Hey guys, a couple week back i finished putting together an SPR-ish build that i had brewing for a couple of months. Turned out ok
Now, my optic quest has been a nasty one but i finally narrowed it down to an ACOG. The question is: is it the right one for meā¦
A fellow shooter offered me a TA01 NSN unit (In 96-99% condition) for 600 bucks at my local range. Quite frankly i had been leaning towards the TA31F-A4 since the barrel is 18" long. But the fact that pulling longer precise-er shots is harder with the chevron, got me thinking TA01NSN.
IMHO the 600 bucks deal is good to go, and the unit is in great condition. The gun will be seeing a lot of run and gunning, the occasional 3-gun and some CMP 600-800yds practices.
That said, out of which Acog do you thing iāll squeeze the most juice? TA01NSN or TA31?
I had one I shot 400-500 rounds through over a few months last year that I could have got for $500. It was a 3-year old model that was mint. It held its settings and I shot well enough with it on the bench but to me and my old eyes:
the crosshairs were too fine for shooting fast.
I could only see the āilluminated crosshair centerā if I hadnāt seen light in like 12-hours. It was very very dim.
The BDC was very hard to see. The 200-yard crosshair was like almost impossible to distinguish on target, plus I thought it was pointless.
There are other ACOGās that I would look at first.
Great sight at a great price but in my opnion the wrong choice for your application. It was designed for a 14.5" barrel and a 62g bullet with in a specific veloicty range. I would look at a 1-4 variable scope.
The TA01 or TA01NSN with crosshair is a much much better reticle (precision wise) than a chevron, IMO. Iāve run the same one on 14.5", 16" and 20" rifles with no issues. Just zero it at the 300M hash mark and note any hold-off adjustments at other distances. They will be small, but will vary depending on ammo and altitude. Not a big deal at all.
Mine is a mid 1990s model and the tritium lamp is gone, so I might be concerned on the age/remaining life on the used one you are looking at. The optics quality on the newer ones is just outstanding (and much better than what I have).
I agree they are not a long range precision optic, but they work very well to 500 Meters or so - and there is nothing faster unless you are at CQB distance or need 10x to see a small target.
When you say āzero @ the 300m hash markā, you mean like zero the unit at a 100m using the 100m hash or making a zero with the 100m hash @300m?
Also the unit is in great condition and work perfectly. The other optic i was considering was a Viper Vortex PST 1-4 but the Ta01NSN for 100 bucks more really caught my eyeā¦
Just looking for a couple more informated opinions.
Yeah, service rifle matches at CMP are irons only but they also host FT-R practices.
As far as the optics question, im noting itās not the right pick for my application no matter how good the deal is. Im starting to list heavily again towards the Vortex Viper PST 1-4ā¦
Zero using the 300M hash mark at 300 actual, of course.
There is no free brunch, but for your stated purpose of longer distance, the newer TA01s have considerably better glass than the PST (based on my PST) and a much cleaner Crosshair/BDC reticle.
The PST, at 1x, wins at CQB distances, but itās lacking in longer range precision. Itās a very decent budget priced scope.
If you have access to it why not give it a try and see how you like it yourself. My observations are just what my eyes see. Yours could be different.
ETA: For a SPR optic (on a budget), I would lean toward the PST 2.5-10. The NF 2.5-10x32 is the proven choice and the USO in that power range would be worth a look as well.
The biggest concern for me at this point is not speed, itās the negative reviews iāve been seeing on the way the 200m hash is located. Supposedly too close to the 100m mark to get precise hits.
Also the fact that the gun is a 18" not a 14.5" for the BDC to be effective. I know that the length is not the only thing involved ( a lot of variables are when using the BDC) but still, i donāt want to be THAT off.
How do i know if itās an older model or a newer one? I have the serial just in case.
Personally, I sighted mine in at 200 yards on the 100-yard line. I just used it like a regular scope. I was shooting a variety of ammo weights and didnāt feel like converting BDC.
It was a good scope, clear and precise but other than its ātoughnessā, I didnāt see an advantage over a good quality scope.
If you call Trijicon and give them the SN, theyāll tell you when it was made. I think the ātritiumā is supposed to last 8 years or so, so the remaining life should help determine the price. IIRC, to replace the tritium was like $500.
I have had a TA01NSN for over 10 years now and itās a super bright piece of glass that allows my carbines to get easy hits on man size steel out to 400-500Y. In fact, it works surprisingly well for that purpose. I even ran it in a carbine class once to just for grins and I found a way to make it work close up as well. I keep it now as a backup/magnified optic for one of my RDS equipped carbines.
However, for a SPR-ish build you definitely need more magnification. I have a M3 Leupold on my SPR, and a NSX 3-9X on my Recce and they both work very well.
As always and as everyone here is saying, it all depends on what you are trying to accomplish.
