REVIEW: Sightmark Citadel 1-10x24 HDR Shortdot

Shortdots are increasingly being used in the hunting sector, as the advantages of variable magnification are obvious. These optics can be used for precision shots at longer distances as well as for quick target acquisition at short distances. Today we want to take a look at the Sightmark Citadel 1-10x24 HDR riflescope, which offers a magnification of up to ten times. We've already examined this Shortdot, albeit with a different reticle.

The Citadel 1-10x24 HDR comes with dust caps, a cleaning cloth, and adjustment levers with an Allen key. You will need to provide the mounting rings yourself. Here are the technical details of the Citadel 1-10x24 HDR at a glance:

• Magnification: 1x to 10x
• Objective Lens Diameter: 24 mm
• Ocular Lens Diameter: 40 mm
• Tube Diameter: 30 mm
• Diopter Adjustment: +/- 2
• Windage and Elevation Adjustment: 100 MOA, 1/2 MOA per click
• Parallax at 100 yds/91.44 m
• Material: Aluminum
• Maximum Recoil: .50BMG
• IP67 - waterproof up to 1m for 1 hour
• Battery Type: CR2032
• Battery Life: 70-100 h
• Battery Voltage: 3 V
• Operating Temperature: -30° to 50° C

Here is our short video on the Citadel 1-10 x 24 HDR on Youtube, because moving images are always good.

The magnification adjustment is done smoothly with a rotating ring. If desired, you can mount the lever provided. We find it very practical, as it makes adjustments much easier in stressful situations than just grasping the ring.

The illumination control and the adjustment turrets are flat. They protrude only 11 and 15 mm, respectively. The illumination has a total of eleven settings, which can be adjusted cleanly.

The windage and elevation adjustments are also easy to handle. Each click adjusts the reticle by half a MOA. For those who are unsure what an MOA is, HERE is the link to our Basics article. The adjustment knob does not have a lock.

On the ocular lens, the shooter will find the diopter adjustment. Simply turn and set the desired compensation. Unfortunately, it is not possible to have more than two diopters, as the range extends between +2 and -2 diopters.

The Citadel 1-10x24 is 28.6 cm long and weighs around 500 grams without mounting rings. The tube diameter is 30 mm and the 30mm mounting fit perfectly. The ocular diameter is 44 mm.

However, before we take a look through the Citadel 1-10×24 HDR (HDR - Hunter Dot Reticle), here are the manufacturer's explanations of its HDR reticle. The aiming point in the center is 8 MOA at 1x magnification, and 0.8 MOA at 10x magnification. The reticle is designed as a Duplex reticle. This means that the lines are finer towards the center than at the edge. This allows you to quickly find the aiming point. A simple, but also very well thought out and functional reticle.

This is what it looks like in reality. Here with simple magnification and without reticle illumination. The target is approximately 80 meters away.

Looking at our target with fivefold magnification. Between four and eightfold magnification, we noticed slight distortions and blurriness at the edges. However, the central area was always clear and sharp.

Here is the maximum magnification of the Citadel 1-10×24 HDR. The tenfold magnification is quite useful for precise shots, even though the image gets slightly darker. The eye box decreases more with higher magnification. At 10x, you have to look quite precisely through the Citadel 1-10×24 HDR. By the way, this is the IQ Target Rifle Target from RE Factor Tactical.

As mentioned, the Citadel 1-10×24 HDR is equipped with an eleven-level illumination, so off to the basement. This is what the reticle looks like in moderate ambient light and without illumination.

Here, the illumination is turned up to level eleven. In sunlight, this is sufficient to clearly see the aiming point. In dark conditions, this is almost too much, as the point becomes significantly enlarged.

At level one, the point is only slightly illuminated but very visible. For the photo, we had to zoom in a bit, as the camera would not have perceived it otherwise.

At simple magnification, the sight picture is without any distortions at the edges. This allows the target to be quickly acquired, even if the shooter does not look exactly through the center.

The eye relief is pleasantly large with the Citadel 1-10×24 HDR Shortdot. It is approximately ten centimeters. Shooting was very good, as expected. All shots landed in the target after successful adjustment. That's how it should be.

CONCLUSION: The Citadel 1-10×24 HDR rifle scope from Sightmark offers a very good price-performance ratio. The operation of the magnification is simple and self-explanatory. The Citadel 1-10×24 HDR is an interesting alternative on hunting rifles, as the variable magnification has proven to be very practical. The most exciting thing about the Sightmark is, of course, the price: for more than a third of the price of reputable competitors, the shooter gets a usable alternative.

In Austria you can get the Sightmark Citadel 1-10×24 HDR for example at EARMS for 559 EUR or at Armamat for 611.90 EUR.

SIGHTMARK on the internet: sightmark.com