Aimpoint CompM4 v. Trijicon ACOG TA31 with RMR

[Balrog]

I need some help with making a decision.

I am putting optics on an AR. I already have an AR set up with an Aimpoint CompM4 and like it a lot. I have never had an ACOG, but like the TA31 with the RMR reflex sight on top.

The ACOG with RMR is over twice as much as the CompM4, $1900 versus about $850.

Should i spend the extra and get the Trijicon or just stay with what I already have and know I like, the CompM4?

Do any of you guys own both? If so, what are your thoughts on this?

 

[Bartholomew Roberts]

My advice would be to try the TA31/RMR combo first and see if you like it. For me, I didn't care for having a different height over bore and cheek weld when using the RMR. It was easier to roll the rifle 45deg and use an offset red dot.

 

[Balrog]

Thats a good point. I am not sure I know of anyone nearby with that set up though so trying it out may be tough. I am also not so sure I want 4x mag of the ACOG. I think I may just stay with the Aimpoint CompM4 since I am already familiar with it. What do you think about the Aimpoint?

 

[taliv]

i love the acog and the rmr (own both), but can't imagine putting one on top of the other.

also, shop around. those prices look pretty high for all 3


if you are going to spend that much money, a vortex 1-6 HD will smoke all 3 put together.

 

[coyote315]

i used both those configurations in Iraq. I preferred the aimpoint comp m2 (m68), but that's a personal decision. You get what you pay for; ACOGs are worth every penny. So are high-end Scandinavian escorts, but that doesn't mean I wanna spend the pennies on one.
Maybe buy a good cheap 4x scope like a simmons, mount it up, and see if you like 4x. A $40 investment to decide a $1500 investment doesn't seem like bad money to me ?

 

[back40]

there's quite a difference between $40 4x and $1500 4x IMHO. the only thing it would tell me is if 4x is too much for the up close shooting i might do.

 

[henschman]

I agree that the red dot on top of the scope is not a very good configuration... I have shot rifles set up that way, and for me it was always awkward to use the dot in that tiny little screen with your head pulled way up high with no cheek weld. If you're going to have a backup red dot, I greatly prefer the 45 degree offset setup.

ACOGs are great scopes -- very good glass and tough as nails -- but as Taliv said, you could get a really nice high-end 1-n power scope for the kind of money you're talking about. You might want to look at some of those too. Having a 1x setting obviates the need for a backup red dot. If you do go with an ACOG, I greatly prefer the longer eye relief TA11 to the TA33.

 

[strambo]

What is the rifle for? If it is just for general use, there is no right answer. If home defense is a consideration, you already have the best sight for that.

I prefer the Aimpoint if I could only have 1 and have no problems getting hits on torso size targets out to 300m.

My other AR has a TA33 ACOG, but I wouldn't personally dump all that $ into one with the reflex sight on top. Horrible chin-weld and it costs a fortune. For nearly $2k, I'd be thinking about the Leupold Mk6 1-6, or perhaps a USO 1-8.

 

[Bartholomew Roberts]

It is hard to go wrong with the Aimpoint - a lot depends on how you want to use the rifle. The nice thing about the Aimpoint is it is simple, reliable, fast and allows a lot of non-traditional shooting positions.

A scope requires a consistent cheek weld - which means non-traditional shooting positions are difficult, and in some cases impossible to do. However, a scope does let you see better. Instead of seeing a guy as he appears in a window, a scope lets you look through a window into a room. For recreational shooters it is also a little more useful for hunting from a blind or shooting tiny groups.

ACOGs, while great optics, are just incredibly rugged fixed power scopes. Personally, I like the TA11 and TA33 better than the TA31 because they have better eye relief and a bigger eyebox - which lets you use them better up close and fast. Having said that, when you can pick up a Vortex 1-6x24 or a SWFA 1-6x24 for $1000, it gets really hard to justify the cost of an ACOG. I mean it isn't like I'm going to HALO into the Pacific and SCUBA 2 miles before crawling over a sandy beach to begin my next hunting/range trip. Having a still very rugged but variable 1-6x that can be used like a dot on 1x or used with a mil scale on 6x makes a lot more sense for my uses than having a scope that can survive an IED.

And I say that as a guy who still owns an ACOG and has used most of their pre-2008 product line.

 

[Monkeybear]

This isnt that much more expensive than the CompM4

http://www.midwayusa.com/product/292293/trijicon-acog-ta33-bac-rifle-scope-3x-30mm-dual-illuminated-amber-chevron-223-remington-reticle-with-ta60-flattop-mount-matte

 

[nastynatesfish]

I love my compm4. I have two. Not a bid fan of the eotechs. Never tried a trijicon out I have shot the trijicon 5-15 scope and it was nice. I'm gonna get a 3x magnifier for my aimpoint. I'm happy with it that way

 

[Jackal]

Mounting sights onto other sights is just too gimmicky for my taste. Much better off to keep things simple imho. In stressful situations, the fewer things you need to focus on the better.

 

[Outlaw Man]

Count me as being in the rolling over to an offset camp. They are all excellent optics. The height over bore issue with the high-riding RMR is probably the only issue you'd have with either.

That, or wanting to buy more...

 

[Collector0311]

I run an ACOG on my LMT and I am happy with my decision. It's what I had on my service rifle and what I felt most comfortable using.
With a little practice, shooting the magnified optic at close range is simple with both eyes open, but again it's up to your comfort level and what's operationally most efficient.
If you're still turned off by the lack of a close range optic, check out the canted flip up irons to compliment an ACOG.
Again I'm bias to it and the price was in my wheelhouse.

 

[Gordon]

for my Noveske Infidel (13.7 barrel with pinned KX3) which is my hands down favorite/best AR I chose an Acog Trijicon ACOG TA02 BAC Rifle Scope 4x 32mm Battery LED Illuminated after having my TA11 start to get dim after 10 years. I use Dueck Defense off set BUIS which are as good as the Factory M4 ones and instantly available for those close up times when 4x is a little much. Finally I am satisfied : I can get reliable head shots at 200 rested, reliable body shots up to at least 100 yards off hand and the Dueck irons are good from 15 feet out with only 1" bore off set left and low = aim for forehead and hit left eye !

 

[Inebriated]

if you are going to spend that much money, a vortex 1-6 HD will smoke all 3 put together.

Agreed. Not so much about the Vortex HD (never used it), but that a 1-4,5,6x is probably the best option.