All posts in Scopes

Batteries, Tritium, Fiber optics and now solar panels? Yep!

Trijicon Reflex Sights It’s been a while since we’ve seen major technological improvements or changes in the shooting community.   I remember the first time I saw an ACOG on the range with the fiber optic cable and thought it looked like some neon toy and then I realized what the technology was all about and why having a red colored reticle could help your eye acquire a target quicker and having a reticle designed with a bullet compensator was also extremely useful.   Although you can be very precise with an ACOG they are meant for speed more than sniper work but I have seen plenty of them used in designated marksmen work.   If you were hunting with a rifle for the most part, deer are taken from under 100yds but the ACOG gives you the ability to hit targets 600-800 meters depending on the work you are doing or the configuration of the reticle.

Recently there was a new red dot put on the market from Trijicon.   There isn’t much of a difference between one brand of red dots and the other if they are battery powered other than the durability of the optic, but the new Trijicon reflex sights like the SRS01 and the SRS02 are revolutionary in design now that they have integrated solar powered optics that pull from a battery if there is no available light.   We’ve done some of our own tests with these optics and can tell that this technology is going to carry over to other products and it’s just the beginning.  The SRS sight has a 1.75 MOA dot which I know of no other red dot that is smaller than 2 MOA.   At low power this optic can be very precise.

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Choose your reticle wisely so you don’t regret it later!

Trijicon ACOGS for saleWe’re dealing with a lot of first time AR15 owners, both Law Enforcement and Civilian, since we’re in the business we hear a lot of the same questions coming from them.   Some ask us questions like “is the ACOG better than the Eotech” like there is some type of durability difference in the designs.  Well, all of them are not bullet proof even though they are meant to send bullets down range but the Eotech holographic sights and the Trijicon ACOG have very different purposes.  Trijicon has optics that I would better compare to the Eotech like the Trijicon Reflex sights or even the Trijicon TA44 optics.   They are different but they aren’t dramatically different in application.   A 1.5×16 Circle dot reticle is a better comparison to an Eotech 512 with a 2 MOA dot and a 65 MOA circle than the TA31F-G chevron.

One of the mistakes people make with rifle scopes and optics is they get optics with too much magnification.  If you look at the price of what the Trijicon ACOGS for sale are listed as, that’s a very expensive mistake.   You do get what you pay for an there are plenty of $200 and under military looking scopes you can put on your AR15, but they won’t last 5000rds before you break something or find out it won’t hold zero.   I’ve seen plenty of rifle scopes get retired but never had a Trijicon break on a rifle unless it was shot.    Also be careful about what type or red dot size you get because the bigger the dot the harder it will be to see a target with that optic and longer ranges due to it covering the target.

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Eotech magnifier reviews

Eotech magnifiersEotech now has a Gen 3 magnifier and I can’t personally say that it’s better than the Gen 2, but I’ve never had them in combat or broke one, or saw one break for that matter.  I really love my Gen 2 and get a lot of use out of it.  The biggest downside to the Eotech magnifiers are that once you buy the two item you basically dropped as much cash as the Trijicon ACOGS least expensive models.   I’ve shown people the Trijicon TA44’s we have in stock and they act shocked when I tell them they are over $900.  The customer then tells me that they can’t afford one so they go with an Eotech.  The TA44 is kind of in between the red dot and an Eotech due to it’s circle dot reticle.

Much of the search for an optic is about preference and the job you want to get done.  Red dots are nice but my eye picks up the Eotech sights much better and the Eotech Magnifiers give me that medium range shooting ability that allows my skills to come out.   I find that Eotech sights perform their best out to 200yds and after that, they are somewhat limiting due to the lack of clarity of the circle and dot.  The way to combat this issue is to use a lower setting on the sights.  I run a 516 with the magnifier which is the best platform for me needs.  It is slightly shorter on the rail and gives me more room for a pressure switch which I will be placing on it.

 

 

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Leupold rifle scope observations

Leupold Rifle ScopesAlong with defensive ammunition improvements, one of the largest improvements we have seen in the industry is with combat optics. 20yrs ago there were only a handful of optics that could hold up to the abuse that real hunting and shooting gave them. With the advent of military rifles being issue with scope rails, more and more of our soldiers are getting the most out of the M16 and with the re introduction of the designated marksmen, Leupold rifle scopes are even today being used for combat duty. We are seeing M16A4 being used with Leupold 3-9×40 optics just because the troops are familiar with their hunting skills in America and know that Leupold scopes are dependable. For long range and medium range shooting, there are a great many options on the table.

