I’ve had my mind made up on wanting the swfa ss 1-4 optic for awhile. I use the AR it will go on for target shooting at the farm and range as well as some light hunting (coyotes etc). I’ve also been wanting to get into 3 gun competitions and I’m trying to find clubs or shoots in my area.
In your opinion is it worth the price tag for someone who uses their rifle for mainly recreation, unlike a lot of you.
I’ve never owned anything more then a 200$ luepold so I don’t know what I’m missing from good glass. Another option I had tossed around was the Burris tac30.
I will use a larue qd mount with whatever I choose because I enjoy shooting irons a lot.
Appreciate any feedback you guys can give me. Rifle in question is a 16’ midlength bcm.
Sorry, I don’t mean to be abrupt. I have been using low powered variables in 3 gun for several years. I have a Trijicon tr-24g 1-4, a Burris xtr 1-4, and a Leupold mk4 cqt 1-3.
The reason for using a magnified optic is simply to see the target better. If you buy crappy glass, are you helping youself see the target, or are you just helping yourself empty your wallet?
You can spend much more than I have on optics, but I believe that at this level of glass there is a pretty good bang for the buck. ymmv
Best bang for the buck I’ve come across is the TR24 series. I had a TR24G, and if I were to do it over again, I would get a TR24R. You really get a lot for the money. It sucks that they went up in price though.
I guess I could have been more clear with the questions. My apologies.
Basically I’m just wondering if someone like myself who has used lower end scopes since I got my first rifle at 13 will actually see a difference in the good glass.
Say the difference between a 300$ optic and something more like the swfa or tr24.
I realize it’s probably purely objective but figured I’d ask anyway. This site has been a great help to me in the past with helpful knowledge. Started out wanting a dpms and ended up with a nice bcm and other various parts.
Owning a “better” quality (or a truly high end) optic is not something you are likely to regret. 1-4, (or 1-6 for a lot more money), is a big advantage for 3 gun when target distances run from both CQB to way out there. Glass quality is not the only factor - repeatable turrets or a good BDC reticle are more important, IMO.
Last match our young Master set a 10" flasher at 418 Meters (458 yards). In the second stage I nailed it with the first shot by dialing in the distance - [but we won’t discuss how I did in the first stage. :bad: ] This is on the extreme end for 3-Gun and I was using a bigger scope in this instance since there was nothing shorter than 150 Yds; but you get the picture.
A good 1-4 will do a hell of a lot of work on an AR.
A few years ago, after spending time with a ShortDot and having already spend considerable time behind irons, Aimpoints, EoTechs, and ACOGs, I decided to do a “proof of concept” with a cheapo 1-4 (Millett) to figure out how I would employ a 1-4 optic, and if (for me) it would offer advantages over fixed 3-4x optics (ACOG line), 1x optics with 3x magnifiers (Aimpoints & EoTechs), ACOGs with piggybacked MRDs, and ACOGs with offset MRDs.
I found that while the optic was lacking, the concept provided me an advantage over all of them (except for higher magnification variables with offset MRDs, but the weight penalty was detrimental to my employment).
IMO, the best 1-4 is the ShortDot, and I was extremely close to purchasing one (I was also pondering the Swaro 1-6) as the 1-8s were revealed, which changed my priorities. The only other optic that I consider to be close to the SD is the Swarovski 1-6, but while the new BDC reticle is working well for other shooters (especially in 3-gun), I really prefer a mildot with hearty posts.
So, I slammed my $$$ down for a 1-8 (the wait for delivery continues), and also picked up one of the SWFA 1-4s with the “T” reticle. For 1k with a Bobro mount, the SWFA is imprssive. No, it isn’t a S&B or Swarovski, but it is damn impressive. There are plenty of reviews of the thing on the net, so I am not going to get into detail, but I am pretty happy with the thing considering that I was expecting to be disappointed and stick it on a loaner/back-up gun.
I have not used the SWFA enough or over a long enough time to endorse it, but it has a lot going for it.
I definately prefer it over the Accupoint line, but mostly simply due to reticle options.
I like the TR24 and I own one. But the best value goes to the Burris TAC 30. It has a bullet drop reticle and its comes in at $300. The TR24 is a better scope but it comes in at double the price and it does not have a bullet drop reticle.
Pat
I think you may be waiting a long while on the S&B 1-8x. The exit pupil on the 1-8x’s has me worried. But, I suspect it will change as they work the design.
The updated 1-4x24 Zenith Short Dot LE w/ the P3 reticle addresses everything I didn’t like about the older Zenith SD LE.
Appreciate allthe replies. I ran into a instructor last night who teaches a carbine course in the gun shop last night and I think I’m going to take the course first and see if I can’t get some hands on with higher end stuff before I make my decision. I do like the German #4 reticule. Plus a good class can never hurt.
Yup, excellent deal. I’m still about a month out from enough cash to grab one and I’m hoping they still have the deal then. I really wish we had a store that stocked some higher end stuff I could look at first hand.
