Tony Grist
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When in doubt, a low-powered variable optic (LPVO) is always a solid choice for your AR rifles, even bolt guns in some cases. At an LPVO’s 1X magnification, you get the benefits of a red-dot optic, and at its max magnification, usually 4X, 6X, 8X or 10X, you gain the ability to reach out to targets at distance. Recently, a new Swampfox Optics Tomahawk II 1-6x24mm LPVO found its way into my gunsafe, and I’ve had the opportunity to put it through its paces. Out of the box, Swampfox has packed a remarkable number of features into a scope that runs for $449 or $369 for the 1-4X model. Now, there are a lot of great LPVOs on the market, so what has Swampfox offered to set the Tomahawk II apart from its competition besides its affordable price point? Two features stand out. First, I’ve not seen many LPVOs with locking elevation turrets, so that’s an interesting feature to find on a 1-6X LPVO. And second, the Tomahawk II boasts an optional fiber-optic illumination source to get a true daylight-bright center aiming dot.
Tomahawk II Specs Breakdown
Before we take a look at the standout features, let’s knock out the basic specs of the Tomahawk II. It’s a pretty standard-size LPVO, measuring a bit over 10.5 inches long and weighing about 20 ounces. Maintube diameter is a common 30mm, which means you have a lot of great mounting options on the aftermarket. I opted for the Swampfox Hostile Engagement Mount. It’s a well-built, quality aluminum one-piece mount optimized for LPVOs. It features an integral 45-degree optic mount for RMR-pattern red dots, and it’s not too heavy at 8.25 ounces. Looking through the scope, image quality is excellent, and it has a healthy eye relief. As expected, the lenses are fully multi-coated, are nitrogen purged to prevent fogging and are rated IPX7 waterproof. Overall, the Tomahawk II is clearly well-built with a solid feel, so I have no doubt it will hold up to rough use. Swampfox clearly does, too, as they back the Tomahawk II with an impressive 10-year warranty on the LED emitter and a lifetime warranty for everything else. Five years is generally the most I’ve seen for electronic components in optics, so Swampfox has designed an optic with a long life in mind.
Illumination and Reticle
Ok, let’s dive into the illumination features that make this scope stand out. The Tomahawk II is available in six different reticle/illumination models for both 1-6X and 1-4X offerings. Two models use an illuminated BDC reticle in red or green, powered with a standard 2032 coin battery. The other four options feature Swampfox’s Bright Fiber Optic (BFO) in a second focal plane reticle. The reticle is identical for the four models, but you have green, red, amber and blue illumination options with the fiber optic. Now, this isn’t a true fiber-optic scope like Trijicon’s iconic ACOG, which has a fiber-optic rod extending outside of the optic. You’ll still need a 2032 battery to power the 12 illumination settings, but think of the fiber optic as a booster to get you true daytime brightness. Powered on, you get a highly bright center aiming dot in the center of the reticle.
To do this, Swampfox had to go with a wire reticle. Most scope reticles today utilize an etched-glass reticle, which is arguably superior in general, but you can’t really run fiber optics through the etched glass. Etched glass reticle illumination works by shining a tiny LED toward a reflective point in the reticle. This works fine, but almost none of them can achieve true daylight brightness. Using a suspended wire reticle, you gain the ability to run a tiny fiber optic through the wire to have a superior illumination source. Another advantage to this is that it virtually eliminates the “starburst” effect you might get with a red-dot sight. So, at the 1X magnification setting, the Tomahawk II illuminates arguably even better than red dot for close-range work. While this is a huge advantage, there is a small downside. Suspended wire reticles were pretty much the standard in scopes until the invention of etched glass reticles. With a reticle etched into the glass, the reticle isn’t going anywhere unless the optic has a catastrophic failure. Suspended wire reticles have always been susceptible to becoming knocked loose since they’re literally hanging within the scope. It is possible to break them, but it’s quite uncommon. To be clear, this isn’t a major concern as much as it is an FYI. As I stated, Swampfox has built this scope well and has backed it with an impressive warranty. Just like anything else in life, it’s all about trade-offs. The advantage of the daylight-bright center aiming dot, especially in a competition scenario, greatly outweighs any concern over suspended wire reticles.
All the Turrets
The other interesting feature of the Tomahawk II is that is uses a large, locking elevation turret with a zero reset. The windage turret is a standard, capped affair, which is what we’ve come to expect in an affordable LPVO. However, we usually don’t see locking turrets in scopes at this price point since they’re an expensive feature for manufacturers to include in a scope. From a competition perspective, this is a great advantage for competitors who greatly prefer to dial for targets at distance. Normally with LPVOs, you almost always will use them at either the minimum or maximum magnification settings, rarely at their middle settings. This is why second focal plane reticles are most common in LPVOs and why they’re usually optimized for holding on targets at distance. A 1-4X or 1-6X LPVO is rarely shot beyond 500 yards, and dialing to targets within 500 yards take more time than holding. With that being said, some people simply prefer the surety of dialing the turrets to a target’s range, which is completely understandable. If you want locking/zero-reset turrets in most LPVOs, be prepared to shuck out some cash, so it’s impressive that Swampfox was able to include one in the Tomahawk II for less that $500.
Final Thoughts
All-in-all, I think the Tomahawk II is a fine LPVO that would serve anyone well. Competitors will appreciate the daylight-bright center aiming dot, and the four different color variations are a cool feature. I like green the best, but amber is supposed to be easier to see for colorblind individuals. Red is always a solid choice, and the blue aiming dot definitely has a cool factor that I haven’t seen anywhere else. As an additional value-add, Swampfox also includes in the box a throw lever for the magnification ring as well as front and back flip-up caps. That magnification ring is a bit stiff new, so the throw lever will help loosen it up to quickly zoom back and forth between min and max magnifications, and flip-up caps are always a welcome addition. This is a solid scope at an even better price point. It’s impressive what Swampfox has packed into an optic for just $449 MSRP, and it’s even cheaper online. I’ve seen it go for as low as $365 at the time of this publication. Feature-rich with a great warranty and a great price point; it’s hard to beat that!
Swampfox Optics Tomahawk II Specs
- Type: Low-powered variable optic
- Magnification: 1-6X, 1-4X
- Objective: 24mm
- Tube Diameter: 30mm
- Length: 10.5 in.
- Weight: 20.59 oz.
- Illumination: 2023 battery w/BFO assist, 12 brightness settings
- Eye Relief: 3.39-3.54 in.
- Warranty: 10 year LED, Lifetime components
- MSRP: $449
- Manufacturer: Swampfox Optics
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