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Trijicon, one of the finest optics manufacture in the world, has given birth to the ACOG style scope. This guide will go through the best ACOG scopes according to each different situation.
There is no ACOG clone that can come close to the original. The original is still the best and the high cost is one of the reasons it’s such a great optic. Great for light and fast carbines, this is a set and forget solution for aiming your rifle.
What is an ACOG Scope?
ACOG stands for Advanced Combat Optical Gunsight, it is an optic made for war-fighting. It has been adapted for other purposes such as hunting and target shooting, but it’s genesis comes from the battlefield. The ACOG is one of the best rifle sights for the vast majority of carbine shooters available.
The best ACOG scope is a careful balancing act of size, weight and bulk. There are several great options but a few stick out for prospective uses.
Firstly, the Best ACOG Sight for Home Defense is...
The ACOG from Trijicon is a fixed power, BDC reticle, scope that makes the Ar15 useful out to around 600 yards. The ACOG is loved by the troops and movies. Video games and magazine pictures have made these scopes ubiquitous when thinking about fighting rifles. Make no mistake, these scopes are awful for home defense.
When using a rifle for home defense you’ll never shoot beyond 50 yards, more like 10 yards in 99.99% of cases. That means there’s literally no point in having a scope that’ll make you accurate to 600 yards. The weight, bulk, and magnification will be a hindrance to a home defense gun, steer clear and get a proper optic for home defense.
ACOG Uses
The ACOG makes an Ar15 or similar carbine style rifle accurate and usable to 600 yards all day long. That combined with the rugged simplicity makes these scopes great for competition shooting, plinking or hunting game like coyotes and groundhogs out to long range.
The ACOG excels in areas where moderate range, and high movement is needed. You can’t use a fragile scope on an Ar15 made for serious use. Similarly, if high mobility is needed you’ll most likely never need many adjustments and you’ll need a rugged scope. In short, you need an ACOG.
ACOG Features
Let's now go through each of the great features of the AGOC:
Ruggedized Design
Everything about this scope has been built around making it essentially bombproof. These were made for the military originally and nothing gets thrashed on harder than grunts with issued gear. They’ve performed flawlessly for years, they’ll be fine for your truck gun or coyote rifle.
Integrated Mount
The integrated mount for the ACOG is a great value because the mount needed for a picatinny rail comes with every scope you buy from Trijicon. The value of the quick release mount would easily run $100+ online if you had to buy one separately.
Power Source
The power source from the ACOG is available in several different forms. The original is the fiber optic cable that runs atop of the scope and gathers light and is backed up by a tritium insert inside the scope for use in low light and no light.
The new kid on the block is the combination and LED models. They’re essentially the best an electronic sight can get before you move to red dots.
Fixed Magnification
The feature that's the exact same from across the spectrum of ACOG scopes, is the fixed power magnification. The fixed magnification is one of the best features because it is simple, fast and reliable. One of the reasons the ACOG's are so rugged is because they’re fixed, and the 4x or 6x power is more than enough.
Lifetime Warranty
Not that you’ll ever need it, but Trijicon warranties they’re products and if you manage to break it, they’ll likely fix it.
Best ACOG Sight by Category
If you're in the market to buy a new ACOG this should make it easier to decipher which will be the best for you:
Best ACOG for the Money:
This is one of the cheapest ACOG scopes on the market and can be had for half of what the others cost. It is their 4x32 dual illumination model that comes with their flattop mount adapter to attach to your Ar15. This is very close to their original model, and the models the military use.
The heart of the system is the 4x power magnification, and green dual illuminated green ballistically calibrated reticle made specifically for the .223 cartridge. The biggest feature is the tritium lamp and fiber optic because you’re guaranteed to have an illuminated reticle for the next 15 years barring a bomb blast to the scope.
If you’re in the market for a ruggedized scope for a middle of the road price this is a great model to check into the ACOG club. You get the features of the larger scopes with the classic design of this basic model. This being a genuine Trijicon you can trust it to be worth every penny.
Best Hunting ACOG for an AR15:
Trijicon ACOG, 3.5x35, Green LED Illuminated, .308 Chevron Reticle, With TA51 Mount
If you’re going to hunt serious game, you’ll need a serious caliber. This is the "best heavy ACOG" on the market, made for.308 rifles of all types and comes with the new LED illumination.
The LED illumination is the cool kid on the block, and in this ACOG will run off a single AA battery for 12,000 hours. There are 6 lighting settings that can be easily dialed up and down for lowlight, sun light and somewhere in between.
At its heart the 3.5x35 fixed power magnification is a fantastic quick handling scope for deer, hog or other big game hunting. Especially for under 200 yards, the vast majority of hunting situations, this is a great option with holdovers for out to 600 yards.
This scope is an ACOG,’nuff said for durability, and will bolt directly onto a picatinny mount to take into the woods and chase wild game.
Best ACOG for a Short Barrel Rifle:
Trijicon TA02-C-100432 ACOG 4x32 LED Battery Illuminated 300 Blackout Ballistic Reticle
Magnified optics aren’t really used on short barreled rifles or personal defense weapons but the .300blk there is a case here to be made. In a 9-inch barrel, you get double the power of a .223 with .300blk and can still swap between subsonic and supersonic rounds at will with no problems.
This is an ACOG that includes the new LED power source that glows for an astounding 12,000 hours off just a single AA battery. Using the common battery is a huge plus and the ability to leave it on and swap the battery once a month or so makes it great for a truck gun or go to range rifle.
The mild magnification and reticle that allows for both super and subsonic aiming out to each cartridges’ practical range. This scope is a fantastic option for a .300blk short barrel rifles becoming more and more common.
Best ACOG Reticles
The ACOG reticles have several different options in several different calibers, colors and designs. There’s plenty to choose from but a few aspects standout:
- The red chevron is a great option because it gives you almost a red dot sight picture. The amber colors can washout against brown back drops and the green can be hard to see in lowlight.
- The reticles are all designed to be used with a load with each cartridge, normally the NATO spec or common commercial loading. Use that loading to get the best result from the BDC reticle.
- Choose the horseshoe or the semi-circle reticles if you prefer, but they take up a lot of space in the view, leading to decreased situational awareness and more “fog” when you go to use the reticle.
ACOG & RMR
The best Heavy ACOGs have RMR mounts that allow you to have both a red dot sight and the enhanced magnification of the larger models. This is a great system because the red dot allows you to own closer than 100 yards, and the magnification allows you to make hits out to 800 yards and beyond with the larger caliber models.
The problem with this is the cost and the bulk. The RMR sits atop the scope and it alone costs just over $500. The height of the system makes for a few problems and the greatest way to take advantage of this is to mount the ACOG as low as possible. This makes it somewhat easy to get an accurate sight picture to make use of the red dot.
In Summary
If you can stomach the cost of one of these scopes you’ve got one of the ultimate optics to come out in the way of combat style, carbine optimized scopes. The fixed power, simple reticle and ruggedized construction makes for a scope you’ll never need to worry about in the field.
The downsides to these scopes is their weight, bulk and cost. Made for an Ar15 the ACOG line up of scopes cost just as much as the rifle you’re putting it on. A bargain for what you’re getting, but still a high barrier for entry.
These optics are very much worth it in the end and when you’re in the field, especially when you’re in the thick of it, you’ll appreciate the best ACOG scope more than ever.
