ACOG Reticles

[HorseSoldier]

My hands on experience with ACOGs was with TA01NSNs and a couple different versions with the red "F" reticle. I was wondering if Three Gun competitors or anyone else could give me some thoughts on the strengths and weaknesses of some of the other reticle options out there, as the state of Alaska, out of the goodness of its heart, is sending me and the rest of the state a check for $1200 or so in a couple weeks and I'm thinking about putting that towards picking up another ACOG.

I'm particularly curious about how the horseshoe and donut reticles compare to the chevron, green versus red illumination (definitely not a fan of the amber option my issue NSN had), and if the "B" reticle (does it include BDC, and do people find it too busy?). Scope would be for use on my personal AR and my issue M4, since my issue optic these days with the AK ARNG is an AimPoint and I very much prefer the ACOG.

Thanks for any and all information.

 

[Mot45acp]

Nothing to add, but am in the market fofr an ACOG as well. Tag for more info.

 

[Bartholomew Roberts]

Well, I've used a lot of ACOGs; but unfortunately I am not up to speed on the latest variants.

My personal favorites are the chevron and the donut. I like the donut because it is a 4MOA round reticle. If your other aiming devices (Aimpoint for example) use a similar reticle, it is easy to carry over the habits from one sight to another (top of dot 100m, middle of dot 200m, bottom of dot 300m). I also feel that the donut adds a tiny advantage to speed in shooting up close; but I haven't ever tried to quantify that and I'm not sure if I could quantify if I did try. Finally, since I bought the donut before the chevron was available, I've got the most experience with this one and you tend to like what you are familiar with.

While I've got a lot less experience with the chevron, it is probably my favorite reticle for a general purpose rifle. I think the major advantage of the chevron is that you don't really lose any noticeable speed to the donut in close; but you are able to be more precise, more quickly at longer targets.

I've got little experience with the horseshoe or green reticles. Although I did get to peek through a green, horseshoe TA11. One concern I had was that a green lit reticle against a green background like a forest wouldn't be a good contrast. I have to say that my brief few minutes with it didn't seem to support that conclusion; but it was a bright sunny day and the reticle was well lit. As you probably know from the TA01NSN, one possible issue with an ACOG is where you get just enough illumination to light the reticle; but not enough to make it contrast from the background. I tried to duplicate that by covering the fiber optics tube with my offhand and couldn't get it to happen there; but I didn't spend much time on it either.

I liked the horseshoe reticle and thought it had some promise; but short of actually getting out there and shooting it for several thousand rounds, I don't really feel like I know enough about it to comment.

I think you will be real hard pressed to go wrong with any of the options you are looking at and a lot of it is going to be personal preference due to individual eyesight quirks at that level.

 

[Zerodefect]

The green rocks!!! I have a green triangle in my Trijicon Accupoint 5-20x 50mm scope. It will not blend with foiliage, it's too bright. Usually trees show up quite dark.

Really bright. My scope has a shade built in to dim the recticle during the day. You may find it handy to keep a stip of electrical tape on your ACOG with it's end folded into a pull tab.

Alot of precision shooters don't like my rectical 'till they try a mover at 300yards, then they see what the green delta excells at.

But you should try a few before you buy. At least look through a few at a gun show. They are a weird scope, best for mid range combat. Not so good for CQB. I can't shoot half of them at all.

Keep in mind the ones with precision recticles and ranging recticles are very blurry during combat style shooting. The illuminated center is fine, but the fine lines require proper head alighnment.

I set my 0 at the tip of the delta.
I like these when I tried them:
http://www.trijicon.com/user/parts/products1.cfm?PartID=746&back_row=0&categoryID=3
http://www.trijicon.com/user/parts/products1.cfm?PartID=767&back_row=3&categoryID=3
http://www.trijicon.com/user/parts/products1.cfm?PartID=748&back_row=3&categoryID=3

Notice I go after the models with greater eye relief.

 

[Dionysusigma]

Found this page below some time back, and it really helped me out when I was torn on models.

Hope it helps you some.

http://ammo.ar15.com/project/OpticsReticles/Trijicon/Trijicon.htm

 

[wally]

The green rocks!!! I have a green triangle in my Trijicon Accupoint 5-20x 50mm scope. It will not blend with foiliage, it's too bright. Usually trees show up quite dark

The Accupoints I've looked through are way brighter than the ACOGs I've looked through, I had to turn the light blocking ring about 3/4 towards full off on my yellow Accupoint.

 

[HorseSoldier]

Thanks everyone for the replies, and that sight at arf.com is definitely helpful.

I'm sort of in the boat Bartholomew Roberts suggested -- I'm familiar with the TA31F with red chevron and really like that set up. I'm open to the idea of one of the other reticles, and possibly the green illumination rather than red, but as he noted the proof is in how it handles when you get it out on the range and put it through its paces. The price involved kind of makes taking a chance less appealing that it might be for an optic that went for about 25% or so of ACOG prices.

 

[DougW]

HorseSoldier, I have a TA31F, and my soldier son has the TA01NSN. I LOVE his TA01NSN much better than my TA31F. The chevron gives me fits at 200 and 300 yards, where the 01 with the crosshairs is much more precise when engaging at the various ranges. I would rather have the 01, having bought the 31 from my son after his return from the sand box in 07.

Shooting a "kill house" is a bit easier with the 31, but I can still operate the 01 almost as fast, and I like tthe cross hairs netter than the chevron. BUT, I don't have the funds to sell the 31 and then buy an 01, so I am working on learning the 31.

 

[HorseSoldier]

I'm pretty much the opposite -- I went from an issue TA01 to a 31F, and the 31F really works well for me. I'm interested in some of the other reticle options, both in terms of price point and utility, but as noted, it's hard to spend +/- $1000 on a maybe.

 

[ColdDeadHand]

GREAT INFO. Thanks guys.

I've always wondered about them, but hard to drop the money to find out if you like it.

 

[Dionysusigma]

That's one of the luxuries of having two stores within five minutes' driving that keep multiple (often different*) models in stock. I messed around with about 20 variants while I saved every last penny I could, and when I finally got mine, I was (and still am) happy as could be. What sealed the decision of ACOG was, ultimately, the clarity of the glass. Strength and usefulness came second.

* Both store owners grew up around here together, and made a pact that though they might carry the same companies, wouldn't carry the same stock as the other.

 

[Bartholomew Roberts]

Another option to consider if you have the time and patience is working the Equipment Exchanges on different forums. You can try sights out and resell what doesn't work for you.

 

[Lloyd Smale]

I like the plain triangle. Im not a fan of busy reticles.