If you’re one of those people who are on the fence about enclosed emitter optics, like the Swampfox Kraken, good luck. When they first came out, I blew them off as oversized “bricks” that looked dumb on handguns.
But then, on a nice sunny afternoon, Mother Nature decided to provide a sudden downpour. Being the hard-core trainers that we were, we decided to keep training. It was qualification day.
When it came my turn to run the course again, I stomped through the mud and took my starting point. When the whistle blew, I drew my gun and… there were red dots everywhere! The water was interfering with my dot and distorting it.
In real life, we can’t scream for a pause, so I did the best I could. Most of the rookies were grinning and enjoying my disastrous attempt to hit targets.
After that, I started paying more attention to enclosed emitter optics. I haven’t switched all my guns over to them, and still use open emitter optics and even iron sights on some of my guns. But for most of my duty guns, I prefer a closed emitter.
Today, we are looking at the Kraken, a closed emitter green dot that is both durable and affordable.
The Swampfox Kraken – Enclosed emitter green dot
I started using a lot of Swampfox optics a few years ago, and so far, they have all held up very well. My first handgun optic from them was the Sentinel II, a 20 mm red dot. My next one was the Liberty II, an even larger, 24mm open-emitter optic.
After I started becoming more interested in enclosed emitter optics, I wanted to try out the Kraken.
The Kraken is about the same size as most of the other popular models, like the Aimpoint ACRO and Steiner MPS.
It’s approximately 1.85 inches in length, 1.38 inches in width, and 1.27 inches in height. Weight without the battery is 2.5 ounces, which is about 0.4 ounces heavier than the Aimpoint ACRO, for reference.
The housing is constructed from 7075 aluminum alloy, and the water rating is IPX7. This means it can be fully immersed in water and continue to operate.
A CR2032 battery powers the Kraken for about 25,000 hours. The battery is located in a side-loading compartment with a screw-down cap.
The Kraken has 10 brightness settings, with two specifically optimized for night vision.
Mounting the Kraken to a handgun, sub-gun, or rifle
Swampfox uses a mounting system similar to the Aimpoint ACRO. This means an adaptor plate is needed to mount on a handgun, but don’t worry, you get two in the box. Swampfox provides one for the popular RMR and one MOS plate for Glock handguns.
Multiple bags of screws are provided to make sure you have what you need to mount the Kraken to your handgun. I decided to mount it on my Glock 47, which is replacing the Glock 17 MOS.
Mounting the Kraken only took a couple of minutes. Because I was using a Glock handgun, I selected the MOS plate that came with the Kraken. Once the plate is attached to the gun, just set the Kraken on top and tighten the two screws on the side. It doesn’t hurt to use a little Blue 242 Loctite to help keep the screws from coming loose.
Swampfox also sells a Picatinny rail adaptor for those wanting to mount it to the rail of a long gun.
Other features
The green reticle on the Kraken is 3 MOA, which is a great size for most applications. An anti-fog hydrophobic, anti-scratch lens protects the internal dot and visibility for the shooter.
Like most high-end optics, the Kraken has a “Shake N’ Wake” feature that turns the optic off when it senses no movement. Pick it up, and it turns back on. This keeps your battery alive longer and keeps the optic in “ready” mode. If you want to shut the optic all the way down, press and hold the down arrow for about 4 seconds.
Kraken Specifications:
- Dimensions: 1.85″ (L) x 1.17″ (W) x 1.12″ (H)
- Weight: 2.5 oz
- Mounting Footprint: Aimpoint ACRO style
- Reticle: 3 MOA Green Dot
- Battery Type: CR2032
- Battery Life: 25,000 hours
- Brightness Settings: 10 total (2 night-vision compatible)
- Material: 7075 Aluminum Alloy
- Waterproof Rating: IPX7
At the Range with the Kraken and Glock 47
As I mentioned above, Glock recently phased out the Glock 17 MOS, replacing it with the Glock 47 MOS. You can read more about that in our article about the Glock 47 MOS. But I didn’t have an optic mounted to this gun yet, so I thought the Swampfox Kraken would be a perfect optic for this gun.
AmmoToGo.com provided some Maxx Tech 124 grain FMJ ammo for this review, so a big thanks to them.
Most of the time, I sight my handguns in at 25 yards unless it’s a smaller conceal carry gun, then I do 12-15 yards. For the Glock 47 with the Kraken, I decided to do 25.
Most of the time, I still start out at 10 yards or so to see where it’s hitting on paper. Some optics are way off when I first install them, and others are already close.
My first few shots at 10 yards with the Kraken were close enough that I moved the target out to 25 yards before adjusting anything.
The MOA settings on the Kraken are 1 MOA per click. My first few rounds were hitting low, left of center. I adjusted the elevation a couple of times before also adjusting the windage and bringing the group to the right. You can see in the photo that my last few rounds were just about center of the target.
I ran a few drills after that, and the target acquisition was great with the Kraken.
What’s the verdict?
Even though closed emitter optics are larger and appear somewhat bulky on handguns, they do serve a purpose. As I mentioned above, they are more reliable in many ways than an open emitter optic. Whether or not you like them or can get used to one will vary with each person.
For those who decide to use one, the Swampfox Kraken is a great choice. At $349, it’s not the cheapest optic out there, but it is about half the price of some of the other brands.
I mentioned it was about the same size as a “standard” enclosed emitter optic. This means it will fit most holsters designed for larger optics like this. One holster I use a great deal for training and work is the Safariland 6354 RDSO. This is a level 1 retention holster, but it will work with any Safarialnd holster that fits the Aimpoint ACRO.
Swampfox offers the Kraken in both red and green dot models, along with other accessories like offset mounts and risers. If you’re thinking of adding or upgrading your optic, check out the Swampfox Kraken.
