Re: Which ACOG?
<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Santo</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Regardless of the reason he wants an ACOG anyone in the sand box should get what he wants. Who are we to judge? There are no front lines over there so if he wants an ACOG we owe it to him to give him our best advice. Rant over!! </div></div>
There are certainly "front lines" (perhaps not defined lines like in Korea and before, but any trigger puller will tell you... front lines do exist, just not in the context everyone thinks)- I've got SEVERAL tours myself, and if the guy is some cherry fobbit who never leaves the wire on one of the main supply bases, he absolutely does NOT NEED an ACOG. And who are we to judge him? Some of us are vets of multiple tours who don't want to see a guy with good, solid honest intentions taken advantage of by some dude that simply wants to look high-speed or have an ACOG to toss on his AR when he gets home. Despite what a lot of people think, just because you're wearing "US ARMY", "USMC", "US NAVY", or "US AIR FORCE" does not mean you are an honest, upstanding individual who isn't looking to take advantage of a situation- I've seen it pretty often actually.
Anyway, all of that aside... since he is apparently a legit guy, just green let me give you a few tips
#1, don't buy him any sort of body armor- it has nothing to do with his insurance not paying out as a lot of people think... the insurance will pay out if he strips totally naked, paints Mohammed on his wang and runs up to the first group of insurgents he sees. BUT, if he is not authorized non-standard body armor and he is caught wearing it, the hammer will drop on the guy harder than you can imagine. This includes a plate carrier--- The IOTV is more than a plate carrier, it has a lot of kevlar in it to protect against shrapnel, which MOST carriers do not have... unless he's a sniper, LRS or maybe a really high speed scout platoon, he'll have to wear the IOTV- with ESAPI plates as issued. Period. This is likely a waste of money (should anyone ever request this sort of thing again). NOTE: Not discussing the merits or drawbacks to the IOTV- just stating standard policy; the exceptions to policy are generally few.
#2, ACOG... There are better options out there... You said he's pretty green, has he looked at anything else or is this simply the route he wants to go? The TA31F is I believe the standard ACOG- this one has a red chevron with a fiberoptic along the top, SOCOM uses the TA01NSN- it does not have the fiber optic... and as stated, has crosshairs. If you have the money to spend, get the TA01NSN with a Doctor Optic or Trijicon RMR (TA01NSN-RMR) mounted on top in place of the semi-useless iron sight. One of the drawbacks to the ACOG is 4x in closer quarters- having a mini-red dot mounted on top solves the problem. Also I'm not a huge fan on the fiberoptic. IMO, it's too damned bright under a lot of situations. Anyway you go, be sure you get the .223 or 5.56 calibration (depends on which model you get). Head over to Larue Tactical and get their ACOG mount- the factory Trijcon ACOG mounts are for shit- uses two thumb screws that like to over time loose up a bit unless tool tightened. Looses zero when removed and reinstalled. The Larue mount holds it's zero and is much easier/faster to use. Also, should you go with the doctor/RMR, you'll want to get him a 3.5 MOA or 4 MOA version- You can go larger (7 or 8MOA), but please, do not buy a 9 or 13 MOA unit- it's just not called for.
#3, Better options... a variable power carbine scope built for these sorts of conditions. A small nightforce, or US Optics SN4S (1-4x) or SN6 (1.5-6X). Any of these options are a solid, durable scope that will offer near 1x power along with at least 4x, illuminated reticle w BDC abilities for the same or less than an ACOG w/ Doctor/RMR on top. Get him a Larue mount if you go this route too. I'm sure someone else could chime in with other good options in this range. I myself have an SN6 w/C2 reticle that's almost ready to be delivered.
ACOG is not the end-all-be-all... and it's over priced for what you get. If you go this route, try to find used- $1100-$1400 for just the ACOG is really highway robbery. Or contact Trijicon and see if they can cut you a deal on a blem ACOG.
