I chose to compare these two scopes due a lot of similarities and the price point, each is around 760-800 dollars depending on where you buy it.

Optics on their respective rifles

Meopta K-Dot




Trijicon TR24:



I have used the Meopta K-Dot (informally nick named the Poor Mans Short Dot) for the last 5 months now.
I have used it at both large 3 Gun matches as well as my local rifle clubs matches with much success.

After speaking with Tod Litt (00bullitt on ARFCOM and BrianEnos)about a better option, he suggested the Swaro Z6 but 1,600 bucks on a grad student budget isnt happening now.
After the SHOT SHOW, the Trijicon TR 24 looked promising, I viewed both reticles and settled on the german no.4 for several reasons. Mainly due to the types of competitions I shoot in and for the ability to use this  scope when pig hunting. I grew up using cross hairs on optics so to just swap to the post/triangle  was not in the works for me at this point.

Personal observations are as follows :

Construction/Weight/Physical Apperance:


Both the Meopta K- Dot and the Trijicon TR24 are a straight 30mm tube.

Durability:
The K-Dot info states it is "A Nitrogen purged and sealed body for fog proof and water proof performance" but does not list to what depth this holds true for.
The TR24 is waterproof to depths of 10 feet according to the materials included with the optic.

Build Materials:
The K-Dot is constructed out of a lightweight, one-piece, aircraft grade aluminum alloy tube however no info about the coating on the aluminum is found with the materials I got with the optic.
The TR24 is constructed out of 6061-T6 aluminum, hard coat anodized per MIL-A-8265, Type III.

The K Dot turrets are gnarled for a more secure grip however they are approx 1/16-1/8" smaller then the TR24 turrets.
The TR24 turrets feature a more refined slotted grip surface.

Weight Matters:
The K-Dot in hand, feels substantially heavier then the TR24. Listed weight on Chargemaster  says:
K-Dot: 18.6 oz (list weight is 18.7 oz)
TR24: 14.4 oz (list weight is 14.40 oz)

Does Size Matter:
The K-Dot is longer (which is visually obvious) coming right in at 12 inches. Adding to its heft in the weight catagory.
The TR24 measures 10.3 inches but again looks to be quite a bit shorter to me.

My personal choice in this catagory:: Trijicon TR24

Optical Thoughts:

Reticles:
The K-Dot features a reticule unique in the Meopta line (only offered in the 1x4 K-Dot) seen below

NOTE: the K-Dot is an illuminated reticle however it is not constantly lit like the TR24.
The K-Dot  ret is in the 2nd focal plane.


The TR24 features a classic German No.4 with constantly illuminated dot in the center as seen below
.  

Illumination options:

The k-Dot has an illumination turret on the left side of the scope features 1-7 settings (with 7 being the brightest). What I personally found to well laid out on the K-Dot is that between each setting is an off position. This provided off position (signified by a dot) between each level works as follows. For example:

OFF
1st illumination setting
OFF
2nd illumination setting
OFF
3rd illumination setting
OFF

and so forth until off is reach at either the top or bottom of the illumination dial. This is great because you can go from a middle illumination setting, say 5 to off with a quick turn up or down whereas on other models with on/off illumination settings the user must dial all the way up or down to reach the off position.  This feature is something EVERY company should integrate into their illumination dials from here on out.

The TR24 dot is constantly lit however it is not so bright as to distract the eye from the target acquired. Both fiber optics (FO) and tritium is employed to provide a constant source of illumination to the center dot.

Batteries or no batteries?
The K-Dot uses a CR 2354 battery which Meopta claims has a service life of is roughly 80 continuous hours. I have found this to be a bit zealous as I left my K-Dot on for 2.5 days and it was pretty much dead. That said, the dot was not designed for prolonged/constant on use. The on/off settings are there for a reason.   Alsoa CR 2032 battery may also be used however the life is said to be only 60 hours.

The TR24 is a "constant on" lit reticle, due to the combination of Fiber Optics & Tritium.

Eye Relief:

K-Dot is 3.1 "
TR24 is 3.5"

Light Transmission:
The K-Dot features several anti-reflection coatings MB-5501 ensuring light transmission of around 92-93%.
The TR24 did not specify what type of coating it had. The info simply said it had multi coated lenses for superior light gathering capability.

