Originally Posted By henryfrank:
I keep seeing people say that the 3X optics for both Austrian Special forces and regular troops are more so used as risers rather than primary optics but why and why bother producing them then? Also why no illumination from factory? Just seems like an odd decision for a military optic and they have had decades to add this feature. Even the new SF optic has no illumination which seems very odd to me so wanted some insight as these optics are not cheap to manufacture and I’m sure they could develop their own decent red dot if they wanted to keep manufacturing in country.
is it possible soldiers do use and prefer these scopes to their red dots? Whole situation seems odd as a riser would be way cheaper and lighter if that’s all soldiers and especially special forces want out of these.
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There's actually several very valid reasons for no illumination.
1. The Donut of Death reticle (and its variants) works well without illumination. The large, coarse reticle is still quite visible at night under streetlight / moonlight levels of illumination in my backyard. It is wayyyyy more visible then my 4x32 led ACOG Chevron with the battery turned off.
Likewise, in daylight of Las Vegas (super duper bright) which can overwhelm some illuminated reticles, the large black reticle remains crisp and visible. Ditto when a powerful WML is activated, reticle works fantastic, whereas some illum reticles will wash out.
2. Tasks that benefit/require an illum reticle (speed shooting at close range, passive aiming through NVG) are accomplished with the piggy back Aimpoint, which is just better for those roles. There's also the IR laser for NVG use.
3. Illum ads cost and points of failure. Tritium fades away after ~10yrs (I'd love to see Radium sights make a comeback), and only works at night. LED is a relatively recent light invention, and adds cost, weight, and potential points of failure. Neither are ideal for optics designed to last decades in service with conscripts.