ACOG reticles.. only tritium ?

Z

Zak Smith

New member
I am referring to the ACOG 4x and 3.5x. NOT the "Reflex" or "Reflex II".

Does anyone know the difference between the different reticles offered? In particular, I see the following models listed for 4x32:

TA01 - 4x32, M16/AR15
TA01B - .308 reticle
TA01C - with center illumination
TA31 - with BAC for M16/AR15
TA31A - triangle reticle

Also, listed for 3.5x35 is the "cheveron reticle".

The triangle one is self-explanatory.. :D, but does anyone know what the others look like?

Also, is the entire reticle dependent on the tritium, or is it also etched in black (such as a normal reticle in a Leupold, for example)? I don't want to buy something that just goes basically *blank* after 15 or 20 years.

FWIW, I am also considering a Leu 1.5-5x (with optional illumination) for the same role.

thanks
Zak
 
well in the ACOG I used, it had a red dot which was designed to be sighted in for 100m and a line decending from that with a cross for 200m and 300m. it was on a m16 variant so it might be the one for the m16/ar15 with BAC
 
I found a little information.

This Armalite brochure page has a picture of several of the reticles.

I now also believe the ACOG reticles will not disappear when the tritium is dead, based on the information that the non-fiber-optic models have visible reticles during the daytime.. makes sense anyway.

There are two major divisions of ACOGs:

1. the less expensive ones, without the fiber-optic lighting, no "BAC", with tritium. The reticles on these must be "dark" during the day since they use no external light. (???) These are around $650 from SWFA.

2. The more expensive ones, *with* the fiber-optic lighting, with tritium, with BAC - which, as far as I can tell, is merely a large, bright reticle pattern (donut, chevron, or triangle) for two-eye super-imposition-type aiming.

Anyway, I hope this helps people who have this same question in the future.

For flexibility, I guess I would prefer an optical sight which has:

1. variable power, up to 4 or 5, going down to 1 or 1.5. For close (< 25m) fast shots, I find that even 2.5X is a bit much. Shooting with both eyes open, when you focus on something in the magnified region, your brain automatically transitions to that perspective. I find that this has a tunnel-vision-like effect in that I lose some awareness of what is nearby.

1a. bullet-drop reticles available for ranges out to 5 or 600 meters, calibrated for common calibers and loads/barrel lengths (ie, my 18" FAL shoots surplus with a m.v. of 2500, not 2700).

2. a reticle that is good for the "red-dot" type use. The Trijicon triangle, and donut all seem to suit this well. Crosshairs, IMO, are not so good.

3. tritium-powered, but not useless when the tritium runs out.

While I wonder if the TA01's crosshair-type reticle would satisfy #2, the ACOGs in general fit these very well. Except #1. I can't imagine using a 3.5 or 4x for close/quick shots - the field of view is just too narrow. Yes, I understand variable power reduces durability.

While perhaps not as durable, a Leupold 1-4X or 1.5-5X with an appropriate reticle might work better.

-z
 
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