Rogue Elite

One of the most common issues I have seen with new Carbine students is their lack of knowledge about where their point of impact is at close ranges.   I spoke with a student who could shoot his M4 out to 600yds with his ACOG, but did not know where  his POI was at 50yds.    Just about every 5.56 gun is going to be capable of hitting a man size target at 600yds, but the Carbine is really meant for close quarters combat.    I’ve noticed a move away from magnification on many M4s because you really undermine your speed if you are relying on pin point accuracy from 100-600yds and don’t realize that you are completely missing a moving target that is 40yds away from  you because you can’t track it.

One thing I do not recommend for an M4 is magnification over 4x.    If you go hunting with your M4 and are fortunate enough to be able to do that in  your State, then go ahead and put a 3-9×40 scope on it, but that will be a hinderance in a combat situation under 100yds.   I still believe the best CQB combat optic is the Eotech, although I’d like to see a reticle that doesn’t fail when the batteries go dea.   The Leupold CQT is a nice optic, but the FOV is not as good at the Eotech rifle scopes.    I hear a lot of BS about people complaining about how the front posts on their rifles cover targets at close range, but I recommend that people keep a front post available.   There have been so many times that I have forgotten to flip up my rear sight and just used the Eotech glass as tool for getting a sight picture and just used the front sight post for targetting.    I did a test a  few years ago where I saw virtually zero change in accuracy between just used my Eotech and front sight post and using a flip up rear sight.

It seems that the M4 AR15 variant is hands down the most popular carbine in existance in the United States.   There are plenty of AK and European military style rifles out there, but the accessorized M4 is king.    When I first stepped into the high speed tactical carbine school, I was going there from previously owning only Kalashnikov variant rifles.   The biggest promotion I heard from all of those owning an AR15 was how accurate they were.   It is true that the M4 and AR15 family of rifles ARE the most accurate combat rifles, but that doesn’t make them the most effective.   Ever since the Iraq invasion, the notion of just sending in a group of guys with M4 Carbines or M16s without a 7.62 DMR is not common.   There was a lot of hype about the military digging up M14s and giving them this role, but now that several years have passed, the military has been working with newer models of 7.62 rifles to eventually fill that role.
Along with the return of pistol driven guns, the 5.56 is being put in its place and other caliber rifles are being deployed.  The 5.56 and 50 Caliber rifles are doing their jobs quite well, but is some environments the 50 caliber is an over kill and something in between 7.62 and 50 Cal was needed.   The 338 Lapua seems to be filling that role very well.   The combat optic has also been evolving due to the fact that engaging enemies from 100-600yds is not very common and many of these rifle scopes are too much magnification for close quarters combat.    Eotech has a mangnification scope that allows you to go from 3x to zero magnification with the slip of a switch.    Trijicon ACOGs are hands down the #1 combat rifle optic, but red dots and various color and configurations of reticles are being used.   Each has it’s given purpose and it’s up to the operator to determine which application is best for them.

Today I took my newest LWRC rifle to the range to break it in.   This is a combat rifle and I expect that it eventually get pretty beat up, but it’s always a  good idea to run through some firing drills before you rely on it.   Some of the biggest malfuntion problems I have seen on the firing line were with supposedely brand new out of the box rifles.   Sometimes there are bugs or issues that are easy to fix, but you really need to put some lead down range with your rifle or pistol before you rely on it.   I’ve mentioned before about a time when I saw a guy show up with a Beretta 92FS inox pistol and it jammed after every round.   The shooter was very frustrated because this was it’s first range trip.   Well, turns out that the pistol was bone dry and had absolutely zero lubrication on it and with one wipe down, the gun ran flawlessly.    The same should go for any firearm.   I strongly suggest cleaning guns every once in awhile, even if you haven’t shot them.    Lubrication can run off of guns or drain off, and I also highly recommend using a small level of grease on even pistols, especially if they may sit in a gun safe for long periods of time.

