Well, the good ol’ “white truck” arrived yesterday with a few Elcan Specter DR’s in tow!

As many of you know this is Elcan’s new entry into a switchable  1x – 4x via a throw lever.  The first thing I noticed was the weight of the unit as I took it out of the box.  It comes in at 1.3lbs!  This is one HUNK of metal!! The unit comes standard with dual ARMS levers that fit fine with the Larue 12.0” rail on my Noveske, but was incredibly tight on my LMT as I could not close the levers to their full position.  

Some specs on the unit are as follows,

FOV – 1x at 26deg and 4x at 6.5deg
MOA Click Adj. - ½ MOA
Weight - 1.3lbs
Aiming Dot – 6 MOA (1x)/1.5 MOA (4x)  
Reticle Pattern – Compensated Crosshair based on the M855 and M4
Illumination - LED
Operating Temp - -40 to +150 degF
Water Proof – 2 hours @ 66ft.
Ruggedness – MIL SRD-810F  (This thing is built like a tank!!!)
Battery Life – DL 1/3 N (3000hrs Avg.)
Eye Relief -  2.76”

The unit came standard with a Duracell 1/3N and I installed the battery that is located inside of the illuminated switch compartment via a knurled tethered battery cover.  Speaking of this rotating illuminating switch, the ELCAN folks did their homework with this feature and many others.  The knob itself is large enough to turn adjust easily with gloves on.  I had no issue while wearing my nomex gloves to adjust the settings.  

I mounted the unit on my Noveske upper with a Larue 12.0” rail via dual integral ARMS throw levers.  I had no problems attaching the unit to the Larue, but when I tried to attach the unit to the LMT, I could not depress both levers to the full inside position.  Gonna have to check into this issue.  

I then looked through the unit at 1x and was of course simply amazed at the clarity and brightness of ELCAN’s famed glass!  I then flipped magnification flip lever to go to 4x and WHOA! (I had to do this again to REALLY experience what I thought I just saw!)
I’ve heard all the hub-bub on this switchable 4x and 1x prism lens feature and I was a bit skeptical at first, but I am simply amazed at what they accomplised.  A few special features to note;
-The tranisition from 1x – 4x is amazingly fast due to the smoothness of the lever.  
-It will be very difficult for this lever to get broken n the field due to its position under the unit with the grip stem just poking out the side of the unit.  They struck a great balance between durability and ergonomics, as I was also able to manipulate the switch with gloves on.  Some might find this lever a bit too recessed, but with practice I think it will not be an issue.
-One of the best features of this magnification switch lever is a silent mode built into the unit.  When going quickly from 1x – 4x with a flick of one’s index finger an audible click can be heard as the lever comes to its stops. One can also ease the switch into position with NO noise whatsoever!  VERY nice ELCAN!  Once again the ELCAN folks REALLY did their homework on this lever for real world field use in these regards.

The next thing I looked at was the reticle. Similar to the ACOG line of stadia markings, the ELCAN uses a cross hair with the 3, 6 and 9 o’clock post that are thick with the 12 o’clock post thin of course.  The reticle is calibrated (I have not done a shooting report as yet) with the M855 ball ammo, with an M4 weapon. There are 4 ballistic lines under the main cross hair when using the 4x magnification, which provides drop increments of 100m per line. The 400 and 600meter drop lines are labeled. At each range, the width of the drop line represents a 19” wide target.  The reticle itself also has 5 red LED illumination settings, two of which are NV compatible.  The brightness level of the 1st illumination setting was visible to the naked eye so I was skeptical of a blooming effect.  (More on the night vision testing below)  The other settings allowed full view of the reticle including every line with a clear and impressive view at night.  

The illuminated red dot was looked at next at 1x (6MOA) and 4x (1.5MOA).  I have to tell you this is the most welcomed feature to me is to have a red dot super imposed over the center cross hair for CQB.  I now have the best of three worlds in one optic for CQB (with both eyes open I might add), plus medium and long-range work based on the reticle selections I have available. The dot was clear and impressive at 1x and 4x with 5 illumination settings, two of which are NV compatible.  The brightest setting was bright enough to see in severe sunny conditions with bright backgrounds with no visual issues to speak of.  

The unit also has somewhat of a small set of iron ghost site atop the unit for emergency use in rain, adverse weather conditions, or just when a baddie pops up very close range. Interesting both sights are removable with small Phillips screws.  I think in a previous posts here on the ARFCOM, I saw that SOCOM folks were mounting doc ops atop the units as well.  

