BATTLE-
hardened
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In an industry where many companies simply source their products from a third-party manufacturer, Trijicon’s optics are built from the glass up to be durable, reliable, and dependable.
Those attributes are required by the uniformed shooters who use Trijicon’s gear in armed conflicts, but they are qualities that also define the company’s civilian products, including its extensive line of hunting and target riflescopes that can be found in bear camps in Alaska, in Precision Rifle Series matches around the country, and on whitetail rifles from Maine to Modesto.
The emphasis on reliability descends from the company’s founder, Glyn Bindon, who was an engineer by both training and disposition and who insisted on overbuilding Trijicon’s signature products, including the ACOG (Advanced Combat Optical Gunsight), an optic deployed all over the world for over 20 years. Those products, which exceed military testing protocols, inform the hard-wearing construction of scopes like the AccuPoint and Tenmile HX, which are more likely to be used in deer season than on the front lines of combat.
It’s worth noting, as a point of differentiation, that Trijicon designs all the torture tests that its scopes are subjected to. Optics brands that source their products from third-party manufacturers may have durability standards that they require, but they’re rarely enforced. At Trijicon, on the other hand, engineers seem to delight in developing abusive regimens for their scopes.
“Every Trijicon scope design must survive industry-leading durability testing before it is delivered to hunters and shooters.”
“To me, this hunt showed the toughness of that Trijicon product and the military-grade technology,”
“Our rifle slips flew right over our heads, like in slow motion,” Herald recounts. “We watched them slam against the blacktop of the road about 50 yards behind us.”
Herald was sure his dream hunt was over, and an initial assessment of his buddy’s rifle confirmed the worst. The stock was broken in two inside its case. Herald’s rifle, which was in a soft case that wasn’t completely zipped shut, was deeply scratched. The bolt handle was bent. And the Tenmile scope was beat up.
“There were huge chunks and gouges out of the turret and adjusters,” says Herald. “You could tell it took the brunt of the hit,” probably making first contact with the asphalt. But Herald went to work, replacing the bolt handle and cycling the gun to make sure its operation was safe. Then he headed to the camp shooting range, fearing the worst but not about to give up on the next stage of his hunt.
“My first shot was four inches low but dead-on left and right,” he says. “I couldn’t believe it. So I just clicked up, and within three more shots I had the Tenmile back on bullseye. Talk about amazing.” He was able to take his scarred gun and scope to the field, where the next day he shot a bull waterbuck at 150 yards.
“To me, this hunt showed the toughness of that Trijicon product and the military-grade technology,” says Herald. “I feel like you could run over that Tenmile riflescope with a tank and it would be okay. When It fell off the truck, I thought it would be in a million pieces, but I zeroed it back in only four shots.
“It just proves to me the durability of Trijicon products,” says Herald. “I know Trijicon drop-tests all their scopes. It’s not a gimmick. I feel like if you were hiking somewhere and your gun fell or came off your shoulder and bounced down the hill 30 yards, I wouldn’t even think twice” about ensuring it’s safe to shoot and then relying on its performance.
I hunt with Trijicons—my go-to pronghorn and mule deer rig is the Credo HX 2.5-15x42. Its smaller objective lens allows me to mount it low on my rifle, and the second-focal plane MOA Center Dot reticle gives me all the references I need to hold for both elevation and for wind.
Lots of scopes have a similar hash-style reticle. But other scopes have impressive no-questions-asked warranties, too. For my money, I’d rather pay for a scope that I know has been battle-tested for durability and reliability than the alternative, which is to buy a lesser-grade scope with the expectation that I’ll activate the warranty when it fails. In my experience, there’s never a good time for a riflescope failure, and Trijicon has done its part to ensure it never happens.
After all, I figure that if military units from the U.S. Marines to our allies can rely on Trijicon’s ACOGs and RCOs, then I can rely on the Tenmiles, Credos, Hurons, and AccuPoints when the buck of a lifetime finally gives me a shot.
