enough on an m4. Using this on a forward mount like an m14 will be nearly unusable.
I did find that there was a good amount of wobble with the scope. i used a little piece of rubber underneath on the rails to steady this out and firm it up.
Out of the box it was WAY off zero, just something to note.

Now something that really was a let down. upon mounting this, the internal cross hairs were angled, about about 10 degrees of being straight. i had to remove the rear magnifying glass and extremely carefully using a small pick, rotate the cross hair sight glass slowly until it was straight. did this about 7 times before it was proper.
I also found horizontal and vertical adjustment it minimal. there is some, but not much. so if an excess amount is needed...good luck. its a close-midrange scope.

overall, i would try and get this on sale, i don't think its worth its retail price, considering it does NOT come with any kind of sight protection, ( every other elcan scope i have bought does)

Pros:
Good build
decent eye relief 3.5-4 inches
very clear lens
fabric case
Decent scope for an aeg platform

Cons:
Crocked crosshairs ( maybe just my scope)
Zero way way off out of box
No lens protections
Wobbles on rails without some slight modification


Overall:
Its a decent scope if you can grab this on sale, if not, its still not bad if you wanna eat it, although under elcan, id suggest the g&g,
Some wobble which can be corrected and assuming your crosshairs are decent out of box. its not a bad scope with ok-good eye relief
by eduardo t. on 02/26/2019
"Its a solid scope that has room for improvement. When i first got it the construction was solid but the minute i mounted it on my pts masada it was wobbly. Unfortunately theres no real remedy for getting it tighter but it didnt fall off. The magnifying feature is great but it will be a little hard to see through in moderate to low light conditions. Ive yet to zero this optic but discovering the zeroing features it’s relatively easy. Batterys required are smaller than 2032 and the reticle isnt as bright on its highest setting on a sunny day but you still have the rest of the markings. Overall a good magnifying optic but has room for improvement.
by linza w. on 12/30/2017
"Phantom 1x-4x scope.
It's the best and cheapest option for a replica Elcan Specter without buying from China.

Pros:
-Pretty solid build
-Reticle is very clean and crisp
-Clear glass overall
-The QD levers have adjustable tension
-Holds zero


Cons:
-Illumination is hardly even visible in the day-time on the brightest setting, with brand new battery.. luckily the illumination is only important to me at night time, so it works out fine.

-Crosshair/Reticle was slightly crooked. All I had to do was unscrew the rear lens of the scope and rotate the piece of glass that has the reticle etched on it.

-The glass is super clear on both 1x and 4x, but the glass does become slightly darker on 1x. However it's not too dark for night time use.

-Doesn't use a 2032 battery which is pretty much industry standard for button-cell powered optics. Uses a smaller 1620 and can also use a 1632.

Conclusion:
I'm very happy with this scope overall. I had to fix a couple things, the one I received had a few qwerks.
If you receive one like mine and you're not comfortable slightly disassembling the scope to fix it, then just hit up Evike and they'll take care of it for you. They have good customer service.
by Richard M. on 12/10/2015
"I like this scope a lot. It has a built in ridicule so if your battery dies it still serves a purpose. Illumination switch is easy to move so be mindful that it's off or else your battery will be drained in no time. I love the variable zoom. Sights in easy and holds that position forever. The only negatives I could have are the little iron sights broke off with little effort and it's chunky and adds significant weight to your weapon.
by wesley n. on 11/12/2015
"So I've owned this sight for a little less than a year and I finally decided it was time to review it.

First lets start with the obvious this sight is not cheap, but if you are trying to replicate a MARSOC kit, like me, then this is one of your few options unless you want to go all in and buy the real deal.
This sight isn't an exact replica and the main difference that I've noticed is that the mount for a micro red dot is canted to the right instead of being centered.
The overall build quality is great. The sight has a full metal body which for one makes it pretty heavy (I haven't weighed it personally but I believe it's around two pounds.) My only complaint about the build is that the front BUIS fell off. Now I'm fairly certain that this was my fault as I was treating the sight pretty roughly to test its quality. But this doesn't matter too much because I don't use the irons anyway.
Speaking of the irons, both are adjustable for windage but not elevation.
The dual zoom function is very handy, and I haven't ran into any problems with loosing zero when switching from 1x to 4x or vice versa. I haven't tested this at longer ranges but at around 150 feet I've encountered no problems.
The sight is relatively easy to adjust and is pretty accurate which it should be for the price.
My two major complaints are the eye relief and the illumination. The eye relief is too close to have the stock all the way out, but too far to have the stock all the way in. I've fixed this by customizing my buffer tube to have a point somewhat in between. The illumination is anything but. Even at the highest setting it is incredibly dim. Maybe because it is such a small area of the reticle being illuminated or it's because it can't get bright enough I'm not certain.

