SIGforum
ACOG TA31F and astigmatism
May 15, 2022, 05:36 PM
hudrACOG TA31F and astigmatism
Primary Arms has a decent deal (I think) on the above optic. I’ve wanted one for years, ever since getting to play with one on a rifle Sweden had when we got together in Colorado years ago (Sweden, hope you are doing well).
BUT! I have astigmatism pretty bad. It had not yet manifested when last I peered through an ACOG. Now I’m worried it will be a problem.
To give a “fer instance”; when I look through a 3moa red dot, I see about a 6moa cluster of grapes.
What do y’all think?
If i forego the ACOG, I’ll probably end up with an LPVO.
Oh, this is most likely going on my go-to AR, an old Windham Weaponry 16” 5.56 rifle.
May 15, 2022, 05:47 PM
rackrackI have several models of Aimpoint... CompM4S, H-1, H-2, T-2, ACO.
My astigmatism makes the dots appear distorted on all those.
I also have an ACOG TA31F with the red chevron. The chevron is very clear and not distorted.
May 15, 2022, 07:11 PM
GCE61I believe the Etched Reticle design is the most forgiving for persons with astigmatism.
I have an ACOG TA31 from Primary Arms with the chevron and Aurora BDC reticle.
Always clear for me as compared to my dots.
May 15, 2022, 08:35 PM
marksman41Regarding red dot optics and astigmatism, I found this video interesting and surprising as to the best for that vision problem:
Best Red Dot for Astigmatism https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R4efcFVQdag
May 15, 2022, 08:38 PM
VoshterkoffMy father has a bad astigmatism. My Aimpoints look like mashed spiders to him, but My ACOGs are clear.
May 15, 2022, 09:01 PM
RustpotThe ACOG should work fine for you. I have astigmatism and ACOGs, the reticle is crisp for me. My right eye gets bad clusters with a lot of different red dots, thankfully my left eye is my dominant eye and just likes to bend things like front sight posts so red dots aren't unusable for me.
If you do take a look through the scope and see the reticle bloom it's because you're getting too much light and it's too bright - block part of the fiber optic collector on the top of the scope and you'll see the sharp reticle. It's not uncommon to look through an ACOG at the gun store or at home with good overhead lighting but not "bright" conditions and the fiber optic is just screaming bright and easily mistaken for a fuzzy reticle. If you're at the range and need to reduce brightness you can drape a cleaning cloth over top, or use a piece of tape or something similar to partially block the fiber optic (just beware not to use solvent on it if you get tape residue or paint or anything on the fiber optic).
May 15, 2022, 09:17 PM
pedropcolaWhat they said. The ACOG is etched. You won’t have astigmatism issues with etched reticles.
May 15, 2022, 09:36 PM
hudrCool. Thanks guys. I know the ACOG has been around a while, but I don’t see it as outdated, especially for the shooting I’ll be doing.
May 16, 2022, 07:10 PM
shoevbMy astigmatism won't let me use red dots either. My ACOG works perfect. So do most prism Scopes. I have Vortex, Steiner and Burris prism optics that work fine.
May 18, 2022, 03:30 PM
sjtillThanks for the discussion. I have an ACOG, and I have mild astigmatism--it's actually improved from my last exam. I've been experimenting with my progressive lens glasses vs. only safety glasses, lying prone. I'm not used to shooting prone, hadn't until recent Appleseed shoot.
One problem with the ACOG in that position is the high position of the optic over the bore. I couldn't find a comfortable position shooting prone with a decent cheek weld.
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May 20, 2022, 11:06 AM
davidjinksI have a pretty bad astigmatism made worse by a botched lasik procedure.
Red dots are a no-go for me, eotechs work well.
My NF NX8 1-8 have a slight starburst to them but no where near as bad as dots.
ACOG are absolutely the clearest, non starburst, comet tail inducing optics I’ve used. I like the crosshairs reticle as well as the horseshoe, which has a dot as it’s aiming point. They are as clear as can be with no negative effects.
Note added: I use the LED version ACOG.
May 21, 2022, 07:26 AM
fnformeMagnification eliminates astigmatism issues with an optic.
May 21, 2022, 07:45 AM
Flash-LBI think you should get glasses that correct your astigmatism.
May 21, 2022, 09:24 AM
hudrquote:
Originally posted by Flash-LB:
I think you should get glasses that correct your astigmatism.
I have glasses that correct it. And my failing “distance vision”.
But why not cover as many bases as possible?