Review: Leupold HAMR Multi-Range Riflescope

The HAMR was Leupold’s response to the massive success of the Trijicon ACOG line, and while the product line never really took off, it was actually a well-put together rifle scope, and combined with the optional DeltaPoint red dot sight, it made an effective CQB and tactical combination for military, SWAT, and other uses.

Leupold has discontinued the HAMR, but it’s still available on the used and refurbished markets, and there still may be some new ones out there, so if you’re considering a fixed-power riflescope and are a Leupold devotee, you can still get a HAMR if you want one. That said, our recommendation would be to get the same flexibility and power from a newer option.

There are a handful of companies in the space that offer fixed-power scopes, but my personal recommendation would either be the Trijicon ACOG or the Primary Arms SLx.

Our Review of the Leupold Mark 4 HAMR 4x24mm

What Does the HAMR Do?

The HAMR is designed for military application. CQB scopes has a somewhat loose definition, with some insisting that CQB is only 25 yards or less, while others say that when you’re indoors in a large building you use the same tactics even down a 100-yard hallway as you would down a 25-yard hallway. Either way, the HAMR paired with a reflex sight on top is prepared for CQB.

If you get the HAMR without a reflex sight, it’s really only designed to be effective between 25 and 100 yards. You can squeeze a lot more distance out of it with proper use of the reticle and by shooting prone or kneeling, but trying to shoot closer than 25 yards with 4x magnification is difficult and disorienting, though someone with more practice than I have would probably do better.

Is It Good? Why?

It really is good. It’s honestly good enough that I’m very surprised it didn’t catch on. The field of view and image clarity are right there with the ACOG. The DeltaPoint red dot isn’t quite as impressive but still plenty serviceable and can be swapped out with a different red dot as long as it fit.

Part of the reason the scope may have never been taken seriously is that it was included in a video game, I think, and so most of the shooters who were willing to spend the money didn’t perceive it as a high-end scope. The actual quality is fantastic, though.

What Does Package Includes

Since it’s discontinued there’s not a lot of standardization of what will come with the scope when you buy it. You’ll definitely want to check if the DeltaPoint is included because that should affect the price one way or another, and it may come with lens caps or other accessories depending on whether you’re buying from an individual or a shop.

Design and Features

4x Magnification

Having a fixed power at 4x is nice for a lot of reasons. First, it makes the math easy when you’re wondering whether you can make a shot. If you can see a target clearly enough with your naked eye to hit it at 25 yards, then you should be able to see it clearly enough at 100 yards with 4x. If you can see it at 50 yards without, then you should be able to see it at 200 yards with 4x.

Pairing the 4x magnification with a 1x reflex sight on top makes for much faster transitions between magnification than on an LPVO like the Vortex Crossfire II. I never use any magnification between 1 and 4x on my Crossfire II, so I’m always having to crank all the way from one end to the other.

This isn’t a huge deal most of the time, but when I’m shooting timed matches at the range, it definitely slows me down.

Reticle

The CM-R2 reticle is pretty decent, and a lot like a Trijicon reticle in a lot of ways.

Only the center donut is illuminated, and you have marks for estimating holdovers and windage holds. I haven’t been able to find exactly what load the BDC is calibrated for, but it seemed pretty accurate for .223/5.56 NATO ammo, and the lines can still provide reference points for calibers that they’re not specifically calibrated for.

The illuminated reticle is nice and bright and visible in both bright daylight and night. The reticle on the DeltaPoint is just a red dot, but it’s a 7.5 MOA dot which is about 4.5 MOA too big in my opinion. Granted, it’s only for short range because for anything beyond 25 yards you’ll just drop down to the 4x scope, but I still feel like it occludes my target more than I like.

The above picture makes the reticle look much bigger than it actually is; it’s very small when you’re actually looking through the scope.

Strength and Performance

I haven’t had a chance to stress-test it but it’s held up well in everything I’ve seen, and Leupold’s lifetime warranty still covers the Leupold Mark 4 HAMR so you should be fine in terms of durability.

It’s a strong, rugged scope and while it may not be quite as indestructible as an ACOG, Leupold has a great reputation for making scopes that can withstand punishment. It holds zero like a champ, fogproof, and has a field of view of 10.6m at 100 yards.

