All posts in Trijicon Rifle Scopes

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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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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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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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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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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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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