The clean production value of your videos and fixed FSPs keep me watching. It's nice to watch a firearm channel without obnoxious intro music or a 5 minute shill for Sonoran Desert Institute. A4s are so nice to look at too.
James, I really appreciate the format in which you present your guns and optics as a civilian who loves military clones like the M4A1 Block II, M16A4, M45A1, TA31, Aimpoint, and EOTECH. I love your honesty and humility mixed with good analysis. Keep on keeping on!
I’ve never understood the whole “eye relief” thing, I used in the military and have them on 5 different weapons to this day. I’ve never had any problems with them 🤷♂️
I am an experienced shooter- I was issued an ACOG on my M27 RWK deployment kit in USMC and it is a great optic. I use ATACR LPVOs on my HK mr762 and acog with top mounted rmr for “passive aiming” with NVGs ON ALL MY LWRCIs M6s. Anyhow, I like your humble and honest approach- it is great. So tired of the dudes calling people Kings, overly motivated and rah rah. New shooters need more info like what you present. Subscribed and liked
The ACOG is a dated optic. It has garbage eye relief, it is fixed magnification, and it be pretty pricey. But that optic has probably put more rounds on target than any other. It is a tank and the only time I ever saw one go down was when it literally got shot off someone's rifle on deployment (also, it has a pretty dope BDC). Seriously if you just run a dot on top of the optic you get the best of both worlds. Part of me doesn't want to run one because it is old news and there are so many arguably better options available. But man, it is a solid option and it is my go to. It's all shooters preference. Just know if you decide to run one (especially with a good dot up top) you will not regret it. Good stuff!
Haha yeah I've really enjoyed this optic so far. I understand why it's still so well-regarded even if there are other options out there. As for the red dot... I think about mounting an RMR on top every time I look at this scope lol
@jamesshoots The rmr up top is definitely a vibe (exactly what I did on mine, the ACOG is the battery powered variant though). For the clone correct look it might not totally fit. It does provide a nice heads up experience for times when you don't want to get sucked into the optic. For super close range work (CQB distance) it isn't super necessary as you can typically point shoot or just aim down the rails of your rifle lol. It's a nice addition but it's not a life changing one lol
Hey man loving the videos. I’d recommend not breaking eye contact so quickly. Makes you look nervous and unsure of yourself. Don’t be. Nothing to be stressed about
I've noticed that everyone complains about the ACOG for all the reasons you listed. I appreciate how you recognize that the "downsides" are really just gaps in fundamentals. Makes everyone else look kinda silly. Much respect.
Ran Aimpoints for about a decade until I rented a .308 Scar with a 3.5 Acog and instantly fell in love, I have since sold my Red dots and bought my own 3.5 Acog for my 16” BCM with both eyes open it is nearly the same as a dot 20 yards and in having the ability to actually see past 20 the smallest details and be 100% confident I can hit a fist sized target within 100 yards is my favorite part.
Hey dude, I trained on this optic in the Marines and I think you echo similar sentiments that I felt at boot camp. Granted, I was being taught how to shoot in the best rifleman making force in the world, but the drilling of fundamentals absolutely is reinforced by the ACOG and it is such a proficient optic (durable too) that I can't help but pine for one lol Glad to see you're enjoying it, I loved shooting with it
When people talk about glass clarity, you'd think the difference would be subtle, but looking through an ACOG after otherwise using mid-tier at best LPVOs and 3-9s, you really appreciate it. Another consideration with fixed power prism optics is the Bindon Aiming Concept, to get rapid target acquisition capability back.
Question on that - I eventually want an MPVO and have been eyeing a Leupold Mark 5HD - or at least, something of that tier. It won't happen for a while though. Assuming money isn't as issue, do you think going any "lower" than that would leave me pretty disappointed? I know I don't NEED something that's $2,000+, but to your point... wondering if I can ever go back since the ACOG's glass clarity is already great.
@@jamesshoots I'm not sure. I haven't had time with anything really good in the medium magnification range. I think it was more that I was surprised how good the ACOG is, rather than disappointed by the others. Higher magnification sort of makes up for less than perfect clarity.
Hey man, as a lurker (and fellow RU-vidr) who enjoys shooting, just wanted to send praise your way. Very good editing, and most of all I like that your videos are never filled with macho-man gun elitism you see everywhere.
After experimenting with M16A2 suppressed. I felt it is too much of a musket for a small caliber. So I decided to build a LMT MARS-L 16'' DI with ACOG TA31 and ACSS Holosun on top, Super 42 H2 buffer/spring. Rein 2.0, BCM VFG, QD BT bipod, Radian CH, Hiperfire 2-stage, and HXQD 556Ti, lowset back pressure on any 5.56 can. It is an absolute pleasure to shoot, ~1.3MOA with AAC OTM suppressed on hot barrel. About the same length as M16 with a can. The B5 stock fits more people and I'm not forced to use a long LOP. The 9.25'' LMT upper gives just enough space for everything so it felt well balanced for an 'all out' rifle.
If you want to rock a rear BUIS, the KAC micro allows you to run the ACOG as far back as possible, thereby making the eye relief easier to achieve. I believe the Army Matech sight takes up one more pic slot than the KAC.
