Need Optics recommendations

[baboon]

I assure I have no manifesto of any sort. I've been focusing on work a lot since I moved down here. I have a fiancé. I spend most of my time doing stuff with her and her family. We also travel. My dad comes down every year from WI and stays for the winter. I work from home too so I am not around people every day to make friends and everything. But I am making the attempt now to change that which is why I am on here. To be honest I don't really know my neighbors all that well either, but I don't think they would shared my interests haha.

The house I had in Houston was a bastion of liberal democrats. When they started building McMansions I stopped cleaning guns outside on may patio, for fear I'd have SWAT called out on me.

You really do need to go to some of the meets up. You need to be prepared to do some driving for the outdoor events, but its well worth it.

When I moved to this current house a lot of it was to get closer to the wife parents for her. I put out distress message at a time when TSHTF. Two members drove whats normally 1.5 hours one way to come to my rescue. Both of them will always be welcome at my home.

 

[D0ntTr3@d0nM3]

The house I had in Houston was a bastion of liberal democrats. When they started building McMansions I stopped cleaning guns outside on may patio, for fear I'd have SWAT called out on me.

You really do need to go to some of the meets up. You need to be prepared to do some driving for the outdoor events, but its well worth it.

When I moved to this current house a lot of it was to get closer to the wife parents for her. I put out distress message at a time when TSHTF. Two members drove whats normally 1.5 hours one way to come to my rescue. Both of them will always be welcome at my home.

I plan to go to the meet ups but I haven't seen any posted yet. I don't mind driving.

 

[baboon]

I am a software/data engineer and have worked from home for almost 10 years now for the same company. So I haven't had much of a social life even before I moved here. Although I did have a buddy up north before I moved that I would go shooting with and travel around going to gun shows and stuff.

If you can work from home I'd GTFO of Fort Bend County. Where I ended up it's a throwback to the good old days. All the neighbors but one are just as nice as they get. I just had 12 over the other day for lunch. The week before cooked 3 pork butts for out $3.00 luncheon. Next month is the $7.00 Fish Fry.

 

[baboon]

I plan to go to the meet ups but I haven't seen any posted yet. I don't mind driving.

You have been here seven years you should know the seasons play a major part in out door activities.

Unfortunately Axxe55 won't be having his, but more importantly he gets his and his wives health back.

 

[D0ntTr3@d0nM3]

You have been here seven years you should know the seasons play a major part in out door activities.

Unfortunately Axxe55 won't be having his, but more importantly he gets his and his wives health back.

Oh yeah I understand. Hopefully him and his wife have a speedy recovery.
What county or area in TX do you recommend? We live close to my fiancé's family now so Idk if moving will be an option in the near future. But you never know.

 

[toddnjoyce]

I want to try an ACOG but it might be overkill ..

It will be. I toted one around on last OEF trip and it’s a great optic, but you’ve been really vague on what you want your rifle to do.

I’ll make two suggestions: a 1-6 or 1-8 LVPO. Jack of all trades, master of none, bit will work on man-sized targets out to the max effective range of 5.56.

Fixed 4x with a mini-red dot. Same as the above, but instead of twisting a magnifier, you twist the rifle or you head to bring up the red dot.

I’ve done both and realize in the house, it’s point and click and a laser is great for that. Put a fixed 4x on a MPBR zero for your setup and get on with it for distance. Unless you’re hunting; then get a dedicated setup in a better caliber than 5.56.

 

[D0ntTr3@d0nM3]

It will be. I toted one around on last OEF trip and it’s a great optic, but you’ve been really vague on what you want your rifle to do.

I’ll make two suggestions: a 1-6 or 1-8 LVPO. Jack of all trades, master of none, bit will work on man-sized targets out to the max effective range of 5.56.

Fixed 4x with a mini-red dot. Same as the above, but instead of twisting a magnifier, you twist the rifle or you head to bring up the red dot.

I’ve done both and realize in the house, it’s point and click and a laser is great for that. Put a fixed 4x on a MPBR zero for your setup and get on with it for distance. Unless you’re hunting; then get a dedicated setup in a better caliber than 5.56.

I want my rifle to be dead accurate up to lets say 500 yards and the range for this particular rifle. I also plan to use it for home defense. I figured the ACOG would allow me to do both. My vision has been getting worse so the magnification will come in handy. I don't mind spending the money if it is high quality. I will check the suggestions you made as well. Thanks.

 

[toddnjoyce]

I want my rifle to be dead accurate up to lets say 500 yards and the range for this particular rifle…

What does ‘dead accurate’ at ranges from 0-500 mean to you in terms of accuracy? 5 shot group with half-moa at 500yds accuracy is different than a cold-bore 1MOA shot in the house.

