For years we’ve been told we can’t make things here anymore. That American buyers are monogamously married to only the cheapest Chinese crap. The world of firearms has some exceptions, but many of these are due to import regulations rather than market forces.
One such exception is optics, but that world has always been a bit bipolar. It’s one of the few places where you [used to] get what you pay for, but in the last decade the gap between the top-end German and Japanese glass and the great gray middle has been decidedly dwindling and the lower end of the market has long been a race to the bottom to see which American “manufacturer” can best wrap their product in pretend patriotism to undercut everyone else the most (until their Chinese suppliers undercut them via Amazon, eBay, and Temu).
There’s absolutely some American manufacturing in this space, but too many like to play pretend and say “designed in America” when the reality is that essentially everything but the logo is Chinese. Other times they’ll source all parts from foreign nations and then assemble some things here. But that’s not what this is.
The new HTX-1 from Primary Arms is actually made in America. The body is machined in Texas. The glass is ground and coated in the United States. Even the PCB boards are sourced from the States. If it’s possible to be made here, it is. No patriotic pretending. This is especially something coming from Primary Arms, a company that made their initial mark with foreign-made wares. While so many companies are exporting evermore manufacturing, it’s damned good to see more on American shores.
| Primary Arms | $650 |
Now, you might not care where your optics, cars, or meat comes from. But even if you don’t care about the origins and only the level of quality, there’s good news: The HTX-1 is a fantastic optic regardless of where it’s made. All told, the Primary Arms HTX-1 represents a real maturation of pistol optics altogether and sets a new standard for others to meet.
Read on for why.
The PLx is the highest tier of optic that Primary Arms produces, and it shows in build quality. The 7075-T6 aluminum housing is nicely anodized, and the laser markings are deep. The rubberized illumination buttons are tactile, and there are a total of 11 settings, including three for night vision.
The color accuracy of the HTX-1 is excellent; no too blue wonder with this one. Regarding optical aberration there’s only the slightest distortion on the edges, but you really have to look for it.
Sealed dot optics have been the norm on rifles essentially since their inception, but it took longer to shrink them down to make them more practical for pistols. While open-emitter optics are still the standard on handguns, the public has been clamoring for more enclosed options, and it’s not hard to see why. A sealed optic is harder to fog and easier to clean off if it does, and the emitter is protected from dirt, grime, and bellybutton lint.
The HTX-1 is a sealed, enclosed optic. One of the downsides of sealed sights is that they tend to be larger, but this one isn’t horribly huge. Even though it’s enclosed, because of the design the PLx HTX-1 sits low enough that it co-witnesses with most standard-height sights. We found this to be true with a Glock MOS, but not quite the case with a Kimber KDS9c — but you can just barely skim the top of the latter through the window.
But irons are more of a feel-good when it comes to pistols, especially when we’re talking enclosed optics because the body itself can show misalignment. A little practice can go a long way (for more, check out “You Don’t Need Iron Sights” in CONCEALMENT Issue 23).
In the world of pistol optics there are several competing footprint standards. Even among the technically-the-same footprint, different manufacturers will do them in slightly different ways. And to top it off, every few years another industry heavy hitter releases yet another in an attempt to manufacture a new market corner. This game only ends up confusing the consumer, and Primary Arms slaps down proprietary nonsense by using a chassis system with the HTX-1.
Called the MCS, or Modular Chassis System, it effectively future-proofs the HTX-1, allowing the fundamental frame to more-readily adapt to new parts and pieces; regardless of what system comes out next year or in the next five, there will be a way for the HTX-1 to work with it.
Primary Arms is currently shipping the HTX-1 with three footprints: two different RMR models (a type A for flat footprints and a type B for those with extended screw posts, like Zev uses) and Glock MOS. Primary Arms also has a SIG M17/M18 plate for Mil/LEO customers, but we anticipate that to open up soon. As for others? It’s a chassis. Of course, there will be more.
| Primary Arms | $650 |  |
You can get this one with a plain 4-MOA dot, but that’s the boring option. The good stuff is the HTX-1 with the ACSS Vulcan Dot Reticle. The Vulcan is a circle-dot setup, but perhaps not in the way you’re thinking. In fact, if everything is going exactly as planned, you won’t even see the circle at all — when you hold the optic centered at arm’s length the circle isn’t even visible. It’s only when it’s up-close while presenting the pistol or when you’re off-axis that you see it. It’s intuitive to use and makes for an easy corrective measure. It’s especially helpful for those who are new to pistol optic shooting, but is helpful for offhand and awkward positions for even the most experienced.
But if you don’t like it, you can simply disable the Vulcan ring by pressing and holding the plus [+] button for 3 seconds.
The HTX-1 uses a CR2032 battery, which is what you’d expect but isn’t exactly a guarantee in this space. The battery life itself is measured in years, but that matters less because the battery itself can be replaced without removing the optic. Part of the long battery life is that the PLx HTX-1 has shake awake — well … except Primary Arms can’t call it “shake awake” because that’s someone else’s trademark so it’s “Autolive®” here.
First, the outer ring of the ACSS Vulcan will shut off after 30 seconds and then the 4-MOA center dot will shut off after a further 3 minutes. Any movement will pop it back on to the last brightness setting.
There’s almost no area where a company can show their ass faster than fasteners. It’s a small detail that makes a large difference to the end-user experience. If a manufacturer uses teeny screws with hex heads? Awful. Easy to strip, easy to wreck everything. If they do that and don’t publish a torque spec? Even worse. That’s what companies that just do the cheapest, laziest thing do.
Primary Arms not only uses fasteners with Torx heads, but they also color-code everything and list all of specifications to include proper torque. We applaud them for taking the time, care, and consideration to think it through.
Primary Arms did their due diligence with their installation guide, and there are videos online you can follow. It becomes clear why they paid so much attention to fasteners, because by its very nature, the HLX-1 requires many in the normal course of things.
First, you secure the chassis base to the gun with at least two, and then the optic to the chassis with four (two on the front and one on either side). Chances are this will go alright, but what Primary Arms couldn’t possibly account for is the vast diaspora of optical footprint options out there. Many manufacturers have used so many different non-standard thread pitches and depths for their “standard” RMR footprints that it really can boggle the mind.
If you come to an impasse properly securing the chassis to the gun because a screw is too long or doesn’t quite fit, you can try the screws that came with the pistol (the cover plate screws are the safest bet) or some of the other fasteners Primary Arms has provided with the PLx HTX-1. We always recommend that people purchase the Swampfox “Ultimate Red Dot Screw Pack” ($20) at least once; it comes with 16 four-packs of common screws, including many that are extra long so they can be cut to length.
Pay attention to torque specs, and make sure to clean everything up when you’re putting everything together. With some setups it’s going to be like you’re stacking plates on plates and mixing fasteners. Take your time and put everything together just finger-tight until you know everything is going to be alright before you even sort of consider threadlocker. And when it comes to threadlocker, a little Loctite blue or 222 plus a witness marking rather than anything red will go a long way — unless you want to be drilling out fasteners and maybe wrecking a gun one day.
Primary Arms started back in 2008 with the idea of selling inexpensive optics and have since grown into a considerable powerhouse. The PLx HLX-1 sets a new modular standard in enclosed optics and actually brings something new into the world instead of a clone among clones. And they did it here. Hell yeah.
| Primary Arms | $650 | |
No, it’s not the cheapest schlock made by children chained to machines, but if you want that you can still buy your optics on eBay and steaks from Dollar Tree.
Read the full article here
