Prism sights in 2020

[mig1nc]

I kind of miss my ACOG. But with the LPVOs pushing 10x now, it's getting harder to justify the 4x plus red dot setup.

Has anybody gotten hands on with any 5x or higher mag prism sights in the market now?

The Sig Bravo 5 gets great reviews, but those don't really seem to get into the tactical rifle role I'm looking for. Plus it's made in China, although granted that doesn't really mean anything with regards to quality or capability.

I've never seen the 6x ACOG in person, but on paper it seems like a boat anchor.

Is there anything greater than 4x magnification that isn't either a total piece of crap or massive boat anchor?

I had a buddy lend me his Elcan Specter DR 1-4. I had mixed feelings about it, but thinking back, it was pretty good. I've heard the 1.5-6 Specter is not as forgiving as the 1-4 in terms of eye box.


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[Mercs]

My latest setup I have the a Gen3 PA 5x + dueck offset irons, and I favor this now. I would also use an acog of course but this was cheaper, more magnification, and still extremely rugged optic


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[SomeOtherGuy]

I kind of miss my ACOG. But with the LPVOs pushing 10x now, it's getting harder to justify the 4x plus red dot setup.

Yes, yes it is. 3-4x prism sights still fill a niche when you want something small, light and rugged, but need some magnification. The TA11 in particular still seems like a good optic for some uses.

Plus it's made in China, although granted that doesn't really mean anything with regards to quality or capability.

You keep thinking that, anything from China will break on you at a bad time.

I've never seen the 6x ACOG in person, but on paper it seems like a boat anchor.

Haven't used it but have seen one, and yes it's really big and heavy. I can't think of any common use where it makes more sense than a conventional scope of some kind. Maybe for military use, on a machinegun, its durability is a good tradeoff for everything else.

Is there anything greater than 4x magnification that isn't either a total piece of crap or massive boat anchor?

Steiner and Burris, which are part of the same company (Beretta), offer some 5x prism sights that claim to be made in Germany and the USA respectively that are not outrageously big. But they aren't cheap and I can't see a real reason to buy those vs. a quality 1-6x.

[mig1nc]

Yes, yes it is. 3-4x prism sights still fill a niche when you want something small, light and rugged, but need some magnification. The TA11 in particular still seems like a good optic for some uses.



You keep thinking that, anything from China will break on you at a bad time.



Haven't used it but have seen one, and yes it's really big and heavy. I can't think of any common use where it makes more sense than a conventional scope of some kind. Maybe for military use, on a machinegun, its durability is a good tradeoff for everything else.



Steiner and Burris, which are part of the same company (Beretta), offer some 5x prism sights that claim to be made in Germany and the USA respectively that are not outrageously big. But they aren't cheap and I can't see a real reason to buy those vs. a quality 1-6x.

Interesting, I did not know Steiner and Burris were part of Beretta. I used to run a Burris LPVO on my 3 gun rifle. It was good, and their customer service took real good care of me when I screwed up. Currently using a Steiner laser on my night vision setup.

Believe me, if given a reasonable alternative, I'll definably not buy from a hostile nation, especially not China.


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[mig1nc]

My latest setup I have the a Gen3 PA 5x + dueck offset irons, and I favor this now. I would also use an acog of course but this was cheaper, more magnification, and still extremely rugged optic


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Sorry, I don't know how to multi quote in Tapatalk

This was one of the options I'm thinking about. Everybody seems to love the reticules.


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[RKB Armory]

Has anybody gotten hands on with any 5x or higher mag prism sights in the market now?

We had a 6 power ACOG with piggyback red dot come through our shop. It was, as mentioned above, best for a machine gun. It was an impressive optic for that purpose.


If I needed to prioritize the weight and bulk of a rifle, a prism sight would be my choice. However, LPVOs have gotten so good, that I am willing to overlook those negatives.

[Eurodriver]

Fosho the ACOG is obsolete.

It’s main benefits are simplicity and weight - neither of which matter to guys who shoot twice a year from a bench.

PS: Buying a prism optic that isn’t an ACOG is stupid.

[mig1nc]

Fosho the ACOG is obsolete.

It’s main benefits are simplicity and weight - neither of which matter to guys who shoot twice a year from a bench.

PS: Buying a prism optic that isn’t an ACOG is stupid.

What about Browe? They have a nice looking new model, but again it's only 4x.

PS: looks like Steiner is made in Colorado and Burris is made in the Philippines as far as I can find in Google.


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[SomeOtherGuy]

What about Browe? They have a nice looking new model, but again it's only 4x.

This one?

http://www.browe-inc.com/categories/...tic-%28BCO%29/

That one has been around for a while, at least 5-6 years. I've owned two of them - one BCO and one BTO to be specific, the only difference is titanium body vs. 7075 aluminum. It is extremely similar to the 4x32 ACOG, and has similar strengths and weaknesses. The LED illumination and light sensor does work well, and the glass quality is very good, possibly better than the ACOG. However it has extremely short eye relief just like that model ACOG. If you are head over heels in love with the 4x ACOG, the Browe is a good option.

PS: looks like Steiner is made in Colorado and Burris is made in the Philippines as far as I can find in Google.

Each brand has had multiple models, but last I knew two of the three Steiner flavors were claiming Germany as their origin. Burris has long had a cheap asian prism scope in the $300 range, but also has a relatively new higher-end prism called the T.M.P.R. which is offered in 3x and 5x models and I believe is assembled in the US:

https://www.burrisoptics.com/sights/...ism-sight-5x32

I have a 3x TMPR and like it quite well. FOV is very good, glass is good, eye relief is good, illumination is good. I paid a lot less than MSRP and would not buy one anywhere near MSRP. It is a decent value in the $500 range. But right now you can get a Vortex PST 1-6x for a little over $500, which is a pretty compelling alternative.

The only prism sight I think really holds its own today, even if "obsolete" (and arguably it is), is the TA11 3.5x35 ACOG. It has an excellent balance between magnification, FOV, sufficient eye relief, small size and weight, and ruggedness that balances out the fixed magnification. I'm keeping my TMPR too, but can't necessarily recommend it over a quality variable. All other prisms I've tried either had too little eye relief (Browe and 4x ACOG), questionable quality (Vortex), too small a reticle (Steiner), too much size and weight for the magnification (Steiner, other models of Burris), etc.

[OrbitalE]

The only prism sight I think really holds its own today, even if "obsolete" (and arguably it is), is the TA11 3.5x35 ACOG. It has an excellent balance between magnification, FOV, sufficient eye relief, small size and weight, and ruggedness that balances out the fixed magnification.

TA33...