Ball Rail System
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MORRELL 1605-104-31-236 RAIL FOR BALL RAIL SYSTEM NEW $52.00 |
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REXROTH BOSCH STAR 0442-893-01 MINIATURE BALL RAIL SYSTEM SIZE 9/M3 $49.99 |
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NEW STAR 160439310 BALL RAIL SYSTEM RUNNER BLOCK P/N 1604-393-10 $25.00 |
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NEW REXROTH SCRAPER PLATE FOR LINEAR BALL RAIL SYSTEMS R161922050 R162021030 $10.00 |
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TWO LINEAR GUIDE RAIL SYSTEM WITH FOUR RUNNER BLOCK BALL RAILS $1,095.99 |
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STAR LINEAR GUIDE RAIL SYSTEM WITH TWO RUNNER BLOCK BALL RAIL $695.99 |
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NEW REXROTH 0442-593-00 STAR MINI BALL RAIL SYSTEM $49.99 |
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NOS! REXROTH ROLLER BALL RAIL SYSTEM R182461310 $299.95 |
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STAR LINEAR BALL RAIL SYSTEM RUNNER BLOCK 1602-393-394 $44.95 |
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NEW STAR 1653-394-10 BALL RAIL SYSTEM RUNNER BLOCK NIB $199.99 |
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NEW REXROTH 0442-594-01 BALL RAIL SYSTEM RUNNER BLOCK $49.99 |
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Star Ball Rail System 1622-814-10 $30.00 |
Red Dot Sights For Rifles
Red dot or holographic reflex sights have risen dramatically in popularity with civilian shooters having displaced iron sights on the rifles and carbines of the West’s militaries. Three manufactures have taken the lead and now dominate the marketplace; each taking a different approach to the problem of rapid target engagement and survivability on battlefields across the world.
Aimpoint offer virtually indestructible ‘tube’ reflex sights that are parallax free beyond 50 meters – i.e. your head position relative to the sight will make some difference to where your shots impact at distances less than 50 meters. This can be ignored for all practical purposes. Aimpoints come in many sizes featuring dots of different sizes for different uses. The US Army having type classified the Aimpoint CompM2 as its M68 is now purchasing the improved CompM4s. Note the lower case ‘s’ in the manuracturer’s designation. Aimpoints offer a somewhat narrower field of view than holographic sights when used with in-line night vision, but offer a far greater battery life – on some recent models at lower reticle brightnesses this can be years! Although Aimpoints are typically 1X units for the fastest possible target acquisition, a flip-to-side magnifier can increase this to 3X instantly. This covers a huge spectrum of engagment. Aimpoints allow ‘co-witnessing’ of iron sights to provide a back up in the highly unlikely event that the unit should fail. Alternatives such as canted iron sights are also available as are see-through mounts, although these tend to mount the sight too high for correct cheek weld. Although some Aimpoints come with integral mounts, most can take an astonishing variety of mounts making them suitable for a vast spectrum of applications.
Eotech broke new ground by introducing laser HUD technology to individual weapon sighting. This eliminates parallax error and makes for very rapid target engagement. Reticle design is more flexible and models are available with aiming patterns ballistically matched to the .223 Remington (5.56x45mm NATO) and .308 Winchester (7.62X51mm NATO) calibers. Holographic Weapon Sights (HWS) will still display the full aiming pattern if the screen is partially covered in mud or snow or even if it is completely shattered. The Eotechs aren’t well adapted to having their optics protected from the elements. A third party set of flip up lens covers is available but it adds three ounces to the weight of the sight and doesn’t seal as well as the flip ups on the Aimpoints. Holographic Weapon Sights use up batteries far faster than Aimpoints, with battery lives measured in the hundreds rather than tens of thousands of hours – an automatic cut off is provided set to eight hours and user configurable to four. Eotechs are considered somewhat less robust than Aimpoints, but enough for demanding military operations. Eotech HWS have been adopted by the United States Special Operations Command and a number of high profile US Army units including the 1st Stryker Brigade and 3rd Infantry and 10th Mountain Divisions. USSOCOM demanded twice the waterproofing depth of the standard models – 66 feet. Eotechs have been adopted by the Royal Navy as the sighting system for Dillon 7.62mm Miniguns mounted on their warships and auxiliaries. HWS can also be boosted by flip to side adapters – you can swap Aimpoint and Eotech magnifiers as they are interchangeable. In some models NV compatibility and iron sight co-witnessing is assisted by a 7mm riser. These models often have ‘cantilevered’ front ends to go over AR15 delta rings. The majority of Eotech’s HWS are NV compatible – the latest having side mounted NV and brightness buttons to allow very close coupling of NV and magnifiers Eotechs come with their own mounts to suit Weaver and Picatinny rails – depending on budget and desired amount of rigidity/detachability these can be bolt, thumb screw or ARMS type quick detachable throw levers. Eotech cater for a choice of CR123 or AA batteries with alternative models in most ranges to cater for the preference of the user. The 557.AR223 is a good example of an Eotech Holographic Weapon Sight.
Trijicon offer a huge range of sights to cater for applications from close combat up to long range sniping and crew-served weapon sighting. ACOGs are essentially reflex sights that magnify and bridge the gap between reflex sights and scopes. Magnification extends the useful range of the ACOG dramatically. The magnification of the higher mag ACOGs may make both eyes open CQB shooting problematic, but Trijicon solved this problem by offering back-up iron sights and small red dot units to mount on the ACOG’s body. The British Army were impressed enough with this option to standardise it for their new sharpshooters’ rifle the L129A1. ACOGs have also been adopted as the US Marine Corps new standard combat optic – fitted with an anti reflection device and ballistically matched for M855 ball ammunition from either the flat-top M4 carbine or M16A4 rifle depending on the model. The M4 carbine variant is the TA31RCO-M4CP or AN/PVQ-31B. A key advantage of the ACOG is its battery-free operation, relying on a tritium light source for night use and, in the models with a bright daylight aiming point, a fiber-optic light gatherer. ACOGs come either set up for the traditional M16/AR15 carrying handle or Weaver or Picatinny rails
Aimpoint, Eotech and Trijicon sights are now ubiqitous across the US Armed forces, displacing iron sights and increasing shooting scores dramatically. They are all excellent but expensive, so deciding which one to purchase is a non-trivial decision. Both can be boosted to 3 or 4X with flip to side magnifiers. You need to decide how detachable the sight needs to be and whether you will be using it with iron sights and/or NV or a magnifier as this will dictate the model of sight and mount options. For a smaller magnified package at the cost of some loss in flexibility you can opt for the ACOG with an appropriate aiming mark/reticle. The ACOG’s close quarter potential can be boosted by buying a model with its own back up iron sights or mounting a red dot on top. You also have the option of buying a low magnification model (magnifications down to 1.5X are offered). At the opposite end of the spectrum an ACOG magnifying reflex sight can make a rugged and versatile replacement for a traditional tube telescopic sight. These higher magnification models really benefit from an RMR back up red dot sight for closer engagements.
All three manufacturers offer a top quality product which will offer years of service in the toughest environments – choice will often be a combination of operational requirement, financial circumstances and individual preference – the latter often weighing most heavily.
Copyright. Chris Pieterman 2010.
