Booth / first look: Shot Show 2023 interview with Apex Optics — not a range T&E or owned long-term review.
Squat Squad — viewers kept telling me to stop by Apex Optics at Shot Show 2023, so I did. I sat down with Vanya and walked the two scopes making noise in the precision and practical optics space: the Rival 4-32× competition glass and the then-upcoming Edge 1-10× LPVO.
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Rival 4-32× — competition scope without the crazy price
Vanya’s pitch is straightforward: he’s a PRS shooter who wanted premium features without the premium tax. The Rival is purpose-built for long-range / dynamic shooting and made in Japan with their factory partner (Japanese chromatic lens system).
- 34 mm tube, 56 mm objective
- Parallax down to 15 yards (rimfire / airgun friendly)
- 15 mil/rev elevation turret with zero stop and a two-turn indicator
- Internal adjustment called out on video: 32 mils elevation / 20 mils windage (zero-stop system limits you to about 29.6; Apex sends free replacement turret caps if you want the full 32)
- Illumination: six brightness steps with off between each setting (on/off/on/off) so you’re never far from the level you like
- CR2032, roughly 2,000 hours as discussed on camera
- Oversized zoom ring + removable throw lever included; front/back covers in the box; optional Tenebraex covers sold separately
- MRAD / FFP only — no MOA option (competition-first positioning)
- Price stated on video: $2,000, direct-to-consumer at apexoptics.co
- Lifetime transferable warranty; IP67 waterproof / fog / dust claims on video
They were very intentional about glove-friendly controls — Canada cold, sweaty hands, the whole testing loop with 3D-printed knurling patterns. It’s the kind of “we actually shoot this stuff” talk that lands when you’re shopping glass for matches.
Edge 1-10× — hybrid combat reticle LPVO
The Edge is their LPVO play: true 1× (third-party certified, not “almost 1×”), wide eye box, and a hybrid combat reticle — segmented outer rings that disappear as you zoom, center illuminated dot, then a modified Christmas tree for holds at higher mag. Two-eyes-open close work or dial/hold for distance.
At the show they were targeting roughly a month out for website / pre-sale, about $1,500, same Japanese factory as the Rival, shipping called for around June (relative to that Shot Show timeline), same lifetime warranty story.
Who this booth stop is for
If you’ve been comparing mid/upper competition glass and LPVOs and want the feature list without the boutique markup, Apex was clearly aiming at that gap — Rival for PRS / NRL / extended rimfire dialers, Edge for practical / three-gun / close-to-far flexibility. This writeup is a booth interview deep dive, not a tracked group or durability study. Verify current pricing, availability, and specs on Apex’s site before you buy.
Keep squatting.
Rival 4-32 for the match rifle, or Edge 1-10 for the do-everything carbine — which one tickles your fancy?
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