Overall I recommend this sight to anyone who is willing to look over the minuscule flaws that I've mentioned and has the funds to afford this behemoth of a sight.
by Alan D. on 06/03/2014
"Just got this scope today and i have mixed feeling on this product

Pros:
Looks amazing
full metal
scope does what it does
pretty damn accurate
red dot only

Cons:
-loses zero, I have read the rest of these reviews and they are right, i dont know if its just mine but when you switch from 4 to 1, the 1x lens is in a completely different place.... but i just use the iron sights and 4x so its not that big of a deal
-the top iron sight was loose and it couldnt be screwed in (thank god for superglue)

so ill give it a 4 out of 5
by Gabriel F. on 01/02/2014
"Overall, I'd rate this scope as decent at best. It is not necessarily "bad", but there are gripes to be had with the Phantom.

At first glance, the Phantom looks excellent. Although the little brim above the objective lens is not true to the real steel, it is a small enough difference to not bother me, and I am pretty particular about the accuracy of my replicas, especially when it comes to optics. The trademarks, although they only say "Phantom Gear" among other things, add a really nice touch. Overall, the look of the sight is wonderful and based on that, I'd give it a 4.5/5 if not a 5/5. It also looks wonderful on a variety of different weapons. Both my M4's and my PDR look nice with it (Although the PDR looks a little impractical).

Now the first issue I had with this sight is the QD Mount. Not quite sure if mine is a lemon or if other people experience this, but the rear QD lever does not like to lock in place firmly, but this is not too much of an issue, and it is easily fixable by tightening the bolt down once mounted. The locking mechanism still wont stay stiffly locked, but the actual lever doesn't move. My next issue was with this guns fit on a 20mm rail. Between all my guns, which include a King Arms M4, a G&G M4, a KWA M4, a Magpul PDR, and an Echo 1 Red Star AKM (With an aftermarket rail on it), the snuggest fit of this sight was with the King Arms and the PDR, but there was a notable amount of wobble. On the other two M4's the wobble was significantly greater, and on the AK, it simply would not stay on the rail. Something I noticed when comparing it to my replica Ampoint T1's QD mount, is that the thicker part of the QD levers that slide below the rail are noticeably slimmer than the T1's, making it hug the rail less snugly. By placing electrical tape on the inside of the mount, I was able to get it to snugly fit the KWA receiver, which is the gun I want to keep it on, but the way the sight attaches to the mount leaves it with a little big of wobble still. Worry not however, for I have dropped my gun with the sight on it twice, and neither time did the sight come off. For that, I feel the need to give them credit.

Now moving forward, my next gripe with this are the iron sights atop the optic. They are quite honestly awful. After dropping my weapon once, the rear sight bent out of shape and was loosened from the sight. This is remedied by tightening down the screw, but the iron sight bent forward, preventing me from accessing the screw. With the second drop, the rear sight became worse and the front post became wobbly. After that I all together removed them because it was too much an annoyance, which is a shame because they added more than you might think to the overall look of the optic, however it still looks wonderful.

Now I am not going to bring up the issue of the 4x-1x zero change in depth because there are other reviews that go into it more in depth, but if this is the first review you are seeing, then just know that the crosshair does not keep its zero when you switch from one magnification setting to the next.

My final issue with this is the eye relief. For such a large ocular lens, I would assume I would get better eye relief, however, my 4x magnification Acog has better eye relief. I personally did not have a terrible time looking down the sight with my ESS Profile NVG goggles, but someone who wears a full face mask, or goggles that are less slim than the ESS will have a definite problem. The lens of the optic will likely be up against your goggles or face mask. I had a little bit of an issue looking down the sight with my Iron Face mesh mask on in addition to the goggles, so I may try putting my MAX riser mount on the optic to see if it helps.

Overall, the sight, like I said, is decent at best. In terms of function, you are better off sticking to one magnification, which might I mention, the 1x magnification must be at least a 1.5x. The ability to put a red dot in the crosshair adds a lot to the optic when sighting in a target. Mounting can be an issue depending on what gun you're putting it on, so some modification may be needed. The overall look is worth it in my opinion though, as the SpectreDR is an intimidating and rare sight, so it'll definitely turn heads, and this functions just like an Acog.

