So I'm in the market for a new optic, it will be going on a 10.5" AR SBR. I was looking at a 4x32 BDC 223 model. I know the BDC will will be off a little since it's a 10.5 barrel, but anyway morale of the story is I'd like to hear from some of you who own one of these. Is it worth the money? Or would I be better off going with something else for the money?
This one specifically
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Okay, I’m back.
ACOGs are pretty great. Very robust, amazing glass with an unnaturally large field of view, and wonderful illumination that doesn’t require batteries. Even the oft-maligned eye relief isn’t a big deal when you get used to it, especially if you shoot nose to charging handle.
It’s even very capable within 25 yards for reflexive fire.
For the BDC, the M150/RCO version’s BDC actually lines up pretty well with 55gr-77gr when using yards. The BDC is technically for meters, but it lines up with yards well. And the ranging stadia are rough estimates anyway so it doesn’t matter much if those are in meters instead. For 77gr, you’d just need to zero like a 1/2 MOA high or so.
All that said, I probably wouldn’t get one for a 10.5”. Great optics, but there are better solutions for that form factor. The TA44 might be a good option if you want ACOG robustness and lack of batteries.
However, I’m going to throw out the Elcan Specter 1-4x, particularly the 7.62 reticle. Caveat: don’t pay full price. Keep it under $2k and preferably pay $1.5k for a very lightly used one. They pop up fairly regularly.
* Its BDCs work great for a 10.5” barrel when zeroing with yards
* It has a great field of view, like the ACOG
* It has a 1x
* It has better eye relief than the ACOG
* The reticle is extremely usable for fast shooting up close, but you don’t need batteries like a red dot
* But if you do have batteries, it truly has an Aimpoint bright dot, or you can choose to softly illuminate the BDC for low light shooting at distance
* It has ACOG durability
* Some claim it’s heavy, but it’s really not that bad. It weighs about the same as a light LPVO with a mount
* The 4x helps when you need it, but you’re not missing much from higher magnification with a 10.5”
* Unlike a red dot & magnifier combo, the Elcan is a very compact and self-contained package
Here are the approximate drops in yards from a 10.5” barrel. You could tune them better with hitting slightly higher or lower at the zero distance, but these are rough checks: