I’m a huge fan of Trijicon ACOGs and got into them about 7 years ago. I have over a dozen of them in a variety of configurations and they are by far my favorite optic. I’ve run them on ARs with barrel lengths from as high as 20” and as short as 11.5”. They perform exceptionally well, hold their zero, are built well, have high clarity glass, are simple to use and the 3-4x fixed type of magnification with two open eye approach is ideal with every distance I will ever have be faced with where I live.
I have every reticle type, most color combinations (red, green, amber), as well as caliber specifications (5.56 in various weights, 300 black,308, etc.). I honestly like them all and really don’t have a favorite although if I had to choose one it likely would be a crosshair configuration. An ACOG can take a person of average shooting ability, as is my case, and make them highly effective out to easily 500m. For me, they are the simplest way to dramatically increase my rifle shooting capability.
I have learned a few things over the years with buying both new and used ACOGs. I thought I would pass along some of those tips in this post as I can never have enough ACOGs and even though it is not a budget optic by any means, it is worth the money from my standpoint. So here are a few tips and thoughts if you are looking to buy an ACOG……
Good luck in your search
I have every reticle type, most color combinations (red, green, amber), as well as caliber specifications (5.56 in various weights, 300 black,308, etc.). I honestly like them all and really don’t have a favorite although if I had to choose one it likely would be a crosshair configuration. An ACOG can take a person of average shooting ability, as is my case, and make them highly effective out to easily 500m. For me, they are the simplest way to dramatically increase my rifle shooting capability.
I have learned a few things over the years with buying both new and used ACOGs. I thought I would pass along some of those tips in this post as I can never have enough ACOGs and even though it is not a budget optic by any means, it is worth the money from my standpoint. So here are a few tips and thoughts if you are looking to buy an ACOG……
- Models. There are many models and configurations out there to meet a wide range of needs and desires. There are too many for me to go into, but I would refer anyone new to ACOGs to the following link: https://www.trijicon.com/products/subcategory/trijicon-acog-riflescopes
- Tritium. ACOGs have been around for over 30 years, so it isn’t uncommon to run across one that is over 10 years old. The tritium used in ACOGs will start to see some deterioration at 10 years but often will go 15 years. Trijicon has a 10–15-year warranty depending on the model, but that does account for some degradation of the tritium. Trijicon offers a great warranty and will do a repair in a few weeks for a model in warranty if there has been significant degradation. For those out of warranty, I have sent some back to Trijicon in that condition, the repair cost was $575 the last time I did one (2022). They replaced all the internals, and I came out with a new ACOG. I understand one can even change the reticle and color if they desire to do so at that time. However, that $575 repair charge is informative of value for older models and needs to be taken into consideration when we discuss price in a few paragraphs down.
- Glass Condition: I’ve seen a few ACOGs with damaged glass and again one can similarly have that repaired by Trijicon. The glass issue isn’t generally covered by warranty. Having said that, it is uncommon to find one that has significant glass damage. Most of the issues I’ve encountered were tritium related.
- Overall Condition: Lots of ACOGs have been used in military applications and treated fairly roughly. It’s not uncommon to find lots of scratches and surface damage. Most of it doesn’t matter. The only other thing to check in addition to the aforementioned tritium and glass is the adjustment knobs. I’ve run across a few that were completely stripped and need to be replaced. Those all were military surplus.
- Cost/Value - New: Today, even with impacts from the Ukraine and Israeli wars pulling in some ACOG stock from the US, one can still find new ACOGs on sale in the $900-$1K range. Unfortunately, the days of new $750 models on sale appears to have gone away. I recently picked up a TA01NSN model for $915 plus tax w/ free shipping. You have to shop around for a good price. Amazon sometimes will have good prices, but I’ve purchased on sale from PSA, Optics Planet, EuroOptics, Brownells, etc.
- Cost/Value – Used: Used models really come down to condition and age to determine value. For ACOGs older than 10 years that haven’t been serviced by Trijicon (should be a record to verify), even in good shape they really aren’t worth more than $500 and I have routinely picked up mil surplus for around $300 at gun shows. Honestly, one that is older than 10 years will soon need a tritium service with Trijicon, so if you pay more than $500 and then must eat the $575 tritium repair you would have been better off picking up a new model from the beginning. For those in the 2-10 year range, they can offer good value and I would normally jump at one in this range that’s around $750 +/- depending on the model specifics and any condition issues. Again, this is my opinion but I can tell you that I have managed to buy a good number of used ACOGs over the last few years and the numbers are valid.
- Stolen ACOGs: One last caution is around stolen ACOGs. Unfortunately, during the GWOT there were many ACOG thefts and of course Biden leaving thousands of them in Afghanistan a few years ago also flooded the black market. A few years ago, Trijicon was particularly sensitive to stolen ACOGs and would often not service one that had had the serial number removed or was listed as government property in their database. There have been some mil surplus sell offs in the last 5 years and to my knowledge currently Trijicon will service any ACOG, even if the serial number has been removed. Just expect to pay the full repair price.
Good luck in your search
