Disclaimer: I am a huge TA31 ACOG fan. I’ve bought no fewer than 3 of them. See here and here.
I don’t really like it anymore, for reasons posted in one of the links above years ago…
…the eye relief is garbage. You have to be perfectly in the eye box for proper eye relief, and this requires adjusting the stock all the time. Standing? Needs to be shorter. At the bench? Needs to be longer. Prone? Shorter. Armor? Shorter. Kneeling? Longer. Total garbage and if Trijicon could fix the TA31 series by giving it more generous eye relief they would still have a real winner…sort of.
You still suffer from wash out if in a dark area and sighting into a bright area. Take an ACOG outside with you at night and aim it inside a house with blinds open (preferably your own, and not attached to a rifle). You’ll notice the reticle is now completely black and difficult to pick up.
Weight? Come on bro, the TA31RCOM4 is what? 1lb? On a fixed 4x optic? That’s ridiculous. The only thing more ridiculous than the weight is the cost. $1500 can buy you three used Aimpoint T1s…
I’ve got a new AR that needs an optic and I think it’s just too slow within 50 yards to be practical on a rifle outside of the Kajakai Dam. The ACOG is older than I am. On the flipside, I like its simplicity and ruggedness and there’s yet to be a serious challenger in a fixed 4x optic. The fixed 4x is annoying up close, but an Aimpoint is annoying beyond 300 yards. What’s a guy to do?
Unfortunately, it is still alive and well. I think with the more modern LPVO offerings they are all but obsolete, but the military still loves to issue them, and they just were selected as the new optic for the M4A1 for USAF Security Forces.
I have become a huge fan of 1-6 and 1-8x optics with either offset irons or offset RDS. It gives the best of both worlds for fast, CQB style shooting as well as the magnification to ID and engage targets at moderate distances to about 600 yards on a 5.56 platform. Most of my newer ARs all wear LPVOs of soe variety, and while I do still have and heavily use the Aimpoint RDS, I have become just as fast and accurate with the LPVO, so it has no downsides for me.
I grew up on pre-fiber optic ACOGs, and they were awesome back then. Dudes essentially had a choice between ACOG’s and Comp M’s for their M4’s and Mk46’s. Very durable, and had the stubby iron sights on top in case of failure. Most guys were reasonably fast with them even up close. The reticle is one of my favorites, because the hash marks represent 18” width at the distance they are marked for, so range estimation and sight picture are a single operation.
I always liked the lack of a need for batteries, because when the Comp M was a little newer, Unit SOP had you changing batteries rather frequently. I also broke some early Comp M’s on machine guns, so it took years to convince me that battery powered things can be trusted. That’s right, dear users of M4c, at one time I did not trust Aimpoints. Speaking of broken optics, the one thing that I always hated was worn out adjustment knobs on ACOGs. Very frustrating zero experience.
When the Dr red dot was a thing, the utility of the ACOG went up exponentially. And still pretty light for a rugged, military optic.
Note that every positive thing I have said so far is centered on military use. For a civilian? “Wait, you want how many hard earned dollars for an ancient fixed 4x that I nearly have to touch my eyeball to? No, thanks.”
Even for SOF, low power variables are a better option at this point. And for my personal weapons, if I’m going to spend that much, it will be a modern variable power.
For regular Joes, issued a beater gun that they won’t have enough respect for, perhaps the ACOG is still a good option due to its simplicity and ruggedness.
Just my rambling 2 cents on the ACOG’s proper place.
. I have one 4X and two 3.5X and very much prefer the 3.5X for eye relief reasons alone. I too think the LPVO are putting a beatdown to the ACOG line. I have a Burris 1-8 with RDS on the cant which is pretty nice. I really like the NXS 1-8 and is more than an ACOG but not by a huge margin. I even bought some cheap holiday sale 1-6 from primary arms that dont suck for plinking.
I really liked my 4X ACOG with RDS on top even though many feel is way too much offset, but makes hitting center shots inside 50 yards a breeze. I regret pulling it and selling it.
