By Terry Houin
Trying to pick an opening through the brush, reminded me of why I love Low Power Variable Optics (LPVOs) like the Trijicon Credo 1-10×28. The bull was close, approximately 45 yards, but the thick brush just 30 yards ahead made it challenging to see. Dialing the Credo to 1x enabled me to dissect limbs and leaves and locate the bull’s exact position. Sliding the quick-throw lever to 10x allowed me to find a hole to slip the heavy-hitting 8.6 BLK bullet into his vitals.
Yes, I could have attempted to sneak left up the hill while the bull was quartering away and relaxed in the creek bottom, but he had been bumped once already. This was likely the best and final opportunity to take the buffalo, as it was the last day in camp. Not to mention, my public school math abilities and common knowledge of ballistics provided the confidence to successfully take the shot.
Picture me as Rainman on the side of a hill above a big and slightly temperamental buffalo bull with numbers and equations floating around my head—all the while being cussed at by the cameraman who wasn’t good enough to get quality footage due to my chosen setup. After a few minutes using the Credo’s MIL-Dot reticle to measure the openings, I found a sweet little hole just big enough to accommodate the shot. With a 100-yard zero, I knew my bullet would pass through the bush about 1.5 inches below the crosshairs and right into the pocket.
The crew at Trijicon really packed a lot into Credo’s small package. Measuring about 10 inches long and tipping the scales at 21 ounces, it’s a great size for gas guns or a small bolt gun setup for up-close hunting action like you’d see in the Midwest or Eastern deer hunting locations. The 34mm tube houses some excellent glass with all the coatings to allow light gathering right up to the end of legal shooting time, and the illuminated reticle features the ability to not only select the brightness level but also red or green illumination for Dark Ops.
Given Trijicon’s history of developing products for the warfighter, it’s no surprise that the Credo feels like it’s bombproof and comes with a lifetime warranty. A quick visit to the website will show you the impressive range of testing standards to which their products are held.
I originally set up the Credo on my Boombox for hunting deer and elk in West Texas. Buffalo wasn’t on the menu—until it was. The configuration worked like a champ as I planned on keeping all shots within 200 yards and the 1-10x power range was more than adequate for these hunts. Moving forward I’m planning on moving it from the 8.6 Blackout to either a 6 Creedmoor project gun or a 6.5 Creedmoor deer rifle for shots out to 500 yards.
Although I’m retired from the battlefield, I still teach a bit, and the Credo line fits quite well into a law enforcement or military role where CQB-type operations would benefit from the 1-10x magnification range—allowing shooting with both eyes open for maximum situational awareness but also with capabilities for longer precision shots when needed. This type of functionality also comes in handy during many hunting situations.
Pros: Bombproof, excellent glass, green or red illumination, wide field of view, limited lifetime warranty
Cons: Soft zero stop
