All posts tagged green reticles

Trijicon ACOGS still relevent with all of those Eotechs and Red Dots around?

Trijicon for saleWe’ve started carrying the Aimpoint optics because so many guys coming in from various police departments were referencing that this was exactly what they were trained to use and since it got the job done, they didn’t need another reticle or optic choice.   Aimpoint optics are in various price ranges just like  the Eotech and the Trijicon optics but they don’t have the same features that Trijicon scopes offer.   We were shocked to see so many new Trijicon optics coming out this last year that all took batteries.  It seems that pointing batteries on a Trijicon optic was a against Trijicon Inc’s religion because the fiber optic cables and the Tritium seem to be the staple of the product line.

What do you want to use for close quarters fighting from the Trijicon product line?   Much of the Trijicon ACOGS for sale on our website are for medium to long range engamenets.  I would consider 600yds to be medium ranges for those in the military while most civilians would consider that to be long range.   The Trijicon TA01NSN is an easy transition for anyone that is use to using iron sights because the top mounted sighting platform is really for close up shooting, even low light due to the Trijitium night sight.  If you are use to using a red dot, the RMR sights and now the extremely popular RMR08-G green triangle dot.  There are many differences in dot sizes and reticle options with the RMR sights.

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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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Illuminated reticles and night sights

There is much to debate when it comes to low light fighting because as all debates, one change in the situation can alter the entire argument.   Recently I did some not so technical comparisons between some of the Trijicon ACOGS we had in the store and tested them out late at night.  I went from being in a well lit room to walking out into the night and see how the reticles looked.   One thing I did not like about the Trijicon ACOGS at first was going from bright sunny, well light reticle illumination to a dark room with a TA26SG-10.   I was not happy about the 90% change in illumination and for an instant I could not see the reticle when entering a room.

That is one argument I still use when boasting about my Eotech selection of combat sights.  The changes in illumination from the Trijicon Rifle Scopes that are meant for combat is something that you need to train for.   I also tested out the Trijicon TA01NSN to see how that worked in low light.   Once again I went from a well lit room with those nice dark black reticles to nighttime and the center most reticles began to glow.   What I did not like about this optic and reticle configuration was that even in low light, there is still light and the glowing reticle was not easy to see against street lights.   Another issue for reticles that have varying contrasts in different lighting.   If there was a way to regulate the changes in lighting that might make the Trijicon ACOG an even better optic.   Consistent lighting from an optic can mean something.  I am starting to like the Trijicon TA31F-G.

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Preferences and applications of reticles

There are now so many choices for hunting and target shooting optics, more so than just a decade ago.   I’m still waiting for an optics company to come out with combat rifle scopes that have interchangeable reticles, but we’re not there yet.    There are some really good bullet drop compensators for hunting optics, but the only drawback is that they are setup for specific bullet weights and deviating from that will make the calibrations incorrect.    IOR Valdada had some good fast European reticles, but the eye relief was notoriously bad.    I really don’t like the idea of having to get my eye that close to a combat rifle scope due to the higher risk of bonking yourself  in the eye.

Trijicon rifle scopes have a better eye relief and I really like the triangle chevron configuration.  You gotta do your research on how the Trijicon reticles are calibrated because once again,  deviating from the bullet weight will causes misses at certain distances.   It would be nice if they could get some of these reticles setup so you can switch from long range calibration to CQB, but like I said, we’re not there yet.   I’m not a big fan of putting to many  lines on a piece of glass because it can become messy when using them for observation.   I’d also have to state that the vast majority of people I know that have ACOGs aren’t using them for long range shooting and mostly just for hitting the X at 100yds.

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