I’ve never been inconvenienced by any eye relief issues on any COG I’ve ever shot. ACOG has no place inside a house, so any of those complaints make no sense to me. Durability is critical to me. I’ve knocked my aimpoint out of zero before, and LGBTQPVOS are too fragile for serious use… with the possible exception of this little nightforce that Pappabear is running.
Until LPVO, (er, LGBTQPVOS lol markm) prove to be as durable as an ACOG, ACOGs will remains in the fight. I don’t much care for the eye relief on my TA31 but it will continue to be an option for me to consider along with my other RDS and LPVO.
I do like my two Vortex LPVO (Razor and PST GEN2 1x6). Learning to shoot them great but I’m not loving the weight.
A 4x ACOG was my first site purchased in 2008. I had always thought they were so cool and had always wanted one. I don’t use it much now, it sits on a rifle I don’t really shoot. I still own it because its cool and a piece of history. I like it for its retro qualities.
The Aimpoint T1 came out and I picked one up. It was cool, but through owning I found I had astigmatism. I also missed the magnification.
I eventually picked up a Nightforce nxs 1-4x24. This was the ticket. I’ve been an all real 1x-4,6,8x guy since then. It is to me truly best of both worlds, and added bonus of no astigmatism issue.
I have a couple Leupold VX6 1-6, they are light with great glass.
I am waiting for a Trijicon 1-8 to be delivered today. Its going to be pig heavy, but I want to get into a 1-8 and found a deal on it.
I really want Nightforce NX8 but with mixed reviews I’m holding off for now due to price. I’m going try the trijicon here a little to see if I find 8x that much more useful than 6x
Definitely. When you get out to 600-800 yards, the Variable is nice… but then you’re wanting to reach for a 3.5-15 full size scope.
The LVPO doesn’t really fill any niche well FOR ME personally. RDS/Irons, then the COG, then the NSX covers everything form Zero to 1000 plus. Any time I’m shooting a variable, it’s spun all the way up anyway. Just thinking out loud… sorry.
Note that you can get the same FOV as the 3.5x ACOG by moving your eye back from a 4x ACOG…
The 4x ACOGs trade eye relief for a wide FOV.
I really like using a 4x ACOG with an offset RDS. Very fast transitions, not too heavy. The only thing I wouldn’t do is put a 4x ACOG on an AR308 or any other firearm with enough recoil to put an ACOG onto your eyepro…
Cav Scouts at Benning get trained with CompM4s, units get issued ACOGs chevron style whatever that model is. My kid won’t care, and might get my NX8 if he wants it, we’ll see…
LPVOs have taught me the value of magnification. But the weight is ridiculous - they turn a lightweight handy rifle into a pig by themselves (to say nothing of the rings).
Considering the recent “fad” for extremely high-mounted RDSs, I don’t see a piggy-backed RDS as a problem on either an ACOG or an LPVO.
As someone for whom weight is a consideration, I don’t think the ACOG is obsolete, yet, especially in conjunction with an RDS.
I actually just contemplated this a bit regarding my LED 3.5x ACOG.
The short answer for me is that the low lower fixed magnification optic still holds a valuable place on a field rifle and weight is a premium. The ACOG was never meant for CQB, the purview of RDS optics. It’s a field optic meant for 50-300 meters that helps with target identification. It does that while staying relatively light weight.
LPVO is the king of versatility, but there’s a weight penalty.
Whichever one is more important to you is how you’ll end up making this decision.
The only ACOG I’ve ever been able to like is the TA33 3x30 one. I really wanted to actually love it and not simply like it, but I just can’t. The magnification is a little too much for shooting within say 50 yards. I think the reticle is a little too “busy” although I get it that you have to have that for range estimation and longer range shooting.
For a non-powered sight I prefer the 1x Meprolight M21 with triangle reticle, but ultimately my “druthers” have gravitated back to a miniature red dot.
I just like the crisp, small, non-busy reticle and the lighter weight of the optic.
I email Trijicon every few months telling them they need to make a fiber optic/Tritium red dot with unlimited eye relief in 1x the size of an MRO or Aimpoint T1. We’ll see if I eventually get it.
