First Look: Sightmark Citadel 1-10x24 CRI Riflescope

Because they can be used to quickly acquire targets at close distances or zoom out to engage targets further away, low-power variable optics, or LVPO for short, have become an increasingly popular scope option for AR-pattern gun owners. An LVPO can give you the best of both worlds, giving you fast hits up-close and still allow you reach out to longer distances.

Sightmark’s new Citadel 1-10x-24 CR-1 scope has a number of useful features which make it useful to people looking for a low-power variable optic. The scope has a true 1X magnification at the low end, giving you an easy-to-use sight picture at its lowest setting, and has a 10X high setting that brings distant targets front and center. The Citadel CR-1 also comes with an additional throw lever for faster transitions between high and low power and fogproof optics for a clearer sight picture.

The 30 mm 6061-T6 aircraft-grade aluminum tube of the CR-1 is both waterproof and shockproof. Inside are multi-coated optics which use a second focal plane reticle that has a bullet-drop compensator calibrated for 55-grain 5.56 NATO ammunition. The reticle is also red-illuminated and has 11 brightness settings. The illumination inside the scope is provided by a CR2032 battery which is good for 75-100 hours of continuous use. The CR-1 scope is adjusted via capped turrets with 1/2-MOA markings, and total adjustment range for both elevation and windage for the scope is 100 MOA.

The CR-1 uses 30 mm scope rings, weighs just 17.5 ounces and is slightly over 11.25 inches long. With its features and optical flexibility, the Citadel CR-1 is an excellent choice for competition shooters, hunters, law enforcement personnel and anyone who needs to engage targets at a wide variety of distances. More information on the Citadel CR-1 scope is available at sightmark.com.