All posts in Scopes

Your aging eyes and target acquisitions

Eotech sightsI recently got off the phone with a customer that told me we shipped him the wrong scope and the reticle he has on his optic was green and not amber.   We took out several of the optics we had to see if Trijicon might have come out with a new scope reticle and we discovered that they had not.   We did a quick quality control to see if something freeky happened and came to the conclusion that the customer was wrong.  The thing that people don’t understand with red dots, Eotechs, night sights ect are that it’s really about contrast.   You don’t need night sights during the day because it’s already light, you need night sights in low light or total darkness, but depending on how long the light is, you might want brighter imagery.   There are always issues when moving from indoors to outdoor with a scope right and thats why varying power on a rifle or shotgun sight is a good idea.

I rarely adjust the settings on my Eotech 512 but I have plenty of friends that told me they had them on full brightness when they were outside in the desert.  I recently did a comparison between Eotech sights and the new Trijicon SRS sight and fell right back in love with my Eotech.  Considering all of the changes I have seen in the Surefire and Streamlight flashlights where the candle power is up about 85% which is a huge leap forward.   Solar panels and battery storage is way up and I expect to see something very new in these regards with Eotech sights.  I am a big fan of the EXPS sights and the red dot and 65 MOA dot get picked up by my eyes very well.  I don’t see this changing anytime soon for my primary CQC optics.

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If you want an ACOG, he’s what you should be thinking about

Trijicon TA01NSN for saleThere are plenty of options to think about when you are putting an optic on  your AR15, and i’m going to assume that this is why you are hear reading about this blog.   There are Eotech sights like the 512 which are combat reliable and not very expensive, and if you shop around, you might be able to pick one up for under $400.   The Aimpoint optics are also extremely durable and the Aimpoint Pro are under $400.   Magnification is the biggest thing you really want to think about from the start.  If you think you will be able to cough up the money for an RMR sight in the future, then a TA01NSN might be a nice starting point because you atleast get 2 sights in one.  Iron sights for close up fighting and a 4x fixed optic with bullet calibration.

I know a lot of guys that run the TA01NSN because they don’t like the fiber optic strands that run across the top, those are considered to be high profile and not low profile optics.    I would probable say that the Trijicon TA01NSN for sale is the most verstatile ACOG because you get the 2 sights in one, plus you have the illuminated reticle in low light.   Some people, or should i say many people, prefer the crosshairs of this reticle type over the Chevron or the donut styles.  All reticles have a primary job and some are more versatile than others.  The thin lines of the TA01NSN make it a very precise optic.   The ones we sell all come with a thumb screw mount and if you want to later on, do some research into which type of RMR sights you might want to run on your gun.  The red dot and reticles are very different so  do your research and read reviews on the product.

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A very successful year in Delaware County

philadelphia police supply storesThis year was a very successful year for us in the Delaware County area in launching our tactical store and we double the size of our business in the first 6 months.  People are still finding out about us via word of mouth whenever they need a new holster, police boots or even just Ambulance companies hiring and people  needing to get a pair of pants.  Much of the product line we stock in our store is for people to checkout instead of buying it online.  Duty gear like handcuff keys and various police belts are things that people in the Law Enforcement industry lose or wear out over time and are always in need of.    Police vests, tactical pants, uniform pants, belts, hydration unites, SWAT team bags are things that are always wearing out and need to be replaced.

We’ve learned there are so many types of handcuffs, swivel and hinged doesn’t always narrow it down, some are different weights and types of metal.  The items we have brought in this year are the Safariland lightweight handcuffs and in our region there are no Philadelphia Police Supplies shops around here and many of our Law Enforcement Officers are very happy to see a business like this open up.   Tactical vests, body armor are all things people need to be sized up on and this is something that has to be done right so that there are fewer returns.   We stock a large number of Blackhawk serpa holsters, safariland products, pepper spray, mace, tasers, batons, police badge holders and more and more duty gear.

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Optics reacting to indoor and outdoor lighting

Trijicon reflex sights We recently did some tests between various red dot optics and even the Eotech 516 as well as the Trijicon Reflex sights.  I don’t quite put the new Trijicon SRS sight in the same category as RX30A-51 because they just don’t seem like the same animal.   There is some wash out with the Trijicon fiber optic cables when you go from outdoors to indoors so this is something you will have to train for.   We did some tests with the Trijicon SRS sight to see if there were any noticeable changes when going from the solar powered lighting environment to total darkness and we were impressed with this part of it.  I do have to say there are plenty of critical comments out there about the SRS sight and the Diod image that shows up in certain lighting conditions.  I’ve had some people say that you need a flash kill for this sight and in all honesty, from what I see, yes you do.