Those attributes are required by the uniformed shooters who use Trijicon’s gear in armed conflicts, but they are qualities that also define the company’s civilian products, including its extensive line of hunting and target riflescopes that can be found in bear camps in Alaska, in Precision Rifle Series matches around the country, and on whitetail rifles from Maine to Modesto.
The emphasis on reliability descends from the company’s founder, Glyn Bindon, who was an engineer by both training and disposition and who insisted on overbuilding Trijicon’s signature products, including the ACOG (Advanced Combat Optical Gunsight), an optic deployed all over the world for over 20 years. Those products, which exceed military testing protocols, inform the hard-wearing construction of scopes like the AccuPoint and Tenmile HX, which are more likely to be used in deer season than on the front lines of combat.
It’s worth noting, as a point of differentiation, that Trijicon designs all the torture tests that its scopes are subjected to. Optics brands that source their products from third-party manufacturers may have durability standards that they require, but they’re rarely enforced. At Trijicon, on the other hand, engineers seem to delight in developing abusive regimens for their scopes.
Every Trijicon scope design must survive industry-leading durability testing before it is delivered to hunters and shooters. That includes what Trijicon calls its “Alaska-to-Africa” temperature testing, in which optics are subjected to shock tests as temperatures range from -20 F to 140 F, conditions that can stress the seals, turret erector system, and power-changing assemblies. But it’s not enough for a scope to retain its waterproofness. It also must shoot where it’s aimed, so Trijicon subjects each design to repeated shocks. The zero is confirmed after each 1,000, 3,000, and 5,000 consecutive rounds to ensure that no reticle shift has occurred.
“Our rifle slips flew right over our heads, like in slow motion,” Herald recounts. “We watched them slam against the blacktop of the road about 50 yards behind us.”
Herald was sure his dream hunt was over, and an initial assessment of his buddy’s rifle confirmed the worst. The stock was broken in two inside its case. Herald’s rifle, which was in a soft case that wasn’t completely zipped shut, was deeply scratched. The bolt handle was bent. And the Tenmile scope was beat up.
“There were huge chunks and gouges out of the turret and adjusters,” says Herald. “You could tell it took the brunt of the hit,” probably making first contact with the asphalt. But Herald went to work, replacing the bolt handle and cycling the gun to make sure its operation was safe. Then he headed to the camp shooting range, fearing the worst but not about to give up on the next stage of his hunt.
Each model is further subjected to drop, shock, and vibration testing to ensure it can withstand not only recoil but also situational stresses that hunters routinely dish out to their optics. Lastly, scopes are immersed in liquid to ensure that there’s no fogging or leaks.
Tim Herald can attest to the outcome of all that abuse.
Herald had just taken a Ugandan kob, an African antelope related to the waterbuck, with his Trijicon Tenmile in 4.5-30x56. He was riding back to camp in the back of the safari truck when a rogue wind gust hit from the front, lifting rifles and gun cases in the air.
Montana’s prairies might not deal out abuse on the scale of an African highway, but they’re no slouch. During deer and antelope season, temperatures routinely drop well below zero, and almost every hunt includes a mix of snow, mud, dust, and scorching heat, sometimes all within the same couple of days.
Most serious prairie hunters have war stories of optics that weren’t able to perform under strenuous conditions. In some cases, turret caps leaked, allowing water into the erector system that later froze, expanding and cracking the steel springs. In other cases, scopes lost their seals and fogged up the minute the temperature changed. Nearly all Montana antelope hunters have had the unfortunate situation where their riflescope suddenly was “off,” sending bullets in erratic directions, generally after a drop or sharp bump that caused the reticle to lose its centering.
Every Trijicon scope design must survive industry-leading durability testing before it is delivered to hunters and shooters. That includes what Trijicon calls its “Alaska-to-Africa” temperature testing, in which optics are subjected to shock tests as temperatures range from -20 F to 140 F, conditions that can stress the seals, turret erector system, and power-changing assemblies. But it’s not enough for a scope to retain its waterproofness. It also must shoot where it’s aimed, so Trijicon subjects each design to repeated shocks. The zero is confirmed after each 1,000, 3,000, and 5,000 consecutive rounds to ensure that no reticle shift has occurred.