All posts in Scopes

Some feedback about the Trijicon SRS

Trijicon Reflex Sights We’ve only been selling the Trijicon SRS sights for a few months and finally got some good feed back about why people wanted them.   The number one reason people like this sight is it’s something different and has a slight advantage over the Aimpoint red dot sights.  The solar battery powered SRS sight gives you years of battery life from just one AA battery.  We have done side by side comparisons between the Eotech XPS sights and the Aimpoint and if you want a compact optic, and you want the most rail space available to you, the SRS and the Eotech XPS or EXPS sights are the way to go.  Not all of our customers really cared about the battery life which was actually surprising.

Some of our customers really wanted the Eotech just for the wide visibility and that famous gunsight reticle.   The one thing we learned when we brought in the Trijicon Reflex sights were the that it was more compact than an ACOG and really good clean red dot unlike some less expensive brands.   Being able to have a crisp dot and the multiple power settings  and a great low maintenance optic is something the Eotech bashers wanted.   I personally am not a huge fan of red dots because I prefer more precision but the SRS red dot is the smallers red dot optic we sell.

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Why spend that kind of money on an optics? ACOGs, Aimpont and Eotech..

Trijicon ACOGSWell, most operators that have used any of the above mentioned optics will tell you that they are each good for something and not good for everything.  Red dots are very accepted as very good close up fighting optics and there are some very big differences between all of the various functions and quality.  I’ve checked out some of the Russian Kobra optics and C-more red dots and although they are priced lower, they are good optics and get the job done.  The haze of red dots is actually something that bothers me and bothers many other people because of the haze that many of them have.  Aimpoint is probable most widely accepted but the new Trijicon SRS red dot looks to me to be just as clear, if not clearer.

I remember when the ACOG first came out in the commercial market and spending $750 on a scope when I was shooting a $350 semi-auto rifle really seemed like a stretch.   After dropping $400 on an Eotech, then years later getting a magnifier, I could have easily picked up Trijicon ACOGS for sale for the price that I was paying.   Probable the TA01 or the TA01NSN would have been in that price range and especially the later, could have been a good comparison to the Eotech and the magnifier.   Going from zero magnification iron sights to an 4x scope is just about the same as going from your Eotech gun sight to a almost 4x optic.

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Eotech sights, Aimpoints, and the Trijicon SRS sights and rail space

eotech sightsThere was a good add on a Trijicon facebook page promoting the Trijicon SRS sight and it was mostly about rail space.  That is an issue that I personally have run into because I put several things on my LWRC M6A1 rifle that I started to run out of room when i tried to put a pressure switch on it.  I started out with a vertical foregrip and it worked well with the my Streamlight Scorpion flashlight but after I fell in love with the Magpul angled foregrip I ran into issues trying to activate the flashlight.   I’m still not sure what I’m going to do but once I get the new XPS sights in from Eotech i’m going to retire my Eotech 512 just based on rail space.

Run time is important but there are differences between military applications and Law Enforcement applications.  There have been big changes in the industry and now that solar/battery optics are are on the market we’ll see what the next generation of Eotech sights are going to produce.   The Eotech magnifier is a very good idea for someone that already has an Eotech device and wants to make it a medium range optic.  The side battery switch is something I also really like because it makes it easier to get to if you already have a magnifier and rear sight.

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Training your eyes for something other than crosshairs?

Trijicon TA31F-G for saleI started out with iron sights on a 22LR rifle and then shot out of an optic with crosshairs of varying sizes for decades.  I always thought the TA01 was a cool optic because it had the range calibration reticles which makes this a fast medium range combat optic.   Even though these guns loose a lot of energy by the time they get out to 600yds, they still are deadly, and hits are better than misses.   Red dots were the next thing although I was never really a huge fan of them.  I was a better shooter than the red dot would allow me to be, but then I finally discovered the Eotech gun sights.  The gun sights on these make fast engagements.

Later I got to hold a few of the TA31 optics, primarily the green reticle chevron versions, and they looked really odd to me.  I later asked a Rep from Trijicon if he could explain to me how the Trijicon TA31F-G for sale are used.   Primarily the top of the Chevron is for 100yds, the Chevron has a hollow center for body shots out to 200yds and the first pole point is 300 yards.   After that it’s pretty self explanitory on how to use this optic at medium ranges.  The real issue with shooting these optics is knowing how they are sighted in and knowing that you are going to get good use out of it.  Most gun ranges I know of are less than 100yds and most guys that own ACOGS never even shoot past that.

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More feedback from customers about the optics they are buying

Trijicon TA01NSN for saleWe’ve stepped into the Law Enforcement Supply market this year and have had many new products come in that we would never have expected to have.   The Easy Unlocking Tools have come in and some of our local police departments have asked us to keep them around.  Other things like police badges and patches are new to us but it’s interesting how happy people that they don’t have to buy these things online and pay for shipping.    There are lots of things that we have that Law Enforcement and Military personal wear out or use up and need a local pickup point.

Recently we had some good feed back from local competition shooters and from a security detail that had come back from over seas.   The Trijicon optics that they were using were the well know Trijicon TA01nsn for sale in our store and all of these optics were purchased in our store.   It’s cool to see items like this get purchased and come back to us several months or years later completely banged, beat up, and still working with lots of stories to tell.   The Trijicon optic is probable the best priced ACOG since the iron sights add lots of use to the gun without much of a price increase over the TA01 ACOG.