Field of View:

The K-Dot Field of View @ 100 yards (ft): 111 - 25.8
The TR24 Field of View @ 100yrds (ft): 97.5 to 24.2

This is interesting because the K-Dot is a  1-4 x 22mm where as the TR24 is a 1-4x24mm
I initially thought the extra 2mm of objective would allow the TR24 to have a slightly greater FOV (field of view) however both on paper and in personal use, the K-Dot is wider and the refined shooter will notice this upon use between the two optics while testing.

Personal observations: while shooting both optics today under the cover of clouds, I found the K-Dot to be brighter and more clear. In fact the edge to edge clarity of the K-Dot is superior to that of the TR24.
This is not to say the TR24 is not clear or bright. It is, however I feel to the individual who has a refined eye for such things, the K-Dot will appear more clear and bright.
My Personal Choice in this catagory : Meopta K-Dot


Final thoughts:

With either scope set on magnification of 1 power the shooter will have no trouble engaging targets, close in, all while allowing the user to keep both eyes open.
The obvious advantage here is the user can have a better perception of what is going on in the surrounding area without limiting himself to just one eye on the target acquired.
For the serious 3 gunner who is weight conscious, the TR24 is a strong favorite. However, depending on conditions, the K-Dots optical superiority will outshine the TR24.

I do not have enough trigger time behind the TR24 to say will not be my favorite 1-4, so I am going to use it for the next 5 months (May, June, July, August and Sept) while I am shooting the KY State Multi Gun Championship, the FNH Midwest 3 Gun Championships, the Tiger Valley 4 man team match and the Carolina Tactical Invitation. At which point I will decide between the K-Dot and the TR24 as to which optic I will use for the Multi Gun Nationals in Vegas in Oct.

I will update this post from here on out with my thoughts, and photos.  

Please feel free to add your questions or comments below, as well as your own opinions of each scope as you use it.


Below are some pics/video of the K-Dot from the past 5 months of use.

K-Dot Action pics:







K-Dot Video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hBsVe_UUSBI

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h-btYch_UOw


Place holder for TR24 Action pics (being used over the next 5 months):





Again please feel free to add your questions or comments below, as well as your own opinions of each scope as you use it.

I am going to pick Todd's brain in 2 weeks. I am riding with him and his traveling road show up to the FNH Midwest 3 Gun.  

I just got the TR24 today and did some prelim work.  I am going to do more shooting with it tomorrow and friday and take a chance and shoot it this weekend instead of the K-Dot set up.

Only way to find out which I prefer is to use it I suppose

The KY State Championship only has targets max dist set at 100 yards. the FNH 3 Gun has longer shots so I will prep for it when I am back monday and report back with what I find with respect to the elevation.
Todd had talked about counting versus "guestimation holds" .  I run the Knights Armament Bullet Flight application on my iTouch for the longer stuff, I punch in my load data etc and tell it what 1 click equates to and it gives me a fairly (so far) accurate reading. This is what I used at the LaRue 3 Gun to shoot out to 500. I was unable to practice beyond 200 before that match but I made hits on LaRue's and MGM flashers out to 400 using the counting method and the Bullet Flight app. I did not try and engage the 500 yard steel as each was a bonus.

You know, if one could combine the strong sets of each it would be fantastic.
Meopta is coming out with a "K-Dot II" so I hope they have adjusted a few things.
I do like the K-Dot ret better so far, that is for sure.

Again I have not given the TR24 a fair shake but I will and see what I think after some big matches.

When I know the match is 100 yards as max possible distance, I use a 50 yard zero too. Makes the hoser targets that "much" easier.

TAG!

Mike @ CSGW
www.csgunworks.com
[email protected]

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I forgot about this thread.

So far I am enjoying the TR24.

In fact, from dry fire practice to live fire, I find the ret to be (for me) easier to use and is finer for long shots.

At the FNH 3 Gun Championships, I had no issues dropping the R&R Racing Plate racks out at 300 yards. I was zeroed at 200 and held right on the top of the plates.

Tops unscrew and there is click adjustments.