There’s never been a more competitive time when it comes to sporting optics. Many different companies are pushing out quality products to try and find their slice of the pie in the optics market. One company that I find to be gaining momentum is Riton Optics, who were kind enough to send us this scope to test out in the field.
With scopes that fit any enthusiast’s budget, you’re sure to find good value at every product tier. Today, we’re taking a look at the Riton Optics 3 Conquer 6-24×50 FFP which MSRP’s directly from Riton at $600. To start it off, here’s the overview for the review.
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Overview of the Riton 3 Conquer
We’ve been covering a lot of “hybrid” hunting and target shooting scopes lately. This, however, is the Riton Optics 3 Conquer 6-24×50 FFP rifle scope and is an extremely viable option when you’re looking to hit steel at long range. With a First Focal Plane (FFP) reticle, tons of holdovers, and illumination, this scope checks off some pretty big boxes for the price of $600. All the turrets feel good, and it was a fantastic scope to test. Everything that’s featured in this optic tells me the testing is going to be very positive, so let’s start with the first “out-of-the-box” impression.
First Impressions
Out of the box, this was a pretty light scope compared to many in the 6-24x magnification range. It’s been mentioned in my articles before, but normally, the two features that add a lot of weight to a scope are illumination and first focal plane capabilities. Since this optic has both, I’m impressed that they kept it under 30 ounces, especially when you consider the brass internals. Aside from the weight, the reticle was very user-friendly but unique at the same time. Sometimes I have trouble counting holdovers in my reticle, so Riton thought of users like me and placed the holdover hashmarks differently with the 3 Conquer.
The first .2 MIL mark only takes up the half on the left of the main post. The next 2 marks have both the right and the left taken up. Finally, the last .2 MIL mark is only on the right of the main post. Since this optic has bigger hashmarks every half-MIL, this is a good system for people like me who sometimes lose themselves in all the small hashmarks that are often found in reticles like these. This reticle is paired with some impressively clear glass, so I was very excited to get this thing mounted and out to the range.
Features
As I mentioned above, this scope checks off some huge boxes when it comes to long-distance shooting. When shooting steel, I love using First Focal Plane optics to keep my holdovers accurate with my turret adjustments. I’m also not using a magnification below 10x so I never have to worry about making my reticle too small. While that is a big feature of the 3 Conquer, here’s the list that I found for features:
- First Focal Plane (FFP)
- Illuminated Reticle
- Just Over 27 Ounces
- Brass Internals
- Throw Lever (Dovetail Multi-Slot Design)
- Zero Stop
- HD Clear Glass
Brass internals should be considered a standard for the serious enthusiast. Some manufacturers use plastic or aluminum internals, but I love shooting magnum cartridges that often break those types of internal materials. A scope is much like a chain, in the sense that it’s only as strong as its weakest link, so I wouldn’t settle for an optic that’s weakest link is something I can’t fix myself. The 3 Conquer using brass internals is a big weight off my shoulders because that’s a strong link in the chain.
Speaking of illumination, the settings are very clear, crisp, and well thought out on the 3 Conquer. There is a shutoff stage between each brightness mode, so you can keep the illumination off between your two most used brightness levels. This scope also has FFP abilities which allows the reticle to grow and shrink with the image when you’re going through your magnification. This keeps any windholds or elevation holds to the MIL adjustment regardless of magnification. In simpler terms, it helps the user by doing the math for them, and you can use the reticle to range or adjust your shot at any magnification.
The zero stop is the same as most Riton models. The part comes in the box and you do have to install it. What comes installed on the scope, however, is a throw lever that uses a dovetail design that allows the user to move the throw lever to a different spot on the magnification ring. I had to move my throw lever to accommodate the bolt on my rifle, but it was as easy as unscrewing two little screws and screwing them back in.
Finally, this was a very crisp optic to look through. Instead of my usual 100-yard tests, I decided to take the Riton out to a 1,000-yard range where I was able to test the clarity of the image. While you could tell there were some clarity issues all the way out to 1,000, everything under that distance was as clear as can be with little to no negative visual issues. 1,000 yards is a long way, so if a scope can keep its image clear out to that range while still being under $900 I consider that impressive.
Tracking & Accuracy
I did something a little different to test the accuracy and tracking on this scope. Instead of a traditional box test, I decided to get my hundred-yard zero and continue to run the turrets mercilessly to see if going through the full adjustment range would throw anything off when I returned to my zero.
Not only was this an easy scope to zero, but everything went back to zero after two different rounds of turret torture. The clicks stayed sharp and the lines were lined up through the whole process. For an optic you’re going to be adjusting a lot, you need to know that it won’t be thrown off from too much dialing. And though this test wasn’t all that exciting to do and talk about, it’s one of my most important aspects to test when it comes to my scope reviews. Even if this scope tracks, how does it stand up to some blunt force? For that, we can move on to the durability test.
Durability
This scope took the concrete drop like a champ. Not only that, but I had the same zero when I put it back on the rifle. The only real observable damage to the scope was a very minor scratch on the windage knob, but otherwise, there was absolutely nothing. I love a good optic that can take a beating and keep going, and it looks like the Riton 3 Conquer is built to be tough as nails. The brass internals most likely help with this, but this has probably been the best performance from all the optics I’ve tested so far. It’s always good to know that you shouldn’t have a heart attack when you drop your optic by mistake.