I plan on getting the G&G to see how it matches up with this. Hopefully the mount will be better and the eye relief will be farther.
by eric H. on 08/14/2013
"this was an amazing sight. it looks fantastic on my mk18. only reason it gets 4 stars is because the reticle came diagonal not strait up and down :( but i got used to it so i guess its fine.
by Mina H. on 03/30/2023
"Overall good scope but the eye relief is really bad. You don't really understand how shot1.5" is unless your experienced with optics. You have to be pretty much right up on the sigh for best efficiency. Measure 1.5in off your eye, that's the max distance you can be from scope. Running a DMR setup with this doesn't allow you do have a long stock due to how close you have to be which in turn leads to uncomfortable and tight shouldering. However looks amazing and construction is solid as hell.
by Roger H. on 05/02/2019
"It is ok but not great. It can hold a zero. My reticle was not crooked tho my freinds was. The rail mounts are crap, had to put some tape on the bottom to get it to get even close to fit right. Would have given it two stars if the reticle was crooked.
by Alex K. on 03/24/2015
"A beautiful paperweight. Not terribly good for anything but look and feel, though even at that there are a few distinct differences that make it clear this isn't actually a Spectre or that it's an inaccurate replica. For games, it seems best to just stick with 4x zoom, as switching from 4x to 1x and back causes the scope to lose zero. The reticle image was tilted off-angle on each of the 3 I examined, to various degrees, you can tell when mounted that the reticle image doesn't align perpendicular to the rail - it's harder to notice at 4x, another reason to just keep it there. So while it's solid and heavy to the touch, and looks cool at a glance, in my opinion, it's not terribly effective if you actually intend to use it for target acquisition.
by Curran H. on 01/13/2014
"I have to say, I was truly excited to receive this scope. To my dismay it doesn't live up to what I expected. At first glance and touch the build quality is solid for a clone and could with stand a good beating. The 1x and 4x magnification is a nice asset although, small eye relief squanders its full effectiveness.

Beyond build quality and variable zoom option nothing else is impressive nor worth $140.00.

My main gripes are with the condition of the piece. As I've read in the comments and in other reviews, my sight came tilted to the side by a good margin. Now, this wouldn't be a huge deal, could it have been fixed by the right and left adjustment "knob" although this issue was more with the base and scope itself. The scope was off kilter with the base and couldn't simply be adjusted. This is obviously a huge deal considering you can't properly sight in the sight at all or at least for very long.

Pros:
- Good build quality, not great but good
- Variable zoom great application
- QD mounts are nice

Cons:
- Off set scope on base (couldn't sight in)

I wouldn't recommend the sight, the con I had, although only one major one, it was a MAJOR one rendering the scope useless. This scope is expensive too, save up for something else.
by Jacob G. on 01/09/2014
"-Pro's
Great looking scope
Zeroing system is clearly visible meaning any defections is easily detectable(something that you can't do in normal scopes)
Great aesthetic piece

-Cons
Eye relief. Now when I got this scope, I got it despite the eye relief gripes because my love for the specterdr knows no bounds but DAYUUUM Is this eye relief bad. Your eye needs to practically be right up on the scope for this to work. What does that mean? It means no extension on your collapsible stock, has to be fully collapsed. No, absolutely no backup iron sights. This shiznit has to be on the very rear of your gun.
Bottom line. If you love Specters, and you want one bad. I know it's tempting, but really do some soul searching before buying this one. Because your going to make sacrifices to make this scope work.

Switching between 1x-4x there's a bit of an issue. I haven't seen the zeroing issue exact just yet but I do know where it comes from. The side with the 1x has a bit of play, this play will ruin your zero, the play will still move the switching tool which will adjust your reticule left and right. The adjustment screws do not move, so the scope doesn't actually "Loose Zero" like some of the reviews gripe about.
If you can't figure out exactly were in this play the zero is, it's better for you to adjust for either 1x or 4x and don't switch(Considering the nature of the sport probably want 1x) And honestly, also considering the nature of our sport, the Zeroing isnt an issue. In most cases you won't hit the first shot anyways, so you adjust according the the trail of your shot.

If you can get past the terrible eye relief, and you can figure out the throw lever to keep your zero between each one. This scope is great.
by rodolfo r. on 02/21/2019
"Pros
-looks cool
- feels tuff
Cons
- very bad wobble
- not worth it for the price