ELCAN Specter DFVO14-C1 5.56MM

[davidjinks]

I just picked this up today. I’ve been reading and researching and researching and reading about these optics for a couple years now. Never made the move to get one.

I’m an absolute Nightforce fan boy. Every optic I own that is on a rifle that is for serious use is topped with some form of NF scope.

Except today.....

The design of the scope intrigues me. The simplicity of either 1X or 4x is a huge selling/usage point for me. That fact that the magnification is controlled by a lever that you push forward or pull back is awesome. That not to say reaching up and turning a mag ring on a scope with a PTL is difficult, this lever design is just different, and simpler.

The ELCAN is setup on my LE6920, the first one I ever bought at the sunset of the AWB. I ran this particular rifle for several years with just irons, carry handle, zeroed at 100 yards and I never had a problem with it. It is accurate, precise, and has never missed a beat. Hopefully this current blizzard gets done by tomorrow night and I might be able to have a range day on the weekend.

Prior to mounting the optic, I read the manual. It’s short, succinct and easy to follow. I am running KAC BUIS rear sights right now, however I am thinking of ditching them completely. Time will tell. The glass is clear, as clear as any Trijicon ACOG I’ve used and is on par (not better, but good) with my NX 1-8. The eye relief is approximately 2 3/4-3” where it currently sits on my rifle. I’m traditionally a NTCH shooter so it isn’t a huge change for me.

I like the reticle. Very simple, not a lot of clutter. It’s a crosshair with a BDC type setup or drop compensator (I believe that the proper terminology). The dot, when illuminated, is 6 MOA at 1x and 1.5 MOA at 4x.

The mount is integrated into the optic so that was another nice selling point to this. Weight is really a wash when comparing other LPVO with mounts that are currently on the market. I believe the listed weight for this optic is 23.4 OZ. My NX8 1-8 with an A496 0 MOA mount is at 24.8 OZ.

Having both rifles, LE6920 setup the exact same way minus optics, side by side, I feel as if the eye relief with the NX8 is slightly better, however the eye boxes are roughly the same. The balance with the ELCAN is absolutely better that the balance of the NX8. There’s an absolute difference in feel of balance between both rifles.

The ARMS mount and levers lock up tight with no play. I know there has been some serious contention on the internet in regards to ARMS. However, I’ve never used them so this is my first go around with them. As of now, they’re tight and hold the optic in place. I made sure to place the rifle barrel up and lean my fat ass onto the optic to see if it moves. It did not.

The FSB on the Colt is like any other when running a LPVO. You can see it on 1x but it either disappears or it’s a blur on 4-10x. In other words, it doesn’t effect the function of the rifle or the shooter.

I tried the 1.5x-6x ELCAN prior to the one I just purchased. There was just something about the glass and eye relief I didn’t like. It’s hard to explain but I just know I didn’t like it. Hopefully I will be able to explore that option again soon and maybe my feelings will change. I have a Daniel Defense rifle coming to me shortly and it will need an optic.

Optic comes with flip up lens covers and ARD. Not too sure if I like the ARD so it may go away.



CR2032 battery which I’m stoked about because every optic I own uses them.



ARMS mount and levers. I noticed they have provisions for wire and/or zip ties.

[BoringGuy45]

I do like the simplicity of the two settings as opposed to a variable setting. I just wish that they would have a true 1x-6x, and not simply a choice between 1x/4x and 1.5x/6x. But my guess is that Elcan doesn't have the technology to do that yet or else they would have done so.

[davidjinks]

I just read an article on, I think snipershide, explaining how there’s some kind issue keeping 1x when going to the higher mag.

To be honest, when looking through the 1.5x, it really didn’t look like 1.5x

I’m gonna try to get more time on it soon.

I do like the simplicity of the two settings as opposed to a variable setting. I just wish that they would have a true 1x-6x, and not simply a choice between 1x/4x and 1.5x/6x. But my guess is that Elcan doesn't have the technology to do that yet or else they would have done so.

[davidjinks]

Quick update on the Elcan...