If you’re looking at the Riton 3 Conquer and you know it might get bumped around a lot whether in the safe, in the truck, or the field, have the comfort of knowing that this scope can take it. Even the lens caps looked untouched after the drop, leading me to believe that the turrets caught most of the force from the drop. Maybe it’s the coating they put on the tube, but either way, I’m very impressed with the durability of the 3 Conquer.
Pros
A user-friendly scope is the best kind to use on the range. Especially for enthusiasts who are new to features like first focal plate, an optic like the 3 Conquer would be an excellent starting optic. Here is the list of positives that we’ll get into to support that claim:
- Very innovative reticle
- Crisp and clear image
- Built like a tank
- Under 30 ounces
- Easy to use all the adjustments
The best metaphor I can use to describe the turrets on the 3 Conquer is that they feel like a finely tuned watch. Both the turrets and the parallax knob/illumination turret need some sort of force to move, but they move very smoothly. There’s nothing that forced me to get up from behind the gun to switch, and I know some illumination turrets are too stiff to just switch off and on.
The whole system is user-friendly. I spoke about the turrets, but the reticle is also a great way to start with a first focal plane optic. It’s not the busiest reticle I’ve seen in FFP scopes, but it is busy enough for me to say that it would be out of style with modern hunting scopes. That being said, the reticle is easy to keep track of and easy to read, which helps a lot for dyslexic people like me who can’t count hashmarks well.
How they managed to fit a durable scope like this into a package that weighs under 30 ounces is beyond me. Normally, I would assume that more weight would equal better durability, but for how light the 3 Conquer is, it can sure take a punch and keep going. An accurate optic you don’t have to worry about is one you’re more comfortable with, which can lead to better accuracy.
Cons
An optic is almost defined more by it’s negatives than it’s positives. Enthusiasts remember the things that went wrong with a scope much more than they remember what it was good at. All that said, there were only two things I could pick out during the tests that stood out to me as negatives. Here is what I would consider the cons list:
- Suffering image clarity after 1,000 yards
- No product manual
I don’t think I’ve ever had a con list as short as this. The image clarity at 1,000 was starting to suffer, but if that’s the only thing I’ve run into through my testing, then that’s impressive. I challenge you to find any scope that will stay just as clear at 1,000 yards as it is at 100 while keeping the price tag under $1,000. That’s a long way, so there’s a lot of application that falls within that distance that the 3 Conquer would be perfect for. Regardless, it needs to be noted that if you do need an optic for shooting past 1,000 I experienced suffering image quality at that distance with the unit I have.
Lastly, I’d love to see Riton start putting in some sort of product manual with their scopes. I’m fluent enough in MILs and MOA to be able to know my hold values and I can read product information from their website, but I also carry my product manuals to the range whenever I have a new optic. If I can’t use my phone or have crappy service, an actual product manual would help me learn the scope better. If I’m recommending this to people who want to get a FFP optic (which I am) I’d love for there to be a manual there to help navigate them through how it works.
Application
With the weight of this scope, I don’t think it would be too much of a stretch to say that you could use this for both hunting and steel. With the holdovers in the reticle, however, you would have a difficult time using empty glass space to see the game you’re shooting. That being said, my overall recommendation is to put this on a rig that you want to hit steel at a very long distance. The holdovers on the main post have a great system that keeps me from losing count. You can tell at 1,000 yards that some of the clarity suffers, but everything from 1,000 yards and under is crystal clear with extremely limited negative visual effects.
I could also see this optic being used for competition-based shooting. With the weight being under 30 ounces, some competitions would require a lighter optic if you’re running and gunning while also shooting long distances. Anything that’s not breathing I would say would be a great application for the 3 Conquer, and even then, an argument could be made for using this as a hunting scope. If you’re someone who wants to dip their toe into the FFP world, the 3 Conquer would be an excellent solution. You won’t get lost in any reticle complexity and the optic will keep up with the rifle you place it on.
Cost vs. Value
There’s a ton of value involved with confidence in your product. If you go out to the field with confidence in your optic, then that optic should automatically hold more value to you as a shooter. Since I took the 3 Conquer out to 1,000 yards after dropping it onto concrete from head height, I’d say I’m very confident in that scope. That is one of the big reasons why I would say this optic is worth the $600. I could leave this in the back of a truck to get thrashed around and not have to worry about damaging anything. It also has some amazing features like FFP and a fantastic reticle to help with my adjustments and ranging.
$600 is a lot of money to a lot of people, but this specific Riton Optic justifies its price very well. The 3 Conquer will allow me to learn more about my shooting habits that also tie into the value. This is as reliable as you can get from the optics market, so I have no issue recommending it to my readers.
Final Thoughts
The 3 Conquer is an extremely interesting optic to use. If you’re looking for something that’s built to be durable and has great accuracy, the 3 Conquer is an excellent option for the enthusiast who needs a rugged scope. The results of the tests and the feature set of this optic are very telling that there’s a ton of value in this optic, and I’m excited to see what I can do with it in the future.
If I ever do take the plunge into F-Class, this will most likely be the optic I put on my rig. There’s plenty of adjustment (measured 21.5 MILs in the elevation turret and 21.7 MILs in the windage turret) and even if you do run out of clicks, you have 12 more MILs to hold with the reticle. If you’re looking for your next steel shooting/competition optic, or if you want to see what a user-friendly FFP optic looks like, give Riton’s website a visit and see if the 3 Conquer is right for you.
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Growing up, Buck was taught about firearm history and appraisal. Getting to know so many different firearm platforms eventually lead to his long-distance shooting exploration. While his main hunting past time is coyotes, he still find just as much satisfaction punching steel at distance. Every shot taken is with the purpose to become a better shooter.
