[merlinfire]

So, Right now I have an AR with iron sights. Two questions:

1. How useful are the "carry handle mountable" optics? Any weirdness here or does this work right? My carry handle is not removable.

2. Regarding the Trijcon: they're about as expensive as my rifle is. But just what do they do for you beyond what a normal scope does? I've never looked through one and honestly do not know what the reticle is like

 

[Duster]

No advice on a trijicon, I hear good things, but the good things I hear still doesnt warrant the price.

My agency uses M4s with EOtechs, flip up sights, or the carry handle sights. I have used all three, and honestly I dont really care. The eotech is nice, but for long cross country hikes I normally dont carry one with it to save a little weight (and to avoid breaking it). The flip ups are fine and dont get in the way or break, and the carry handle... Well honestly I didnt even notice it was removable until about the tenth time I shot it. It was rock solid.

In fact it was so solid, I would hate to have to try and take it off......

 

[NHP1127]

I have a Colt LE6920 with a Trijicon (USMC M4 version) on it. Scope was about $1,200. They are 4X and have a bullet drop compensator recticle. This allows you to predict your target range quickly. Recticle glows day or night without batteries. Incredibly clear and bullet proof optic that allows you to shoot with both eyes open at both close combat AND out to 800M. They are amazing and worth the dough. Stellar reputation.
If you want to see what the different recticles look like, check out you tube.

 

[NavigatinCollapse]

I have a TA33R8, it has 3X magnification with about 3-4" of useable eye relief, much better than the TA31 but it has a smaller field of view than the TA31 and TA11. It is also isn't so big that it blocks your natural field of view. It's really light. I consider it the T-1 of magnified optics. It's cheaper I paid $850ish brand new and another $100ish for a Larue mount. It has BDC out to 600 and I use it out to 300 regularly on a steel pooper about the size of a human head. My BDC is a lil off at that range and it shoots low, but better to shoot low than high. The only con is cost and once you have one you're gonna want one for each rifle.

 

[magfed556]

Sheeet, change yur upper to a flat top. Add a flip up rear sight and mount an Aimpoint. It'll probably cost about the same as a Trij.

 

[Lone Ranger]

Great optic, crappy price, BDC is great....as long as you are using M855 Ball ammo which it is set for (hence the comment on the round being lower than the BDC reticle at 300).

We had them on our M-4s when I was in. Like I said, its a great optic but man is it expensive. What are you paying for at 1200 bucks? Rugged waterproof design that can withstand a blast; you plan on getting hit by an IED any time soon? The tritium? Yeah I think that is one of Trijicon's biggest selling points. Its great, but keep in mind it eventually fades out. Granted it should take over a decade (12 years I think is what they say) but eventually it will not glow in the dark.

I agree 100% with magfed myself, you can get a NICE flat-top upper receiver basically anything you could want, plus an optic (EOTech, Aimpoint, (look at the Burris AR-332 see what you think about that.)) and still have some money left over for what you would pay for ONE optic.

If you're smart about it, you should be able to get a decent optic, an upper receiver, and 1,000 rounds of ammo for 1200. (500-600 upper, 325ish for 1k ammo and 300-500 for optic).

Last thing, again, I'm not trying to knock the ACOG, its a GREAT optic, just don't see the point for it on a civvie rifle. WAY too expensive. If you like its features check out the Burris AR-332, it has a lot of the same ones (not the tritium and fiber optic).

 

[NavigatinCollapse]

Burris AR 332 is a great option with an offset Vortex Sparc that I am considering for a second rifle or the Burris TAC 30 1-4 with the same reticle. Either way you have to upgrade the mount.

 

[Lone Ranger]

Burris AR 332 is a great option with an offset Vortex Sparc that I am considering for a second rifle or the Burris TAC 30 1-4 with the same reticle. Either way you have to upgrade the mount.

Glad to meet someone else who likes the Burris optic as much as I do. When did you get yours? I only ask because I got mine about about 10 months ago and haven't had any problems at all with the mount. Though I have heard others complain about them.

 

[Doc_Shane]

The carry handle mounts are a pain just because of cheek weld issues and getting a good sight picture. To me it feels unnatural trying to use any scope on top of it.