The DR long eye relief (ER) was looked at next and for me it measured close to what the manual states of 2.75” either at 1x or 4x.  This ER was an interesting issue for me with this sight as I felt like a gofer who is in-between clubs on a shot.   Let me explain…
I mounted the DR as you can see by the pics below appox. 4 slots in front of my 40L which gave me the option if the need arose to use my BUIS through the glass.  The ELCAN manual stated this long ER facilitates use with most BUIS for this reason. For me personally, with the DR set in this position, to get the absolute fullest FOV, this put my nose over the charging and was uncomfortable to me. IF I moved my head back a bit (to my natural shooting position) the FOV, which IS quite usable in this position, was just a bit fuzzy on the edges.  By positioning the DR back a bit (which will clear the ARMS 40L but I could not flip up the BUIS), I got a comfortable full FOV (sharp image edges) and my nose was just behind the charging handle and was a typical ACOG shooting position for me and is also my natural shooting position on AR platforms.  

I did not get to do a live shoot as yet. But the elevation and windage adjustments are ½ MOA clicks.  Once again the ELCAN folks were thinking about field use and located the elevation adjustment ring under the main body of the unit under the eyepiece.  The elevation ring had machined notches on the wheel and can be grasped easily with grip, with either gloves or bare hands by using ones index finger and thumb to turn the wheel CW or CCW.  The ring also has a special locking tab that lock out any movement in the field.  The little locking tab can only be manipulated with a slim pointed object such as a round or pen tip, knife, etc.  The windage screw is located on the left side of the unit and can be manipulated with a round, coin, screw driver, etc.

Since this unit was also made with NV use in mind (one of my favorite topics) I performed some NV tests with the unit via a Gen 3 PVS-14.  The first thing to note as indicated with the eye relief subject matter above…The unit has to be moved forward to make room for a NV device and to achieve the proper ER for the NV device as well as to get a full sight picture.  This will of course require the shooter to maintain and log two elevation zeros of dope and note each rail location for day and night use.  Guess another reason modern rails come with numbers at each rail location.  I feel this could be cumbersome in the field, as I usually do not like performing such tasks as moving optics around on the rail and maintaining different “zeros.”  Regardless, I moved the unit up approx 15 rail slots to achieve 2.5” of ER for the PVS to get a full site picture.  I first powered up the illuminated dot at 1x to the 1st intensity setting and the image was clear with a good FOV vs. an aimpoint and almost as good as an EO.  Typical when looking through day scope glass, the NV brightness was about 30% dimmer vs. a stand-alone view through the PVS-14.  Surprisingly going to 4x did not change the brightness level and the image was quite good at a chimney at 75 yards away.  I tried the next dot brightness level and the dot bloomed in the PVS.  Bottom line, with a Gen 3 modern device, there is only one usable NV setting on the illuminated dot.  My concern with the intensity of this dot is with an introduction to any IR illumination would probably wash out the dot.  (Going to test this out soon)  

The next NV test I did was on the illuminated reticle.  I was very cautious when I first looked through naked eye at the 1st reticle power (indicated NV setting) and I could see it!  Indeed as I turned on the PVS-14 with it’s adjustable gain set to a VERY low level, the 1st power setting on the reticle almost bloomed the image at the highest NV gain setting.   Either way in my opinion, the 1st reticle setting is too bright for NV applications and needs to be turned down.  The next NV setting (2nd position) as you can imagine was not even tried; it was perfect for naked eye viewing at night and would have burned the reticle image on my NV tube if I had tried this for any length of time.  

Conclusions:  
Sorry for the long-winded post!  I know I have probably missed a few topics but I hope I have scratched the surface a bit on this optic.  Here are my pros and cons.

Pros,
- I feel this is the BEST day optic I have ever used PERIOD!  We now have one optic sight that can perform CQB, medium and long-range applications with a flick of a lever that moves a highly precise ground lens/prism that is revolutionary in my book of things.
-The optics is superb with typical ELCAN glass that is incredibly bright and clean edge-to-edge.
-Ergonomically designed for field use with tethered battery cap, protected magnification lever location, silent lever movement, locking elevation adjustments, long battery duration (at 3000 hours) and all functions easily while manipulating with gloves.  (Except for the locking mechanism which requires a sharp pointed object)
-Mil-Spec for ruggedness to say the least, built like a tank!

