Armory Sponsor
Posted: 10/16/2025 12:37:41 AM EDT
|
Until about a year ago I had never owned an original A1. Now I have a couple. To be honest I had never cared about the A1 until I noticed they are quite a bit lighter than the A3 series. I am a 100% service connected disabled Vet with extensive injuries and multiple surgeries so weight and balance are very significant for me. Shooting is one of the only things that gives me a decent effort and pain to reward and enjoyment ratio. So, this is kind of a big deal for me. I recently was experimenting with different optics on my A3 SA and was trying to get the height and eye relief right. To my amazement the right height and eye relief for me came out be almost identical as the original. It's almost like they knew what they were doing?! This led me down the road of renewed appreciation for the A1 and its optic. I am now thinking of the original 1.5x optic not as a "scope" but rather as "enhanced" iron sights with built in BDC. You know how with LPVO one of the things marketed is how close to a "true" 1x their 1x really is with some especially historically not really being 1x with 1.25 and even up to 1.5x being marketed as a 1x to such and such? I don't know this for sure of course but I think that maybe if back then Steyr had the ability to get a true 1x lens at the time they may very well have done so. Now, all that being true I wanted to let people know that the 3x tubes from the A3 M1 optics and the A3 SF with mil dot optic WILL fit into the A1 and PJ (its on his website under services) and steyr both offer the tube swap service. I don't know what PJ charges but Steyr charges about $50 for labor. That said the field of view is incredibly narrow. Still a great option to have especially for shorter to mid range where your target is relatively larger but you still want more precise aiming and some hold overs both elevation and windage. So you can have an A1 (or an A3 m1 with one of the tube scopes) with different reticles or an A1 with a 3x mil dot scope and it is notably lighter than an A3. There are also some unconventional shooting positions and grip techniques you can use that are possible with the skinny tube scopes where you can use the scope tube as a grip which is beneficial especially to me with my injuries. You can really have your arms tight and compact into your body that way which can be less fatiguing. NOTE: I also wanted to let you guys know that the mean arms exo mags (make sure you get eh ejector-LESS ones) work GREAT with the newer 9mm kits and a nato stock and are one of the best options. They have 10, 15, 20,32, and 40rd exo mags and they can use AR mag pouches and they work very well and they are very affordable. Also Mean arms offers free shipping for military. That is nice of them. Long live the king (of bullpups)! |
Armory Sponsor