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LaRue Tactical ACOG RCO QD Mount
October 11thThe ACOG RCO QD Mount is designed for Trijicon TA31RCO (Rifle Combat Optic) ACOG scope, which is essentially a TA31 with a special reticle designed for the USMC. There are different variants of the TA31RCO; one of them is for the M4A1 and another for the M16A4. One of the issues with the M16A4 in service with the USMC is the non-collapsible, full length A2 stock. The long length of this stock can cause issues when wearing body armour as the stock is too long to allow proper eye relief with magnified optics.
Aimpoint’s CompM4 Red Dot Sight is the latest CCO (Close Combat Optic) adopted by the U.S. Army, beating out its competitors in the Army’s competition for a new CCO to replace the CompM2. The CompM4 is even more rugged than its predecessors, and has a battery life that pretty much eliminates battery life as an issue.
Troy Industries/Noveske Folding Battle sights
January 4thTroy Industries Folding Battle Sights have been out for a while now and have become a very popular choice (and the standard for which others are compared to) for AR-15 back-up iron sights with civilian and military shooters and military alike. They’ve proven themselves to be rugged and durable enough to withstand the rigors of battle. It’s no wonder that Noveske Rifleworks chose Troy sights as the standard on their complete rifles, and also offer them for sale with the distinctive Noveske Iron Cross logo.
LaRue Aimpoint Micro QD Mounts LT- 660 and LT- 661
November 25thPretty much as soon as Aimpoint released my new favourite sight - their new Aimpoint Micro T-1, LaRue Tactical came out with their QD mounts for the Micro-series of Aimpoint sights. The LaRue Tactical LT-66X fits all Aimpoint Micro sights and comes in two heights - LT-660 (High) and LT-661 (Low).
The question of the security of non-pinned gas blocks has been brought up numerous times. Factory-pinned front sight blocks have taper pins, which secure the gas block/front sight assembly to the barrel. Aftermarket gas blocks in general come in clamp on, and set screwed types. This is because it is next to impossible for the end user to re-drill taper pin holes in a blank gas block to match ones already present on a barrel.
Since the Vltor VST-1C has provisions for a QD sling swivel, some people have brought up concerns that attaching a sling to the gas block might cause it to rotate, thereby rendering the weapon inoperable. I asked the guys at Vltor if they were willing to perform a test that would quantify the force needed to move/rotate one of their gas blocks and they were open to it. We decided on a torque test, which was measurable and relatively easy to setup. This would provide a number which some enterprising individual might use for further calculations (not me) if they wanted to.
LaRue 30mm LT- 649 Pivot QD Mount
July 30thThe LaRue Tactical LT-649 is a pivoting mount for 30mm magnifiers like the Aimpoint and EOTech 3X magnifiers. Aimpoint and EOTech introduced their 3X magnifiers that mount behind their red dot and holographic sights, which enables those optics to be used at CQB and medium range distances. However, some people felt that the mounts available for the magnifiers were lacking, and asked Team LaRue to come up with something.
TNVC SAR mounts
May 11thWhen it comes to mounting MRDs (Mini Red Dots) on magnified optics; scopes namely, the choices are pretty limited. ARMS offers rails that place the MRD on top of the scope - this may not work well with tall turrets and make it difficult to adjust the MRD. LaRue (reviewed above) make a special MRD ring for their scopes, which offsets the MRD just to the side of the scope at the 10:30 or 1:30 positions. But you must have LaRue rings and mounts. Victor from Tactical Night Vision Company (TNVC) is now offering his SAR mounts as alternatives to current mounting options that will work with any 1″ or 30mm scope tube. The SAR1 (not pictured, for 1″ tubes) and SAR3 (for 30mm tubes) add a rail to any scope tube that can be used for mounting an MRD. They’re machined aluminum with a hard anodized finish.
Another ACOG/MRD Mounting option
April 7thAnother trend that’s developed over the years is to mount a mini-red dot (MRD) on top of the 4X Trijicon ACOG series scopes to provide close-range capability and speed that can be difficult with the magnified optic. Years ago, KAC came up with a mount that replaced the rear ghost ring on the TA01NSN ACOG, then in 2003, Specwargear came out with their own Doctor optic/Optima mounts (the SWG Optima mount is shown below). This was followed by JP and others. The drawback to this mounting position is that it’s so high off the boreline that you don’t get any cheek weld. At best, it’s a chin weld. Since it’s for close-range use, the MRD is usually sighted in at 25 yds, where the large offset presents additional problems and needs to be considered when taking shots at distances in that range if precision is needed.