Leapers received the 2026 American Rifleman Golden Bullseye Optic of the Year Award for the Integrix iXF 4.5X28 Service Rifle Scope. Developed with professional competitive marksmen and featuring German Schott glass, the fixed-power scope is available on Leapers.com for $999.97 before a July 2026 price increase.
German Precision Optics announced that its GPO CENTURI 4-16x44i Super-Compact Riflescope received the 2026 NRA American Hunter Golden Bullseye Award. Owner/CEO Mike Jensen praised the riflescope as a game-changer offering compact, high-magnification performance at an affordable price point.
Kinetic Development Group is preparing to expand its optic mount product lineup beyond its flagship SideLok series. The company has been collaborating with dealers and end users to develop a new complementary optic mount solution, with additional details expected later in 2026.
ATN Corp. announces the TICO 6 Thermal Clip-On, a next-generation thermal device that mounts in front of existing daytime riflescopes to provide thermal hunting capability in seconds. Designed for hog hunters, predator hunters, and night hunters, the TICO 6 preserves shooters' preferred optics and rifle setups while adding thermal detection for low-light and nighttime hunting.
XS Sights now offers fiber optic sights and optic plates for the HK VP9 pistol, featuring advanced fiber optic technology with exceptional daylight brightness. The USA-made products include interchangeable fiber optic inserts and CNC-machined optic plates compatible with ACRO and RMR footprint optics, priced from $55.00 to $146.26.
SIGHTRON announces the new "Snap Focus" S6 10-60x56 ED Mil Hash Field Target riflescopes featuring a redesigned parallax adjustment system with 270° precision rotation. Developed in collaboration with Garima Design & Customization, these premium scopes include a magnetic focus wheel and are optimized for airgun, small caliber field target, and benchrest shooters.
Trijicon, Inc. announced a new 2.5 MOA Green Dot version of its popular SRO reflex sight, available in Black and Coyote Brown finishes. The green dot design offers enhanced visibility in daylight, reduced eye strain, and improved performance in various lighting conditions for competitive and target shooting applications.
Hawke Optics has launched the Vantage IR 3x32 Rimfire scope, designed for .17 HMR, .22LR, and .22 WMR cartridges. Featuring a one-inch monotube chassis, multi-coated lenses, and L4A Dot reticle with red/green illumination, the scope offers clarity and durability at an MSRP of $99 with included Weaver mounts.
Real Avid has launched two Master Collections featuring specialized tools for firearm maintenance and optic mounting. The Master Firearm Maintenance and Optics Mounting Collection includes comprehensive tools like the Master Gun Vise and Bore-Max Master Cleaning Kit, while the Master Firearm Cleaning and Optics Mounting Collection offers core essentials for cost-conscious DIY enthusiasts.
Kinetic Development Group's patented Kinect™ Series offers tool-free mounting for rifle accessories, enabling shooters to quickly adjust configurations for training, competition, hunting, and field use without requiring tools or interrupting workflow.
Meprolight is offering a limited-time promotion through July 31, 2026, providing a free Backdraft suppressor rebate with qualifying optic purchases. The straightforward program aims to deliver value to shooters while supplies last, with Digital Marketing Manager Jordan Stein emphasizing the company's commitment to high-performance solutions.
Just about anyone who does a little shopping or browsing in the world of scopes has probably heard of German Precision Optics. German glass has a reputation for being high-quality as well, and GPO uses it in many of their scopes. While I was familiar with the GPO name, I hadn’t used any of their scopes before. Needles to say, I was excited to try out the Centuri 4-16x44i Compact Scope.
I have a shorter bolt action rifle (a Savage 110) in 6.5 Creedmoor and I have been looking for a compact scope for it. At some point, I’ll take it on a hunting trip, but for now, I’ll spend some time with it on the range.
Who is GPO?
Founded in 2015 and headquartered in Germany, GPO was started by several people that were veterans in the industry, including former executives from Zeiss. With this new company, they wanted to challenge the efficiency of the established big names and deliver premium optics without a sky-high price. Or as some call it, the “legacy” markup.
GPO was founded in 2015 with the goal of turning out high-quality optics at an affordable price. The Centuri 4-16x44i retails for about $700.
One of the reasons a GPO scope retails for much less than some other German companies is because the assembly and some parts are sourced in other countries. From what I understand, the design, electronics and other key components are made in Germany, while some parts and final assembly is outsourced to places like the Philippines. It sounds like the glass is German made, and the tolerances and specifications are set by the German engineers.
On one hand, a fully made and assembled scope from Germany would be nice. But we have that with companies like Schmidt & Bender, whose scopes can run well into the thousands. That’s a little too steep for me, so I like finding quality products that are more affordable.
