Well I tried to save a few hundred dollars and purchased a Aimpoint Clone and LaRue spring loaded mounting system for my T1 and it sucks. It’s like looking trough a straw and it’s very hard to obtain a full image. Another problem is eye has to be about an inch away feeling like I’m about to poke out my eyeball.
My question is is the real Aimpoint 3x mag going to get better?
Or should I just get a TA11 ACOG which seems to have good eye relief (2.5") and exit pupil (10mm).
I’m a scope noobie and have zero experience with ACOG’s or 3x mag but want something very fast to focus where my eye doesn’t have to be in an exact spot each shot but still some magnification.
The exit pupil of a scope can be determined my dividing the size of the objective lens by the magnification power of the scope. For example, a 4x scope with a 42mm objective will produce an exit pupil of about 10.5mm. The bigger this exit pupil the more leeway you’ll have in getting your pupil usefully in line with it (the scope’s eye relief is a whole 'nuther issue).
While you can compare the exit pupil of your clone versus the real-deal magnifier in this way, I’m not sure what effect having the T1 in front of the magnifier has on this. The T1 is about 20mm, so I guess the exit pupil of a 3x magnifier would only be about 6.6mm. This would offer a much smaller “sweet spot” in terms of eye placement than the 4x42mm example above.
I switched from an eotech to one, yes not as good close up but close up its more instinctive anyway…but for anything longer then up close and personal…i like it…
I got to look into a TA31 today and loved it. Will be selling T1 micro and larue 3x mag flip mount for a TA11 which dealer said is even faster. Thanks for y’alls help.
Love the acog but i also love my T1 with non clone 3x no issues for me. Did you ever get to look through a non clone 3x though?.you will like the acog good choice.
Don’t bother with the clone stuff. Shit will break easily. Best value for your dollar is the Hensoldt/Zeiss Po’ Boy that LaRue was/is selling (haven’t checked in a while).
I used to be a Supervisor in the Trijicon ACOG Department. Now I’m a Military and Law Enforcement Equipment Retailer.
Sorry to hear about the knockoff problems. I have to say we get a few calls every month with the same issue. Somebody tried to go for the cheapie and found out it isn’t good for anything except a paperweight.
The normal Aimpoint 3x mag is going to be just fine. We’ve had very good experiences with the 3x mag and customers love them. The eye relief is approximately 2.5 inches so it’s a lot better than the optic you mentioned in your post.
The Trijicon scopes are also a good option. The most popular models for 5.56mm rifles are in the TA31 series (TA31F, TA31RMR, etc), TA01 series (TA01, TA01NSN, etc), and TA33 series (TA33-8, TA33H-RMR, etc).
As far as the ACOG eye relief goes, it’s at least 1.5 inches which is good for 5.56mm rifles. I had a TA31TRD on my rifle in Iraq and had no issues with shooting hundreds of rounds through it. I didn’t even notice the eye relief.
If you have any other questions don’t hesitate to ask. I will be monitoring this topic and you can always email us by checking out our profile.