All posts in Scopes

Scope reticles can make you go crazy

I recently had a friend that is more of a hunter show up at our shop and picked up his first AR15 rifle.   I think it’s fairly common for people to use AR15 style rifles for hunting because there is nothing wrong with using a 10rd magazine and varmint or white tail hunting with one.   There are plenty of places in the Northeast where  you can take deer with a 75gr HPBT and get the job done, shot placement is what it’s all about.  Having a reticle that can give you a little bit of contrast in low light can increase your chances of getting a better shot.   If you don’t have a shot to make, no reticle is going to  help you.

Trijicon optics have very different purposes and even when you are dealing with just red dot optics, there are differences in quality and even just the size.  Too small might be hard to see but our selection of Trijicon Rifle Scopes from the RMR optic that can be mounted on a  handgun or rifle or even the top of an ACOG, to the Trijicon Accupoint rifle scopes.   Bow hunting is even seeing a large number of optics placed on them and this will have a positive impact in areas where there aren’t many places to hunt except for archery or bowhunting.  For a low tech thing like a crossbow, advanced optics gives you much better edge.

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Accessories to rifle scopes for hunting or military applications

Anyone that has been at a firing range and done long range shooting is probable aware of the issue of scope glare.   For those that want to understand the sniper/counter sniper training, one of the first things you are going to learn is how to conceal your weapon in and environment.  The achilles heal of a sniper can sometimes be the optics that he needs to bring with him.  Scope glare is what ends a snipers life and in most situations, there is always the potential that a rifle scope will give off some level of glare.   Trijicon was aware of this when they were deploying the ACOGS in the MiddleEast and the flash kill is a must for those doing street work.  For police work or certain environments the high visibility of the Trijicon Fiber Optics cable can also have it’s unwanted attention, and some actually cover there so they are only partially exposed.

I have scope covers on all of my optics because I’ve put guns away in gun safes and had things fall on them where if they did not have covers,  I might be out several hundred if not thousands of dollars.   Trijicon Rifle Scopes are for military or hunting applications.   The Trijicon Accupoint gives you a unique reticle that is highly visible, but most of this is about preference. Trijicon reticles can vary dramatically depending on what the optics intended mission is.   There are traditional long range shooting optics with Mil-dots and are also heavily used for designated marksmen as well as sniper roles

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Body types and preferences in fit and eyesight

There are a wide range of body types that we deal with when sell tactical clothing and sometimes certain cuts just don’t work out.   Recently we had a huge sale on Woolrich Elite half-zip sweatshirts and we had people tell us they fit them except for the length was too long.   Other people have said they were too tight around the waste.   The truth of the matter is that this is something you really can’t get around.   There are no perfect fitting pants or shirts for everyone.   The tactical market has gotten so big that everyone is going to have to just try things on and find out what works for them.

When it comes to rifles and carbines, gun accessories are going to be customized to your hand size and your arm length.   Magpul gun accessories give you cheek weld options and ever optic including Trijicon Rifle Scopes for sale in our store may need to be adjusted to the shooter.  Everyones face and cheek weld is going to be different and you won’t be a proficient operator unless you know how to adapt your gun to what you find comfortable.   Sometimes you just have to get use to it, but there are always stock extensions or shorting option available.

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To each his own combat optics

I have my preferences and I tend to be very traditional when it comes to rifle scopes.   I want thin black lines and I don’t like it when a reticle obscures the target.   Nothing would bother me more than to have a combat optic that covered a target 300yds out that was firing back  at me.  There are a lot of short sighted operators in the weekend warrior crowd that just don’t cut it when they show up at competition shoots.   I see so many people that just lack the proper setup or basic knowledge to engage targets at 300yds +.   Hold overs are real easy when you know what your ammo is doing and you can see your target.

I realize that having an illuminated high visibility reticle means fast target engagements in close quarters fighting, but so does knowing your opic.   The Trijicon TA01NSN is my favorite, not just because of the backup iron sights, but because the reticle is a very traditional skinny line targeting system, I like it.   Those lines are are setup for 62gr SCBT and are very good for giving you 400-600yd shots.   Not all combat shooting is about precision, precision shooting can me slow shooting and that can mean taking on return fire because you aren’t pinning  your target down.

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Mounting optics on a battle rifle.

I remember hearing the phrase “don’t put glass on a battle rifle” because it was pretty common in the 1990’s to not have 308 optics that held up to what the FAL and G3 rifles were doing to them.   Many of the battle rifles that were designed in the 1950s and later did not have optics meant for them.  Optics never caught up to combat durability until probable the ACOG  came out.    Even after that the ability to properly mount something like that on an FAL or a G3 style rifle was very difficult.

DSArms still makes the best FAL in my opinion and I own several of them but I have had some issues with the mounts they sell.  After about 3000rds i had a mount come loose and it’s caused me to second guess the design.  The one thing I really like about Trijicon Rifle Scopes especially the Trijicon ACOG is that they can be much easier to mount.   The Trijicon ACOG has a mount that can be screwed on and there is no worry about the reticle turning on you.  Everything will be level right from the get go.  Loctite still has to go on everything that screwd in, but it’s nice to not have to worry about that one thing.

