ACOG Scope

The ACOG Scope (Advanced Combat Optical Gunsight) is an optic available in Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2.

Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare
The ACOG scope can be used on any Assault Rifle (excluding the MP44), Light Machine Gun, or Submachine Gun after the player has unlocked all Marksman challenges for it (150 kills). It can also be used on a Sniper Rifle in lieu of its standard telescopic sight after 100 kills. Equipped as the weapon attachment, it replaces the iron sights or sniper scope and provides a 2x zoom. The increased zoom improves visibility over range, but increases idle sway - reducing accuracy. Effective bullet range is not actually affected by this attachment (all guns except shotguns have infinite range). The reticle is a red chevron ( ^ ).

Advantages

 * The ACOG makes tracking moving targets (at long distances) much easier, since the target is magnified and while the gun is moving there is slightly less sway.
 * Increased zoom means better visibility when shooting over long distances.
 * The M40A3's base damage is raised to 75 with an ACOG.
 * It converts sniper rifles into regular rifles, making them powerful semi-automatic or bolt-action substitutes.
 * The G36C has little to no idle sway with ACOG.
 * Some weapons (the M14, M21, Dragunov, R700, M82 and MP5) have reduced recoil.
 * The ACOG makes it easier to use a sniper rifle in mid-range combat.
 * It is faster to zoom in with an ACOG than a regular sniper scope.
 * All of your HUD is visible when zoomed in with an ACOG; this is something that can't be accomplished with a sniper scope.

Drawbacks

 * It has higher sway than iron sights or the Red Dot Sight, making pinpoint shooting difficult.
 * It does not allow sniper rifles to be steadied. Also, when prone, you cannot scope in while moving, which you can do with standard sniper scopes.
 * The opaque surroundings of the scope block the player's peripheral vision.
 * It takes longer to sight through the scope compared to iron sights or the Red Dot Sight.
 * The zoom on a sniper rifle is lowered considerably.
 * The ACOG is not recommended for close quarters combat, as it zooms too close for a visible advantage.
 * Most weapons (AK-47, M4, M16A4, G36C, G3, P90, Skorpion, AK-74u, Mini-Uzi, M249, RPD and M60E4) will suffer slight increase in recoil.
 * Most automatic weapons are very hard to use at long range, even those with low recoil with iron sights and Red Dot Sight.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2
While lumped under the name ACOG, each scope is actually different depending on what weapon it is equipped to. The different types of ACOG scopes are:


 * Normal ACOG scope (like the one seen on the ACR in the level Takedown)
 * SUSAT (Only available on the L86 LSW)
 * Swarovski (Only available on the AUG HBAR in singleplayer)

Though in Multiplayer, the ACOG scope remains the same on all weapons except those listed above (confirmed PS3). 20 kills while using the ACOG scope will unlock the Thermal Scope.

The ACOG scope is very useful when the EMP killstreak reward is used against you, because even though the red dot disappears, the reticule remains. Some people actually prefer the ACOG minus red dot, because it is easier to make pinpoint headshots without the red dot in the way.

Trivia

 * In Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare the ACOG can be used on nearly every rifle and submachine gun, but in real life it is only designed to be used on the M16 and M4, with special options available for the MP5, Uzi, AUG, M14, and certain other firearms. It is not designed to be accurate on any other weapon, especially not weapons like the AK-47 and Skorpion, which use calibers not in normal service in NATO forces. The TA31RCO, the particular model in Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, is designed for use only with the M16 and M4.


 * The ACOG in Modern Warfare 2 Is used with a farther eye-relief making it easier to aim.


 * The ACOG in Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2 is affected by the EMP on daytime maps, but in real life the TA31RCO uses fiber optics to collect ambient light to illuminate the reticule and doesn't use electricity. An EMP should realistically not have any effect on ACOG scopes. This is because they are illuminated by tritium, a radioactive isotope of hydrogen, and contain no electronics like the other optics in the game. Also, even after the actual "red" part of the sight is knocked out by EMP, it can still be used effectively due to the painted black acryllic crosshairs that encircle the red sight.


 * In real life, the TA-31F series ACOG utilizes a reticule featuring a chevron and bullet drop compensator. The tip of the chevron is used for a point of impact for targets at 100 meters. The base of the chevron tip is used for targets at 200 meters, while the tip of the illuminated post below is the aiming point for targets at 300 meters. The hash marks below the chevron are the BDC for ranges from 400-800 meters. The base of the chevron and the hash marks below represent widths of 19" at their respective distances, which happens to be width of the average man's shoulders. While the reticle in COD4 was very close to the real TA-31F, the MW2 version doesn't match any current production model.


 * The ACOG scope in MW2 is used more commonly than the one in Call of Duty 4. The reason could be that the new ACOG is more precise and doesn't limit peripheral vision as much.

EMP