My LWRC defanitely runs on less lubrication that any direct impingement rifle, but I am going to use small amounts of Break Free CLP on it just to help reduce the amount of wear on the parts.   I have tested previous LWRC rifles out and they have all lived up to my expectations.   The product has been modified over the last 3yrs, but I’d have to say that they were big improvements, mostly on the bolt carrier and short stroke piston designs.   My favorite configuration is the shorter version that is close the militaries version of the M4 Carbine.   The M4 Carbine is the fastest CQB rifle, but it is possible to inhibit the speed of the rifle by putting too much optic on the rifle.   The rifle is meant for close range fighting and anything more than 4X is too much.   The lethality and ballistics of the M4 make it a very good close range fighting rifle, but even though the rifle is accurate out to 600yds, it is a very week round at those distances.   You may be better off with a longer barrel AR15 variant and mounting 4-10X rifle scopes if you aren’t looking for a close range fighting rifle.   I am starting to see a trend away from magnification on the M4 and even many of the Trijicon ACOGS are now mounting red dots because we know that even 3-4x magnifications will slow you down at pistol range distances.

Optics have multiple purposes.  They can be used for Astronomy, Scouting, birdwatching, target shooting, hunting and military purposes.   With the emergency of combat optics for close quarter combat, scopes used on rifles have gotten smaller, more compact and sometimes have zero magnification.   The point is to give you a good sight pictures and a reticle that is easy to follow.

Many combat optics like Trijicon and Eotech are 4X or less.   DMR or Designated Marksmen are using optics made from Trijicon, Zeiss and Leupold that are combat worth but higher magnification since shooting 300-600 meters is becoming the norm in places like Iraq and Afghanistan.  Rifle Scopes are no longer made with the standard crosshair reticles and may even come in range finding or illuminated reticles.

It is true that there is very little difference in application between a military optic and a hunting optic.   The really difference should really be in durability.   There are plenty of good quality hunting optics that will hold up to being dropped every once in awhile, but it has an awful lot to do with the mounts that are on the scope.   Many military rifle scopes attach to the rail of an A3 mount and there is very little to do other than adjust windage and elevation.   It took me a long time to be able to mount cylinder rifle scope properly because you’ll find out really fast if your scope in incorrectly mounted when making elevation or windage adjustments at long distances.   The first sign of an improperly mounted rifle scope is noticing that your point of impact is changing on a diagonal line.   The trick I learned was to make sure you are on a flat surface in the first place and then set your horizontal reticle lines to match a flat object in your home.   I’ve setup optics on firing lines and found out that even though the target looked like it was level with me, the table I was shooting from was actually slanted.

Another issue you may run into when using hunting style optics on a military style rifle is this.   What are you going to do if the optic fails or breaks?   Are you going to need to u se a screw driver to remove it or can you detach it quickly?   Quick detach optics and accessories can become very important if you have a failure of some sort.   For instance, I’ve seen plenty of incidences where soldiers in Iraq took bullets in their optics but the rifles still worked.   Always have backup irons on an M4 is a good idea.  Not only can batteries on something like a Eotech gun sight go down, but sometimes that can actually get broken from being slammed around or from fragmentation.   The Mini 14 ranch rifle is a very manueverable Carbine.   Even though the Eotech optic is primarily for military purposes, I’ve found the Eotech to work very well on a Mini 14 Ranch rifle.    The MOA dot works well with a gun that can shoot MOA as long as the rifle barrel has not heated up, which normally occurs after the 3rd shot, but from a hunting standpoint, I rarely know anyone that takes 3 shots on any hunting trip.

There is a point where people have to learn to realize that there are a great many firearms manufacturers out there that are making suberb firearms.    I’ve heard people claim that a certain firearm was superior in reliability over another.   Well, that is true to some degree, but I’d have to say there are some firearms that are in the top tier category and the durability and reliablity differences may vary in extreme circumstances.   Take a Glock 17 and put it up against a Sig 226 and you’ll see what I mean.   I’m sure the Glock will reguire less lubrication, but there won’t be much difference in 98% of circumstances.

Those of us old enough to remember when people told us that putting Glass on a battle rifle was not a good idea because they were brutal to optics and most scopes wouldn’t hold up are now old news.   Rifle scope have come a long way just as firearms have.   I’ve seen optics come back from Iraq that had bullet holes in them and they were still sighted in.   The differences between Leupold rifle scopes, Zeiss rifle scopes and Trijicon rifles scopes tends to really be about preference.    They all have moderate to expensively priced optics and the glass on them is superior to anything that was out 20yrs ago.   With a good pair of scope rings, these optics will work reliable in just about any hunting or military application.   I’ve seen all of the above mention optics on M14 rifles in Iraq.

