Rifle Scopes LPVO vs ACOG vs Prism... Night hunting thoughts?

[wilsoN_]

So recently (past few months) I’ve been using my .223 AR specifically for night Coyote hunting, it’s mostly dense wood and pine thickets, lots of hills and valleys in my area so most shots are going to fall between 25-200yards max (unless I specifically hunt in open pastures)

I’ve been using a 1-6 FFP LPVO and have noticed that adjusting it in the dark (no view of the mag ring) and when getting back from a hunt it’s always between 3-4 magnification. I’m kind of tired of dealing with batteries and worrying about magnification. That being said I recently purchased a Meopta Optika6 1-6 FFP for better glass for the rifle, good quality without going dumb expensive, really enjoyed its glass quality and the very fine and daylight bright red center dot. I only returned it bc I didn’t realize it had MOA exposed turrets and everything else I have is Mil and it’s bothers me (ocd) and I really wanted the MRAD reticle to begin with... Fast forward to now, I’ve been looking at a replacement specifically for hunting coyotes at night...

I’ve narrowed it down to a Trijicon TA11 fixed 3.5x, good eye relief for an acog and no batteries!) or possibly a Steiner S432 prism, possibly giving the px4i a try even though I’m leaning heavily towards a fixed magnification optic between 3-4x.

In my application am I really giving up anything going to a fixed mag optic? I truly only use this rifle for night hunting and very rarely plinking when the gf wants to tag along to the range.

So this is very long winded and hardly concise, these are just thoughts while laying awake 1:40am unable to sleep

Any opinions given my dilemma and overall thoughts...? Trying to keep the price around $1200 or less.

 

[GhostFace]

To me the only LPVO that are durable enough for duty or hunting costs $2k and up. I still think the ACOG is more durable than the $2k optics and is still a valid scope. I still use ACOGs even though they are old technology they are still a damn good option.

I think the trend is moving toward LPVO and with that I think you will see more affordable optics that can take a beating for duty/hunting. I do hope as this happens the ACOGs come down in price.

 

[wilsoN_]

To clarify when I said about the mag ring being set to 3-4 I wasn’t meaning durability, I mean I adjust it in the dark to what feels “right” and it always happens to land in the 3-4 range for the balance of FOV and mag. Which makes me wonder if I would even mind losing the variable magnification. I agree they acog is flat out durable and that’s an upside bc there’s a likelihood this rifle and me could take a big tumble night hunting in steep terrain.

 

[army_eod]

I just bought another ACOG for a carbine AR. I love them. Dual illum TA-11. Photo is my 100 yd zero. Never will need a battery and bulletproof.

 

[Rancid Coolaid]

My friends tell me that my superpower is spending their money...so:
1. ACOG is antiquated tech but is still a viable option. Some tape over the fiber optic portion and ready to go. They can be beaten to hell and abused and still work just fine.
2. Some hate them, I am not among those, but the ELCAN 1X/4X is my absolute favorite for an optic that needs to do both things quickly and in stress (1X and 4X without thinking, without fumbling.) It is aboe your budget, doesn't have Aimpoint battery life, and has external adjustments. That said, glass is very good, I really like the reticle and find the BDC to be close for 300 and in which is where I am using it.

Honestly, for 25-200 on yotes, I'd run a red dot all day, every day: great battery life, very rapid target acquisition, very durable, very reliable, almost idiot-proof. A running dog is not a precision shot and a red dot does that really well in your ranges of work.

As usual, mileage varies. I've done a fair bit of hunting in dense woods with quick, close shots, and have missed more than my share of opportunities - especially early on - running an optic made for precision at range. A throw lever on a 1-4 or 1-6 will work well, but at 6X, the aren't super bright, and tricky light in dense woods is not where they do their best work.

 

[army_eod]

My friends tell me that my superpower is spending their money...so:
1. ACOG is antiquated tech but is still a viable option. Some tape over the fiber optic portion and ready to go. They can be beaten to hell and abused and still work just fine.
2. Some hate them, I am not among those, but the ELCAN 1X/4X is my absolute favorite for an optic that needs to do both things quickly and in stress (1X and 4X without thinking, without fumbling.) It is aboe your budget, doesn't have Aimpoint battery life, and has external adjustments. That said, glass is very good, I really like the reticle and find the BDC to be close for 300 and in which is where I am using it.

Honestly, for 25-200 on yotes, I'd run a red dot all day, every day: great battery life, very rapid target acquisition, very durable, very reliable, almost idiot-proof. A running dog is not a precision shot and a red dot does that really well in your ranges of work.

As usual, mileage varies. I've done a fair bit of hunting in dense woods with quick, close shots, and have missed more than my share of opportunities - especially early on - running an optic made for precision at range. A throw lever on a 1-4 or 1-6 will work well, but at 6X, the aren't super bright, and tricky light in dense woods is not where they do their best work.

Rancid. The bomb guy likes ACOGs. He is antiquated.

 

[Rancid Coolaid]

You and me both, brother, you and me both.

On both counts as well.

I like ACOGs, ran them hard back when they were the only game in town, for certain applications, I still like them. That said, for a target popping up at 25 yards with uneven light, there are better options. In constant and/or low light, they are titties.

Eyes differ, as do opinions.

 

[army_eod]

You and me both, brother, you and me both.

On both counts as well.

I like ACOGs, ran them hard back when they were the only game in town, for certain applications, I still like them. That said, for a target popping up at 25 yards with uneven light, there are better options. In constant and/or low light, they are titties.

Eyes differ, as do opinions.

I remember you and Ilya from back in the early days at Optics Talk.

 

[wilsoN_]

Appreciate the feedback, but there’s no chance I’m going to use a red dot in my application unless I specifically take the 10mm I have on order which I plan to use a 3moa red dot. The distances are 25-200 yards but most 80% are falling between 100-150yard and in dense woods. I’ll be completely honest I cannot see thin branches, sticks etc clearly at 100+ yards without some sort of magnification and I have 20/15 vision. I use a Fenix HT18 w/ red filter mounted on the rifle for hunting them and has proved to be more than capable at spotting at 200yards.

 

[Wilderness]

I run a 3.5 acog TA11 on my scar17 with a weapons light for night hunting/spotlighting. My reticle stays lit up super bright and the acog pulls in a ton of light from my tlr hl. Night vision not needed. I highly recommend out to 150 yards.

 

[Wilderness]

TLR was on the other side...got this javelina before light with it on.