Thank you for coming by The Everyday Marksman. This site and its community are a labor of love. I hope you stick around for a while, and maybe even join us.
-Matt
TA33 3×30 ACOG Review: The “Gunfighter’s” Optic
To start off a series of reviews concerning 3x prismatic optics, I wanted to start with the current king of the 3x hill, as it were. The TA33 has been around since 2007, and is well known among enthusiasts. Let’s run down what makes this model so interesting, how it works up close, and where its age is starting to show.
Marksman Live: The Prism Optics Primer with Ilya Koshkin
This week I sat down again with Ilya, the Dark Lord of Optics, to answer some lingering questions I’ve got about prism optics. I wanted to understand how they work relative to traditional rifle scopes, and some of the tradeoffs required when designing them. During the conversation, we also wandered over how rifle scopes work in general, reticle color selection, durability, engineering tradeoffs, and more. I’m also posting the audio-only version of this as well.
When to Use a BDC or MRAD Reticle?
In this podcast episode, I’m posted the edited down audio from my stream with Jeff Gurwitch and Ilya Koshkin. We focus on the best uses for BDC reticles against MRAD-based reticles at less than 500 yards.
BDC vs MRAD Reticles for General Purpose Rifles
In Marksman Live session 002, I talked with Ilya Koshkin (the Dark Lord of Optics) and Jeff Gurwitch on the topic of BDC reticles versus MRAD reticles for general purpose rifles. We also had a Q&A portion with the audience to cover a variety of questions that came up throughout the talk.
Everything You Should Know About Optic Cowitness
The best way to cowitness your optical sight to your iron sight is a common topic. Neither one is necessarily better than the other, but there are definitely important considerations for each. In this article, I’m going down the rabbit hole to explain each configuration and why you might want to consier it.
The Right Optic for the Mission
This episode is a bit of an audio guide version of my article on selecting AR-15 optics. It’s a bit more off the cuff than usual, and you can probably tell that I get a bit excited about nerding out with this topic.
The principles I outline apply to just about any kind of optic regardless of the rifle, or handgun, that it mounts to. At the core, it’s about understanding the role you are trying to fill and then selecting an appropriate solution within the bounds of your budget.
Vortex Strike Eagle 5-25×56: The Raw Truth Review
The Vortex Strike Eagle 5-25×56 is the first entry of the Strike Eagle line into long range optics, and it seems as though it was purpose-built for the precision rimfire market. Vortex managed to stuff many of the desirable features of their more expensive Razor line, ubiquitous in Precision Rifle Series (PRS) matches, into a more affordable package for the everyday shooter.
FFP vs SFP Optics: The Hype and the Truth
As I’ve been working on my precision competition rifles, I wanted to address a common topic in the world of optics: First Focal Plane vs Second Focal Plane scopes. Let’s get to the bottom line.
Ilya Koshkin, The Dark Lord of Optics, Schools Me on Riflescopes
Today we’re talking to ILya Koshkin, a prolific blogger and internet personality in the world of rifle optics. I’ve personally been following him for years and learning from his advice. We’ve recently struck up a bit of a friendship and I thought it was a great opportunity to bring him on to the show and have him share some of his wisdom.
Athlon Ares ETR 4.5-30×56: Raw Truth Review
Today we’re taking a look at another precision rifle optic, the Athlon Ares ETR 4.5-30×56. In my opinion, someone at Athlon really did their homework with what the precisions hooting community wants and values with a tactical optic. The ETR checks all of the boxes and seems like a great all-around scope.
Meopta Optika6 5-30×56: Raw Truth Review
I recently got the chance to handle the Meopta Optika6 5-30×56 MRAD FFP. This optic has many features desirable to precision rifle shooting and competition. In this review, I cover the main bits you should know as well as my recommendation.
AR-15 Optics: Making the Best Choice for You
Like barrels, triggers, and all the other choices, Ar-15 optics are a challenging one. There’s a lot of misunderstanding and “fluff” out there. I want to take a few moments and discuss some thoughts on optics selection.