Our favorite things to come from Leupold are with their close quarters. medium range and extended range rifle scopes. These aren’t your fathers hunting scopes, the compact scopes aren’t the high profile optics that will force you to adjust your cheek weld and the close quarters CQT won’t have a disappearing reticle if the batteries go out. Now with modern Leupold Rifle Scopes with the now growing number of .308 AR showing up, Leupold medium range optics with Mil-dot and medium magnifications won’t slow down your designated marksmen. The Leupold AR riflescopes are specifically designed for the AR15 owner that may be doing varmint work in his backyard. While the .223 seems to be over looked by many in the varmint community for the 22-250, with the correct platform, the AR15 can be a DMR or Varmint option.

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Eotech sights, 512 vs 516 and what about magnifiers?

eotech sights I remember being to ranges when I was a kid and seeing the guys with the AR15s and the 3-9×40 scopes and thinking that was the pinnacle of coolness.   If you are target shooting, hunting or on a really tight budget, something like that might be good for you but for close quarters defensive applications, the need for magnification is very low.   Most Police Officers we deal with don’t even see the magnifiers on their guns because many of those guys are even on even tighter budgets.  They use what they know they need and Trijicon ACOGS are something rarely  used in the Law Enforcement community because they don’t need a rifle scope with 3.5X or 4X.  That actually can slow you down with your AR15  or M16 carbine.  The Eotech 512 with the AA Batteries is still the most popular but the XPS and EXPS optics have gained traction because they are lighter and smaller.

On some of my Daniel Defense M4 carbines I am running an Eotech 512 because I find the AA batteries to be more common, but if you bulk buy and stock the CR123 batteries they will work well for you.   Many of the guys running the Eotech sights with the CR123 batteries use those because the weapon mounted flashlights like the TLR1, TLR 3 laser combo use the same batteries so mixing up the battery types is somewhat of an issue.   Battery life can be betwee 600 hrs and 1300 hrs but for domestic purposes having access to batteries shouldn’t be an issue.  Keeping AA batteries or CR123 batteries around is something that should just be as important as having 5.56 ammunition.   If you want magnification you can run a Gen 3 magnifier later.

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Reviews on the Trijicon reflex and Mini ACOGS

Trijicon Reflex Sights I have always run Eotech sights on my LWRC AR15 carbines but the optics that have turned me on recently are the TA44 Mini ACOGS.  These 1.5×24 ACOGS have low magnification but the circle/dot reticle kind of reminds of the Eotech gun sight.  I have never been a huge fan of the Red dot because they seem to be too blurry for my eyes and I don’t like all of that haze.  For clearing houses I understand why people like them but the Trijicon Reflex sights like the RX30 are much clearer with their dot recticles than any red dot I’ve used.   There is now a very small 1.75 red dot called the Trijicon SRS sight which is a sealed reflex sight.  There is almost zero “tube effect” when looking through these and they take up very little space on your rail.  I still run a quad rail and have not jumped on the Magpul MOE yet but this is important to me.

There is so much to accessorize about the AR15 now but that is a good thing since all of us have different arm lengths and different tolerances of weight.  Several of the new Trijicon Reflex sights like the Trijicon SRS01 and SRS02 are ground breaking optics with their solar/battery powered red dots.   I would like to see something more along the lines of a solar/battery powered Eotech sight but maybe Trijicon will come out with a circle/dot solar powered optic like the TA44.   I would love to see something like that in maybe a 30mm optic.

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Walking in and being able to walk out with what you want!

law enforcement supplies in Pennsylvania There’s been a lot of discussion on the news about internet taxes, sales taxes and other things that are very much in the minds of companies that sell online.  Ebay and amazon have differing opinions about what should be done, and States like Delaware aren’t going to be happy about it.   Now that we have an actually store in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, many local Law Enforcement and security companies have been very happy that we actually stock inventory and that we aren’t just a drop shipping company.   Many of the gun shops in the area sell ammunition, firearms and magazines but their prices are usually higher than what the  internet companies are selling them for.   An internet sales tax will have a big impact on what things are sold for online.   Things like tactical boots, ballistic eyewear, waterproof pants, rain gear, and SWAT Team gear is something you want hold in your hands and fit it to your body.

