4x Optic: ACOG v Short Dot Scope v Elcan Spectre

[Kazuya991]

I’m building my TM Scar into a DMR, I like the acogs, elcans and short dots - they all look really nice on the Scar however don’t want to commit to buying any and it doesn’t work out so thought I’d ask the community.

Would be good to get some reviews if you use any of these on the field - any downsides e.g. weight/mobility or eye relief? Leaning towards the short dot scope

 

[Adolf Hamster]

I'm gonna assume we're talking airsoft repros here and not rs, so any advice is to be taken with a "depends which nameless chinese factory yours rolled out of".

I'd avoid the switchable elcan spectres, primary issue being zero retention between modes. They're also bulky, heavy and only offer a single position. Shame as they are a cool looking optic.

Acogs, well it depends on the repro most likely.

Short dots/lpvo's are better, but again a mixed bag and the ones i've used you never get the same kind of 1x that you'd get from a red dot. Others can comment as i've heard folks talking up some specific brands being much much better than others in this regard.

What i found that worked really quite well was a short dot+stacked red dot. Bore offset is a minor annoyance for having a quick, intuitive switch between the true open fov of a red dot and the "is this guy taking the mick or am i missing?" Power of a magnified optic. Only thing is i found that i'd be using the red dot about 99.9% of the time such that when i did use the magnified i'd find i had forgotten to re-zero it since the last [event requiring a re-zero].

A fixed magnification would provably work as well if you're stacking, i had a 1-6 and it basically lived its life at 4 and i probably wouldnt have missed the adjustment.

 

[TheFull9]

It all varies in details depending on the exact repro you buy, but I've got multiple clones of ACOGs, ELCANs and LPVOs myself so I'll chime in.

For me, the ACOG is the shout because they're always the lightest and by a decent margin, usually cheapest too when you compare decent quality airsoft copies. Smaller FOV compared to the ELCANs because they're just physically smaller, shorter eye relief, but enough to still work with airsoft eye pro and for me the weight saving is worth all that.

ELCANs are in the middle; bit heavier, bit more pricey, but wider FOV and clearer (my ones anyway). Nice when you're static but a noticeable heft added to the gun especially by the end of a day.

LPVOs start getting big and vary in weight but can be rather heavy indeed and even the aliexpress ones can cost hundreds (though they are very nice to look through). I think they look super cool on a lot of builds and obviously you have that variable magnification which can be great, but as mentioned there's also a good chance you'll barely use that.

All of the above can be combined with a piggyback or canted red dot ofc, also looks very cool, but that's more money and weight yet again. Personally if I'm close enough I'm using the magical white bbs as tracers and instinctive shooting anyway.

So yeah, myself, I have a fair few Evolution Gear ACOGs e.g. https://www.specprecision.com/rifle...wo-VAQk62BRsD4Q4EQbySYRCTcUTeZkuBB8bOImAYqtaA

 

[Impulse]

For a DMR I'd go with the LPVO over the other options; I go for MPVOs myself, but I know a lot of airsofters prefer LPVOs due to shorter ranges, but I like being able to see exactly what's going on downrange. It's rare you'll need 1x as a DMR with an MED, and the variation can help at different ranges to make sure your BBs are going exactly where you want them to be.

And the Victoptics S6 LPVO is amazing for the money. Genuinely can't tell much difference between it and my friend's Vortex Strike Eagle which cost multiple times more money.. Obviously the Strike Eagle is nicer, but is it £400 nicer? Not for airsoft use it isn't...

 

[Anonymoose]

And the Victoptics S6 LPVO is amazing for the money. Genuinely can't tell much difference between it and my friend's Vortex Strike Eagle which cost multiple times more money.. Obviously the Strike Eagle is nicer, but is it £400 nicer? Not for airsoft use it isn't...

Click to shrink...

I got one of those recently and it is ridiculously good. Unbeatable for the money.

Add a one-piece mount with a red dot on top and you're set. I tried the canted red dots and much prefer this.



I also think, unless you're going for a specific look, you're better off with a genuine cheaper brand optic than and expensive clone. All of mine are Vector Optics/Victoptics and i really rate them.

 

[Kazuya991]

Thanks all for chiming in - deciding to go with a good ACOG with a red dot sight to balance distance. I’m always really keen on mobility so weight is a big factor to me