I waited to write this review.. 4.7 stars - Trijicon ACOG Compact 1.5X16S Rifle Scope with ACSS Reticle

I thought long and hard before buying this on sale. It was between this acog and the ta33. This was my first acog and the most I've ever spent on an AR optic. The things I love.. compact size, light weight, crystal clear glass, acss reticle, generous eye relief, also the reticle is clear and defined to my eye, no batteries. So at first I wasn't sure about this thing. I got it in the mail and was very excited but when I opened the box and started messing with the optic I was less enthused. The reticle seemed a bit small, I was second guessing choosing green over red, when I tested it indoors in conjunction with a weapon light the light seemed to drown out all of the illumination of the reticle, I found myself wishing for more magnification like the 3x ta33. However I gave this thing the benefit of the doubt and put it through the paces before making up my mind. I've had this acog for 4 months now and have shot around 1,000 rounds with it mounted on two different rifles. I've shot this thing in every shooting position, around barriers, while moving, on steel/paper silouetes, on small plates, at night, from distances of 10-175yds. I recently did a couple very fun days of shooting with two good friends of mine. All 3 of us are competent tactical shooters who use those skills in our professional lives. We are very competitive with one another taking turns making up drills and stages to test our limits and try and beat ourselves as well as one another. I was using this optic and they had a 1-6x optic and a ta33 3x optic (I have a 1-6x scope that I love however it sits in my safe unused because of it's size and weight). Our furthest target was 175yds and our smallest target was a 5" steel plate. At no time did I find myself behind the curve during our training/competition. Crushing drills with equal or greater speed and accuracy as my peers with their higher power optics. I found this optic very usable up close and never wished for higher magnification at the furthest target. The generous eye relief allowed me to be quick on target regardless of my shooting position. One of my friends commented on how looking through this optic seemed more clear than the naked eye. Also I've decided that I actually do like the green reticle and that the reticle size doesn't bother me. This optic really does give you an advantage over a zero magnification red dot and it took me a minute to realize that. I feel very comfortable using this optic for fast accurate engagements to 200yds without feeling handicapped. Probably even to 300yds but I haven't had that opportunity yet and I'm sure it wouldn't be a problem to make hits out to 500 with a stable position. Long story short I've learned to love this little guy and it has earned a permanent home on my go to 14.5 BCM. I hope this rambling mess helps someone who is deliberating on spending a lot of their hard earned cash on this optic.