GPO Centuri 4-16x44i Super Compact Rifle Scope
The obvious thing that stands out with the Centuri 4-16 is the size. At just under 10 inches long, it’s remarkably compact for a 4-16 scope. To put it in perspective, it’s roughly the length of a standard 30-round AR magazine. For those needing a short, light setup, that’s an ideal size.
The GPO Centuri 4-16x44i rifle scope
Most of the time, if you want 16x magnification, you’re stuck with a telephone pole of a scope. This, of course, adds significant weight and shifts your rifle’s balance.
The main tube on the Centuri is 30mm and provides a 22 MRAD elevation adjustment. The turrets are exposed, locking, and use a zero-stop system. One thing I found interesting was the rotation indicator to help with quick adjustments. It’s a small silver pin that physically pops up from the elevation turret when you enter your second revolution of adjustment. It’s a simple, idiot-proof way to make sure you don’t lose your place during a long-range engagement. I’ll admit, I’ve done that before….
The rotating indicator on the elevation dial reminds you that you have rotated the dial a full turn.
The Vortex scope mounting levels and torque-driver are pretty handy for mounting scopes.
GPO Centuri 4-16x44i Specifications
Magnification: 4-16x
Focal Plane: First
Objective Lens: 44mm
Length: 9.9 inches
Weight: 20 ounces
Main Tube Diameter: 30mm
Eye Relief: 3.75 inches
Field of View (100 yds): 34 ft (4x) to 9 ft (16x)
Parallax Adjustment: 10 yards to infinity
Reticle: FFP MIL (Illuminated)
Adjustment Clicks: 0.1 MRAD
MSRP = $734.99
The Power of German Glass
Why does everyone obsess over German glass? It isn’t just marketing, it’s a century of industrial chemistry. Companies like SCHOTT (a frequent partner for high-end German brands) pioneered the use of rare-earth elements like lanthanum and barium in their glass formulas. These minerals allow the glass to have a much higher refractive index without becoming overly thick or heavy. From what I can tell, SCHOTT supplies GPO with the raw material to make their glass.
The Centuri uses Double HD glass elements. What makes this a good option for a scope in this price range is the homogeneity of the material. In cheaper optics, microscopic impurities can cause light to scatter, leading to chromatic aberration. That’s the annoying purple or yellow fringing you see around high-contrast targets.
From what I can tell, the raw materials for the glass are sourced from Germany. Either way, it was extremely clear glass.
German engineering focuses on eliminating these impurities at the molecular level. When combined with the proprietary GPObright coating, you get a light transmission rate of 92%. That translates to a brighter image even when the sun begins to dip below the horizon.
Navigating the MIL Reticle
The Centuri 4×16 is a first focal plane optic. That means the reticle grows and shrinks as you change magnification. With a FFP scope, the hashmarks are always accurate for ranging or holdovers, regardless of your zoom level.
The reticle itself is a clean, MIL-based design. GPO used a central crosshair with a micro-dot that’s illuminated with eight different brightness settings. To the left, right, and below center are a series of graduated hashmarks. These allow you to hold for elevation and windage rather than dialing your turrets.
The locking turrets have a solid feel and make a very distinct “click” with each turn.
For example, if your ballistic app tells you that your shot requires a 2.5 MIL hold at 400 yards, you simply place the 2.5 mark on your target and squeeze the trigger. The markings are sharp and thin enough that they don’t obscure small targets, but they’re bold enough to see clearly at 4x.
Range Performance and Mounting
Because the Centuri is so compact, mounting requires a bit of forethought. Traditional bolt-action rifles with long receivers might leave you with limited rail space. I tried a cantilever mount at first, but it didn’t allow the scope to sit back as far as I needed. Placing the scope ring on the first rail slot ended up being the perfect placement for me.
I had been looking for a compact scope to mount on my Savage 110 rifle. This helps keep the weight down and makes it less bulky.
On the range, the Centuri tracked with mechanical precision. I ran a box test at 100 yards, and the 0.1 MIL adjustments were dead-on every time. The turrets have distinct, audible clicks that you can feel even through shooting gloves.
I used a rifle mount when checking the accuracy of the rifle at 150 yards. You can see where my flyer hit when I got a little too excited.
Moving out to 500 yards, the targets were still sharp, thanks to the double HD glass. The parallax adjustment is smooth and allows you to dial from 10 yards all the way to infinity. I have to give a shout out to Hornady for providing some ELD Match 140gr, and some Precision Hunter 143gr ELD-X ammo for the review.
At 16x magnification, the eye box is slightly tighter than on a full-sized scope, but that’s a fair trade for the compact size and weight of the Century. This thing would be perfect on for a lightweight mountain rifle a compact truck gun, or a number of other uses.
Like I’ve said before, I don’t have near the experience with scopes and long-range shooting as I do in CQB distances, but this is an excellent, full-featured FFP compact scope for a $700 price tag. It provides high-end German engineering in a package that won’t weigh you down on the hunt.
