All posts in Trijicon ACOG

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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Trijicon M4 Optics what bullet weight?

You do have to be careful who you listen to when you shop around for optics for your M4 carbine.  In recent years it is not that uncommon for people to be using 75gr or 77gr ammuntion in their M4 Carbines, and if you change the bullet weight of  your round, you can void the purpose and  uses of your bullet compensator.  I know several people that think there is no difference between the M855 and the M193 round when  you sighting in  with a Trijicon ACOG, but this is not the case.  If you are using something like the Trijicon TA01NSN optics and you want to engage a target at 400yds, there is going to be a big difference in where you hit.  If you pay attention the ballistics of the ammunition you are using and you use the good stuff, you should be dead on with your Trijicon sighting system.

I use an LWRC M6A1 with a Trijicon TA01NS which is my favorite optics, primarily because I can never really adjust to anything but crosshairs on my reticle.  I have used  the TA31F-G on occassion but the Trijicon TA01NSN is still my favorite optic.   The iron sights are an added feature which do sit high, but an easy transition from medium range to close quarters combat shooting if need be.   You also have a night sight on the front sight.   You can always swap out the iron sights for one of the RMR sights if you want to.

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Trijicon ACOGS, Mounts and configurations

I’ve seen the trend towards the fancy pants combat optics with the 4×32 ACOGS with the red dots on top but then after people do enough shooting they find out that they didn’t need the magnification in the first place or the red dot optics are just mounted too dam high.   You can always adapt to the rifle but for house to house fighting having your head higher than need be is something of an annoyance.   People trended towards zero magnification optics like the Aimpoint or Eotech but then having zero magnification can be a problem in identifying threats.   There have been many second hand stories heard around our store of Law Enforcement not being to identify weapons from cell phones at distances of under 25yds.   Small  handguns can almost fit in the palm of your hand and there is a big difference between a cell phone and a Walther PPK.

Recently there has been a strong trend towards green reticles but the still very popular Trijicon reticle is the TA01NSN.   The Trijicon TA01NSN has a traditional crosshair style reticle but with bullet drop comp.   It is very important to know that combat style optics are more about speed than precision but precision accuracy is absolutely obtainable for even novice shooters because the optic is so well thought out.  Even though you have one of the toughest optics out there, the optic top is designed to have a low light engagement iron sight.  The rear sights have a wide aperture for close fighting not just as a backup if your primary sight goes down.  It is a very easy transition to go from optic to irons with this system.

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All those gun sights and no idea what you want until you pick it up and loo through it

As a retailer of Trijicon rifle and handgun sights, we hear it all the time that customers had no idea what the products were like until they looked through them.   There are so many variables with the Trijicon ACOGS and the differences between each, even though not much to an experienced shooter, can be some what overwelming when  you have no idea what the lines are.  I had to have a meeting with my Trijicon Sales Rep to find out what all of the specs were and how some of these were sighted in and aimed.   Those simple X crosshairs are somewhat a thing of the past and what use to be the M16 gunsight on the Eotech is now a low tech combat optic.
Low tech might be the way you want to go with your optic but chosing between having optics that are battery operated and fiber optics can also be a hard one.  Many people have moved away from 4x optics on their guns because they don’t do you all that good in close up fighting, the Trijicon Reflex sights for sale are a good competition to red dot and Eotech sights.  You can get a wide field of view from the Trijicon RX30A-51 which we have in stock in our store with the amber dot.  This gives you a defined illuminated dot that does not haze or look blurred like red dots.  You get a similar field of view as the Eotech 512.

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Trijicon ACOGs and thinking ahead

Trijicon optics are probable the most complicated rifle optics we sell.  Not only has there been a major trend away from red illuminated reticles towards green reticles, there are so many reticles that if you don’t think about what you get ahead of time, you might spend $1200 and find out you should have gotten something else.  Being a showcase dealer for the Trijicon product line means getting listed on their website and having traffic directed towards you, but we still get a lot of confused customers and always have to break out the Trijicon catalog and explain it to them.  It really helps to have product in stock because a good look through is really what sells the product.

Which reticle should you choose?  The horseshoe and donut reticles seem to be very popular but for those that want the tradition crosshairs the Trijicon TA01NSN is the best option.   Many people realize that the ACOG is mostly a medium range optic with some long range applications but it is definitely not a close combat optic unless you mount a red dot or iron sights on it.   The good thing about the TA01NSN is that it has the tradition reticle and has a night sight iron sight on it.   This is an easy sell for those that don’t want to get too fancy with the reticles.

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You need to know what you want and here’s the best place to find it

Rifle optics are probable one of the hardest things to ship for online because so much of the product is spelled out in words and sometimes you will know if you want something just by picking it up.  I’ve seen several combat optics from outside a glass display case but didn’t get a chance to look through them.  The way that glass technology has improved, so much about optics these days are etched in the glass.  I still  have one of my first optics I got off of my  Uncle that actually  has a wire hanging over the glass for crosshairs, it fogs up but still is accurate.

