Gear Review: Trinity Force 3-9×42 P4 Sniper Reticle Scope

 

If you’re looking for a reasonably priced, multi-use optic you can use on a range gun, airsoft gun or AR pattern rifle, you’ll want to take a look at the Trinity Force P4 Sniper Reticle scope. It gets a lot of things right for not a lot of dollars . . .

What’s in the Box?

The P4 comes with a red dot optic, a mount to attach the red dot to the primary optic, some basic lens caps, Allen wrenches and an extra battery.

Primary Optic – 3-9×42

The primary optic is the P4 Sniper’s (the “sniper” refers to the type of reticle this P4 has, more on that below) 3-9×42 scope. The overall P4 optic looks similar to a Trijicon ACOG, but the P4 is designed for low-impact users, not soldiers in combat or whose life may depend on them. These are more for the shooter who wants to go to the range and have some fun, but may not have the budget for more expensive glass.

The P4 weighs in at 1 lb 1.4 oz and is constructed of aluminum. It’s a pretty heavy package. And when you add the included red dot it totals in at 1 lb 3.8 oz For comparison, a 4×32 Trijicon ACOG weighs 9.9 oz and a Vortex Spitfire weighs in at 8.7 oz. So, it’s heavy for a standard optic, but not outside the realm of some. The 6x Trijicon ACOG weighs 2 lbs 4.9 oz, and costs over $2,700.

The overall feel of the P4 isn’t bad, it feels pretty well constructed. The anodized coating should be about as durable as similar types of optics and hold up pretty well against minor scratches, etc.

Reticle

The P4 is available with multiple reticle types. Trinity Force offers a rangefinder reticle, a mil dot reticle and the sniper reticle. The sniper reticle on this model is like a mil-hash style reticle where the hash lines are taller on the outside and get shorter as they get closer to the point of aim.

The reticle is also illuminated with 3-color options, red, blue and green. There are three brightness settings for each color, all controlled by the larger knob on the left of the scope.

One problem with the P4’s illumination is that it’s not uniform over the whole of the reticle. One side (nearer the light source) is definitely brighter than the other. Also, with the illumination on, the left side when looking through the optic you can often see the light reflecting and coloring the inside of the tube, producing a colored halo effect. This is something that occasionally happens with other optics, but it’s usually only on very bright settings in dark environments. The P4 seems to do this in almost every instance. It’s hard to capture on camera, but the images below shows a little of what I am talking about.

Turrets

The turrets on the P4 are uncapped external turrets designed for easy adjustment. They are also marked for both clicks and full rotations, a nice addition to any scope with uncapped turrets. There is no zero stop, not that I would expect there to be one.

The feel of the turrets is decent. They have clicks for each 1/4 MOA adjustment. That being said, there is a little play in them and the number markings (on zero) don’t exactly line up to the rotation marks. That is more of an annoyance than a functional issue, but it would be nice if it all lined up. The clicks are not as pronounced as they are with some other optics, but you can tell that they are there.

Magnification

The magnification can be adjusted from 3x to 9x using a ring located in front of the eyepiece. With the red dot attached, the ring is a little hard to get a hold of, but you can do it. Adjustment is pretty smooth, but has a fair amount of resistance. You have to actually want to change the magnification. This is fairly standard on most optics. Very few adjust magnification easily. But it should be smooth, even if it requires a little force to get it going.

There is a little “play” in the magnification ring, you can move the ring and feel it engaging a little. Not a lot, but it’s there. Other then that, the magnification adjustment does exactly what you would expect it to.

Focus Adjustment

Focus adjustments are made with a ring on the front of the eye piece. Adjustment is pretty smooth, but also takes a bit of force much like the magnification ring. The focus has stops, so you can only adjust it so far… so you wont unscrew the end of the scope. Other than that, the focus does what a focus ring does.

Optical Clarity

For a scope at this price, I wasn’t expecting this level of clarity, but I was pleasantly surprised at how clear the optic is. It’s hard to capture in a photo, but I tried (the photo really doesn’t do it justice).

