I am looking to pick up a 556 or556xi in the next month (in 5.56) and am wondering what peoples experiences have been with optics for medium range (~300yrds)?

I will mostly be shooting 50/100 yards, but would like to have some magnification potential for longer distances for SIGs courses. The ACOG seems to be the way to go, but it seems like these are geared more for the ar platform?

I'm between:
-3x30 Trijicon  ACOG (horseshoe dot red)
-3.5x3.5 Trijicon ACOG (same)
-Aimpoint H -1 or T-1 or PRO w/ 3x magnifier
(EOTech is a no go. Had a 512 and the reticle always looked blurry, even with corrected vision, sold it for a PRO and no issues)

Thoughts? Any other recommendations in similar price range?

Thank you!

I have a Browe and I LOVE it. It could be considered a descendant of the ACOG.

That's said, it's far and away the most expensive optic I own.


I would say ACOG with a 7.62x39 properly calibrated reticle in the lowest possible mount (LaRue or Bobro) or 1-4 variable (Accupoint, Leupold, Vortex)

Never heard of Browe before, they look like a good alternative. Hadn't considered an accupoint, but also another option. Not sure how I feel about the 7.62x39, even though the xi could do that cal, everything else I have is 5.56.

A vortex 1-4x or 1-6x will be the best bang for your buck. If money was no object I'd go with a elcan specterdr.

Eh, don't mind me. My Sig is the 556R, so I was assuming yours was. My fault.   Just grab the 5.56 version of whichever optic you go with.   If I was in the market for a 4x, I'd get the 4x Browe BTO. It uses an aluminum body instead of Ti. Slightly heavier, but less expensive and all the guts are the same as the BCO.

I went with a Vortex 1-4X on my 556xi Russian.  



If you want a little more range, try the Vortex 2.5-10X32 like I put on my 300BLK SBR.



For my Sig 556 SBR I went with a non-magnified red dot - Vortex Sparc II.

For the ranges you specify, a good 1-4 or 1-6 should work fine.
Do you want to go as light as possible too?

I would like to keep the complete rifle as light as practical- but not necessarily as light as possible. The vortex optics are good options and much less $$ than the acog or Browe optics, plus I'm not locked into a specific caliber reticle so with the xi I can rezero as needed

Picked up the 556xi this past weekend at the SIG Pro shop - Still working on the optic. I was hoping to be able to put the charging handle on the left side; however, it appears most mounts have hardware on the left side which slightly interferes.

ARMS rings can be mounted so the levers are on the right.