There are Eotech sights that are MOA red dots but there is definitely a clarity difference between the SRS sight and even Aimpoint sights.   The new addition to the Trijicon Reflex sights are the Trijicon SRS01 and the SRS02.  These are the same optic but different mounting systems.   I don’t know why anyone wouldn’t want the bobro mount because they just make so much sense.  I am running an SRS sight on my LWRC M6A2 and it is a very fast sight not just because it’s zero magnification but the red dot is more like star light than a hazy.  The cost of the SRS sights are about $300-$400 more than the Aimpoint red dots but if you are competition shooters or you want to be the first in  your group to get it, you’ll be able to figure out the advantages of this optic.

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Are Eotech sights out dated?

eotech sightsWe have had a ton of people stop in our store and ask us if we sell Aimpoint but unfortunately the distributor that we use to deal with no longer is carrying them.  If we wanted to be a direct dealer for them, we’d probable not get product for another 6 months or more considering the craze that is going on in  the Country.   Aimpoints are probable the best price combat durable red dot optics but I am not a big fan of them.  My eyes tend to track the Eotech sights or a Circle dot reticle like the TA44 from Trijicon better than a red dot.   Lasers and Red dots seem to race around on targets and they also can obscure targets depending on the size of the dots.  Trijicon does  have a 1.75 MOA dot that is very nice but there are still some issues with that optic that I recently have found at fault.

After all of these optics are tested out, many of our customers still go back to the Eotech sights.  Primarily because they are zero magnification and you can keep both eyes  open when using Eotech sights which is very important if  there are close quarters engagements which statistically occurs for Law Enforcement.   I have been running the Eotech 512 for about 8yrs and only a battery contact came loose on it.  I do have the Gen 2 Magnifier on it but I could probable be better off if I was running the Eotech 516 or the EXPS2-0 which have the buttons on the left side which is what you have to think about if you are thinking about adding on the Magnifier later on.

 

 

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Mounting optics is as important as the durability of the optic

Trijicon ACOGS for saleThere have been a great many times that I have picked up a rifle scope and I felt like I had a shoe off.   It’s happened in gun stores and it’s happened at friends homes.  It seems so many people are just incapable and unaware of the proper way to mount a rifle scope.   Anyone that shoots beyond 200yds is going to learn this trade real fast because any variations in the windage or even the way the scope rings are tightened down will affect your ability to hit targets at varying distances.  People don’t realize that even up close you can have accuracy problems and a customer in our store failed a training class to qualify with  his carbine because his sights were not setup correctly.   Shooting at 7yrs with a carbine vs. 50yds meant a 2 foot variation in his point of impact.

The best thing about being in this business is you really see the technological improvements.   If you pick up a Trijicon SRS sight or many of the Trijicon ACOGS for sale you have the option of the colt style mount or a quick detach mount.   You won’t have any issues with these optics from a mounting perspective.  The reticles for the ACOGS all have technical ballistic details that you will really want to use proficiently on a firing line.   Something like the chevron reticle on the TA31F-G is a favorite because it gives you clear view of your target at close range as well as the ability to quickly engage targets at medium ranges without obscuring  your targets like red dots and triangle optics do.

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Changes in hunting optics and Trijicon Accupoint optics

Trijicon Accupoint ScopesI have done a lot of hunting and I can’t believe some of the guns I have in my collection have been there for over 25yrs.   I didn’t get into hunting as early as some of you probable did but small game and deer was where it all started.   The first time I went hunting I was using a Winchester Model 70 with a redfield scope that my uncle had on it.   I was warned that it does fog up and boy did it fog up on day 1.   Going from a warm cabin to a cold 5am mountain hike instantly caused the scope reticle to haze over.   I almost wished I had iron sights on that trip.  Since then I’ve actually switched to using a lever action rifle with iron sights because it was the most comfortable rifle I could have to hike with.   The my Marlin 35 Remington is my primary deer rifle.