I was one of the last (if not THE last) companies to graduate Marine Corps boot camp having qual'd on irons. When I got to MCT, I was, no shit, issued a BRAND NEW, STILL DRIPPING IN OIL AND PACKING GREASE M16A4 with an ACOG (or "RCO" as we called it for some reason)...and it was glorious. Watching the instructors struggle to remember not to throw rifles around anymore was HILARIOUS. 🤣 I went on to qual high expert 3 or 4 more times, be a unit range coach for a bit and be a volunteer range safety officer at one of the largest public indoor ranges in the country for a while as a civvie. The BIGGEST THING I saw people screw up with the ACOG is, old skool guys coming from irons not trusting the thing...they would try to wing it, guess, "ky windage" stuff, etc and end up winging shots off who knows where. I had to explain to them that it does the ranging work FOR YOU. All you have to do is TRUST the thing. Trust it and get a good zero. (Not in that order...) Zeroing is always important but is CRITICAL in BDC-equipped optics like the ACOG. If your zero is off (or you use a different kind of ammo!!), none of it will work correctly. - Remember to keep some tape covering most of the fiber optic on top when outdoors. It lets in too much light when it's bright out which causes "bloom" on the reticle. This doesn't matter much at short range but can make you miss by quite a lot at longer ranges. - When shooting longer ranges, remember to find your natural resting point of aim...get on target, then close your eyes. Count to 3. Open your eyes...if you're not still right where you need to be, move until you are. Rinse and repeat. If you're having to muscle the rifle onto target to hold it there, you're wrong. That shit will make you inconsistent af. Keep rockin', man. 🤘
I like that your shooting a proper rifle with full ballistic performance instead of some short Mk18 or abbreviated blunderbuss. Lovely rifle and optic.
@@dtdlilcooldAgree, the Mk18 would have been fantastic to have on deployment, if we’re shooting past 200-300M, we’d hit em with the 240 or mortars. Taking shots at an enemy over those distances was basically non existent, so the Mk18 would have been awesome and shined for how handy it would have been for us.
in basic, i found that keeping the blurry fsp aligned with the BDC guaranteed consistent eye-optic alignment. at the very least, it's a checklist item before a shot is taken.
Love my acogs. I also have to agree with others in the comment section. It's nice to see a guy talking guns and nothing else. Make yourself a vtac barricade, and bring out next time, shooting at awkward angles with that short eye relief can be fun. If you want to keep your buis and get the acog further back look into the KRAM spacer from weapons outfitters. Ive got them on mine, they're nice.
This was a great video. If you don't mind me asking what upper was that? I thought that was an FN Collector edition at first but then I seen the BCM on the lower. I just picked up the FN Ar ,16 inch barrel collector edition and have been looking at the 20 inch. I couldn't find a 20 inch barrel with a quadrill anywhere. The rifle looks bad a*s!Thanks in advance and once again great content.👍🏽
Thanks!! Yeah haha it’s a BCM lower and a BCM upper. It’s their 20” government profile upper receiver, which didn’t come with the KAC rail - I had to buy that separately on Gunbroker!
Something I was told a long time ago “A mm off the front sight is inches away from the target downrange” On a two way range that matters. I wasn’t aware just how behind army qualifications were behind the curve until I trained with DHS. Look up some alternative drills and just plug away and set PR’s Most important thing is keep shooting. If you catch your mistake don’t get upset. Stop… do it correctly and carry on. Learn to be comfortable in uncomfortable situations. Don’t give yourself a false sense of skills by just doing what you’re good at. There is such a thing as going on tilt as well. Some days you’re just off. Your mindset is there but your skills are back home. I’ve been out of service for 15yrs. Been shooting for over 20 and I’m learning 300blk coming over from 7.62x39 and they ain’t as similar as I hoped
I love the fact that there's always something to learn and that there's always a goal to work towards! Definitely gonna work on shooting skills and comfortable being uncomfortable, as you said!
That system should be optimized for 62 grain ammo, try a few different types and see if those don't tighten up a bit. When it comes to uplcose work, don't forget height over bore up close. Keep up the good work.
It’s funny but I’m in the same boat as you. Bought an Acog 4 or 5 months ago for an 18.5” Bren 2. Couldn’t agree more with your video man. Lack of availability of acogs in Canada I ended up with the circle ⭕️ reticle which is a nightmare to zero at 100 on the top crest of the circle 👎
Want to run _all_ of those fundamental steps, _every_ time you take a shot? *Load only one round in your magazines.* Shoot one, reload, repeat. Great position & steady hold factors are crucial. If you can't relax your NPoA on target, none of the breath/trigger control matters. Slowly press that trigger. Accept the fact that _some_ shots break when not perfectly aligned. You'll be making 400-600y hits in no time. Don't be too hard on yourself. Recognize that 4MoA is acceptable, 3MoA is preferable, 2MoA is achievable and 1MoA is exceptional.
Great video James. Im looking to get an acog for my main fighting rifle in a few months. I had one in the past, but everything you said strikes me as spot on. Did you know you can shoot prism optics with or without prescripion glasses on? Just another cool acog benefit. Theyre magic. Forgive me if I'm wrong, do you have the world's slightest German accent?
Excited for you to pick it up! And that’s good to know - my glasses always slip off my nose so the frames actually block my FOV lol. I don’t have any German blood/never visited, but I have some Polish blood in me!
@@jamesshootsyeah get a Geissele 2 stage. From 4.5 to 3.5 lbs. atleast you know when to break once you hit the wall. Actually I only own a red dot and Lpvo, I don’t have an acog but I shot one. But I really believe acogs are best for 2 stage triggers. Just my two cents.
As much as I wish I could say I was fighting bad guys, it’s just scratching on my war belt’s buckle when I have it slung in front of me lol. Basically all of it comes off by rubbing a couple drops of CLP on it
