Pride Fowler Industries (PFI) was the brainchild of multi-national champion shooters John Pride and Mickey Fowler, who wanted to provide new scopes with reticles designed for different tactical and hunting situations. Though Fowler is acting in more of an advisory capacity these days, John Pride is still actively designing for the PFI line. His latest reticle design, the 762C, was developed specifically for U.S. Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) combat carbines using the 7.62mm NATO round, such as the FN SCAR 17, the Lewis Machine & Tool Modular Weapon System and the Heckler & Koch 417.

Pride’s goal was to create a reticle that could be used from the short end of the cartridge’s range out to 1,000 meters. The scope that houses this new reticle, the U.S. Optics 1-8X SR-8C, is 12 inches long, offers 3.7 inches of eye relief and weighs just 1.5 pounds. With a housing made of hardcoat anodized 6061-T6 aluminum, the heavy-duty scope is zeroed at 200 meters and the “tree”-like reticle features stadia lines ranging out to 900-plus meters, all calibrated to the ballistics of the 7.62mm round above and below a 3,000-foot elevation. The reticle markings are designed to help operators with either 16- or 20-inch-barreled rifles.

In this video, you can see the first range test of the new optic at the Burbank Rifle and Revolver Club. Mounting the SR-8C on a 16-inch-barreled FN SCAR 17 rifle, experienced tactical shooters and novices alike were able to use the Pride-designed reticle to reliably engage man-sized targets from 100 to over 1,000 yards away. With an MSRP of $2100, the SR-8C will allow 7.62mm NATO carbine owners and operators to get the most performance possible out of their weapons. For a full report, check out the upcoming December 2014 issue of TACTICAL WEAPONS, available on newsstands and digitally Sept. 30, 2014. To subscribe, go to Tactical-Life.com/subscribe.