There is no need to trash people that are using inferior optics.   Somtimes a $100 scope that holds zero is all that is needed and long range shooting isn’t a reality.   Plenty of people get there kicks out of inexpensive optics and aren’t concerned about how bright their optics are or if they’ll hold up to thousands of rounds.   Most optics that cost $200-$300 are probable all you need for most hunting, plinking purposes and some manufacturers make some great optics in that price range.   There are levels of gear though and there is a certain point that you have to realize that your gear isn’t up to par.
When do we need to upgrade our gear?   Serious shooters usually go there from trial and error and there is plenty of info on the internet about which optics are better than others.   Most of the info you hear about might need to go through a BS meter to determine if people are full of it, but the real test of what holds up is pretty much a proveable fact and the evidence is out there.   Nikon, Trijicon, Leupold and Zeiss are  a few of the manufacturers that will come up whenever you get a Top 5 long Tactical Rifle Scopes level optics.   Keep in mind that optic durability and holding zero also depends on what type of rings you are using and you can easily void a scopes durability out with 2nd rate scope rings.

We’ve all seen the massive accessorizing of firearms in recent years.   Firearms likes SKS rifle and Mini 14s are not immune to the firearm attachements and modifications that have run rampant in the AR15 community.   In my opinion, there are a lot of firearm owners out there that had their Legos taken away from them and they brought that mindset into gun accessorizing and tactical gear stockpiling.    That’s about as harsh as I can be about why people do what they do to their firearms, but some of it is for hobbie reasons, some for practical reasons, and some because people have the obsessive compulsive behavior of needing to spend money.

There area a lot of good upgrades one can do to a firearm, a fighting rifle should be customized to fit an operator.  Advanced Technology makes some quick and easy upgrades for your shotgun or carbine that can give you better grip or balance.  Shotgun shell holders on the buttstock or riding side saddle is a practical tactical upgrade you can do on your remington 870.  The fiberforce stock for the MAK90 is a way to legally get around some firearm bans and are a big step up compared to the stupid thumbhole stocks.    Attach a rifle sling that fits yoru purpose from Blue Force Gear, they come in 1 point, 2 point and 3 point attachements. Minor firearm modifications make need to be done to attache rifle slings, but do some research on various rifle sling configurations to see what works for you.

Like many novice shooters, we start out with whatever we can get our hands on.  There are a lot of cheap optics on the market that all fall in the under $100 market that may work fine for somebody just looking to plink or use for hunting once a year, but I’ve put enough lead downrange to know that serious shooters don’t want to be sitting on a firine line watching a reticle spin when they are trying to sight in.  Some gun owners will get those gun show specials only to find out that all of those cheap optics they bought won’t last a lifetime.Durability is only one part of the selection.  Hunting early in the morning or late in the afternoon can be a challege especially for those not equipment with quality optics.

The Xtended Twilight Lens System™ optimizes the transmission of low-light wavelengths, so you see the details of low-light scenes in greater, brighter detail than with any other riflescope availableLow-profile SpeeDial™ adjustments smoothly slide up and open for adjustment.The finger-adjustable ¼-MOA click adjustments are easy to zero.A more generous eyebox than you’ll find even in premium European optics.Blackened lens edges reduce light diffusion, so more usable light reaches the shooter’s eye, for a brighter image with higher resolution.If you want to know what I mean, next time you have the ability to compare various optics side to side, set the magnification on each to maximum and compare the brightness of each.  In most quality gun shops you’ll find a selection of Leupold Scopes and I challege you to list the manufacturers that are equal or better.

Leupold Mark 4 riflescopes are built to a higher standard. In fact, we build them like our lives depend on them, because we know yours will. Incredible accuracy. Impeccable optical quality. Outstanding ruggedness and absolute waterproof integrity. Leupold Mark 4 riflescopes excel in even the worst conditions, including the rigors of competition and hunting.

The fast target acquisition and illuminated reticle of a red dot sight. The utility of a 1x to 3x riflescope. And the ability to function with or without batteries. There is literally no other optical sight like the Leupold® Mark 4® CQ/T®.  Eleven reticle illumination settings to match any light conditions.Common AA batteries power the CQ/T for more than 600 hours at medium setting.The true 1x setting allows you to shoot with both eyes for fast target acquisition and reactive shooting. 2x or 3x settings give you the power to accurately engage targets at medium ranges.