Con’s
-Some may not like the weight at 1.3lbs!
-ARMS throw lever issue on some rails? Does not close completely on my LMT, but does on my Larue and SIR system.
-Night Vision operations.  This comes as a somewhat disappointment to me as it’s quite evident that this sight was built around day operations and night fighting capabilities was an afterthought as was with the ACOG NSN.  Moving the scope way up on the rail to make room for a NV device and the appropriate eye relief is cumbersome and not very efficient.  The night vision reticle setting for the dot is only realistic at one setting and will probably be washed out with the introduction of a med or high power illuminator such as “Da-Torch” or a PEQ-2A.  The 2nd setting is also too bright and blooms the NVD.  The illuminated reticle is too bright at any setting for use with an NVD.  My recommendations are if your mission requires an optic for day AND true night ops is to stick with an EO Tech or Aimpoint.  The EO or AP can use a 3x magnifier for day use and the PVS can utilize it’s own 3x mil-spec magnifier for night use if needed with no light loss or location change of the EO.
-Price?  At $1449.00 retail, hard for some to swallow?  I guess price is relative when I routinely spend a $1,000+ for good glass.  US Optics, Night Force, Swarovski and some Leupy’s come to mind in a hurry.



Full FOV for me with my nose just behind charging handle, most comfortable shooting platform for me.


Just about a full FOV with some edge fuzzies, but able to use BUIS thorugh the glass if need be.


View of the elevation locking mechanism and adj. ring along with battery housing and reticle illumination switch. Note magnification switch lever just above rear throw lever as well


Prism (corrected, actually more of a Lens) at 1x


Prism at tranisition to 4x


Prism at full 4x


Day 1x (Chimney at approx 75 yards)


4x


Night Vsion Applications

Your welcome Chris, will get out later in the week to shoot.

Duffy, FOV is a 1/2 deg less at 6.5deg for the DR vs. 7.0deg for the ACOG 4x32.  

Im liking the looks of this thing. I hope I get to shoot someone else's and try it before I have to buy my own!!! Thanks to all of you for the info.

Quoted: Im liking the looks of this thing. I hope I get to shoot someone else's and try it before I have to buy my own!!! Thanks to all of you for the info.

Wish we lived closer than our two ocean borders!!! My DR staying on my 6.8 for now!

Quoted: Excellent review Vic.  I see you have good reasons for NOT RETURNING MY CALLS!!!  Sorry dude...had to bust your chops.  I am thankful for this review for two reasons: Regards- Freddy

 Darn! Psssst, call me tomorrow!!

Quoted: Victor, do you have a PVS/22 to see if that would work well with this unit?  I would consider it, but the price of this unit is way beyond my grasp.  I'm a lowly poor person who has to build my projects one step at a time... *reposts my tired, old picture* lol I was going to post a comprehensive review and ya beat me to it!  I was going to wait till I had access to more than 100y range.  oh well...  so I may just add on to yours instead.   I found that the illuminated reticle was designed primarily for night-use, and would be perfect for the streets of *name your favorite desert town* , the highest setting was a little too dim for use for twilight, at least for my liking...  and if the lowest setting is too low for NV use, there may be some tweaking to the brightness of this feature. Sadly, I have decided that my NV rig will be using a different optic/rifle combo.  Although I will play with the idea of using an infra-red pointer such as DBAL-A2 with a PVS/14 head mount as an alternative. magnification settings. [/mall ninja]

I do not have a 22 in my grasps at the moment, but indeed, I would love to try this out.  

In regards to the illuminated reticle, I found the lowest setting was a bit too bright for my Gen 3 PVS-14.  The 2nd setting was out of the question due to its brightness.  Elcan claims 2 NV settings, each the for the dot and reticle.  Realistically it seems with a modern Gen 3 device, only the 1st NV settings for each is really applicable.  

Nowadays, the most effective set up I work with is what you propose....IR OR visible laser on the weapon while employing a head mounted NOD is just too easy and one feels like there staring in a video game!

Quoted: So close but so far,with the 4moa dot at 4X Covering 8inch at 200yds is bad enough but 12inch at 300yds, dangit.Only good for those who need a people shooter only.

 

You must be talking about the ACOG?

Quoted: I thought it was 6MOA at 4x (from first post/review) for the Spectre DR?

Indeed that is what the DR is in 4x mode, a 6 MOA dot.

