AR Magnified Optics? Help!

[Justin727]

Good evening fellow INGOers. I am looking for optic suggestions for my recently finished 14.5" AR build. I am in the middle of a 10.5" SBR build that I plan to put an Aimpoint T-1 on. That being said I was thinking that a magnified optic might be appropriate for this build as my plan is to have these two ARs for a long while and nothing else as far as ARs go.

I would like to set this rifle up with a primary optic that is magnified and a set of back up sights, possibly 45 deg mounted. I am pretty well versed in the red dot world but no nothing about magnified optics. What do you suggest?

 

[KJW]

I had an Aimpoint H1 on my AR for a long time, but recently switched it to my AK. Then I got to shoot a friend's AR with a 3.5x ACOG. Oh my, it was sweet. It was only a short time later that I bought a 4x ACOG with the ACSS reticle. That reticle is awesome. If you're not familiar with it I suggest a google search. The ACOG is less than 10 oz, amazingly light for a magnified optic. The only, minor, downside to the 4x ACOG is the 1.5' eye relief (the 3.5x has 2.4" if memory serves me, but the ACSS reticle isn't available with that magnification). If you want BUIS then they would have to be on a 45 degree mount. I know the majority opinion is to have BUIS, but there are knowledgeable folks (Billy Birdzell) who say you don't need them. ACOG's and Aimpoints have survived serious torture tests and even IEDs.

 

[Justin727]

I am relatively familiar with ACOGs but don't have much trigger time behind one. I'll have to see if anyone I know in my area has one that I can take to the range.

 

[maverick18]

I know that when my AR is complete, it will have a Vortex PST 1-4 on it, no questions. On 1x it acts like a red dot for both eyes open shooting, crank up the magnification and use the reticle. Best of both worlds in my opinion.

 

[rvb]

What do you suggest?

better define how you plan to use it. figure out what magnification you will need for that purpose. then figure out what features you will need based on your use (variable power? illuminated reticle? ffp/sfp? mil-dot or ballistic reticle? true 1x? etc). then look at budget and see what fits, incl mounting requirements/costs.

just saying "recommend a scope" is going to get you recommendations that cost everywhere from $300-$3000, power recommendations all over the place, etc. I know the when I first got into glass I felt the learning curve was a bit steep. Even if you can't say what you want technically in the scope, you could at least say how you plan to use it (slowfire for groups from a bench? hunting? defense?), distances you'll be shooting at, etc...

-rvb

 

[cedartop]

I know that when my AR is complete, it will have a Vortex PST 1-4 on it, no questions. On 1x it acts like a red dot for both eyes open shooting, crank up the magnification and use the reticle. Best of both worlds in my opinion.

I have that scope on one of my AR's. It is nice, but for me it does not act just like a red dot. Again, for me, it is nowhere near as fast. Part of that is the fact that the reticle is not daylight bright. The other part is familiarity and practice. I don't think it is the best of both worlds but a good compromise, if you need one.

 

[seedubs1]

Need to know:

Budget - A good basic scope can be as cheap as a couple hundred. A good scope can also be as expensive as a couple grand.
Magnification - Are you looking for a 1-4x, 1-7 or 8x, a 4-16x, etc...
Reticle - Are you wanting a BDC, Mil-hash, MOA based, etc...
Focal Plane - Do you need FFP? Are you OK with SFP?
Ilumination - Do you need/want it?
Turrets - What do you want/need? Will you be dialing or holding over? Do you want capped or open tactical turrets?

Without that information, any suggestion is just pissing into the wind in the dark.

 

[Justin727]

Need to know:

Budget - A good basic scope can be as cheap as a couple hundred. A good scope can also be as expensive as a couple grand. -$600 would be great.
Magnification - Are you looking for a 1-4x, 1-7 or 8x, a 4-16x, etc...I know I want a 1-? something that is close to a red dot feel when it is in the "1" setting.
Reticle - Are you wanting a BDC, Mil-hash, MOA based, etc...
Focal Plane - Do you need FFP? Are you OK with SFP?
Ilumination - Do you need/want it?
Turrets - What do you want/need? Will you be dialing or holding over? Do you want capped or open tactical turrets?

Without that information, any suggestion is just pissing into the wind in the dark.

The rest of your questions are a foreign language to me.

 

[seedubs1]

For about $650, you can get into a Trijicon Accupower 1-4 or Sightron S-Tac 1-7 if you shop around and get a good deal. Those would be what I'd spend that amount of money on.

Check out the different reticles and features available on a bunch of different scopes, and figure out what you think is going to work well for what you want it for.

FFP - If you're using a MOA or Mil based reticle, it is the same regardless of power. So you can use it to range and hold over exactly the same regardless of what power setting you have it on. Typically, this will also jack up the price of the scope. For the lower power scopes, personally, I don't see the need. If I'm wanting to range/hold over, I just jack the power up to the maximum, and range/hold over. If I'm shooting close on 1x, it's normally fast enough I'm not using the reticle in the same way. So SFP works well IMHO for these low 1-?x scopes. Also, with SFP scopes, the reticle is always the same size and won't get too small to use at lower powers. Since you're wanting to use it like a RDS on 1x power, I'd personally go with SFP so the reticle is still pretty big and usable.