I switched this optic to my DD M4V11. Glass is clear, slight gold tint to it. Zeroing was simple; windage clicks were audible and tactile, elevation wheel was less tactile but still apparent. The illumination is absolutely daylight bright, the dot being IMHO perfect size on 1x and 4x. Comparing the Elcan illumination to my NF 1-8, the Elcan illumination appears to be a deeper, bolder red as opposed to the NF. The NF being a brighter, lighter red. Just something I noticed while shooting.

I didn’t notice any meaningful zero shift going from 1x to 4x at 100 yards. It was more shooter than the optic itself.

The simplicity of this optic is an absolute plus in my book. The lever is in a perfect position which makes it easier, more intuitive while switching magnification.

I will definitely be buying another one of these.

[Zane1844]

These are great optics. I loved mine, however, I sold it because I was shooting past 50yds with my SBR. Now that I have a 550yd range, I regret getting rid of it.

The FOV, eyebox and glass were amazing. Easily one of the best optics I’ve looked through.

[RKB Armory]

Years ago I thought this optic was too big and heavy. Compared to a red dot, it is! However, now that I'm used to an LPVO, the Elcan doesn't seem too big or too heavy. It's only 23 ounces.

[BoringGuy45]

Years ago I thought this optic was too big and heavy. Compared to a red dot, it is! However, now that I'm used to an LPVO, the Elcan doesn't seem too big or too heavy. It's only 23 ounces.

How are things like eye relief, eye box, etc. compared to good LPVOs like the Razor, K16i, ATACR, etc? Is it closer to a red dot (i.e. more forgiving) for close up work in that respect, or more on par with an LPVO?

[RKB Armory]

The eye box on the Elcan (while on 1x) is not forgiving like a red dot. I find the Razor to have a more forgiving eye box than the Elcan, on comparable power.

[LimeSpoon]

I found the Elcan to have a larger side-to-side and up-to-down eyebox than the Swarovski Z6i (sister optic of the K16i and similar eyebox to the Razor) at 1x, though they are comparable enough. I'm pretty sure it should be much larger than the NX8's.

At 4x the Elcan's eyebox is much better than the 4x of any LPVO I am aware of; in fact I found it to still be larger than the 4x and even the 3x on a PST Gen II 3-15x medium powered scope. It is barely any smaller than the 1x eyebox.

If you are finding the Elcan's eyebox to be tighter than an LPVO's, I would check your eye relief. The technical eye relief is exactly as listed (2.76"), but compared to say something like a TA31 ACOG, the optic physically doesn't extend back as far. This means that given the same rail placement, for the purpose of head and eye positioning, the eye relief is really only about ~0.5" longer than a TA31's rather than 1.25" longer as you would think.

This can be hard to tell sometimes as being slightly behind the eye relief "sweet spot" can result in nearly undiscernible scope shadow but a significantly reduced eyebox size. Unfortunately it seems that most of the people I hand the Elcan to look at it from too far away, for whatever reason (and often begin by looking through the wrong end, but that's another thing) - this is probably the primary reason behind complaints regarding the eyebox. For proper eye position, draw your eye closer to the ocular until you get too close and the edges of the FoV begin blacking out, then draw back just far enough for the image to become clear again; this is your proper eye relief. Adjust the optic's rail position accordingly.

The weight of the current gen Elcan SpecterDR 1/4x is in fact only 21.9 ounces without scope caps, or 22 ounces with the upgraded Mk2 levers installed. Adding a battery adds 0.1 oz. When accounting for the weight of scope mounts, the Elcan is lighter than the vast majority of 1-6x LPVOs on the market and in line with 1-4x scopes.

The glass of the Elcan is very warm, in line with most high-end European glass but in contrast to some American and/or Japanese-made optics that have a neutral or cool palette. Colors through the Elcan look almost acidic whereas the ACOG's image has a comparatively "milky" hue to it. (They both use Schott glass actually, albeit the ACOG's glass comes from Schott's USA factories, but obviously the specifications and coatings are different.)

It seems like many American shooters don't really like the warm filter of the Elcan's lenses. Outdoors it can look very bold and almost overpowering whereas cooler glass feels 'milder', and inside it can make interior surfaces look stained and a bit aesthetically unpleasant, but it's known that a warmer palette can help with contrast in combat/hunting scenarios and I'm guessing this was why it was specified for the SpecterDR.

[davidjinks]

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