Along with many tactical products like Magpul, VLTOR, AR15 upper receivers and magpul pmags, we stock gun parts and magazines for Glock, magazine springs and followers from Wolff gun springs.   We have an expanding showroom of law enforcement supplies in pennsylvania where our 1500 sqft showroom is expanding every year.  This year we will be bringing in products from Tactical Tailor, 5.11 tactical and more Tru-Spec and Blackahawk tactical clothing.   We expand our products based on customer feedback and our ever growing tactical apparel and gear are the best there is.

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Trijicon Products and Pricing and Promos

Trijicon TA01NSN in stockThere are a lot of people out there that have carried the Trijicon product line and were frustrated with the strict MAP pricing and we understand that, but in the days of internet marketing we’ve seen some companies whore off products  just to get customers to buy from them and take business away from ethical companies.   There are some big name business that rank high on the search engines like Yahoo and Google and even Bing, but have really bad reputations and undesirable reputations on Ebay, but some how amazingly, people still put their credit card info in.   Customer service is a big part of getting “repeat” business and we are very happy to see customers that have been ordering things from us for almost 8yrs now.

There are lots of choices with the Trijicon optics, the differences between the ACOGs and the TA44, TA26 optics is huge.    Some of the Trijicon ACOGS like the Trijicon TA01NSN in stock are the older models but they have a more traditional reticle and many people have a problem deviating from that.  I have been won over to the Trijicon  TA31F-G that we consistently stock because after an afternoon range trip, that green chevron was clear as a laser and gave me a clear firing solution for 50yds, 100yds and 200yd ranges without covering my targets.   I have had issues with steel plate shooting at varying distances due to red dots and eotechs covering the targets.  Doesn’t happen with the chevron.

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Optics, batteries, tritium and fiber optics!

There are huge differences in the types and applications of various combat optics.   When many people think about red dot optics there are big differences in the way that they are setup.  Some come with mounts, quick detach ones or thumb screw.  The differences between Aimpoints, Bushnells and C-more red dots are considerable and it’s not just the quality of the optics.   I am very picky about clarity of reticles and it’s kind of funny that the more I use Trijicon optics, the less I like red dots and Eotechs.   The thing that always hits me are the costs of Eotech sights, but the TA26 or TA44 scopes are so clean and crisp compared to the Eotech or C-more optics.

When do you really want an ACOG?  Trijicon ACOGS are really a medium range optics, optics like the Trijicon TA31F-G for saleTrijicon TA31F-G for sale are just simple that.  Sure you can nail targets out past 600 yards with them, but if you want close range engagement you will probable want a different setup.  The RMR sights that are mounted at the top of an ACOG will cost more, but it really all depends on what you want to do with the sight.   Optics that take batteries are going to be around for a long time, as a matter of fact The TA02 is a new battery powered optic, but the new thing is going to be rechargeable and solar powered optics.

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Can’t make your mind up about red dots, Eotech’s or ACOGS? What do you want?

Trijicon TA01NSNI didn’t consider myself and expert on close quarters optics until I heard from enough customers that seemed to know far less than what we I did.  People seem to think about price ranges more than how versatile and optic is.  I have always felt that the best analogy about firearms and accessories is that they are more like golf clubs than tools.  You don’t use an iron to drive a ball down range and yo don’t use a wedge to putt a ball 3 yards.   Trying to do it all with one optic is really asking for too much, and even the military has realized that make a man a designated marksmen in necessary because even though there are guys that can hit targets at 100yds with iron sights, you gotta be realistic on what is practical.

I personally love my co witnessed Eotech sight with my Gen 2 magnifier, but if I had to go with something else, and for probable the same amount of money there is another option.   Probable the most versatile Trijicon ACOG is the Trijicon TA01NSN because the iron sights are not really a backup sight for you scope, they are more of a close quarters engagement.   People that are less trained seem to think that a whole lot of magnification is going to make hitting bad guys easier and unless this is in long range engagements, it is simply not true.

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