Trijicon Credo HX 1-10X Riflescope: Full Review

Testing the Trijicon Credo HX 1-10X along the Limpopo River in Africa.

July 16, 2025 By Eric R. Poole

At the distant end of a sandy two-track road, outfitter and Professional Hunter (PH) Rhuan Barnard caught a glimpse of a ringed-horned sable, mature with a dark body, a moment before it disappeared into thick acacia. Sitting in the right-hand seat, he slammed the shifter into first before racing down the path. Josh Lyall and Eddie Stevenson grabbed the steel cage surrounding the Land Cruiser’s elevated rear seat and held on as we neared a field of dry grass known as a “veld.” Without speaking, we quickly bailed from the vehicle and I grabbed my rifle, a Gunwerks Nexus in .300 PRC. I chambered a round and engaged the safety as I had made habit of after exiting the truck. Trailing the PH on foot, I reached down as we moved into position, feeling for the repositionable adjustment knob of the scope magnification ring. I ensured it was on the left side. Without looking, I knew the Trijicon Credo HX was set between 1X and 3X. Never again will I face the setback of shouldering a rifle, looking through the scope for quarry only to find that I failed to turn down the magnification after last using it.

gaad-trijicon-credo-hx-02-1200x800 — The elevation turret is exposed for adjustment to accommodate distance, but the windage turret is capped. The Credo features .1 mil adjustments, while the Credo HX has .25 MOA adjustments per click. (Photo by Michael Anschuetz)

The veld covered hundreds of acres and was dotted with a herd of juvenile sable wearing black and brown coats; a few buffalo meandered at the opposite end, too. Glassing, none of these were the sable Barnard saw, or the one I once had fever dreams about. Through hunting and conservation efforts, the population of sable has been brought back to the Limpopo region, and they are known for having tough, bullet-busting skin with a mane along its neck. Males and females have horns that symmetrically arch rearward, but mature males can have horns that nearly rake their back. The bull sable is among the most beautiful creatures in the world, and they are almost as elusive as the kudu.

At sunset, we hiked back when, in the corner of our eyes, we saw a mature sable bull watching us. Not to reveal our intent, we continued marching down the path until cover behind a mopani tree was available. Light was diminished, so I rotated the reticle illumination knob one click to “R4.” Barnard deployed my hickory shooting sticks and I mounted them with purpose. At 1X, it was quick to find the sable and cover its shoulder with the Credo’s illuminated, segmented reticle. Suspicious of our intent, he turned and moved deeper into the brush some 200 yards. We continued to stalk his movements until managing to set up within 150 yards. I dialed up the power to ensure a precise shot, and I didn’t hesitate to press the trigger when instructed to. That single 212-grain Hornady ELD-X bullet dropped my first sable. When the euphoria subsided, I looked down at the scope and noticed that I had fired the shot using a little more than 6X magnification.

gaad-trijicon-credo-hx-03-1200x800 — The left-side turret houses the on-off dial, featuring five red intensity levels, five green intensity settings and an off position between each. Illumination is powered by a capped CR2032 battery. (Photo by Michael Anschuetz)

The “Do-All” Optic

Introduced ahead of the 2024 SHOT Show, Trijicon developed the Credo and Credo HX 1-10x28mm riflescopes to be a multi-purpose low-power variable optic (LPVO). A younger version of me grew up believing rifles needed dedicated scopes. I stalked the mountains of southwest Virginia with a 3-9x40mm on a Remington Model 7400 before shooting an M16 and M4 carbine with either a Trijicon ACOG or RMR. During my service in Iraq as a U.S. Marine, I also carried a .50-caliber Barrett M82A3 with a fixed 10X scope. The Trijicon Credo 1-10X would have covered all these subjects.

The Credo 1-10X is a first focal plane (FFP) scope, which simply means that the reticle adjusts in size and detail as the magnification changes. Though typically associated with more expensive optics, the FFP reticle is ideal for speed and precision in an LPVO. Based on the U.S. Marine Corps Squad Common Optic (SCO) variant of the Trijicon VCOG, the reticle in the Credo is a segmented circle that surrounds a cross-dot duplex-style crosshair. At 1X, the reticle appears akin to a segmented donut within a larger crosshair. If you didn’t have time to dial the magnification, it is precise enough to shoot a relatively close-range target with both eyes open and then quickly transition to another mid- or extended-range target. This shooting technique is the Bindon Aiming Concept, pioneered by Trijicon founder Glyn Bindon. Even at 1X to 3X, the reticle could be used to strike a distant target with a high probability of success. The outer, heavy bars of the crosshair don’t contact the field of view edge until 3X, and are not consumed until 6.5X, so the bracketed reticle simulates the speed and precision of a reflex optic between 1X and 3X. From 3X to 10X, the view functions more like a duplex reticle — but with elevation and windage stadia for hold-offs.

gaad-trijicon-credo-hx-04-1200x800 — The ocular lens is shrouded by a reticle focus adjustment ring with a rubberized cap. The Credo has a .32- to .11-inch exit pupil with full field of view visible with 3.2 to 3.9 inches of comfortable eye relief. (Photo by Michael Anschuetz)

The reticle includes up to 30 milliradian (MRAD) of windage and elevation holds for those who don’t want to dial adjustments for a successful engagement. (“MRAD” is also abbreviated “mil.”) For shooters who prefer to dial adjustments for distance, the exposed elevation turret offers clearly visible index marks and numbering. Rotating the dial in either direction produces crisp and tactile clicks. The total elevation travel is 29 MRAD, and the turrets return to zero in a precise and consistent manner.