Having shot the ACOG, it’ll do that if you know how to do your part at each interval. But you have to know how to shoot eyes wide open.

 

[Txhighlander]

The small town of Altoona

Eau Claire area, been there many times in the area.

 

[D0ntTr3@d0nM3]

Eau Claire area, been there many times in the area.

I used to live in Eau Claire also. I went to High School/College there.

 

[D0ntTr3@d0nM3]

What does ‘dead accurate’ at ranges from 0-500 mean to you in terms of accuracy? 5 shot group with half-moa at 500yds accuracy is different than a cold-bore 1MOA shot in the house.

Having shot the ACOG, it’ll do that if you know how to do your part at each interval. But you have to know how to shoot eyes wide open.

To be honest I don't have a lot of precision shooting experience. But it is something I want to learn how to do.

 

[jetcycles]

I'm still not wrapping my head around the idea of the "best" optic for such a peculiar use scenario. Maybe I missed it, but how much actual hands on shooting experience do you have with an AR-15? I'm not trying to be impolite with the following statement either, I'm glad you found this place, but help us help you! I think you need to be realistic with yourself about where your priorities lie with this one, because in my experience you're not going to get the best of both worlds. As far as I can gather from this thread we know nothing of your AR setup, that leaves a lot to the imagination when discussing one of the most customizable firearms on earth. We get that you want it capable of home defense and also accuracy at distances between 150-500 yards (based on your posts), but even your written ideas about those scenarios are vague. Either you are one hell of a clever troll or you're currently thinking beyond your knowledge base by a fair margin, the latter is perfectly acceptable in my book. I have AR's that cover a broad spectrum of use case scenarios and even a couple that make me laugh at myself because WTF but I do know the limitations of each. Focus on home defense and sacrifice "dead nuts accuracy" at 500 yards or you'll end up with neither. FWIW, I'm from Houston, I'll sling 5.56 out of a sub 12" platform at 300+ yards all day long using a red dot, that's how we get down in the slums. Some of the posts in this thread made me laugh, hopefully that last line made you laugh too, I was dead serious.

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[D0ntTr3@d0nM3]

I'm still not wrapping my head around the idea of the "best" optic for such a peculiar use scenario. Maybe I missed it, but how much actual hands on shooting experience do you have with an AR-15? I'm not trying to be impolite with the following statement either, I'm glad you found this place, but help us help you! I think you need to be realistic with yourself about where your priorities lie with this one, because in my experience you're not going to get the best of both worlds. As far as I can gather from this thread we know nothing of your AR setup, that leaves a lot to the imagination when discussing one of the most customizable firearms on earth. We get that you want it capable of home defense and also accuracy at distances between 150-500 yards (based on your posts), but even your written ideas about those scenarios are vague. Either you are one hell of a clever troll or you're currently thinking beyond your knowledge base by a fair margin, the latter is perfectly acceptable in my book. I have AR's that cover a broad spectrum of use case scenarios and even a couple that make me laugh at myself because WTF but I do know the limitations of each. Focus on home defense and sacrifice "dead nuts accuracy" at 500 yards or you'll end up with neither. FWIW, I'm from Houston, I'll sling 5.56 out of a sub 12" platform at 300+ yards all day long using a red dot, that's how we get down in the slums. Some of the posts in this thread made me laugh, hopefully that last line made you laugh too, I was dead serious.

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I don't take offense to your statements. I am thinking far beyond my knowledge on this topic. To be 100% honest I don't have a lot of firearm shooting experience in general. I own guns and have gone to the range. I have very little knowledge of sighting in optics. I've owned eotech in the past and I liked that. I had to sell it a while back because of some unforeseen circumstances so now I am looking to replace it and get back to the range. It's a bit embarrassing but yes I am very new to guns in general other than just doing some casual shooting. (I do know how to safely use a firearm and do carry one with me daily.) I am very eager to learn however.

 

[Big Green]

To be honest I don't have a lot of precision shooting experience. But it is something I want to learn how to do.

ACOG is not a precision optic, at least in my opinion.

 

[jetcycles]

I don't take offense to your statements. I am thinking far beyond my knowledge on this topic. To be 100% honest I don't have a lot of firearm shooting experience in general. I own guns and have gone to the range. I have very little knowledge of sighting in optics. I've owned eotech in the past and I liked that. I had to sell it a while back because of some unforeseen circumstances so now I am looking to replace it and get back to the range. It's a bit embarrassing but yes I am very new to guns in general other than just doing some casual shooting. (I do know how to safely use a firearm and do carry one with me daily.) I am very eager to learn however.

