We’ve been tossing around LPVO/MPVO for years—so let’s finish the system and make it useful. In this episode I lay out a practical naming convention for tactical optics:

• PO – Pistol Optics (micro/open/closed-emitter pistol dots)

• NVO – Non-Variable Optics (rifle-rated red dots, holo, prisms, + optional magnifiers)

• LPVO – Low-Power Variable Optics (1-4/1-6/1-8/1-10; no parallax knob)

• MPVO – Mid-Power Variable Optics (high-1x/2-10/2-12/… with parallax adjustment)

• IPVO – Intermediate-Power Variables (3-15/3-18/4-16/2-20; tops out ≤20x)

• HPVO – High-Power Variable Optics (≥ ~5-25 and up; ELR/bench/tactical precision)

I also cover why parallax is the line between LPVO and MPVO, where prisms live, why 3-18x isn’t an MPVO, and how hunters can steal the best parts of “tactical boy” glass.

Sound off in the comments: What would you tweak in these definitions?

Shop & support:

• Optics Ready-to-Go, mounts, rings, etc. at Ally Munitions

• Local folks: go see Milling About Outdoors for a big in-stock selection

Chapters below. Thanks for listening!