The Acog wouldn't be a good carry handle mounted option.

I had two AR's, I sold the fixed carry handle gun, just lacked the versatility I wanted.

 

[BlasphemousBill]

As others have said, it's a great optic but the price is too high. $1,200 dollars for a 4x scope (yes I know its other qualities)? For that price you could buy an amazing scope with much more magnification. No, it wouldn't quite fill the same role, but I still consider the price ridiculous. I can get good hits out to 300 meters with iron sights. If I really wanted a scope, I'd buy one with better magnification and much less that $1,200.

 

[djthemac]

What type of shots are you looking to take?

I mounted a primary arms micro (Aimpoint T1 copy) and it is awesome. Holds zero, supremely accurate, affordable, and WAYYY faster then the irons for target acquisition. Although at 100 yards the dot covers up a significant portion of the target (3 MOA). My eyes arent good enough to take shots with irons or the dot past 100 yards.

My theory is, if I need to make shots past 100 yards, Im pulling out the bolt gun with dedicated LR optics. The AR for me is a close to medium range weapon, designed to put some lead between me and the bad guys while running for the hills

 

[billt460]

No advice on a trijicon, I hear good things, but the good things I hear still doesnt warrant the price.

I'm of the same opinion. The thing about the current crop of optics out there, is you don't have to spend a fortune to get good glass on a rifle any longer. For years the only scope I would even consider purchasing was Leupold. Everything else was so far down the line in quality, it didn't warrant consideration. When the Redfield line was made here they had very good optics, but now they are not the same company.

With that said there is a lot of fantastic glass coming out that IMHO has Leupold beat at far less cost. Leupold still makes a great scope. They damn well should for what they are charging. But companies like Bushnell with their Elite Series, Nikon, and Burris have caught up, and in many ways past Leupold, because they are constantly improving their line of optics, while Leupold has just been marking time, living off their reputation.

About all they've done recently is confuse everyone by renaming their product line from Vari-X to VX, and that sort of thing. A new VX-I is supposed to be of the same quality as an older Vari-X II, or some such.

I'm currently running a total of 5 Bushnell 3200 Elite Tactical 5-15 X Models and couldn't be happier with them. Their clarity and brightness surpasses many of my Leupold's. I have them mounted on .308's, .300 Win. Mags., and even on my .50 BMG Bushmaster. All with very good results. It simply isn't necessary to drop $1,200.00+ dollars to get a quality rifle scope anymore.

As far as my AR-15's, I'm running all of them with irons. I have a new found interest in iron sights. Even with my ageing eyes I can get very good results. You just need to take the time to work with them. A good small aperture peep sight can provide very good long range results. Naturally in a long range bolt gun a scope is a necessity, not an option for precision 600 yard shooting and beyond. I just don't feel it's necessary to spend a fortune to obtain it. At least I have proven that to myself. Bill T.

 

[BumblingBear]

So, Right now I have an AR with iron sights. Two questions:

1. How useful are the "carry handle mountable" optics? Any weirdness here or does this work right? My carry handle is not removable.

2. Regarding the Trijcon: they're about as expensive as my rifle is. But just what do they do for you beyond what a normal scope does? I've never looked through one and honestly do not know what the reticle is like

Why would you mount superior optics on a crummy rifle?

If your carry handle does not come off, odds are that you should probably get a better rifle first.

As for mounting to a carry handle, like everything else, the mount is what will dictate how good or bad the scope keeps its zero.

 

[Jeffrey]

You don't want to mount any type of optic on a carry handle. It simply makes it too high for comfortable shooting, and impossible to get a cheek weld with most scopes.
Spending $99 on a flat top is (in my opinion) the #2 upgrade for this rifle (with a better trigger being number one). Upgrading to a flat top opens up a whole world of optic options.
The real benefit of a Trijicon ACOG is in its durability (and no electronics). Yes they are expensive. There is a plethora of good scopes for AR's these days that are much cheaper. If you will be trusting an optic with your life in the field long term, and price is not an object- the ACOG is the way to go. This is why the military uses them. This also is why they are so expensive-the military contracts for them keeps the price from coming down (no competition for contracts).
The Burris 332 does not have the fiber optics, so price is around $300. It does use batteries to illuminate the reticle, but works just fine without them with its black reticle. So in low light situations AND dead batteries, it might not work so well. But that is true for any non-fiber optic scope with dead batteries.
Stay away from any optic that must have batteries to operate!

