Home Forums Hunting & Shooting AR and Tactical Rifles Is there a do it all optic for an M4?

red dots vs. LPVOs.

Fighting distance to "down a couple city blocks" distance.

I used an SWFA 1-6 HD at Thunder Ranch of the Precision Urban Rifle course and did OK. It was heavy, though it performed well.

Mrs. Walter used an aimpoint red dot and did ok.

Most shots from 50-100 years, some to 200 or 300.

Thoughts on a general purpose optic for a 5.56 rifle? From clearing houses to urban rifle?

How do you know the target will still be there when the bullet arrives?

I'm using a 1-4 Trigicon on my main rifle. I just returned from the range with it actually. 1x gives me both eyes open shooting, and on 4x I have no trouble ringing the 10" gong at 400. 300 and in is easy.

So I think a 1-4 or 1-6 with a simple and uncluttered reticle like Trigicons "hunter hold bdc" to be about perfect for a wide range of tasks.

Someone on the 'hide asked, "what for?"

Retired MIL who is trying to stay ahead of current events, is the scenario.

I have an RMO on the truck gun, and a red dot on the current house gun. Wondering if more magnification is a good thing on the truck gun?

My very limited experience:

Lpvo unless it’s a dedicated indoors rig. I ran a runNgun and rifle shots were from 25-500 running mil scale 1-5x lpvo, however, I found that it stayed pinned to 5x the whole time. Up next I’m experimenting with fixed 5x BDC prism sight, see how that goes. For what you describe I might be in 3-4x prism sight territory, they will be a bit lighter than the lpvo. Other than that I’d stick with what you have. Should have grabbed one of those 1-6 sshds off the sample list when they were <450$

I am also a fan of the offset red dot.

I'm toying with they idea of moving the 1-6 HD back off of my 300 HAMR, and on to the 5.56.

And putting a fixed 6X MQ on the 300 HAMR, with a red dot offset 45* to starboard in front of the scope.

I put a 3x prism on mine for an all-aounder. It's a Primary Arms with ACSS reticle. I like it.

MM,

I'm sick over what happened to your Marines over the last week.

Stand in the gap,

DW

I've been leaning toward the Trijicon Credo 1-6x.

Not light, but it will do the job very well. I considered cutting to the chase and running that same setup.

I may try one of those. My astigmatism pretty much rules out red dots.

Been considering the Meprolight M21, which looks awesome, but I would miss no magnification at all. If I added a Meprolight magnifier I would be looking at damn near a thousand bucks for the setup, which seems insanely high for a 3x tritium optic system.

The prism scope seems like the best solution besides an lpvo...

The 5x I’m using is the PA w/ aurora reticle. I much prefer the chevron over the enlarged circle and dot setup.

Close or far, I like the NX8 1-8.

LVPO, take your pick, pay your money.................my preference is 1-8x.

Various red dots, prisms, etc., are all fine for 100-125 yards, farther than that, I like the LVPO better.

Everything is some kind of compromise, but for my uses, the really up close & personal needs is limited to home defense & those (dedicated) guns get red dots/holographic sights.

But for the one gun, all-arounder with some level of precision & target ID at (relatively) longer range, I like some magnification.

YMMV

MM

"Do it all", for torso type precision? Ha ha..

I proved to myself with a timer on plates that a LPVO is not as fast as a red dot up close and the red dot won’t work as precise as a LPVO past 100 yards. Duh, I know.

So I have identical guns set up with an Aimpoint on one and a Trijicon 1-4 on the other, actually two more. Inside my house I’ll grab the Aimpoint and even take it into my neighborhood if needed. Going in the truck where anything is possible, the 1-4 rides there and I’ll use the pistol to clear the way to my carbine.

I had an ACOG 3x TA33 a few years ago and it would work as well as a LPVO if my eyesight could focus the reticle or they had a diopter to adjust, I might still have one.

So ya they are all compromises you just have to weigh your threats in your AO and see which fits better.

I like a burris 536 mounted atop a carry handle open sight, add a red dot screen ( like a ff3 ) to the side of the 536 , or 332 if want not so much magnification

I don't have any experience with the Credo, I'm using the Huron. It's been nothing but reliable in the year and a half it's lived on my rifle.


I do have an Aimpoint RDS on my Colt and it works very well; but I find myself using the MPR and the 1-4x much more.

Mid-40s discovered Aimpoints and thought them a revelation. Like shooting irons as a kid. Now at 66 think a LP variable/fixed better overall except for very close and quick. My wife is younger and has less trouble with astigmatism so prefers a T1 on her 6920.

Regarding astigmatism, not all dots are created equal. I can still use Dad's old M2 4 MOA quite well, the 2 MOA M3 not as well. Our Micros now have way too much flare to be useful beyond 100 yds in my hands.

Starting over think I'd get a Trijicon low-power fixed and be done with it.

I've played with Aimpoints to LPVOs since they first started using them on AR's and I still favor Aimpoints or dots for clearing/ urban rifle. A low power fixed is fine too such as a TA01 or one of the newer variants. But I'd opt for a quick detach 3x magnifier and Aimpoint. I had a LPVO and trained for months prior to going to Alaska on a 45-70. I religiously set it back to 1.5X after zooming out to 5X. I figured one person in camp should have a bear protection rifle. Then on day in camp I left it on 5x, after I got home I compromised and put a fixed 2.5X on it. A truck gun or DM a 1-8X like MM suggested would be great. His 3x PA probably would be fine too. I'm no expert but for clearing out to even 400 yards I've used Aimpoints and found them to work. KISS. YMMV