I assumed as much. You're in the right place man!! No need to be embarrassed whatsoever, we've all been there, and this is a darn fine gang of misfits that are willing to help you learn and grow as a shooter. Wish I was closer, Id let you shoot anything and everything in my inventory so you have more confidence in your skills and abilities and can make more informed opinions based on your own likes/dislikes. I've been shooting for 40 years and I have to giggle a bit, you opened a massive can of worms with your platform choice being an AR and you're falling down the rabbit hole faster than you've realized! Slow down, read and shoot anything and everything you can. You'll soon find reasons to have a CQB gun and a long range precision gun and a two stamp setup just for grins and a PCC that shares magazines with your EDC pistol just because and a suppressed bolt action shooting subs and a pair of nods and a short barreled shotgun and a dedicated long range precision rifle or three and a NRL22 rig and a couple tiny setups for the kids because they wanna be just like dad and a trainer rifle to loan your friends so you never have to shoot alone and a trust filled with regulated hardware and an oops why do I have multiples of that one and enough ammo to feed all of them for a lifetime and no room to put all of it...at least that's what happened to me.

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[baboon]

Oh yeah I understand. Hopefully him and his wife have a speedy recovery.
What county or area in TX do you recommend? We live close to my fiancé's family now so Idk if moving will be an option in the near future. But you never know.

Anyplace other than near the big cities. I live about halfway between Dallas and Houston and I wish that I had made the move sooner.

I worked in Sugarland in the early 80’s and then again in 2018 talk about watching a place turn to shit. Fort Bend was rural back in the eighties. Hell I remember seeing convicts working the farm fields there on Highway 6 and highway 90..

Richmond started growing when Missouri City house market crashed and houses were foreclosed on. Then came section 8 housing. Sugarland was the same song and dance just a bit later on.

 

[toddnjoyce]

To be honest I don't have a lot of precision shooting experience. But it is something I want to learn how to do.

Precision ≠ accuracy.

The shooter is generally the limiting factor for both.

 

[leVieux]

My eyesight is in decline too so that is the other reason I am seeking advice. I want to make the best possible decision. What illuminated scope do you use?

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If you have cataracts, get them fixed as soon as they are sufficiently ‘’mature’’.

The intra-ocular lens implants work wonderfully.

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[D0ntTr3@d0nM3]

I assumed as much. You're in the right place man!! No need to be embarrassed whatsoever, we've all been there, and this is a darn fine gang of misfits that are willing to help you learn and grow as a shooter. Wish I was closer, Id let you shoot anything and everything in my inventory so you have more confidence in your skills and abilities and can make more informed opinions based on your own likes/dislikes. I've been shooting for 40 years and I have to giggle a bit, you opened a massive can of worms with your platform choice being an AR and you're falling down the rabbit hole faster than you've realized! Slow down, read and shoot anything and everything you can. You'll soon find reasons to have a CQB gun and a long range precision gun and a two stamp setup just for grins and a PCC that shares magazines with your EDC pistol just because and a suppressed bolt action shooting subs and a pair of nods and a short barreled shotgun and a dedicated long range precision rifle or three and a NRL22 rig and a couple tiny setups for the kids because they wanna be just like dad and a trainer rifle to loan your friends so you never have to shoot alone and a trust filled with regulated hardware and an oops why do I have multiples of that one and enough ammo to feed all of them for a lifetime and no room to put all of it...at least that's what happened to me.

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That all sounds fantastic. Idk everything you said but it leaves me with things to look up. I do currently have a trust for my suppressor. I am thinking of getting my FFL.

I appreciate you taking the time to give me your advice. And yes I did feel embarrassed not knowing a lot about this stuff but I guess it was easy to spot. It’s a custom build. The guy that built it said he does the following: hand laps the upper receiver to true it up to the barrel and I also lap the barrel extension to match it to the feed ramps in the receiver. He also shot peened the BCG, the gas key is properly staked, it has a 5 coil black extractor spring insert with a mil-spec viton(r) o-ring added to the extractor, hpt and mpi barrel and bolt, bcg is rated for full auto, 4140 barrel steel, and possibly a cold forge hammered barrel. I can’t remember now if I got that or not. To be honest I don’t know what a lot of that means.
The barrel is 1:7 twist.

Idk where in TX you are exactly but I am willing to take a long drive. It would be great to get some hands on experience and try different types of firearms and optics.

 

[D0ntTr3@d0nM3]