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Visibility and profile of firearms

With all of those new hi-visibility gun sights out there the look of the traditional firearm is changing.  It’s not that uncommon to see a firearm like an AK with bright green, yellow or red sights.   Changing the sight color of your gun may dramatically speed up your target acquisition.   I really don’t mind people doing something like this because it’s better than putting optics on your firearm.  Some of the small red dot optics like the RM1 from Trijicon are nice, but they still make holstering the firearm or carrying a firearm like this a little too bulky.  If there was a way to get the sights to fold down, that would be a better setup.

Folding pistol sights would be something that I would love to see some day, if they can do it for a carbine they should be able to do it with a handgun.  Trijicon Rifle Scopes have varying profiles and some of the ones that are used by the military are meant to limit the need for batteries, but there are always trade offs.   I like Trijicon optics, but I do  not like the idea of having a hi-viz target indicator on my carbine and announce where I am.   The TA01NSN is still my favorite ACOG, but been low-profile means less of a chance of getting targeted.   The Trijicon Kill Flash is a much for all owners of Trijicon ACOGS.

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Illuminated reticles and night sights

There is much to debate when it comes to low light fighting because as all debates, one change in the situation can alter the entire argument.   Recently I did some not so technical comparisons between some of the Trijicon ACOGS we had in the store and tested them out late at night.  I went from being in a well lit room to walking out into the night and see how the reticles looked.   One thing I did not like about the Trijicon ACOGS at first was going from bright sunny, well light reticle illumination to a dark room with a TA26SG-10.   I was not happy about the 90% change in illumination and for an instant I could not see the reticle when entering a room.

That is one argument I still use when boasting about my Eotech selection of combat sights.  The changes in illumination from the Trijicon Rifle Scopes that are meant for combat is something that you need to train for.   I also tested out the Trijicon TA01NSN to see how that worked in low light.   Once again I went from a well lit room with those nice dark black reticles to nighttime and the center most reticles began to glow.   What I did not like about this optic and reticle configuration was that even in low light, there is still light and the glowing reticle was not easy to see against street lights.   Another issue for reticles that have varying contrasts in different lighting.   If there was a way to regulate the changes in lighting that might make the Trijicon ACOG an even better optic.   Consistent lighting from an optic can mean something.  I am starting to like the Trijicon TA31F-G.

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Red Dots on ACOGS

I am really liking the RMR sights not because they look nice mounted on the top of a TA01 optic or a TA31, but because you can put them on just about anything.   The notion of putting a red dot on handguns is a much better idea than laser sights in my opinion because I do not think people will take as long to track a target with this sighting system.   Handguns are hard enough to shoot in tight groups a better sighting system than irons gives you something easy to see with old eyes and low light environments.   It will take less training to teach a novice to use a firearm with a sighting system like this.

If you really want to dress your M4 Carbine down and have a light and fast optic, the RMR system by itself might be good enough for you.  The RM01-33 can be mounted on a Picatinny rail system and the RM01-34 can be mounted on a Weaver system.  There are plenty  Trijicon rifle scopes  out there but don’t over look the simplicity of  a small and compact optic system that doesn’t add too much weight to your weapon.  The trend is towards lighter and faster firearms and optics are moving in that direction too.

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Know the color of your target and background

Recently I got into bow hunting and some of the bows they have out now are setup just like rifles are.   The optics are as fancy as the stuff that Trijicon has out and I got a good crash course on green vs red reticles.   Illumination is something that can bother me.   I still have pretty good eyesight for my age and I really don’t like it when I have reticles that obscure my target or cause fuzz and  haze.   Many of the red dot optics just piss me off if I have to use them past 100yds.  I do like my Eotech optics but am still looking for those skinny reticles.
The Trijicon TA01NSN is my favorite Trijicon ACOG and it is because it has nice skinny black lines and backup iron sights.   The TA01 is the even simpliar version of the ACOG.   These Trijicon Rifle Scopes have illumination when it is dark out but the bad thing about them is those nice thin black lines get lost on black clothing targets.   How many bad guys wear black over in Iraq and Afghanistan?  The vast majority of them.  Not only can a red dot obscure your target your black lines will fade on a target too.   A little bit of color contrast is a good thing for hunting and defense.

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Eotech feedback

There are always pros and cons of using optics but Eotech gun sights are the number one selling optic for Law Enforcement.   The Eotech sights are designed for close range engagements but there are limitations due to the reticle and lack of magnification once engaging a target.  The Eotech Magnifiers can give you more range at the flip of a switch and can always be flipped back to their original position in no time.There has been a understanding in the Law Enforcement and Military world that putting a scope or glass on a firearm doesn’t mean it’s a fragile thing.

Sure we know that Eotech gun sights and accessories can break and come loose, but much about mounting optics and reliability is about the manufacturer and the operator that mounted it. From what our customers tell us,  Eotech sights are the fastest close quarters fighting optics and the Eotech magnifiers gives you medium range capabilities. When you are looking for speed and not for target shooting or hunting, and you want a fast close quarters gun fighting weapon without compromising your ability to engage targets at medium ranges, the Eotech magnifier is the way to go. The Eotech gun sights are the fast target acquisition optics and the 3x magnifier will give you a clearer view of targets in low light and medium ranges that normally would be obscured by red dots or illuminated reticles. For medium range engagements the Eotech Magnifier helps id targets at longer ranges.

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