Carbine Optics Poll

[LockedBreech]

A lot of the patrol guys here use the Vortex Spitfire (not Strikefire). I like what I have seen of it and the Sparc 2. Are those not considered good optics? The Vortex AMG-UD or something like that looks interesting.

My only optic right now is a basic Sig ROMEO (rebranded Holosun) I snagged off a buddy new for $100, and that's not for duty or hard use, it's for casual plinking.

I have yet to buy a proper 500-800 option because I have bad eyesight and Aimpoint, the seeming leader in this department, has only red dots as far as I know. I tend to do better with a circle-dot or a holographic style.

I am also curious why the Trij MRO is not good. Isn't Trij usually pretty solid?

[Malamute]

Do rifles count? I prefer the 20" rifles. The majority of AR shooting Ive done in the past 15 or so years has been rifles, and at 300-600 yards. An older Redfield 2-7 has been used the most, and while not super precise, was adequate for steel plates and rock plinking out to around 900 yards.

An older Leatherwood ART 3-9 scope based on a Weaver and using the external cam for ranging was workable on an older SP1 for prairie dogs at 300 yards and plinking to 600+. The auto-ranging was nice and fun to work with.

If it were in my budget, Id use a Leupold 2-7 on a rifle or 1-4 on a carbine at this point.

[NH Shooter]

Do rifles count?

Scopes for rifles.

RDS for carbines and SBRs.

Irons for anything.

[littlejerry]

Use case matters.

I'm a hobbyist and my sport of choice is biathlon/run and guns. I rarely shoot my rifle closer than 25 yards, but frequently play at 200-600 yards, and occasionally stretch a tiny bit farther out to 800.

No doubt red dots are fast inside of 100 yards, but I hate using them to try and shoot small things at distance. My current do-it-all setup is an NXS 2.5-10 with a piggyback micro red dot. It's by no means light, but I've also run a few 15 mile races with it on my back and didn't mind it much. If I was inclined to drop weight I'd look at my barrel first since it's a straight profile "medium" weight contour.

I typically use the MRDS 50 yards and in. Past 100 I typically use the NXS which lives at 2.5x unless I need more mag for long shots or small targets. Between 50 and 100 I'll use whichever optic I see first, which I guess sounds strange, but depending on the position I'm in sometimes one presents more naturally than the other.

[StraitR]

Aging eyes = LPV. Yup, it's heavier, but as they (old guys) say, getting old ain't for pu$&ies.

[KeeFus]

I own 2 Aimpoints; a PRO and a Comp M5. Both are great optics...my only gripe is that the PRO uses the 1/3N battery. I am still running the same AAA I originally put in the Comp M5 a year ago. I’m particularly impressed with the Comp M5.

Two of our guys have come in with a MRO. I played around with one of them and didn’t like the barely noticeable windage and elevation clicks when zeroing. It seemed like it was just too easy to turn and not enough resistance to keep them from turning on their own. Both MROs have been replaced with Aimpoints.

[HCM]

Non-starter. Folks running the MRO automatically disqualify themselves as valuable feedback.









Kidding (kind of).

FYI - I was an MRO hater when the first came out - too much blue tint and fisheye. recently at about serial number 89,000 Trijicon made an in-line change which really constitutes a “gen2” - short version the tint has been greatly reduced and the magnification has been reduced from about 1.3x to 1.1 greatly reducing the fish eye.

They are worth a second look if the price is right.

[ASH556]

FYI - I was an MRO hater when the first came out - too much blue tint and fisheye. recently at about serial number 89,000 Trijicon made an in-line change which really constitutes a “gen2” - short version the tint has been greatly reduced and the magnification has been reduced from about 1.3x to 1.1 greatly reducing the fish eye.

They are worth a second look if the price is right.

Really good info. I did not know that. Thanks for sharing!

[HCM]

I am issued an Aimpoint H-1 with the factory LRP Mount. They work. The H-1’s have been significantly more durable and reliable than the EoTech 552’s they replaced.

I work with another agency which issues H-2’s and Romeo 4M’s. The H-2 has less tint and has a clearer, crisper dot for my eyes. I was impressed enough to buy an H-2 for my own use.

The SIG Romeo 4M has now been discontinued but it was basically a higher end / better QC Holosun parts kit assembled in the USA. Other than a few bad screws on some of the factory mounts the Romeo 4M’s have been great. No issues on over a year of field use.

The Rome4M is also clearer and has a crisper dot for me then the T1/H1, however, the best part of the Romeo 4M is the reticle can be switched to an improved EoTech style circle dot reticle. I say improved because one negative to the EoTech reticle was the circle and the 1moa dot were the same intensity so when you upped the intensity in bright conditions the dot would wash out. The center dot of the 4M reticle is brighter than the 65moa circle eliminating the issue and making a good reticle better.

I like this circle dot enough that I bought a new -old stock 4M off Arfcom. I also recently, picked up a Holosun “military model” which seems to be very similar to, if not the same as the 4M. I’m thinking about putting the military model on my Beretta 1301 via a CROM Mount just to see how it holds up.

SIGs optics people are mostly former Leupold employees and the Romeos use “Leupold-like” motion sensor tech to extend the battery life. There have been no issues I’m aware of with the 4M’s and I’ve had no issues with two of the cheaper ($100 ish) Romeo 5’s. The Romeo 5 has more tint and the dot is not quite as crisp as a T1/H1 but for the price I’ve been very impressed with them.

I have a couple ACOG’s. They have great glass but they are a fixed mag optic and more significantly they don’t have a diopter adjustment. This is ok if your user base is young soldiers and marines with good eyes. For me the diopter / focus adjustment is pushing me towards LPV vs the ACOG.

[SamueL]

Aimpoint T1 on the patrol SBR and Aimpoint H1 on the "backup" patrol rifle.

When we were originally authorized to use red dots, our policy limited us to Aimpoint Comp2-4 and Micros, EOTech holographic, and Trijicon reflex. At the time, I already had the Micros. The department has since broadened the list of approved optics to include the Aimpoint PRO, numerous cheaper RDS options, and four questionable LPVs that were already discontinued when the list was finally published.

Maximum magnification is 4x across the board. I messed with an Aimpoint 3x but unmagnified works for me. I keep the magnifier in my patrol bag just in case.

I have thought about updating to the T2 and H2, respectively, but really can't justify the cost even with my astigmatism.

Department rifles are equipped with our old Aimpoint Comp3s and new PROs.