[William R. Moore]

Years back I used to swap electrons with a SF 04 in Afghanistan/Sandbox. He noted that the supply folks had barrels of broken Eotechs. He'd occasionally pick through them and do parts swapping to add functional items to inventory.

Last year, Eotech had a recall on certain models/serial number ranges. A buddy went through several under warranty and finally took advantage of the recall to get his money back.

It's your money/project, but I've been buying Aimpoint for decades for good reason (the 3000 I bought around 1982 is still working fine). The PRO is a very good buy. I'd really prefer not having night vision capability and having more options on dot intensity, but level 3 and 4 are actually usable in dim light/night with your eyeball. If you do go with the PRO, get the 2 MOA dot.

 

[Diamondback]

Thanks, WRM. Frankly, with the GF having astigmatism I'm trying to find out if anybody's ever taken a Vortex Spitfire into combat since prisms work better for folks with bad eyes. Other complication is that my eyes are like natural starlight scopes but I'm also horribly nearsighted... PRO's are known to have seen private-purchase combat service with both us and Canada, but the dot turns into a cluster of grapes for some users with astigmatism.

Right now the thinking is teach her The Right Way on iron first, worry about adding optics *after* the basic rifles are done and the hook is set.

 

[M118LR]

Sorry to hear that you have deep sixed the 20 inch projects. ATN makes several models compatible and actually "Battle Tested" for Night Vision. Don't forget that the larger iron sight aperture can negatively influence day shooting. JMHO.

PS: Rock Creek 5R AR Barrels. http://www.rockcreekbarrels.com/

 

[Diamondback]

They aren't deep-sixed, they're just shelved--I'm still sniping off the harder-to-get parts when I can find 'em, and other stuff as I find good deals. (I mainly mention the sensitive eyes because I need a sight that can be dimmed down quite a bit; if we ever crossed paths one of the first things you'd notice about me is that you'd almost never see my eyes because of having to wear polarized lenses.) At least one 20" *is* getting built someday, even if I have to cheat and do one lower with two different uppers, US and Canadian.

I'm confident we'll get our local political BS straightened out in Federal court, but it will take a while to get there.

 

[M118LR]

(I mainly mention the sensitive eyes because I need a sight that can be dimmed down quite a bit; if we ever crossed paths one of the first things you'd notice about me is that you'd almost never see my eyes because of having to wear polarized lenses.)

Phil Collins "In the Air Tonight" Listened to it while eating chow prior to South America Operations. First time, last time we ever meet. I'll never see your eyes, but I'd better not see the shine of your scope.

 

[Diamondback]

LOL, if you ever see me with iron it'll probably be on a range, and you'll probably be invited to have a test-fire same as any other longtime member here.

We all have our debates, quibbles and points of disagreement, but I'd like to hope at the end of the day we could all crack cold ones and swap war stories/jokes/etc. like civilized people. I'll buy the first round at such a gathering, if I can get there.

 

[M118LR]

LOL, if you ever see me with iron it'll probably be on a range, and you'll probably be invited to have a test-fire same as any other longtime member here.

We all have our debates, quibbles and points of disagreement, but I'd like to hope at the end of the day we could all crack cold ones and swap war stories/jokes/etc. like civilized people. I'll buy the first round at such a gathering, if I can get there.

As long as you're wearing the ISAR American Flag on your shoulder, it's like your an Israelite on Passover. :thumbsup:

Yet while we are on the subject of Phil Collins, follow "In the Air Tonight" with I Don't Care Anymore & Take Me Home.

 

[William R. Moore]

DB, did the grapes thing with the 3000 decades ago. Changed Opthamologists and haven't had the problem since. Mine's cool with my taking an upper and optic into the exam room to verify the Rx is good before we finalize, but that really hasn't been necessary.

I do the whole upper because I had heck's own time getting zero'd and don't want to screw things up. The PRO mount is good enough for government work without checking, but I'm more picky.

The 4 MOA is a bit less susceptible to "grapes", but covers too darn much over about 150-200 meters.

 

[Diamondback]

*My* optometrist might be cool with it--Doc L. and I go back to high school, and she actually stepped in rather enthusiastically when I was trying to work out ideas for rail-mounting a corrective optic on a bedside AR--but given that the GF lives Behind Enemy Lines I don't think that would fly with her eye guy.

Good to know about the 4MOA, most ranges around here wimp out at only 100yd so that's a reasonable envelope.