 

[NHP1127]

+1 on standard AR-15 iron sights. USMC uses them to qualify out to 500M. Piece o cake.
As far as the Trijicon, you get what you pay for. Also lifetime warranty, will replace ANYTHING including Trititum. I like many of the other optics mentioned here aswell. I wanted this.

 

[BlasphemousBill]

Why would you mount superior optics on a crummy rifle?

If your carry handle does not come off, odds are that you should probably get a better rifle first.

As for mounting to a carry handle, like everything else, the mount is what will dictate how good or bad the scope keeps its zero.

How is his rifle "crummy"?

 

[redranger1]

Bumbling Bear, perhaps you should keep your bumblings about things that you dont know to yourself. An AR with a fixed carrying handle does not effect performance of the weapon in any way. It only restricts the ability to mount accessories.

With that said if you have no need or desire to mount anything to the reciever the carry handle version is the way to go. If you want to mount accessories get a flat top and youll be so glad that you did.

OP, the ACOG is a fantastic piece. I had one in Afghanistan and it performed outstanding. I zeroed it in the states and it never lost its zero. That included being thrown out of the turret of an M-RAP(breaking the pistol grip and butt stock off), sliding down a rocky hillside with me, and just general everyday carrying use of a soldier.

With optics you get what you pay for. In the situations that we are preparing for this is one item i would not go cheap on. You want to have the most reliable durable products you can to give you the most service life possible.

But before you buy compare, shop, and educate yourself. There are several different models that do varying things. Not all ACOGs are alike and the price ranges reflect that. And dont be afraid to buy a used one, just make sure it wasnt originally bought by Uncle Sam!

-Nate

 

[Lone Ranger]

The Burris 332 does not have the fiber optics, so price is around $300. It does use batteries to illuminate the reticle, but works just fine without them with its black reticle. So in low light situations AND dead batteries, it might not work so well. But that is true for any non-fiber optic scope with dead batteries.
Stay away from any optic that must have batteries to operate!

Good post, I agree, stay away from optics that must have batteries to operate. Yes the battery life on an Aimpoint is insane, but I have gotten bad batteries before and not been able to use it. Most likely wouldn't happen but still. Thats just my preference anyway.

The Burris optic is GREAT. It works without battery power. In fact, I have only used the illumination feature a few times, I usually just go with the black reticule. I always have spare batteries with me as well in case the battery dies. It takes 2032 batteries which are cheap so its a double plus. Trust me, just check this scope out, I think it will fit all the features you are looking for minus maybe the no battery thing. But again, it will still operate with no battery.

+1 on standard AR-15 iron sights. USMC uses them to qualify out to 500M. Piece o cake.
As far as the Trijicon, you get what you pay for. Also lifetime warranty, will replace ANYTHING including Trititum. I like many of the other optics mentioned here aswell. I wanted this.

I had a trijicon scope. I know the warranty is great but I'm pretty sure, about 99%, and correct me if I'm wrong, that the Tritium replacement will cost you some money. They even tell you in the booklet for the optic that the tritium has a 12 year life span. I think it is around a couple hundred to get the tritium replaced but you have to send it in to get a quote first. Same with the other stuff, yeah they will replace it but if it is not a manufacturers defect they will not be replacing it for free.

Again, too much money for the type of optic it is in my opinion, and I have been known to drop over a grand on a scope, just not a fixed 4X "red dot" style optic.

 

[merlinfire]

Thanks for the advice guys. Those of you who mentioned the cheek weld issues with the carry handle optics, good call there, I didn't even think of that.

 

[BlasphemousBill]

On that note, if you are shooting some sort of red dot site at fairly close range, cheek weld isn't that much of an issue. For longer ranges, it may be possible to buy or rig a pad that raises your head to the proper position.

These stocks have adjustable combs: