CQB use of an ACOG

[ABNAK]

ACOGs are just like shotties and revolvers to me. I don’t know why the gun hipsters are all on them again. Yes, you can make it work. Yes, you can get pretty good with practice.

Aside from some serious physical disability, I can’t wrap my head around the lighter weight being a worthwhile trade off against any number of more viable, true multi-role LPVOs.

In damn near 2023, if you’re choosing gear that has significant downsides that you have to train around, you’re either doing it wrong or filling a very niche role.

Fair enough, that's why I asked for opinions. Points taken.

LPVO fan I take it? I am certainly behind the times!

If an LPVO could be made just a wee bit smaller and lighter, and have the durability of the ACOG, I wouldn't have this conversation. A few years down the road might tell a different tale with advancing tech and all. As far as "lighter" goes, I may be getting long in the tooth but I ain't dead yet and can easily handle the weight and bulkiness of an LPVO on an AR, but why do so if there is something more compact? Another point I throw into the calculation is durability. I don't think in years past the LPVO has been as big or popular as it is nowadays, not nearly as long as the ACOG has, so data on how "tough" it is vs the ACOG might not be reflective of the true picture. I want to like LPVOs!

You are an active duty guy so I defer to your opinion, and it will be thrown into the hopper to form mine. Thanks!

[AndyLate]

Fair enough, that's why I asked for opinions. Points taken.

LPVO fan I take it? I am certainly behind the times!

If an LPVO could be made just a wee bit smaller and lighter, and have the durability of the ACOG, I wouldn't have this conversation. A few years down the road might tell a different tale with advancing tech and all. As far as "lighter" goes, I may be getting long in the tooth but I ain't dead yet and can easily handle the weight and bulkiness of an LPVO on an AR, but why do so if there is something more compact? Another point I throw into the calculation is durability. I don't think in years past the LPVO has been as big or popular as it is nowadays, not nearly as long as the ACOG has, so data on how "tough" it is vs the ACOG might not be reflective of the true picture. I want to like LPVOs!

You are an active duty guy so I defer to your opinion, and it will be thrown into the hopper to form mine. Thanks!

You really nailed the pros of the ACOG vs LPVO - light, compact, durable.

Price is comparable to a quality LPVO + mount.

ACOG wins on simplicity; always on, no battery, no magnification adjustment, and no diopter to screw up.

LPVOs are heavy/bulky and battery life is meh. They are mechanically more complicated than an ACOG or RDS so logically they cannot be as durable.

Red Dots are less expensive, light, compact, durable, and have good battery life but they offer no magnification.

RDS magnifiers add cost, weight, and complication.

I truly understand why you asked about CQB distances with the ACOG and I appreciate the feedback you have received. I may not need 6-8X magnification for the shooting I do, but I struggle with a RDS past 100 M.

Andy

P.S. You asked about service member experience - my ETS-ed Marine 1371 son loves the ACOG, and my current Army 11B son's unit issues ACOGs and he reports no issues with CQB uses. He says their ACOGs are pretty beat and you never know what you will end up with at the range.

[ChrisM516]

logically they cannot be as durable.

Everything I've heard about the VCOG seems to suggest otherwise, but I don't have any experience with it.

[AndyLate]

There is also the Elcan, but $$$ and its not as light as an ACOG or RDS + magnifier.

Andy

[RHINOWSO]

ACOGs are just like shotties and revolvers to me. I don’t know why the gun hipsters are all on them again.

My 2-cents is Trijicon has made a bunch and GunTubers get PAID to push $hit.

What's old is new again, for the right price.

What hasn't changed is (1) pick your firearm needs to do requirements, (2) pick weapon / optic / gear requirements to meet them and (3) train / use them.

So often people think and think and think; but the first time at the range shooting, this something 'ideal' really sucks

[AndyLate]

So often people think and think and think; but the first time at the range shooting, this something 'ideal' really sucks

That describes me and my experience with the Trijicon Accupower 1-4 to a T.

Andy

[RHINOWSO]

That describes me and my experience with the Trijicon Accupower 1-4 to a T.

Andy

Yeah, the Accupower 1-4 is 'ok'. I used one in a Carbine course from 0-50yds, didn't have any real issues but it's certainly not the best LPVO out there. I did take 4 hogs from 7-50 yards in 20 seconds with it however, 7 shots and all hits - so it isn't complete crap either.

ACOGs are great if you know everything down range is 'hostile'. IME solving the shoot / no-shoot ROE is by far the hardest part of the kill chain. The rest is just mechanics.

[Slater]

For those of you that have used both, are the military and civilian market ACOG's about equal in overall quality?

[ChrisM516]

For those of you that have used both, are the military and civilian market ACOG's about equal in overall quality?

There's no distinction.

[MA2_Navy_Veteran]

ACOGs can certainly be used for CQB... Thing is... It's usually better to switch to a pistol in a CQB/confined-space situation.
Still, If an ACOG is all that you have to work with, it can work, but you really need to train with it as a CQB-use item because the magnification, while minute, does impact it's use in CQB environments (You really need to practice targeting things with both eyes open because it takes practice putting the chevron that your right eye sees on the target that your left eye sees more clearly.) & that's pretty much it in a nutshell. The one plus side (for some) to using an ACOG rather that a dot sight for CQB is that the ACOG doesn't affect those suffering astigmatism as most red dots do (the chevron doesn't appear as a starburst/spider-web like red dot sights do to those with astigmatism.).

Just some things to think about.