You may notice a little distortion around the edges. It’s not so noticeable when actually looking through the optic. But a common issue with lower-priced scopes is that the center point of the optic is the only part that is truly clear. As you move out, towards the edges of the lens, there is a fall-off in clarity. Like I said, this isn’t super noticeable when actually using the scope, but it is there and the picture exaggerates it.

Mounting

The P4 comes with a quick-release style mount attached that will work with any 1913 (Picatinny) rails. The latch feels sturdy and it worked on all of the rails that I tried it on. That being said, when in the locked position, the latch sticks out a bit, and will be a pretty easy snag hazard. And there is no lock on it, so if it snags, and pops loose, your optic is going to hit the dirt.

I’m not sure if there are any other mounting solutions for the optic, but the quick release latch is attached with two screws, so it is something that can be removed.

Range Time

Doing a little plinking with the optic was no big deal once I got it situated on the rifle and sighted it in. For testing, I attached the P4 to one of my custom built AR-15s running a BCM upper receiver group, Coronado Arms lower and a Palmetto State Armory lower parts kit.

I got everything set up and sighted in at 50 yards (the farthest distance the range I was at had). Below are some pictures of the groups. Using boxed PMC ammo from the prone position.

The P4 optic worked great. I didn’t have any issues and the adjustments, windage and elevation work as advertised. I performed a basic 1 MOA box test with the optic, and other than me throwing a round, the adjustments seem to be true and reliable.

Red Dot

The red dot optic that is included with the P4 is a very generic, basic red dot, that appears to have 3 MOA dot. The one I received works, but it seems to be missing a screw from each side of the protective hood. Other than that, it’s a basic red dot with windage and elevation adjustments (they require an included wrench to change). The on/off is via a large switch on the back of the optic. I imagine it’s pretty easy to accidentally smack on and off, but other than that, it seems to work. All in all, it’s not something I would recommend for any type of high impact situations.

Also, to replace the battery, you must remove the red dot from its included mounting base. The base that’s included is a low height one, so if you are planning to use the optic on something else, you will need to accommodate for it being very low (no riser included). The kit did include a ring for mounting the red dot to the top of the P4 scope. This mount goes around the eye piece of the optic.

Another thing worth noting is the height over bore with the red dot on top of the P4 optic. It comes in at about 3.5 in off the rails, and if you add another about 1.5 in for rail height over bore, you’re looking at about 5 inches of height over bore. That means at close range, your bullet impact will be 5 in lower than your point of aim. So if you’re thinking of using this setup for some type of CQB situation, I would think again.

Warranty

The P4 is covered by a Trinity Force limited lifetime warranty. This covers defects in materials and workmanship for the life of the product.

Specifications: Trinity Force P4 Sniper

Magnification: 3x-9x
Objective: 42mm
Length: 8 in
Weight: 17.4 oz (1 lb 1.4 oz)
Reticle: Mill-Hash Style
Mount: Quick Release (included)
Battery: CR2032 (3v, extra included)
MSRP: $135.00

Ratings (out of 5 stars):

Durability: * * *
The P4 isn’t designed to be bullet proof, but for the price point, it will hold it’s own. It’s sturdy and will last under normal use. The Red Dot on the other hand is a lower quality item and will not withstand a beating.

Usability: * * *
The P4, with it’s 3x to 9x magnification, will work well for any smaller caliber rifle, .223, .22LR, etc. at ranges from 25 yds to 100+ yds. Also with the included red dot, you will have the added ability to easily shoot at closer ranges. The only downside is that I would not recommend the red dot for any high impact situations (like training classes).

Value: * * * *
At the price point of $135, the P4 package is a good entry level package for the shooter that just wants to get out to the range and send some rounds down range.

Overall: * * * ½
The P4 is a good low-cost optic. For $135 you can take a rifle out and put some rounds down range. It’s not something that’s designed to be beaten up or taken into high-impact training, but for the occasional shooter, this optic will work out just fine. If you think you’re going to be a little more on the rough side with your rifle or are planning to take it to a tactical training class, you may want to look into something a little more robust.