Afghanistan and back - Weaver Tactical 1-5X24 Illuminated Intermediate Range Rifle Scope 800364

I bought this scope for use with my personal AR15 with no intentions to take it into country. However, after I used it on my sbr for a while and the when this mob came up I decided to take it and the upper it was attached to with me to the stinky stan. As with any mob you do premob training which involves familiarization with new equipment, vehicles, weapons etc etc. and a lot of shooting. Being in the Special Forces community we do even more than the conventional guys on their premobs. (Some conventional dudes showed up to country without a weapon, not joking) After several thousand rounds of my own I ran another several thousand through that upper and optic combo then slapped them on my duty lower. The weaver was amazing. I did training including intense cqb with utm rounds, several stress shoots to distances of 10m-400m, village/city clearing, vehicle mounted and dismounted training (MOUT), and much more. The weaver not only held up but excelled. To give you a comparison we had the choice of optics to put on our rifles. They were Trijicon Acog, Eotec (don't remember the model), Aimpoint compm2 or maybe m4, elcan 1-4 with a sight dr on top. I chose my weaver over all of them and I left the trijicon on my 14.5" issued upper and it stayed in the case the entire time not ever making it on my m4 lower. I took first on all the stress shoots with easily the fastest time by over 30 seconds. Am I saying that the weaver optic will make you a better shot and run faster than anyone else? Yes, yes I am.
Really though the variable optic from 1-5x does make a difference in transition time and the ability to switch between near and distance targets with having the same accuracy with both is immense. The FFP reticle makes hold overs easy and no nonsense regardless the magnification. The weaver does have an elevated portion on the magnification ring to aid in quicker adjustments. Some call it a cat tail and actually pay extra to have some dude make them for their cool 3 gun rifles. I don't disagree with them but to have one built into the scope appeals to me more.
I had several times getting in and out of vehicles both in Afghanistan and during premob that the rifle and optic were bumped. More like smacked. Still the weaver never lost zero or even wandered from zero. To be fair the Burris tactical rings were torqued to spec and did their job as well. Optics arent magic, if they dont have a good set of rings they will still walk all over the place no matter how nice the optic is.
The reticle is well thought out and works well at 1x better at 1.5x (they even have 1.5x specifically designated on the mag ring). When its illuminated it isnt bright enough for daylight use. Cant compare with the Trijicon, Aimpoint, or Eotech on that one. The hold overs are pretty close, definitely minute of man accurate. And the people that say that you cant use it at 1x as a cco they are crazy or not competent. Im not sure if I am missing something because the reticle is very visible on 1x (little black or red cross) I zero for poi to be at the center of that when I pull the trigger thats where my rounds go. Seems pretty simple to me. It works and it works well. Either way, you can use it easily, because in fact I have from as close as 2 meter room clearing to 50m village observation/clearing. The entire time leaving it on 1x or 1.5x. I would leave it illuminated as well in case I stepped into a building and it was darker or looked into shadows etc. Taking me to battery life. If you leave it on for a few days straight you will begin to notice a diminish in brightness. It still works fine at night, low light or in a building. During the day the red will be less red but still very visible in shadows and building transitions. After a week or more and the red during the day turns to a red-ish. The shadows are a little harder to pick up but easily doable. The building transitions are fine. Night work is great still. After 2-3 weeks shadows is hard to pick up its just a black reticle at this point. Buildings are fine. Night is great still. After that and you are labeled the laziest person in the world because you cant reach over and turn the knob to shut it off. No worries though the elevation and windage turret caps have a water tight spot to store 2 other cr2032 batteries. Throw one in and you are gtg. I just suggest not leaving it on all day and the batteries will last a month or better during normal/hard use. Also to note if you care or use the optic for work the illumination does work with night vision. I love that the reticle is glass etched and illuminated. In case for what ever reason the batteries die, you still have a usable reticle. Not so much with the Eotech or the Aimpoint. No batteries=iron sights. In those types situations a back up to a back.
Any way I know this was very long winded. Im sure I could tell you more but all in all for a do all short to med range optic that is built like a tank, with glass that is crazy clear, this scope fit the bill with me. And now it has proven itself in combat

Pros: Built like a tank, FFP, Amazing glass, Very accurate
Cons: Not bright enough for illumination use during day** see comments

This review was written in the old system and had content requirements that are different than reviews written today.