Light Transmission and Optical Quality

The picture is clean, sharp, and bright. There’s not any noticeable distortion around the edges, no chromatic aberration or artifacting, and the color fidelity is indistinguishable from the naked eye. I can’t see any difference in the brightness through the scope from the brightness without it, and overall it’s a great scope to look through.

The objective lens diameter isn’t huge, but for this magnification it’s plenty, and the DiamondCoat coating must do a great job to provide the clarity that it has. The HAMR doesn’t seem to have Leupold’s Xtended Twilight Lens System, but the performance is still great.

It does great at low light and the illuminated portion of the reticle is enough to get out to 100 yards without the BDC. If you want to shoot out farther than that in low light then this may not be right scope for you, although it is compatible with night vision, so if you’re pairing it with an NVD then you should be good to go.

Shooting at Different Distances

The field of view is wide enough that you could probably take shots closer than 25 yards in a pinch with the 4x, but I would not recommending doing so unless you have a specific reason; it really pairs well with a reflex sight for those close-range shots. The DeltaPoint reflex sight just mounts on an integrated picatinny, so you can swap it out with most handgun dots.

The main issue with the whole set-up is that the red dot ends up mounting really high on your rifle, so in a lot of cases you may not even be able to get cheek weld without buying a riser or something else for your stock. Simply lifting and lowering your head to change magnification is fast and easy, but it may take some customization of your rig to get it ironed out.

Target acquisition when shooting at different distances is lightning fast. It’s difficult to overstate just how much faster it is to slightly raise and lower your eye to go from 4x to 1x than to crank a mag ring.

Adjustments

If the hash marks and wide FOV aren’t enough, you can of course use the windage and elevation adjustment turrets. They aren’t resettable, but this high accuracy multi range riflescope is actually two in one so you can zero the magnifier at one distance and the dot sight at another.

Pros & Cons

Pros:

• Amazing light transmission and clear picture
• 4x magnification good for ~25-200 yards
• Comes with DeltaPoint red dot sight
• Tough and durable
• Used may be available for cheaper

Cons:

• No longer in production
• DeltaPoint red dot is 7.5 MOA
• Still a high price for a used optic

Alternative

1. Trijicon ACOG 4x32- Premium Alternative

ACOG’s are beasts. They are virtually indestructible, give a crystal clear, nearly perfect image, and do not require batteries for their illumination. The reticle is illuminated in both bright daylight and night via fiber optics (bright daylight) and Tritium (nighttime), and Trijicon offers a huge variety of different reticle choices when you order so you can get one that suits your preferences.

It’s compatible with an optional reflex sight at the top just like the HAMR and comes with magnification from anywhere between 2x and 5x. ACOGs are designed for combat ready, and everything about them from the ground up speaks to that goal. They are in a similar price range to what the HAMR used to be, though a new HAMR will probably be more expensive and a used one will be less expensive.

2. Primary Arms SLx 3x32mm Gen III- Budget Alternative

You don’t sacrifice nearly as much with the SLx as the price difference would imply, but you’re also not getting the same level of strength and performance out of it that you would expect from an ACOG or a HAMR. It’s an effective tool that does essentially the same thing, and will do it well. It’s not as likely to survive a nuclear explosion, though.

The image isn’t quite as bright or as sharp, but the main thing I noticed is how narrow the field of view is. The scope occludes a lot of your vision even when your eye is perfectly positioned.

On the other hand, the eye relief is a lot more comfortable for more shooters as your eye can be a bit further from the eyepiece (ocular lens). The reticle is nice and sharp, and if you like the ACSS it can be a powerful tool for getting more accuracy at long ranges with a prism scope.

We have a full review of the HAMR if you still want to go that route, but with it being discontinued we felt that we should open with some alternatives that are still in production.

Final Thoughts

Honestly, the HAMR is a good choice if it fits what you’re wanting to do. Home defense, SWAT, LE, and military applications are all great fits for this best scope. I think if you have the money to consider the HAMR the only reason to select it above the Trijicon would be if you are a Leupold fan already and trust the quality that you’ll get from them.

You should be able to find the ACOG and the SLx on primaryarms.com, Amazon, or OpticsPlanet, and the HAMR is likely available on Midway USA or ebay.