Stryker HD 1-8×24 – another successful LPVO from Delta Optical?

Photo: Karol Szczęśniak, MILMAG

MILMAG received for review a Delta Stryker HD 1-8×24 model that is not yet available for sale. The launch ‒ or, more precisely, the presentation of the concept for the new sight ‒ took place at EnforceTac 2025.

The riflescope is delivered to the recipient in a foam-lined cardboard box. The set includes a microfiber cloth for cleaning the eyepiece, two batteries and a screw that serves as a magnification throw lever. The Stryker, which features a 24-mm objective lens, requires 30-mm rings and was mounted on a Vortex mount. The installation process itself went smoothly, thanks to the white alignment marks applied to the sides of the riflescope and the use of Arisaka leveling wedges. I tightened all the screws with a torque wrench, remembering to follow a cross pattern. After a few test fittings, I also chose the right position on the carbine’s top rail, so that the sight picture through the scope, with the stock extended to a comfortable position for me, would be as convenient as possible. The fairly decent eye relief, meaning the distance between the eye and the riflescope’s eyepiece, deserves mention here. As a result, the optic does not need to be set far back to ensure proper positioning.

Time for a few dry facts. The Stryker 1-8x HD is an SFP riflescope, meaning that its reticle is placed in the second focal plane. This means that it does not change size as magnification is adjusted, and its reticle-based ranging capabilities are available only at maximum magnification. Magnification is adjusted by rotating the ring at the rear of the tube, over a range from 1x to 8x. The optic is equipped with 11 brightness settings, and the manufacturer has not forgotten a useful intermediate off position that cuts the power ‒ simply set the dot on the horizontal line instead of on a number indicating the illumination level.

Illumination is powered by a CR2025 battery, and two are included in the set. The first is installed in the compartment on the left side of the optic, in the illumination adjustment control. Simply unscrew the cap bearing the distinctive Delta Optical logo. The manufacturer deserves praise for providing space for a spare battery under the cap of the upper turret.

After installation, it is time to zero the sight. Like almost any optic, the Stryker is zeroed by adjusting the reticle using the turrets. The upper turret is responsible for vertical adjustment, while the right-hand turret controls horizontal adjustment. In both cases, the adjustment value is 0.1 mrad. A milliradian, also referred to as mil or mrad, is a unit of angular measurement used, among other things, in optics and ballistics. In a riflescope, “0.1 mrad” refers to the adjustment increment of the reticle or turrets ‒ in other words, how much the point of impact moves with each “click.” Put simply, if we turn the turret by one click on a scope with 0.1 mrad adjustments, the point of impact will shift by 1 cm at 100 m, 2 cm at 200 m, 3 cm at 300 m, and so on.

And this is a good choice. It allows for accurate and precise adjustment, while also being easier for Europeans accustomed to centimeters than MOA (minutes of angle), which is based on inches.

Returning to the turrets, however, the right-hand turret on the Stryker is fitted with a cap, the use of which prevents adjustment. The principle is simple: set the scope left-right once, and then forget about it. However, users who want to make full use of horizontal correction as well can simply leave the cap off, giving them access to the marked adjustment settings.

The upper turret, which is responsible for vertical adjustment, offers a few more options. First, it is adjustable a priori. Second, and interestingly, the manufacturer has introduced a useful elevation-adjustment aid using color coding. It is simple, and brilliant in its simplicity: you zero the carbine at the chosen zero distance, then use ballistic tables for the given ammunition to select the bullet drop for the next two distances of interest.

After disassembling the turret, all you need to do is calculate the position of the rings with the colored markers so that they correspond to the elevation adjustment for the point of aim. This allows for quick changes while shooting, without the need to hold over using the reticle. The rings themselves are independent of one another, and it is up to the user to decide what distances to assign to settings 1 and 2.

