Inside Trijicon: The Legacy of the ACOG

by
posted on June 3, 2020
** When you buy products through the links on our site, we may earn a commission that supports NRA's mission to protect, preserve and defend the Second Amendment. **
American Rifleman TV is in Wixom, Mi., at the home of Trijicon Inc., detailing the Advanced Combat Optical Gunsight. Watch the above video for details.

Title screen for video that says, "American Rifleman, Trijicon: Legacy of the ACOG"

Little did he know, prior to 1981, that his “side job” of peddling gun sights would lead to a revolutionary concept with more than one million units sold. Millions of Americans, home defenders, peace officers and Soldiers have chosen to rely on Glyn Bindon’s Advanced Combat Optical Gunsight (ACOG).

Patent drawing of an ACOG optic.

The marvel behind the ACOG design is the Bindon Aiming Concept (BAC) that enables its users to maintain target focus without loss of peripheral vision by allowing both eyes to remain open. The addition of a brilliant aiming point comprised of Tritium and fiber optics further set Trijicon’s ACOG into its own class.

Remote camera image of a man shooting a rifle with a tan scope attached.

The battery-free ACOG is a U.S.-made, fixed-magnification optic built from forged aluminum. Trijicon supplies premium glass within its ACOG and each unit is hand-fitted and tuned for function and reliability. The advantage to this combat optic is the use of radioactive isotopes that yields a radio-luminescent light source. The easy-to-use optic has been a complete game-changer for the U.S. Military as its Rifle Combat Optic.

Forged aluminum in the shape of a rifle optic.

As years advanced for Trijicon and its ACOG, line extensions came to market with magnification enhancements and the inclusion of battery-powered LED aiming. Furthermore, Trijicon branched off into manufacturing reflex sights intended for close-quarter engagement that eventually found place on military and police handguns, too.

Woman in a factory assembling a Trijicon optic.

The RMR is reflex sight built of aluminum with a specialized and patented housing shape to increase the durability of the small optic—it isn’t always about the looks. Whether battery or Tritium powered, Trijicon’s RMR features true-color, multi-coated lenses and an aiming dot that is easily adjustable and provides the shooter with increased target focus while improving accuracy.

Trijicon RMR aluminum housings lined up and tightly packed together.

Two optic lines wasn’t enough for Glyn Bindon and his team at Trijicon. The company has expanded and demonstrated its ability to engineer products that resonate with armed citizens, military personnel, police, hunters, long-range shooters, archers and hobbyists. Follow along with the American Rifleman TV crew for a behind-the-scenes glance at the manufacturing and legacy of Trijicon.

Latest

Us Army 250Th Part 2 1
Us Army 250Th Part 2 1

250 Years Of The U.S. Army: Rifle Muskets, Trapdoors & Early Bolt-Actions

The U.S. Army would enter the 19th century equipped with a smoothbore flintlock musket that differed little from the designs of the past, and it would exit the century with a modern, bolt-action, repeating rifle that used smokeless powder ammunition.

Charter Arms Introduces Walker & Boomer Revolvers

With its new Walker and Boomer revolvers, Charter Arms has introduced two purpose-built wheelguns aimed at specific niches within the self-defense market.

California is Going After Out-Of-State Home Gunsmiths

A California lawsuit is targeting the Gatalog Foundation Inc. and CTRLPEW LLC, claiming that Gatalog and CTRLPEW are providing prohibited persons with plans to make “ghost guns.”

U.S. Military Unveils "Drone Killer" Rifle Cartridges

The U.S. military's new Drone Killer Cartridge is designed as a cost-effective family of ammunition designed to increase a warfighter's probability of a hit against drone threats.

I Have This Old Gun: Röhm RG 14

RG Industries was established in Miami, Fla., to manufacture—using many German-made parts—the smallest Röhm-pattern handguns for domestic sale, including the RG 14 revolver chambered in .22 LR.

Review: Primary Weapons System UXR

What if you wanted to have more than one caliber in a single rifle? The Primary Weapons System UXR rifle is the answer, and it takes caliber-interchangeability to the next level.

Interests



Get the best of American Rifleman delivered to your inbox.