 

[William R. Moore]

FWIW, I think the most versatile optic would be a 1-4/1-6 variable scope with capped adjustment dials and simple duplex crosshairs. Initial zero at 50 yards/meters pretty much covers the effective range of the round and hold overs to 300 aren't difficult to estimate. The caps on the knobs/dials prevent inadvertent changes in adjustments.

That sorta covers the grapes & batteries concerns. To some degree, I wish I'd gone this way. The MkI, mod 0 eyeball (or mod 1,2,3 with various corrective lens setups) runs out of discrimination ability before the round runs out of capability.

 

[Diamondback]

FWIW, I think the most versatile optic would be a 1-4/1-6 variable scope with capped adjustment dials and simple duplex crosshairs. Initial zero at 50 yards/meters pretty much covers the effective range of the round and hold overs to 300 aren't difficult to estimate. The caps on the knobs/dials prevent inadvertent changes in adjustments.

That sorta covers the grapes & batteries concerns. To some degree, I wish I'd gone this way. The MkI, mod 0 eyeball (or mod 1,2,3 with various corrective lens setups) runs out of discrimination ability before the round runs out of capability.

If I can find LPVO's that have been used as "private purchases" by US and Canadian troops in the Rockpile, that would certainly be another way around the problem. Like I said, while I want to have a roadmap with options penciled out, I don't want to really start sinking serious coin into anything beyond the basics until C. has had a chance to start with that and decide whether or not she's serious about this "couples' Service Rifle matches" thing.

 

[William R. Moore]

UNA- Use No Acronyms.

I sorta figure VO means variable optic. What the bleep is the "LP"? Low price? Limited production? Reading back a bit, polarized lenses?

 

[Diamondback]

LPVO is Low Power Variable, typically 1-4x.

 

[M118LR]

Perhaps I missed the part when someone explained what is wrong with the GI acog?

(forgive me: Government Issue)

 

[William R. Moore]

It's been quite a while since we did T&E on the ACOG. Briefly, we rejected it because it wasn't worth the asking price. At least for our purposes, some of the alleged features were faults.

Now, if price wasn't an issue, back in December of 2012 I got to play with a Zeiss prototype variable power combat optic. Reduced light capability was unreal. Made the ACOG look like a cheap Jap scope from the 1950s. OTOH, a best guess on price was $1800-2200. Have no clue if it ever made it into production and/or available to civilians. But if it did it's worth every penny.

 

[Diamondback]

WRM, to follow up on prior re polarized lenses, my eyes are so light sensitive I have to wear very dark shades at almost all times. In a suit I look like I just stepped off the set of either Blues Brothers or Men In Black...

 

[Diamondback]

Updated build pic on the C8--the rail clamped around the FSB is an airsoft knockoff, temporary until either BCM does another run of the real deal or I make sense of ATF Form 6 to import the genuine article from a Canadian friend who has one collecting dust.

While the light is a buddy's he used on his M4 in Afghanistan, then mounted on his LE patrol rifles and sold to me as he downsizes in prep to retire, one of the Canucks who's advised me on getting this monster done tells me he used an almost-identical buildup in his own Rockpile tours, so it looks like I' gonna have to build up another of these--and Surefire XM07 tailcap switches are getting pricey.

 

[M118LR]

Somehow I can't understand the concept of accessories for full-automatic firearms residinging on semi-automatic only firearms? If you don't have the cyclic rate expand the the range to take advantage of what the firearm does best. I'm confused?

 

[Diamondback]

I don't understand the confusion--accessory rails are for mounting lights, lasers, grips, have nothing to do with full-auto or not.

It just so happens that instead of doing it the RIGHT way and buying something like a KAC RAS or similar drop-in quadrail for VFG's and lights, our northern neighbors went with a $25 screw-on rail adapter and a $50 thing that clamps around the gas block for a light mount "because CANADIAN JOBS!"

Bear in mind, the goal on this build is a "service-configuration clone" for the range, not a balls-out "fully optimized to perfectly fit operator in Home D." If that were the game, I'd be building us a pair of 12.5" "super-size pistols."

 

[M118LR]

It's the clone part that confuses me. Clone an M40 Bolt Action and it might not be Mechanically as accurate as the actual issue, but clone a Full-Automatic Firearm limited to semi-automatic from the start? Well, that's confusing part. It just can't ever be what the Original was meant to be in any way shape or form! It's a preplanned failure from the start. The cost of the project is irrelevant, it can never match the "Original" no matter how much cash is throw at it....... ??????