The reticle features a dual, user-selectable red or green LED illumination color with an “off” position between each setting for fast adjustment while managing battery life. In the 1X to 3X range, the reticle imitates a reflex sight with a segmented circle and center dot. Between 3X and 10X, the reticle appears as a more conventional precision reticle with illuminated center crosshair that is surrounded with a segmented circle near the edge.

To go from the fast-action 1X to 3X magnification to the more precision-oriented 3X to 10X range, the magnification ring was engineered with what I’ll describe as a “medium” amount of drag. To overcome the resistance, a removeable knurled knob is included for leverage of the power ring. What I like about this amount of friction is that you won’t unintentionally move beyond the power you want as can happen with a magnification ring having light resistance. Adjusting the magnification of the Credo feels precise.

gaad-trijicon-credo-hx-05-1200x800 — The objective lens measures 28 millimeters and is secured against vibration, shock and submersion within the 34mm maintube. The scratch-resistant lenses wear broadband, anti-reflective coatings. (Photo by Michael Anschuetz)

The focus ring at the rear of the ocular housing has what I would describe as “heavy” resistance. Looking at an all-white target or into the sky in a safe direction, you can adjust the ocular ring to sharpen the appearance of the reticle. It has a rubber bumper behind the knurling, presumably to protect your eye against “scope bite” if a hard-recoiling rifle gets the best of you.

Forward of the 3½-ish-inch long ocular housing assembly is the maintube, which steps down to 34mm. Within the muzzle end of the scope’s barrel is a 28mm lens that’s set back .654 inch in the objective. It’s threaded to accept the addition of a sunshade or other accessory such as an aftermarket screw-on scope cap. The most important aspect of both lenses, though, is that they are multi-coated with anti-reflective glass. Despite the fact it doesn’t have a flared objective bell larger than the maintube diameter, the Credo 1-10X has excellent light transmission qualities. The lenses and coatings provide accurate detail and faithful color with no distortion.

The Credo is made in Japan and tested to U.S. military standards for optics, complete with a durable matte hardcoat anodized finish. The Credo HX is satin black. Controls are easy to grip, and the adjustments are intuitive. Durability was ensured by subjecting the Credo to 5,000 rounds of heavy cartridge testing. There was no reticle shift, and I’ve never experienced any. Trijicon refers to the protocol as “Solid Zero Testing.” The scopes were also shock and vibration tested against recoil, field abuse and water immersion. To prevent internal fogging, all Trijicon scopes are dry nitrogen filled.

The Africa Test

Trijicon advertises that every model is “Africa-to-Alaska” tested to ensure performance from -20 degrees to 140 Fahrenheit (F). I’ve been involved in several of these tests during my career. I tested the Credo HX, for example, on safari in 2022 to the Limpopo River with Trijicon’s Josh Lyall and long-time friend Eddie Stevenson who’s agency also represents Trijicon.

I mounted a Credo HX 1-10X to a Gunwerks Nexus rifle in .300 PRC. It’s more expensive than my old Remington, but after discovering its lightweight versatility and accuracy, I sold several rifles to afford this one. At Guns & Ammo’s test range, I used the rifle-scope combination to print .28-inch groups from 100 yards — and then sub-1-inch groups at 200 yards. It’s the most accurate magnum-chambered hunting rifle I’ve tested.

The Limpopo is the second-largest African river after the Zambezi. Some 30 miles from where I felled my first sable, we explored the riverbanks along Botswana’s border. Crocodile bathed in the waters near the shore, and game were spooked as we slowly passed in the truck. We came to a halt as our tracker Moses pointed in awe to the largest spiral horns on kudu we’d ever seen. It ran down the bank and trotted across a shallow part of the river, causing Barnard to burst out laughing and say, “We call those gifts from Botswana!”

gaad-trijicon-credo-hx-07-1200x800 — A sable antelope fell to a single 212-grain ELD-X bullet fired from a Gunwerks Nexus in .300 PRC steadied on sticks at just less than 150 yards. Magnification of the Credo HX was set at 6X.

Spotting a number of solitary bushbuck, we dismounted and followed several tracks into a canopy of woods. Most of this evidence led to juvenile males and females, but movement from another tracker who alarmed a mature buck over a hill that crossed my path. With one swift motion, I rotated my torso and used the opposite riverbank as my backstop. As soon as the rifle touched my shoulder, I managed to stop the dark antelope with ivory tips on its horns with one shot at less than 15 yards. Surrounded by PHs, several trackers and friends, we looked at the scene in disbelief. My eyes moved again to the scope where I saw the magnification ring set to 1X. The action unfolded in a matter of just a few seconds. Had the Credo not functioned in that moment like a reflex sight, the opportunity to take a book-worthy Cape bushbuck would have escaped me. Thus, with this hunt, the Trijicon Credo HX earned a permanent place on my rifle.