All posts tagged Trijicon TA26SR-10

Should you skip steps when teaching people about defensive shooting ?

Ok, yeah, from a scenario stand point there are always variables which can change things, but there are some steps that you should put all of your efforts into transmitting to a new student before  you can take a step back and have confidence they can stand on their own.   First, safe gun handling skills are important, but there are some things that should be taught immediately after that.   I have in several situations had people call me up and ask me where to get a firearm because they were under serious security risks and they had almost zero firearm handing experience.

There is always a balance that needs to be met with each new shooter.  Some people progress faster than others but you really have to watch you don’t skip steps.  Mounting high optics like the Trijicon rifle scopes, namely the ACOGS on a gun may make a novice shooter more proficient but what about close up engagements? Do they know that those crosshairs are going to be several inches above the point of impact if someone was 10ft in front of them?  What would the ramifications of missing by 2 inches ? I can think of scenarios where they could end badly.

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Color variations as important as camo?

Well, yeah, and that’s one reason i’ve always had a problem with some of the Trijicon ACOGS because they are marketed as combat optics but they make you stand out like a sore thumb in certain environments.  The TA01 is probable what many people consider to be the standard ACOG but many like the idea of having illuminated reticles in day light and there is a major trade off.  If I am deployed in a combat zone,  I want the kill flash and TA01NSN because I don’t want some giant neon strand telling a sniper where my head might be.

If you look closely at what many of our troops are using in Iraq and Afghanistan you will notice that they area very much aware of this.  Many use a rag of some sort oer the optics to limit the visibility.  Its funny that even Trijicon AGOGS as advanced as they are still can still be a liability in combat for the same reason any scope can.   Counter sniping teaches that we can locate any sniper that is in a certain line of sight from us just by the reflection off of his optics.  Even night vision can pick up scope optics at long ranges.  There are always trade offs with firearms and gear.

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Accessories to rifle scopes for hunting or military applications

Anyone that has been at a firing range and done long range shooting is probable aware of the issue of scope glare.   For those that want to understand the sniper/counter sniper training, one of the first things you are going to learn is how to conceal your weapon in and environment.  The achilles heal of a sniper can sometimes be the optics that he needs to bring with him.  Scope glare is what ends a snipers life and in most situations, there is always the potential that a rifle scope will give off some level of glare.   Trijicon was aware of this when they were deploying the ACOGS in the MiddleEast and the flash kill is a must for those doing street work.  For police work or certain environments the high visibility of the Trijicon Fiber Optics cable can also have it’s unwanted attention, and some actually cover there so they are only partially exposed.

I have scope covers on all of my optics because I’ve put guns away in gun safes and had things fall on them where if they did not have covers,  I might be out several hundred if not thousands of dollars.   Trijicon Rifle Scopes are for military or hunting applications.   The Trijicon Accupoint gives you a unique reticle that is highly visible, but most of this is about preference. Trijicon reticles can vary dramatically depending on what the optics intended mission is.   There are traditional long range shooting optics with Mil-dots and are also heavily used for designated marksmen as well as sniper roles

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Mounting optics on a battle rifle.

I remember hearing the phrase “don’t put glass on a battle rifle” because it was pretty common in the 1990’s to not have 308 optics that held up to what the FAL and G3 rifles were doing to them.   Many of the battle rifles that were designed in the 1950s and later did not have optics meant for them.  Optics never caught up to combat durability until probable the ACOG  came out.    Even after that the ability to properly mount something like that on an FAL or a G3 style rifle was very difficult.

DSArms still makes the best FAL in my opinion and I own several of them but I have had some issues with the mounts they sell.  After about 3000rds i had a mount come loose and it’s caused me to second guess the design.  The one thing I really like about Trijicon Rifle Scopes especially the Trijicon ACOG is that they can be much easier to mount.   The Trijicon ACOG has a mount that can be screwed on and there is no worry about the reticle turning on you.  Everything will be level right from the get go.  Loctite still has to go on everything that screwd in, but it’s nice to not have to worry about that one thing.

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Illuminated reticles and night sights

There is much to debate when it comes to low light fighting because as all debates, one change in the situation can alter the entire argument.   Recently I did some not so technical comparisons between some of the Trijicon ACOGS we had in the store and tested them out late at night.  I went from being in a well lit room to walking out into the night and see how the reticles looked.   One thing I did not like about the Trijicon ACOGS at first was going from bright sunny, well light reticle illumination to a dark room with a TA26SG-10.   I was not happy about the 90% change in illumination and for an instant I could not see the reticle when entering a room.

That is one argument I still use when boasting about my Eotech selection of combat sights.  The changes in illumination from the Trijicon Rifle Scopes that are meant for combat is something that you need to train for.   I also tested out the Trijicon TA01NSN to see how that worked in low light.   Once again I went from a well lit room with those nice dark black reticles to nighttime and the center most reticles began to glow.   What I did not like about this optic and reticle configuration was that even in low light, there is still light and the glowing reticle was not easy to see against street lights.   Another issue for reticles that have varying contrasts in different lighting.   If there was a way to regulate the changes in lighting that might make the Trijicon ACOG an even better optic.   Consistent lighting from an optic can mean something.  I am starting to like the Trijicon TA31F-G.

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Know the color of your target and background

Recently I got into bow hunting and some of the bows they have out now are setup just like rifles are.   The optics are as fancy as the stuff that Trijicon has out and I got a good crash course on green vs red reticles.   Illumination is something that can bother me.   I still have pretty good eyesight for my age and I really don’t like it when I have reticles that obscure my target or cause fuzz and  haze.   Many of the red dot optics just piss me off if I have to use them past 100yds.  I do like my Eotech optics but am still looking for those skinny reticles.
The Trijicon TA01NSN is my favorite Trijicon ACOG and it is because it has nice skinny black lines and backup iron sights.   The TA01 is the even simpliar version of the ACOG.   These Trijicon Rifle Scopes have illumination when it is dark out but the bad thing about them is those nice thin black lines get lost on black clothing targets.   How many bad guys wear black over in Iraq and Afghanistan?  The vast majority of them.  Not only can a red dot obscure your target your black lines will fade on a target too.   A little bit of color contrast is a good thing for hunting and defense.

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Trijicon TA26S vs the Eotech design

There have been several changes with the Eotech combat optics, but the biggest one is the position of the on and off buttons.   Now they are all being made on the left side because we now know that an M4 Carbines rail system can get pretty crammed up with sights and gear and the best place for the optics was not in the back, but on the side.   When Eotech started to realize that just a little bit of extra magnification was a big deal for a combat soldier, they released the Eotech Magnifiers for slightly over 3x.   This helped soldiers spot wires or identify weapons on and individual even if it only meant getting a better view from 75 or less yards.  And that’s what 3x optics does.

Trijicon is well know for their 3x and 4 power combat optics, and  you can’t beat the ACOG for it’s combat worthyness, but it still is not a close quarters combat optic.   The Trijicon ACOGS are highly visible and if you put Irons on them like the Trijicon TA01nsn, your going to have you head mounted high on the optic, the same goes for any dot sighting system like the TA31ecos-g.    Those are fancy combat optics, but try fighting out a window and you’ll be wishing for something smaller and compact.   The Trijicon TA26SG-10 is has a shorter housing and is lighter and gives you a lighter Carbine in the end.   The Trijicon TA26SR-10 is the same thing with a red reticle.

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