This is an excellent video featuring John Paul discussing the advantages of the Trijicon 4 x 32 Advanced Combat Optical Gunsight in general, as well as the features of the JP reticle variant. The ACOG is a great sight. I used one mounted to the fixed carrying handle of an M16A2 in 1994 during my Haitian vacation. The magnification was very handy for use as a surveillance tool to determine what was going on a block or more from our location in the city as well as while scanning rooftops.
He also mentions the use of short range sights such as the flip up style in combination with the fixed magnification ACOG to cover a wider range of targets in short order as he doesn’t have to mess with changing magnifications like with a variable power scope.
Finally, John Paul briefly discusses the “optical triangle” which consists of three key elements; magnification, eye relief and field of view. In the case of the optical triangle, you can have more of one attribute but must sacrifice the other two. In the case of the 4 x 32, the 4 is the magnification of the scope and the 32 is the field of view. You end up with a short eye relief but with the low recoil of a 5.56 mm weapon, it’s not that big of a deal. Additionally, the wide field of view of the 4 x 32 lets you see what is going on so you weren’t looking through a soda straw.