If I want to get back into mounting a scope on my hunting rifles, I probable could do it with my Marlin 35 remington but I’d have to take it to my gunsmith.   Trijicon is famous for their military optics but the Trijicon Accupoint scopes are very popular in the hunting community.   The illuminated reticles really held out in not losing your sights on the target in low light, and in all honesty, that probable how all of my deer were taking.   There are varying colors of reticles from, Red, Green, Amber and yellow.   Green reticles have really become popular and there is a noticeable difference in certain hunting environments to have

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Red Dots on Handguns, Really?

Trijicon RMR sightsThe first time I saw an RMR sight on a handgun I laughed about it because I thought it was pathetic that someone would put an optic so big on a handgun,  then a reality check hit me, and I realized, what’s wrong with cheating when  your using a firearm to protect yourself or someone else?   We use fancy advanced weapons when we play video games but for some people they think putting certain technological devices on a firearms is over complicating things.  Well, given that the life of a red dot RMR sight is a very long time, there isn’t the battery issues that you might have if you were running an Eotech type of sight.   I do like Eotech sights, but the RMR is more compact and I have seen several people run them on shotguns.

You really have to watch your weight  on shotguns because they naturally tend to be heavy and rarely do people use slings on something like a Remington 870.   There are several different mounting systems that you can use with the Trijicon RMR sights and the new RMR sights are now coming with the green reticles.  There are many things in the tactical industry where you really just have to find out what your preferences are and use them  in the most proficient ways possible.   There are several different MOA dots, 3.25 and 6.5 are probable the most common but there are 7 MOA red dots and 12.9 MOA dots.  You do have to be careful that you don’t get too big on dot sizes for AR15 rifles because it can hinder your ability to see targets very quickly.

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Trijicon SRS sights for sale!

Trijicon SRS sights for saleLet’s start off talking about close quarter combat optics and why they are meant for close quarters.   First of all, you are going to want a zero magnification optic with the widest field of view or probable not more than 2x even though the majority are rarely more than 1.5x.   Everyone has different eyes and not everyone picks up colors the same so these opinions are mine and not something to be taken as a rule, but understanding the reasons why low or zero powered optics are good for close up fighting is important because fancy accurate optics don’t mean anything at 50yds and under in determining who gets a hit and who doesn’t.   You can probable blind fold someone and let them hip shoot at those ranges and they might be able get more hits on paper in a faster time period than someone actually aiming.

Quick detach mounts is probable the way to go for any optic especially one being used for self defense.   A broken optic is something you don’t want in the heat of a fight and the Trijicon SRS sights for sale like the SRS02 is the best configuration.   Some  people want laser sights on their guns and others just want a red dot.  4 MOA red dots seem to be very common but a dot that sizes is 12inches at 300yds and that is not going to be a practical optic for any medium range engagements.  The Trijicon SRS quick detach SRS02 as well as the SRS01 have a 1.75 inch red dot which makes medium range and more precision shooting.  With 1 AA battery this solar powered AR15 combat optic might give you up to 5yrs depending on how much you use it in available light.   This very precise red dot has a shorter housing than any of the Aimpoint optics

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Crosshairs and reticles, precision or speed?

Trijicon TA01NSN for saleSometimes you can have almost all of that in one package but you’ll probable end  up dropping about $2000  or more on an optic.  If I could afford it I would  have an ACOG with the RMR mounted on top but that is too expensive of a package for me when I’m running it on a $600 gun.   For combat and if you are in the military, that is a great weapon, but there are still pros and cons  of using a mounting system like this.  One of the most common things I’ve seen with ACOGS in Iraq is that many of them actually got shot.  Considering that this optic is something that mounts so high on a carry handle or the RMR configuration on a flat top, you will have to think about getting a cheek riser of  you want to be proficient with this system.

The RMR is a really nice red dot that isn’t b ig and bulky like an Aimpoint or Trijicon SRS sight.  IF you get a sighting system like that, it’s a full blown optic, but Trijicon TA01NSN for sale are probable the next step down but with basically the same benefits.   I always have iron sights on my guns because I  have know all too well that optics can break, shatter or get shot and if you want to get it off you better have a backup sighting system.   I’ve shot guns that didn’t have rear sights and it is very difficult to hit anything.   If you want speed a red dot optic is good but if you want precision, a Chevron or crosshair reticle, especially a thin crosshair one like the TA01.

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