The differences in application for Eotech, Aimpoint and Trijicon are pretty fast and the optics really are not that all alike.  I remember the first time I saw  Trijicon ACOGs these looked all fancy but the TA01 that I shot through back then is no where near what Trijicon optics are now.   I have Trijicon night sights on several of my handguns but never really made use of them, I guess that’s a good thing, but now that they are making high visibility sights for shotguns that have dramatically changed as far as sighting systems.  The optics we’ve sold the most lately were the green reticle acogs and that was mostly because we had them in stock and people could stop in our showroom and hold them before buying.

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Probable the best all around ACOG?

There isn’t a do it all rifle scope, but some day there will be.  Technology always improves and better weapons and technology is always down the road.    Half a Century ago the military made the decision that the 7.62 round was more than what was need for most combat operations and changed over to the M16.   Not only was the 5.56 round a adequate round you could easily issue 2xs as much ammunition.   Combat optics normally meant an optic that magnified up to 10x and were not suitable for use on semi-auto or full auto weapons.  That is now ancient history and Eotech gun sights, Aimpoint and Trijicon are up to the task.

There are so many different types of optics from Trijicon that are worthy of being put on  your M4 Carbine, but the best one in my opinion is the TA01NSN.   The back up iron sights are already there and really are more of a secondary close range optic.  The 4x magnification on the Trijicon ACOGS can slow you down under 50YDs and you may be better off just moving your eyes to your secondary sights.   No flip up sights or flip to the side.   Eotech gun sights are outstanding for short range shooting and seem to be very popular in the Law Enforcement Community.   Aimpoint and Trijicon seem to be more geared towards Military operations and longer deployments.

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The Importance of contrast for combat optics

Many believe that illuminated reticles means engaging targets in low light, not always but sometimes.   In recent years there have been some pretty exotic optics and many  of them are pricey.   You’ll be lucky if you can find a combat worth optics for less than $500 although there is a good used market.    I have started out with many of the Eotech gun sights and have been very happy with them.   The only down side to them is the fact that they need to be turned on.  I know several people that have used them  in Iraq and were quite happy with them but I personally do not like the idea of a long deployment and the notion that my if I run out of batteries my optic is basically useless.

Aimpoint makes some good stuff although I really don’t have much use for red dots.   Red Dot optics can obscure a target and I have been more and more a fan of the new and smaller Trijicon ACOGS like the TA26SR.   The green reticle ACOGS are out selling the red  optics by about 4/1 and its becoming more and more common to see green lasers and optics.  The TA26 in my opinion pretty much voids the use of a red dot and has a targeting circle that is on par with the Eotech gun sight.   The clarity is superb and there is no haze that some red dots have.

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Still my favorite Trijicon combat optic

Not all of the Trijicon optics work for every situation, if they did there would only be one Trijicon ACOG.  I remember the first time I saw these bad boys and I was blow away at  how cool they were too look through.  Seeing a scope with bullet comp was not that common and really just finding a scope that could hold up to a semi-auto military style rifle was hard and I mostly saw hunting optics like Leupold rifle scopes for guys trying to target shoot.   It was not very common in the 1980s and 1990s to see rifle scopes on AR15s.

If I had all of the money in the world I’d probable own everything that Trijicon has out, but I’m  not so I have to be very selective on what I buy because if the bullet comp or the reticle does not suit my needs then it was a waste of money.  I have been and always will be an LWRC Fan and I have several Trijicon TA01NSN on my primary LWRC M6A2.   I have recently purchased a suppressor and I will be looking into getting an LWRC M6A5 when they become available.  As far as I know the only difference between the LWRC M6A5 and it’s predecessor is the gas selector is a 2 position and not a 4.

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A discussion about ACOGSs and long range shooting

Sometimes people really get carried away with scope magnification and think that it will increase your accuracy.  Well try taking a 5.5-20×50 scope to the range on a 90F day and tell me if you can even see X on a paper target at 300yds.   Anyone with experience will know that a mirage will void you scope magnificatioin and actually make it very difficult to make pin point accuracy.   A mirage is a constant wave of distorted light due to heat rising and you might be better off with lower magnification or Zero magnification.  Most Trijicon ACOGS are really meant for medium range engagements.

Recently I got to the range and tried out some of the newer green reticle ACOGS and the first one I tried out on my Bushmaster XM15E2 was the Trijicon TA11H-G.    This optic is actually a long range optic and might be best suited for a machine  gun,  The Trijicon TA11H-G ACOG has a green horseshoe reticle which for some reason seems to be very popular.  This particular ACOG has a longer tube than something like the TA31F-G

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