08-26-2011, 09:31 PM
Civilians buy them because the look cool. I'll admit they do look cool and seem to be the right size for the top of an AR15.
USG buys them because they are fairly rugged, have a buying code, and seem to do what most Joes need. But LR1955 and others with massive experience will tell you that although they are rugged, they are certainly not as foolproof as the suppliers would have us believe. They fog, leak, and have multiple other problems. In Iraq and Afghanistan, both very dry, that hasn't been a huge issue.
BUT...look at what guys who get out of the military put on THEIR rifles, and it generally isn't an ACOG.
At LR1955's recommendation, I avoided one for my Beowulf, and instead use a Leupold CQ/T, which doesn't leak or fog. There are newer, more current optics than it is, but it just flat works.
USG buys them because they are fairly rugged, have a buying code, and seem to do what most Joes need. But LR1955 and others with massive experience will tell you that although they are rugged, they are certainly not as foolproof as the suppliers would have us believe. They fog, leak, and have multiple other problems. In Iraq and Afghanistan, both very dry, that hasn't been a huge issue.
BUT...look at what guys who get out of the military put on THEIR rifles, and it generally isn't an ACOG.
At LR1955's recommendation, I avoided one for my Beowulf, and instead use a Leupold CQ/T, which doesn't leak or fog. There are newer, more current optics than it is, but it just flat works.
You seek escape from pain. We seek the achievement of happiness. You exist for the sake of avoiding punishment. We exist for the sake of earning rewards. Threats will not make us function; fear is not our incentive. It is not death that we wish to avoid, but life that we wish to live. - John Galt