Elcan combat optics

Big Bad

Big Bad

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The problem with rifle ownership is that the cost of the optic often ends up exceeding the cost of the firearm these days, but before I go buying an Elcan C79A2 for my rather ordinary AR15, what do those of you experienced with them have to say about them?

Darned if I can find a photo of one online that isn't watermarked "Airsoft," LOL.
 
I hate it. There are far better optics out there especially for the price.

The reticle is garbage
The mount is crap
Every one I ever used fogged like crazy
Its heavy
The "back up sites" (And I use that term in the loosest possible way) are so useless you would be lucky to hit the earth
For its size I found using it very tunnely is that makes sense

YMMV

Shawn
 
shawn said:
I hate it. There are far better optics out there especially for the price.

The reticle is garbage
The mount is crap
Every one I ever used fogged like crazy
Its heavy
The "back up sites" (And I use that term in the loosest possible way) are so useless you would be lucky to hit the earth
For its size I found using it very tunnely is that makes sense

YMMV

Shawn
Click to expand...

That about sums it up. Why limit yourself to an outdated over priced optic. Fixed powers are so 2006.
Unless you're cloning that is.
 
Regardless of C79A2 quality. Fixed magnification has advantages too.

Fixed eye relief promotes consistent cheek-wield. No parallax errors. Fixed mag sights usually are x3 or x4 and with that you can shoot with both eyes open.

Also they are built like tanks. I have TA11F, it's about getting to 20 years and it is still like it was in mid 90s. Bright crisp picture and reticle.
 
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OK then the reviews are mostly negative, so what should a guy get that's along the same lines, ie combat tough and around 4X so quick visual access etc?
 
Agree with everything said above about their overall crapiness.

Was infantry for ~12 years, did 4 tours, 2 with elcan, 1 with eotech, 1 I got away with my own dot sight. Also did CFSAC twice so tons of experience with this sight.

They are heavy. The elevation knob is useless and way off. They fog. The weird ass magnification is just weird. The reticle obscures the target. Worst of all they give you tunnel vision and are difficult to shoot both eyes open.

I don't like magnified sights for a CQB gun, anything less that 100m I shoot dot or iron. My distance rigs have a variable although having a dot with a hybrid magnifier is effective too (though a bit cliche now). For a battle sight I think the yanks got it right.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Advanced_Combat_Optical_Gunsight

GL
 
C79a2 sight is garbage !!

Did my first tour with an armalite carry handle as a sight and my second, I started with this armalite carry handle and finished with my Aimpoint PRO which I still own and use both at work and civyland.

My vote would go to the Aimpoint PRO and if you absolutly want magnification, Aimpoint 3x magnifier is your friend.


Elcan C79:

-heavy
-reticle is huge and hides stuff behind the post
-requires frequent re-zeroing if bumped

Its a machine gun scope. American use it on their M240 and our new C6 GPMG can be equipped with it.
 
for its designed purpose the Elcan is very good optically; picket reticles work fine if you understand their use and limitations - the Elcan mount - not so much..... there were modifications that made the mount more capable of holding zero. Do a search here and you will find some comments about the mount. There are some conditions where any optical sight is a liability on a weapon - other conditions and apllications where they are very useful. E. Leitz Canada knew what they were doing when they built it (except the mount!) but as is always the case there were compromises - if you want a soldier proof optic - its going to be bulky and heavy.
 
DT741 said:
C79a2 sight is garbage !!

Did my first tour with an armalite carry handle as a sight and my second, I started with this armalite carry handle and finished with my Aimpoint PRO which I still own and use both at work and civyland.

My vote would go to the Aimpoint PRO and if you absolutly want magnification, Aimpoint 3x magnifier is your friend.


Elcan C79:

-heavy
-reticle is huge and hides stuff behind the post
-requires frequent re-zeroing if bumped

Its a machine gun scope. American use it on their M240 and our new C6 GPMG can be equipped with it.
Click to expand...

I have a PRO, it fact it was my sight of choice the last time, but my 60ish eyes can no longer get a good resolution on the red dot unless it's way too wide for my liking- otherwise it's quite blurred or even split into two. I've been trying to decide if adding a magnifier would fix, or at least improve, that.
 
I highly recommend the Trijicon TR24 Accu-point 1-4× 24mm with the Green Triangle Reticle in a 30mm tube. The Accu-Point uses Fibre-Optic technology to illuminate the reticle by day and tritium by night. The Accu-Power version uses Battery-powered LED illumination by day and night. Both are excellent optics. I carried the TR23 version with the 1" tube as state of the art during pre-deployment training in 2007 and a tour in Afghanistan early to mid-2008. Although marketed at the time as a hunting (vice tactical) scope, it served me exceptionally well. It even withstood being in the blast seat of an IED and survived to function well despite a heavily-etched Ocular Lense. FWIW....


2r3innn.jpg
 
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If you want an Elcan that doesn't have lots of the downsides of the C79, try an OS3X. I've got one and quite like it as a general use optic for my AR. You can shoot with both eyes open, the glass is good, it has turrets (mine is the "B" model with exposed turrets) instead of the elevation and windage being integrated into the mount.
 
If it is fixed-power that you want for its simplicity, I certainly can't fault you there. In that case, I would strongly commend the Elcan OS4 to you. Think of it as a much lighter, simpler version of the 1-4x Spectre DR, but with a fixed 4x magnification. The OS4 was recently selected by the British Army as its new, standard-issue combat optic for the SA80A2 family of weapons. If it is good enough for the British Army....


2z9h6py.jpg
 
I second the OS 4X. It's lighter than the DR and much less expensive. Great optical clarity, illuminated reticle (not practical, but cool anyways) and has holes tapped in the top of it for mounting a backup sight like a 1x magnification red dot. It has good eye relief and is easy to shoot with both eyes open.
 
OS4x owner and very pleased with it. Eye relief could be longer. Buy it used if you want, then spring for the mount and put a red dot on top. Best of both worlds, plus a hell of a lot of redundancy. Saves you the cost of a nice set of iron sights and still cheaper than many other options out there. And the Elcan will survive armaggedon.

If you follow the opinions of Ilya Koshkin (the self-proclaimed Dark Lord of Optics) he is pretty taken by the Elcan OS4x and has probably spent more time critically evaluating high end glass than just about anyone on earth. His opinions are generally well regarded and he also works in a non-defence optic related field, so he knows his ####.
 
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