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The ACOG. THE iconic AR optic of the last 10 years. More so than any other AR specific optic, the ACOG has become synonomous with the AR-15 series of weapons carried by US military members. Along with RIS rails and PEQ laser units, ACOGs are seen on weapons from the shortest M4 to the lengthy SPR and SAM-R.

 

According to the manufactuer, Trijicon Inc.:

The ACOGs are internally-adjustable, compact telescopic sights with tritium illuminated reticle patterns for use in low light or at night. Bindon Aiming Concept (BAC)* models feature bright daytime reticles using fiber optics which collect ambient light. The ACOGs combine traditional, precise distance marksmanship with close-in aiming speed. Although the ACOGs have many features which are very advantageous for military use, they were developed by Trijicon without government funding.

Designed for use with the M16 family, every feature of its mechanical and optical design was chosen for a single purpose: to provide increased hit potential in all lighting conditions — without failure-prone batteries.

 

 

Basically, these are AR specific scopes in 1.5x to 5x power, with some models featuring a tritium based light gathering device used to illuminate the reticle in low light situations. ACOG stands for Advanced Combat Optical Gunsight. In airsoft, these scopes have been produced by G&P and Guarder predominatly, with other other offerings by Star and various other small manufacturers. Like everything else in airsoft, this has changed with the entrance of the mainland Chinese into mainstream airsoft. Not only are rifles becoming cheaper, the add ons and scopes are slowly being replicated as well. It was only a matter of time until a Chinese mainland manufacturer challenged the Guarder and G&P offerings. Enter the "Vanaras 4x NSN ACOG."

 

http://www.rsov.com/product_info.php?produ...524ea2a86cd8f8b

 

The optic appears to be a copy of the Trijicon ACOG TA01NSN. Designed in part by USSOCOM, it is standard issue for the members of that organization.

 

ORDERING

 

I placed my order through RSOV.com on the 26th of December. I expected my order to sit in processing for a few days at least while Keith and his crew enjoyed their Christmas holiday. Shockingly, my order was through the system and enroute by the 27th. Shockingly fast service by a top notch retailer. My hat is off to Keith and his crew.

 

Total with shipping to Alaska was $99.42 using 3-4 day delivery.

My package arrived on 4 January. There was a slight delay due to the general incompetence of the USPS goons, but the process was pretty smooth, all things considered.

Compared to 120.00$ before shipping from a stateside retailer, this was already a pretty good deal!

 

PACKAGING

 

The scope arrived in a plain brown cardboard box. There are absolutely no indicators on the box of the contents. Inside, the scope is well packed in a thick foam with the scope and the unattached dove tail mount secured into cuouts. Almost zero chance of incidental damage during transit. It would take the trolls at USPS some pretty serious effort to break this thing, and they are far too busy looking busy to do that. There is also a small yellow lens cleaning rag. Vanaras has chosen to pack the scope, extra mount and lens cloth in Ziploc type baggies, so you don't need to worry if the box does get wet.

 

INITIAL IMPRESSIONS

 

Upon lifting the ACOG out, I was immediatly reminded of the Guarder Red Dot ACOG I owned last year. The cool metal, the heft and the pure sexiness of the black exterior. But, on closer examination, this is definitely no Guarder ACOG

 

BODY/EXTERIOR

 

The entire exterior of the scope is made of metal. It appears to be a pot metal alloy of some sort, similiar to the material used in most receivers. There are no scratches or dings, the body is pretty well done. However, whoever painted this thing needs some help. The paint is pretty thick, with pools and several areas where it has clearly dripped. The excess paint does seem to be mostly around the edges of raised objects, and isn't visible from 3 feet away or unless you're actually looking for it. There is also a pretty decent seam line where the main body of the scope joins with the rear lense portion. I may try to sand it down and screw it on tighter at a later date, but it is more than functional for now. Other than that, the main body is on par with the Guarder offering.

 

IRON SITES

 

THis model does include the iron sites. They are pretty standard. One point of concern is the front blade. The blade is a seperate part that is slotted into the base rather crudely. It doesn't seem loose, but I would not bet against that blade coming loose with a good knock. Also, the indent in the front site is very liberally splashed with white paint, so much so that the white paint has oozed all the way down the blade. 15 seconds with black model paint, and that is fixed.

 

MOUNTING THE SCOPE

 

THe scope mounts very securely to my G&P upper. I needed no shims, and there is zero wobble. I'm very pleased by this, as some of the budget scopes have been reported to be poor performers in theis aspect.

 

This unit does not appear to be carry handle mountable out of the box. It may be possible to jerry rig a mounting soluction, but out of the box it is a no go. The base will fit into the carry handle, but the scope lacks the proper screws and hardware to secure it.

 

ZEROING AND FUNCTION

 

I have not properly zeroed this scope yet. I have no desire to even go outside at -20F, let alone shoot airsoft. This is central Alaska in January after all. Inside, shooting at 20 feet, the scope is fully functional. I was able to quickly adjust point of impact to bring my BB directly into the center of the reticle. The adjustment turrets are fully functional and click adjustments nicely.

 

The reticle on this particular scope is slightly canted. The right side of the horizontal bar is down about 10 degrees. This in no way affects the funtion. But it is one more reminder that this is a 70$ scope, not a $120 scope.

 

FINAL THOUGHTS

 

This is definitely a Chinese reproduction of a copied scope. The exterior is pretty decent, the heavy paint application not withstanding. The actual funtion seems to be more than adequate, despite the canted reticle. It may sound like I'm not happy with this scope. That couldn't be farther from the truth. This is exactly what I wanted, for a price I was willing to pay. This is a fully functional airsoft ACOG for an excellent price. It's not the snazzy Guarder model, but it is definitely a fine alternative.

 

If you're looking for an exact replica of Trijicon's excellent product, keep looking. If you're looking for a fully functional airsoft ACOG and don't want to schill out for the G&P or Guarder models, this is your scope. This is just like most all of the ACM offerings: decent out of the box, but needing just a bit of TLC to have an excellent product.

 

Pros:

1. Price

2. Fully functional

3. Decent quality.

 

Cons:

1. Lacking the finer finish of the higher priced models.

2. Slightly less polished functionally.

 

I would rate this scope a solid 8/10, with the only deductions being the sloppy paint and the canted reticle.

 

 

 

I will post pictures or the scope mounted and the small niggles later on. The camera is AWOL currently.

 

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RedDragonAirsoft sells an unlabeled G&P TA01 for $140 shipped. You can tell it's the G&P because the outer black box is the same (with the exception of the sticker) and the scope has a nice rubber-coated exterior.

 

Thanks for the review, it's good to know not all ACOG replicas are made equal.

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