ACOG or ELCAN

Y

yournodaisy

New member
Looking for an optic for my new SCAR 17S. I'm mostly concerned with ranges from 0 to 400 yrds. I'm leaning more towards the ACOG because of concerns I have heard about ELCANS mounting system. Just thought I would pick your brains to see what you guys think.:confused:
 
Don't know anything about the Elcan, but I have a ACOG TA01NSN and I love it the optics are as clear as any High Dollar scope I have ever had it stays zeroed and works great for the AR platform.

Trijicon's FAQ page:

The TA01, TA11, & TA31 (.223) were designed for the 5.56mm, 20 inch barrel, 55 grain bullet, and M16/AR15 carry handle mount. The TA01B & TA11C(.308) were designed for the 7.62mm, 20 inch barrel, 168 grain bullet, and M16/AR15 carry handle mount. The TA01NSN was designed specifically for the US Special Operations Command SOPMOD M4 Carbine. To meet their requirements, the reticle bullet drop compensator and range finding stadia lines were based on the trajectory of the 62 grain bullet from a 14.5 inch barrel, flattop mount (Picatinny rail Mil.Std.1913).
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ACOG, the reticle is easier to use and the optics are a little clearer in my opinion. The Elcan MGOs (machine gun optics) we use are big and clunky and not as quick as an ACOG, although they are a tad more rugged.

Jimro
 
Both are great, never used a ELCAN. The ELCANs are harder to get and find IIRC.
 
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ELCANs are cheaper, but rarer. I've also heard about point of impact changing when you adjust the magnification. I like the ACOG more.

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Acog glass is second to none out of the optics i've used to date. (USO, Zeiss, Leupold, aimpoint). It's pretty impressive how clear those little fixed 4x optics are. I didn't know the ELCAN was adjustable magnification. It also seems bulky for an AR.
 
I like the ACOG, but after shooting my buddy's SCAR 17 with the 1-4 Elcan, I gotta go with the Elcan. Good glass, love the reticle and you can't beat the versatility of switching between 1x and 4x.
 
Out of those two the ability to adjust from 1-4 for the ELCAN certainly is advantageous over the ACOG.

Technically you can beat the adjustable 1-4x. Leupold's CQBSS is a true 1-8x magnification. It's just damn near 4000$ :rolleyes:
 
I got to say I do love my ACOG, but at the end of the day it is just a very nice fixed 4x power scope. I got lucky and bougt mine brand new from a friends father in law for $500.00 I knew that if I didn't like it I could sell it on eBay and get my money back and then some.
 
Although I don't have an ACOG, I've always been intrigued with them but Palmetto summed it up nicely with at the end of the day, you have a very nice 4x scope. This is what has always kept me from getting one as I personally couldn't justify the expense.

I've handled an Elcan once and it was very nice with great glass. I didn't get to shoot the rifle with it on as I was taking pictures of it for a local gunshop so I can't comment on POI shift when adjusting the magnificaiton. One thing about it though, it's heavy and robust. I believe there was some concern with the ARMS mount not locking down tight to the rail but I thought Elcan was going to change that. Once again, a pretty steep price point and a little too top heavy for my liking.

Leupold has introduced a Mark 6 in a 1-6x with illuminated reticle this year at SHOT. If the real world price point is indeed around the $1500 mark, they're going to have a real winner on their hands. Of course, the G&A link has the Leupold rep saying $1950. I believe this is the one I'd give very strong consideration to. Here's a couple of links with vids on it.

http://militarytimes.com/blogs/gear...ark8-cqbss-check-out-the-leupold-mark-6-1-6x/

http://www.gunsandammo.com/2012/01/18/introducing-the-leupold-mark-6-1-6x20mm/
 
What targets are you planning on shooting at?

How often are you going to be shooting at 300+ yards?

Neither one of your choices are very good for close range or long range. The ACOG/Elcan is a compromise optic.

Can be used but not ideal.

If you are going to be shooting at mansized targets at 0-200 yards mostly, you will be better served with a RDS and learning hold overs for longer range.

If you are going to be shooting mostly at 200+, you will be better off with a higher magnification optic with something like Mildots and either learn holds or dialing elevation.

Also. What types of targets? Magnified optics work great for stationary targets. Moving/dodging targets can make things alot more iffy.

Take a conventional scope and set it for 4X and look at some of the targets that you are planning on using the rifle on. See if it will work before you plop the kind of money you are talking about on an ACOG/Elcan.
 
I've used the Elcan Specter DR quite a bit and the Acog TA 11f quite a bit more.

The Elcan was robust, clear, but quite bulky and heavy. I didn't like the 1x setting, because it required good eye alignment, just like a scope, so it wasn't quick like an EOTECH. The 4x was pretty nice, though. The reticules were pretty busy.

The TA11f is easier to use, clear, relatively lightweight, and has a simple reticule. The eye relief is longer than the 4x versions. I've been using this for the last 3 years or so.
 
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