A clear sight for rifles; Combat operations in Iraq and Afghanistan have been characterised by infantry troops performing close quarter battle, shooting at ranges typically between ten and 50 metres--with shots at over 100 metres a rarity, according to recent United States Marine Corps after-action reports. At the same time, these troops still need to be able to engage targets in excess of these ranges.

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Weapon optics

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A clear sight for rifles; Combat operations in Iraq and Afghanistan have been characterised by infantry troops performing close quarter battle, shooting at ranges typically between ten and 50 metres--with shots at over 100 metres a rarity, according to recent United States Marine Corps after-action reports. At the same time, these troops still need to be able to engage targets in excess of these ranges.

Because they have to cope with such varying ranges during conventional manoeuvre operations, soldiers have traditionally required two sights for such engagements: a 'red dot' (also known as a 'reflex') sight for close quarters and a reticle scope for ranges in excess of 100 metres. The latter is required because reticle sights offer magnification enabling better target identification at such ranges. Reflex sights typically offer x1 magnification that will enable a soldier to see and engage a target with both eyes open. Snipers, mean while, will engage targets at ranges typically of between 600 and 800 metres, and for this reason require reticle sights that can offer between eight and twelve times magnification. Some of the ...

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