Reticle - Bullet drop compensator type if you just want a couple hash marks around where you would aim for 100 yards, 200 yards, 300 yards, etc... but you'll need to figure out exactly what yardage matches the hash marks with your load/rifle. MOA or mil hash type reticles for estimating range, hold over, etc... Just depends what you want your reticle to do.

Turrets - Are you wanting to set the scope to zero and forget it? If so, get capped turrets so you can't ever bump the turrets off zero. If you are going to be dialing up, down, left, and right to adjust for bullet drop and wind, you may want to think about exposed turrets that are big and easy to grab and adjust on the fly. Tactical type exposed turrets are normally fairly stiff and tough to knock off of your setting, however, you'll still have to be mindful about bumping them off zero unintentionally if you're bumping your rifle around and being rough with it.

Hope that helps.

The rest of your questions are a foreign language to me.

 

[Indiana lineman]

Justin, Any updates?

 

[Bfish]

Hit up some of the optics guys on the forum... They can certainly help you out! I've got a vortex pst 1x4 with tac turrets on one of my rifles, and I love it for hunting and things.

 

[Indiana lineman]

Hit up some of the optics guys on the forum... They can certainly help you out! I've got a vortex pst 1x4 with tac turrets on one of my rifles, and I love it for hunting and things.

Thanks. I don't mean to hijack anothers thread. Just wondering how the search was going.

As for mine, I don't see me using it for self defense in the home. Just thinking that the dot without a magnifier would be to limiting. My pursuit for info. continues.

 

[tbhausen]

I saved/sold stuff to get a Vortex Razor HD Gen II 1-6x from Alan at A&A Optics for my 18" Tavor. If size, weight and cost aren't deal-breakers, it's hard for me to imagine a better optic for my "all around" single-rifle usage case. I got the JM-1 reticle; BDC at 0-200, 300, 400, 500, and 600yds with heavier bullets (and "close enough" with 55-grain and below) and a crisp red dot that will fry a hole in your retina even on a sunny day. I'm not kidding, one look through this scope will spoil you for anything else. It's magnificent, and it's a wire (etched?) reticle so QD mount and BUIS are optional. I've been waiting for the right mount for my Tavor for months and it finally arrived yesterday--Burris Signature XTR 30mm, 1.5" tall rings. I'll be doing a review on this setup.

Edit: Scroll to 3:05 to see what I mean... This is exactly what it looks like to sight through this optic. The body virtually disappears. It's totally awesome:

[video=youtube;_03aQ_wr2Uk]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_03aQ_wr2Uk[/video]

 

[tmater]

I have a Bushnell AR 1-4 FFP mil-mil , with illuminated reticle that I really like for 200 bucks on sale. Try one

 

[1donos]

I have a vortex spitfire 3x on my 300 blackout pistol. It is a very nice optic for the money. I also have a vortex sparc 2 with the vortex 3x magnifier on an AR 9 pistol if you are looking for a red dot option.

 

[Bfish]

Thanks. I don't mean to hijack anothers thread. Just wondering how the search was going.

As for mine, I don't see me using it for self defense in the home. Just thinking that the dot without a magnifier would be to limiting. My pursuit for info. continues.

Sorry I just saw this... If you are still looking for info I'd say pm me but you don't have 50 yet and I don't think you can. You can also hit up Alan over the phone at AA optics and he will send you in the right direction.

That being said if you see this what kind of rifle are you looking to put it on? And what are you wanting to do with it? One rifle or optic "can't do it all." That's the most important thing to remember!

 

[seedubs1]

Here's Bushnell's response to my question about this scope:

Question:
"Could you also please let me know if any plastic parts are utilized in the scope (turret components, erector components, etc...)? Thank you for your help"

Answer:
"[FONT=&quot]Plastic is used throughout the scope."[/FONT]

Thanks, but I'll pass. That's not something I'm going to put on one of my rifles.

I have a Bushnell AR 1-4 FFP mil-mil , with illuminated reticle that I really like for 200 bucks on sale. Try one

 

[tbhausen]

Like most anything, you get what you pay for. Granted, I paid way too much, but an 18" Tavor with that Razor HD 1-6x is pretty darn versatile. I can't think of much it wouldn't do well from indoors up close out to the practical range of its ammo (if the shooter does his or her part). The good stuff hurts until it's paid for, then it's all smiles.

 

[Indiana lineman]

Sorry I just saw this... If you are still looking for info I'd say pm me but you don't have 50 yet and I don't think you can. You can also hit up Alan over the phone at AA optics and he will send you in the right direction.

That being said if you see this what kind of rifle are you looking to put it on? And what are you wanting to do with it? One rifle or optic "can't do it all." That's the most important thing to remember!

I'm looking to outfit my LWRC in 5.56. I'd like to be able to use it more for range than close up. That was a good video too. Also wondering what kind of options exist for going American made.

Good observation on my post count. I found that out myself not long ago that I needed to make more posts.

 

[DriverAndrew]

I just went through this research for myself, I wanted something in the $250 to $400 range. Narrowed it down to Leupold Mark AR 4-12, Primary Arms FFP (2 or 4 different options there), and SWFA SS. Believe me, You should at least familiarize yourself with those brands and options before making a final decision. Youtube is your friend for research. Ultimately, I went with an SWFA SS 10x42 fixed power, because I got a GREAT deal and it has a superb warranty, like Leupold. I may yet buy a PA FFP ACSS HUD to see what it's like and to compare.