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Solar Power Optics are here

We have seen fiber optic cables for years, Tritium and illuminated reticles now for several years.   There are always pros and cons about which is better, Aimpoint, Eotech or Trijicon, but the reality about all of these optics is that they will all change once battery or solar technology improves.   The most advanced optic we have seen so far is the Trijicon SRS sights because it has a solar cell as well as battery power and will give you 2-5years of illumination depending on how much sun you are working in.   For anyone working over seas, having an optic like a battery powered Eotech can make it a high maintenance thing to worry about how many batteries you have left.

We have seen great advancements with Surefire and Streamlight flashlights this year and the breakthrough rechargeable batteries will be right around the corner.  We are  hoping to see the Trijicon reflex sights for sale, expand upon this solar technology and possible bring in some more reticle options.  We have a very large body of customers that still prefer the Eotech reticles but the TA26 sights have gained interest.   Trijicon optics are on the high end but the Warranty and durability of the optics are hard to compete against.  Is there really much competition?

 

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Eotech configurations vs ACOGS

I started out with an Eotech 512 because I basically thought that AA batteries were so common in my home that that was my best option.  I was right, but I learned real fast what the limitations were for the Eotech sights when I was engaging targets at 300 + yards with it.   Those optics are really fast for close up fighting which is why most of our Law Enforcement Officials want them, but they, along with any red dot, will actually be difficult to use at longer ranges.   I find the haze from red dots to be annoying but I personally have never had to use one in a house clearing situation.    The Eotech XPS sights and the EXPS sights are more compact versions with different power switch locations.

Eotech sights while many may claim are slowly becoming outdated, are still very popular.  Sometimes it’s not just what is higher tech, but the Eotech sights that we sell are so well known that sometimes it’s hard to deviate from something that you know works.   I have yet to see somebody complain about their Eotech not holding zero and the quick detach options are very appealing.   The one thing I will say that is you really need to put some thought into how much magnification you want on your Carbine before you buy and Eotech sight because I know many people that got the optic, magnifier combos and later said they basically purchased a Trijicon TA01NSN .

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Comparisons between smaller optics

Some of the XPS and EXPS sights are floating around my local police departments and even at the gun club.  With how much people like to put on their AR15s, the main selling point of these optics is they are shorter and give you rail space.  I put a Surefire Scout flashlight on my LWRC M6A1 rifle and figured out real fast what people mean by needing more rail space.  I guess due to the size of my hands I could not find a good place to put the pressure switch and if I switched from a 512 Eotech sight to s shorter XPS or EXPS sight I would be better off.   The shorter run time on the batteries is personally not an issue because I tend to shoot with iron sights more often anyway.

If run time is an issue and you have the money, there is another option that hit the market in 2012.   After you get past the sticker shock on the Trijicon SRS sights for sale, these red dot sights,  as a serious operator, you will then understand the long term cost effectiveness of an optic like this.   In comparison to Aimpoint and Eotech XPS and EXPS sights this is more compact.  Having a primary solar cell and then a backup battery you are getting years of batter life out of this optic and also give Aimpoint some competition. We have a few of them we are testing out with local operators, but quality and durability are things that

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Firearms and accessories can just be about preference, not quality

Those arguments about which gun is better and which firearms optic is better is not much of an argument since Aimpoint, Eotech and Trijicon optics  have all earned their way into the military durable optics.   There have been some minor changes in these optics and we expect that all of the above mentioned companies will product new and better optics at some point in the future.  Red dots are getting smaller and more precise and at some point in the near future there will be no battery usage in these optics and everything will be rechargeable or solar powered.   Green reticles have outsold red reticles for the Trijicon ACOGS in 2012 and we don’t see that changing anytime soon.

The reality about the ACOG is that it is a fine medium range combat optic but there are always short comings in it’s usage.  The TA01NSN is a fine ACOG that has built in iron sights for close range unlike optics like the Trijicon TA11H-G which is a DMR or SAW optics or even better a really good competition shooting optic.  The Horse shoe reticle is a preference and for some people it works, others prefer the skinny and precise crosshairs that the TA01 ACOGS have.   The TA11 has a much longer range reticle and hold overs with this optic are very accurate at 800-1000yds with correct ammunition.

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Eotech holographic sights are they still competing?

If you ask any of the local law enforcement officers in our area, that’s all you’ll hear them talk about.  Most SWAT Teams are still running these optics and the first rule of an optic for them is they must be able to keep both eyes open.   For any optics like the Trijicon ACOGS, they are more of a  liability for a police officer that may be in a hostage situation at 20yds rather than nailing a Taliban soldier at 4oo meters.  There have been many technological improvements to optics and to some people Eotech might be slacking because they are still reliant on batteries, but for short deployments that’s rarely and issue.  I personally run an Eotech 512 AA on my LWRC M6A1 and I have had some wear issues and batteries fail on me.  I had to super glue the contacts back in and recently heard that this was part of the reason the CR123 batteries are being used and they are also going in sideways instead of forward.

The Eotech XPS sights are smaller and lighter compared to the most popular Eotech 512 AA battery and this means something for those that are running various pressure switches or gun sights.   The smaller lighter XPS Eotech sights are running with the CR123 batteries and these batteries will give you more shelf life than the AA batteries and take up less weight.   The only bad thing about the CR123 batteries is they are not that common in gun stores or retail locations and if they are they are usually more expensive.  Buying these in bulk is a good idea, we normally sell them in 12 packs for $23.99.

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