Edited to add....Typo, the DR is 1.5 MOA at 4X and 6 MOA at 1x!   My error

Quoted: I am a bit confused then.  How is it 6 MOA at 4X and 1.5 MOA at 1X?  How does that work exactly?  In my mind it is either going to cover the same MOA or 4 times less at 4X, not 4 times more.  If the dot grows with magnification the MOA has not changed (FFP) and if it does not then its 4 times smaller (RFP). I dont see how the reticle grows to 16 times its original size to become 4 times greater MOA size. Victor, I am not noticing the dot becoming 16 times larger in your pics, is that what you are seeing as you switch to 4X? I know pics can be deceiving but I thought that would be obvious. In the pics its fairly clear the cross hairs and BDC are calibrated for 4X and unusable at 1X as its RFP.  The dot also appears so stay the same size and shrink realtive to the back ground like the crosshairs, which would be RFP.  That would mean 6 MOA 1X and 1.5 MOA 4X coverage if those are indeed the correct numbers.  You simply made a typo and reversed the MOA coverage.

Indeed, my error!!  It was a typo....The 4x magnification has a 1.5 MOA dot and the 1x has a 6 MOA dot!!!   I'll go fix the pg. one info....Thanks for the catch!!!!

Quoted: Great review Victor!  I got the chance to play with the DR at Shot and I love this optic.  But, I've been waiting for range reports before I pull the trigger myself. I was under the impression that you could not use your BUIS looking through this optic.  I remember someone who claimed to be a rep or employee for Elcan who claimed that this would not work and that removal of the optic would be required.  True or not true?  If this is true, having access to your ARMS is irrelivent. Has anyone spent any range time with one of these yet?  I've heard rumors of a shift in POI/POA between magnifications.  Is it really less then 1/2moa?

At 1x I can see my BUIS well.  The manual also states "The long eye relief facilitates use with most back up iron sights."  Funny I actually read the manual on something for once! hehe  

As for the POI and POA, going out this weekend for a shoot!  

Quoted: The one thing I noticed about this, is how CRITICAL eye relilef and positioning is at 1X.  If you are even a SLIGHT bit off, you see nothing but black.  If you are used to the more forgiving nature of the aimpoint or eotech, this takes some getting used to.

Indeed eye relief is a bit more critical of course vs. an EO or AP, but at 1x you can still use both eye's open and ER is not as critical as in the 4x mode it seems.  Just my personal observation thus far.  

Thought I'd post a few more pics I had taken....Enjoy

Quoted: Hi Victor Do you have pics of the red-dot lit up during day time both on 1x and 4x ? How easy is the magnification lever to catch in a hurry? Looking for a 3gun scope and this once again might be it. Thanks Edit to spell the Man`s name right!

Finn,

Here is a 1x and 4x with the dot lit with a decent background for the camera.

As for the mag latch, I guess this is subjective sorta speak.  I find no issue flipping the latch quickly while others do. Muscle memory, practice and training go a long way in working out many issues I feel.  Some folks suggest the throw levers be moved to the other side to rid any possible obstacles of the lever.  I believe Elcan is working this posibililty with the next mod of the sight I'm told.  Hope this helps.

Had several folk write me to ask how bright is the dot compared to the EO and AP?  I feel the dot on the brigtest days with a bright background is JUST a tad under the brightest intensity of the AP. I have found no problems with the DR's intensity on birght sunny days.  

I can't answer for Xenophobe but my original night vision comments have not changed....

The 1st NV dot setting was fine for my Gen 3 device, but could be washed out with an illuminator of some sort. Notice here a Gen 3 NVD.  On the 2nd dot setting, my NOD bloomed.  If one were to use a Gen 2 NVD, the dot probably would not bloom.  As for the illuminated reticle...Any time I can actually see a dot or reticle lit unaided naked eye in a dark room, usually spells "way too bright for a Gen 3 device." I found the reticle a bit too bright at the lowest setting for my NOD, (i.e. I could see the lowest setting with my unaided eye).  The lowest setting reticle slightly bloomed my NOD.  (But once again remember, a Gen 2 device probably would serve well for this reticle at the lowest setting).  I would agree with Xenophone that the reticle is designed for night use, BUT ONLY for unaided eye's without the use of a NOD.  I feel the lowest reticle setting should be turned down a tiny smudge for NV use and the highest setting turned up a smudge for twilight use, (what Xeno stated for the highest setting).  

I think Elcan strived for a happy balance on the highest reticle setting for unaided eye night use without washing out the rest of the image. They're close!  I don't mean to be splitting hairs, but in the NV world, you have to be spot on in regards to brightness levels.  EO and AP did it well with numerous NV settings, Elcan only has two advertised NV settings for the dot and reticle. In reality though IMHO only one is in working order with a Gen 3 device, and that is with the lowest setting dot.  Also keep in mind that I highly doubt Elcan would have designed this unit with a Gen 2 device in mind.  90%+ of all active military gear out there is Gen 3 nowadays.  Hope this helps.

Vic

Your welcome and the sight will do very well for day use!