All posts tagged Accupoint

Optics that hold zero

There are a great many  things that I have learned over the years about what is a combat worthy firearm and what is a hobby type of firearm.   I have seen such huge variations in AR 15 rifles that I really can’t say that some manufacturers of direct impingement firearms are less reliable that gas piston guns.   There are some variations in the older design that have machine their parts so well that they really do run on less lubrication and have run in some tests off thousands and thousands of rounds with out failure.   I will say that gas piston guns will run cleaner, but are they more reliable than a high end AR15?   I don’t think most of us will really ever know the answer to that because there are always variables in how a firearm is maintained and in what climate and conditions it is subjected to.

If I had to issue handguns and rifles to relatives, I’d probable go with a gun that is easy to clean and easy to shoot, if I want a gun for myself, I’ll take the guns that work the best for me.   I know I put more effort into making sure every rifle I own has the right parts staked and loctited down.   I have broken a few Tasco and Simmons optics, but I have never had Leupold rifle scopes, Zeiss or Trijicon optic fail on me.   There are faulty mounts and scope rings out there, but even the less expensive ones will work if you use Loctite on them and don’t over torque them.   Over torque screws on firearms can mean broken screws and I have learned that the hard way with a DSArms SA58.   The FAL is not a very good gun for using optics, but it can work if you lock everything into place.  Cleaning the guns with this scope mounts is difficult, but the FAL can be made into a good DMR gun.

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Lights that don’t go out

I’ve been involved with several gun clubs that ran various competitions.  My favorites are always the Carbine events.   Every year we get to see who the best shooters are and almost every year, the guys that show up with the most expensive guns are not the ones with the highest scores.   If you got money to blow there’s no reason you can’t buy what you want, but operator caused malfunctions are the #1 reason I see guns go down.

I’ve had a love hate relationship with my Eotech rifle scopes.    I love how easy the reticle is to pick up when shooting, but I hate how hard it is to nail targets beyind 100yds in low light because of how the reticle obscures the targets.   I’ll never forget my first 100yd shooting experience with my Eotech where we were shooting steel plates.   I couldn’t see any of the 3 inch plates with my Eotech at 100yds.   The shade of the trees darkened the targets and when I shot with iron sights, I could clearly make out the plates.   Battery operated optics are something that will surely go extinct in the not too distant future.

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The move away from red to green

I really don’t have a problem shooting with regual optics in low light, but I’ve never been in the streets for combat missions in low light.    I’ve done plenty of hunting in the early mornings and since I could clearly tell that some of my lower end optics really sucked as far as brightness, I still got the job done when the sun came up.   I never liked many of the red dot reticles because the red dots all seemed to blurry to me.   I guess its a disadvantage for those of us with good vision, but I found the blurry bright red dots annoying.   They tend to obscure targets because they are either too big or too hazy.

Trijicon ACOGs are well known for their reliablility and clarity and for their unique illuminated reticles.   I find many in the gun community like the fancy reticles, but I still prefer my reticles small and thin.    The only time I don’t mind a larger reticle is with the Eotech rifle scopes, but that is only for close up fighting.   Trijicon has also discovered that the green illuminated reticles are preferred by military and law enforcement because the human eye picks up the light better.    Very interesting.

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Urban Combat at Zero Magnification

Trijicon ACOGI have a friend that was in Iraq that mentioned that magnification was what helped them identify IED wires at a distance where guys with irons and Eotechs couldn’t seem them.   I’d have to say that the ACOG is still an advanced combat sight, but they are expensive.   The thing that makes the ACOG work so well is having the right ammo matched up to the bullet comp.  Once you figure out where the hold overs are, this optic is fast.  At rifle competitions at my club, I always notice that the guys that could nail target the fastest all had Acogs.

 

There is much to think about when selecting an optic or sighting system for your Carbine.   For Close Quarters Combat, zero magnification is usually your best option because it can be a problem if there is a need for seeing beyond 100yds or more.   When someone comes with a Trijicon ACOG that has variable magnifications that goes from zero to 20X that’ll be a big step forward.   Unfortunately it’s hard to really say what you have on your gun because there are so many variables.   Eotech has a magnification option for their sighting system, but it adds considerable weight and limites where you put backup irons on the gun.

 

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