Rogue Elite

Rifle scopes  and gun optics have gotten easier to use in some regards, but the diversity of the reticles from various manufacturers is something that is starting to give me a headache.   Things were much simpler when it was about a thin crosshair a duplex, European reticle with a pole, illuminated reticle, dot or Eotech gun sight.   Its far more complicated now, but somebody finally realized that not all rifles are designed for the same thing.   When ACOGS started getting a lot of notice and showing up on a firing range I was in awe, but then I realized that the eye relief on them was a limiting factor in close range fighting and you really might want to keep those iron sights on the gun just incase.

I really don’t like deviating from thin crosshairs on a rifle scope because I’ve already seen one too many time that many reticles can obscure your target and what is the point of not being able to see an enemies head pop out behind a tree at 200yds  because your red dot is blocking the entire target.   If you get a CQB optic you may be limiting your rifle scopes ability to see further out and now you’ve got a problem with medium to longer range targets.   The TA01NSN will always be my favorite Trijicon ACOG just because you can quickly transition from glass to iron sights with very little movement.  Mechanical devices like the Eotech magnifier are nice but that is one more thing that can break or come loose on your gun when a simpler approach might be a better option.

We’ve heard time and time again from our friends and customers that are serving in the military that the Eotech gun sights are the fastest combat sights around.  I recently got to check out some of the optics coming from Trijicon and they are really making some nice 1x magnification gun sights also.   It’s been over 2 decades that the ACOGS have been around, but it seems that just about everyone and their dog has them on an AR15 and in many cases, the Trijicon ACOG is a bit of an over kill depending on the gun sights that you are using.   We got a first hand account today about a guy using a Trijicon gun sight in a police call that identified an individual that was thought to have been holding a gun.  Someone with a standard Eotech gun sight could not identify an object in his hand and there was a call to shoot.

The only real drawback to the Eotech gun sights besides magnification are the batteries they are using.  Some people have issues with the CR123 Eotech sights, and mostly want the AA battery versions.   At some point someone from Eotech is going to have to come out with a non battery illuminated version of the sight because given the trends and technological advancements I have seen in the last decade, anything that is battery powered now is going to be obsolete in the near future.   Flashlights are going to get better when it comes to being rechargeable and holding power and gun sights should be self illuminated or controlled without battery power.

The newer Eotech gun sights are all being made with the power buttons on the left side and not in the back.  If you have the older models, you’ll probable have some issues like I did with the Eotech Magnifiers.   I had to leave a bit of a gap between mine just so I would be able to get  my hands in between them to turn it off and on.  The way my present M4 Carbine setup is, I can still use the older models, but It should does make it easier to just use your left hand them (if you are right handed) to turn the power up and down.   The magnifiers really make a difference, but its one of those never ending responses  I get about “Couldn’t I just have got an ACOG for that price?”

Sure you could, but you’ll have a lot of trouble using a Trijicon ACOG in short ranges.   If you look at the ranges most engagements take place in, there is almost no need for magnification.   A few friends of mine that were in Iraq said the Trijicon ACOGS they had came in real handy to spot wires from roadside bombs.   The Eotech sights you the widest field of view of any optic I know of and that makes rapid engagements of multiple targets very easy and fast.  Getting the first hits in is more important that how tight your groups were.

I have been using one of these on my LWRC M6A2 for several months now.  It’s taken me awhile to get to where I am at with using it, but it was a learning experience.   When I first looked at these I was trying to decide if I should get an Eotech magnifier or the Mako magnifier.   I figured I would start out with the higher end and work my way down.  The first thing that hit me was the cost of the Eotech 556 I have and the Magnifier were the same as some of the Trijicon rifle scopes that I have been looking at.

I’ve learned to keep my guns in a configuration that they are meant to be in, and M4 carbine is meant for close up fighting so why turn it into a long range shooting weapon.   Eotech gun sights are my favorite for close fighting but there are major drawbacks to using them at medium ranges and in low light environments.   The magnifier gives you that medium range visibility and  helps ID targets and become more effective at hitting targets. with the flip to side mount, it takes a second to go back to close range shooting.  Definitely worth it in my book.