Quoted:
I have been looking at this scope and here are some pro's and con's as I see it.
Pro's:
Light for a 1-6X
Really well thought out reticle
Quality construction with great glass (correct me if I am wrong)
The entire reticle is illuminated
Con's:
Reticle not daylight bright (Supposedly the reticle is large enough in the horseshoe to make this a non-issue)
Warranty is only 10 years from a small company
Why are they not more popular? It seems like to get a well thought out BDC reticle the two choices are the ACSS and the GRSC. To get a quality scope with the ACSS you have to purchase the PA 1-8X24 Platinum and it weighs 27oz which is a full 10 oz more.
It seems like this optic would be more popular. Is there another scope that has a reticle as well thought out as the ACSS or GRSC built to similar quality levels that is light?
What am I missing? Why is there not a lot of love for the GRSC 1-6X24?
Thanks for your input guys.
View Quote
akconvert,
Good question.
First off, Blackfoot 7 and LRRPF52 thank you for your positive replies.
IMO there are several reasons for the lack of popularity of our scope. I think Blackfoot 7 gave a good assessment. I am the person behind the concept and development of 1-6 FFP Horseshoe reticle scope which was initially rejected by the optics industry. From the beginning the 1-6 CRS (Combat Rifle Scope) was intended to be a FSCO (Full
Spectrum Combat Optic) to help keep our war fighters alive in combat. As such when we met with owner of our Japanese manufacture we made it very clear to him and his team of engineers that this scope was intended to be used in real combat. They told us the scope would not be inexpensive but they liked the concept and were willing to
give it a try. This was after I had been turned down by the best American and European optics manufactures. The Japanese pulled it off and made for us the first successful 1-6 FFP reticle scope. As Blackfoot 7 explained the scope was introduced to the market at just over 1K from a unknown company with a 2 year warranty. Initially the scopes
sold well because we had a good product and we were the only kids on the block. Once the validity of the concept and reticle were proven many of the big companies that initially rejected my concept and reticle design came out with their versions of the 1-6 CRS with FFP Horseshoe reticles. They have a lot more money for advertising so they
have much better exposure with their products, plus they have a track record and name recognition.
That does not mean their products preform better. In side by side testing at long range our CRS out performed other scopes (VCOG, Kahles 1-6, Bushnell 1-8, Burris 1-8, PA 1-8) with better glass, better illumination and more magnification. The main reason was the superior reticle design in the CRS. At close range the scopes/reticles were
pretty much on par with each other.
The Sig Tango 6 was made by the same manufacture that makes our scope but their Horseshoe reticle is not as efficient as the Horseshoe reticle in our CRS. Sig was just awarded a contract with the US Army for a version of the Tango 6 scope with a FFP Horseshoe reticle. I will be very interesting to see what reticle they put in that scope. I
hope it is at least as good as or better than my design. Anything less would be a disservice to our war fighters going in harms way.
I find it strange that the Army went with the Sig 1-6 because as I have already conceded there are other 1-6 and 1-8 scopes available that have better quality glass, better illumination and more magnification than our CRS 1-6 which I believe is on par with the Sig 1-6. The Army must feel the Sig 1-6 will get the job done, they bought them.
Another big factor was the introduction of the <$500.00 1-6 scopes made in China. These scopes are not junk. The new breed of scopes being produced in China are much improved. I am currently developing a 1.1-10x30 made in China. CHINA???Yes, CHINA---again the American scope companies do not want to work to me.
akconvert, the bottom line is IMO my reticle design is the best thing out there (yes it is better than the ACSS reticle) for its intended purpose. I will admit if my reticle was in the Burris 1-8, the Bushnell 1-8, the PA 1-8,(all made by the same manufacture that makes our CRS) or maybe one of the new Nightforce 1-8s (haven't tried them yet) I
would probably retire my 1-6 CRS and replace it with one of those scopes. FYI I retired my ACOCs and replaced them with the 1-6 CRS.
I hope this helps answer your question.
Ed Verdugo