Now it is time to move on to the most important aspect. In LPVO designs, reticle illumination brightness is hugely important. Many lower-end riflescopes offer illumination that is visible only in low light, while in full sunlight the central aiming point practically disappears. One could even say that it is not so much illumination as simply tinting the aiming point red. In a good LPVO, the image at 1x should resemble using a red-dot sight: no “tunnel” effect, a wide field of view and a natural shooting position. This is exactly where Delta performs exceptionally well.

The riflescope offers a very natural image, minimal edge distortion and fast target acquisition. In practice, this means comfortable dynamic shooting during 3-Gun competitions or CQB operations, without the need for an additional red-dot sight. The key feature is the genuinely bright illumination of the reticle, and in the new Stryker it is at a “daylight bright” level ‒ bright enough to be truly visible in daylight, just like in a red-dot sight. Does Delta fall short of the Aimpoint T2 in terms of brightness, which for me is the gold standard among red-dot sights? Yes, it does, but I have probably not yet seen a brighter aiming point than the T2 at its maximum setting. Even though the photos unfortunately cannot convey this, the Stryker HD 1-8×24 comes through this test more than acceptably.

Additionally, at shorter distances and lower magnification settings, I noticed that the optic allows the use of BAC. The Bindon Aiming Concept is an aiming technique developed by Glyn Bindon for Trijicon optics, primarily ACOG scopes. It involves shooting with both eyes open while using a magnified optic with an illuminated reticle.

It works by using a mechanism in which the brain combines the images from both eyes:

• the dominant eye sees the illuminated reticle in the scope,
• the other eye observes the full field of view and the target,
• the brain “superimposes” the reticle onto the image of the target.

The effect resembles the use of a red-dot sight, even though you are using a magnified optic. What is more, the brightness of the Stryker also allows for shooting and hitting targets at shorter distances without a perfect position behind the scope. Simply by looking at the target, the glowing dot is superimposed on it — even if we are not looking perfectly through the tube. Due to parallax and other variables, this is of course not super-precise shooting, but for fast, dynamic shots at a large target, it works perfectly well.

Although I praised the Stryker above mainly for its performance at a “true” 1x, another of its strengths is image quality at higher magnifications of around 6-8x, the range actually used for identification and precision fire at medium distances.

The Stryker HD 1-8×24 performs surprisingly well here. Delta uses Japanese-made glass, thanks to which the optic provides high central sharpness, very good light transmission, good control of aberration and a clear image even at dusk, while image degradation at the edges is minimal or even unnoticeable. All of this translates into easier target identification and observation of hits, especially when shooting at 300-500 meters. At higher magnifications, the so-called “eye box” is crucial, meaning the “zone” in which the eye can still see a full image without vignetting. The Stryker performs better here than many other designs, because the eye box at higher magnifications remains relatively forgiving. It is easy to maintain a full image when shooting from awkward positions, and the scope does not “punish” the user with aggressive image blackout at even the slightest movement of the head. Of course, the higher the magnification, the smaller these tolerances become, but optics and physics cannot be cheated.

Magnification adjustment itself, carried out by rotating the ring at the rear of the tube, is smooth and offers slight resistance. A good solution is the included screw, which can be threaded into one of two sockets on the ring to act as a throw lever. Of course, diopter adjustment has not been forgotten either; it is performed by adjusting the eyepiece at the very end of the tube.

To sum up, the Stryker HD 1-8×24 is a very interesting proposition. Aimed squarely at the gap between 1-6x and 1-10x, it offers a lot, and at a high level of quality. Since it is not yet on sale, it is difficult to predict its market success, especially on the domestic market. However, given that its smaller brother is considered by many to be the best LPVO under 1,000 USD, the new product could make quite a stir. Personally, I am pleased that a Polish manufacturer is able to create something we not only do not have to be ashamed of, but can actually be proud of.

More information available soon on Delta Optical website

We would like to thank Delta Optical for providing the Stryker HD 1-8×24 riflescope for testing.

This article contains product placement for the following products:

• WBP PIAST rifle,
• Hush-Tac G50 suppressor.

Advertising cooperation. We conduct product tests independently, and the opinions expressed are solely the assessment of the author. The advertiser has no possibility to interfere with the content of the review.