So, I'm in the middle of an AR build-- rifle length, 20" threaded barrel. I plan to sight it in at 100 yards. I had heard so much about the vaunted ACOG by Trijicon that I started seriously looking into it. Then I saw the price tag-- :eek: YIKES! Those buggers cost MORE than the rifle itself!
So, I'm wondering if someone makes a less-expensive alternative, using similar principles, such as using a fiber optic coil to collect light, instead of using a battery. I'm probably looking at 3x-4x magnification. To be fair, I'm not going to get my hopes up-- I'm sure there's good reason a genuine ACOG costs so much (hopefully they aren't like Nike and charge double what it's worth simply because of the popularity of the brand), but if anybody has a recommendation, I'm all ears!
July 29th, 2012, 06:24 PM
animalmother85
Re: 3x-4x Illuminated AR scopes?
The ACOG is nice. I don't think it warrants the price tag, but then again, they sell them by the thousand to the DOD and other governments as well, so civilian sales are secondary.
You pay for what you get 9 times out of 10 with glass. Especially when it comes to glass that will be used hard. Having an optic that costs as much and sometimes more than the firearm it's sitting on is no rarity.
The Trijicon Accupoint is a nice compromise for an ACOG. It gathers light via fiber optics, is rather clear and I haven't broken mine yet. The downside is; It's Second Focal Plane, the adjustments are external, the reticle sucks and the internals are questionable, but since it's not a scope I adjust frequently, I guess that is negligible.
The SWFA is everything the Trijicon is and more; External Adjustments, brass internals, a readable reticle(the adjustments are in mils and the reticle reads in mils), First Focal Plane, Illuminated but requires a battery. It cost just as much (or maybe a little less) than the Trijicon and is just a superior optic.