Thursday Threesome: These optics show how much has changed in tactical glass

Stalking and intelligence gathering are different from creepin', right? We're pretty sure there's a distinction. But good glass (i.e. a scope) can help with all three.

According to John Ratcliffe Chapman's book Instructions To Young Marksmen, the first truly telescopic rifle scope was invented in 1835 and 1840 — put together by Morgan James with design help from Chapman himself.

Demand for (and improvement of) the rifle scope quickly increased until, with the advent of the Civil War, it became strident — though only in some circles. Although the use of marksmen with scoped rifles was considered by many generals to be ungentlemanly or even murderous, many a Whitworth, Kerr, Sharps, or Kerr Whitworth rifle went to work on Civil War battlefields with side-mounted Davidson, Vernier, Creedmore, and other scopes.

Some of them were a couple feet long (or longer), and extraordinarily heavy.

And things have certainly come a long way since then, as Nikon, GPOTAC, and Atibal aptly demonstrate.

One company building good rifle optics is Nikon. Most of you associate them with cameras, but they manufacture all sorts of "glass," including binos and riflescopes. They've recently introduced a new line of scopes they call BLACK.

Another company is GPO - they're about as little known as Nikon is well known, but we hear some good things about 'em. They've just introduced their GPOTAC 8XI Riflescope.

They've taken a German design and upgunned it with some high tech features. Then there's Atibal, whose sights and spotting scopes — specifically the MROC — have made a pretty good impression on some of our friends in a short amount of time (and are rumored to be releasing a 3-12 variable soon).

Now, let's be clear, we haven't personally tried any of these. We're just huge fans of optics because we've seen first hand what a force multiplier good glass can be in a real fight. From reflex sights to variable power first focal plane fightin' scopes, glass is good. If you're still running irons alone, you likely still have a rotary dial telephone. Going "old school" is all well and good for your social media persona, but blows a hard one wants the metal starts hitting the meat.

Not that we're judging you or anything.

Anyway, here's three new pieces of glass for your Thursday Threesome.

1. Atibal MROC

The Atibal MROC is a 3 x 32 magnified optic that demonstrates in one small package just how improved our ability to reach out and see (then shoot) somebody has come. MROC stands for Modern Rifle Optic Component. It features an illuminated laser-etched reticle, fixed at three power magnification with an illuminated compensation chevron (for bullet drop) included (it's calibrated for 5.56mm). The manufacturer advises it has a 37.7 field of view at 100 yards, which they describe as the "...largest field of view of any 3x prismatic scope currently on the market."

An expanded field of view, of course, can make the difference between putting one in his noggin and catching on in yours.

The lens is FMC (Fully MultiCoated) to reduce glare and reflection. It is also intended to improve clarity of view. Windage and elevation adjustments are made by hand (no tools necessary, and ALL CAPS (see what we did there?) are leashed so you don't lose them on the range or in the field. An integrated and detachable picatinny rail provides mounting options. The MROC runs on a single CR2 lithium battery.

Speaking of batteries, you might want to co-witness yours in case it goes dead. Not sure what that means or how to it? Easy - we'll learn ya right here.

Here are the specs on the Atibal MROC as they provide them (or, you can find more online here). We'll provide more info as we get. The price point on these, taken in context with what we hear about their performance, piques our interest. Follow 'em on Instagram, @atibalsights.

• F.O.V FT@100YDS: 37.7ft
• F.O.V Angle: 7.2°
• Eye Relief: 2.8"
• Click Value: .5 MOA
• W/E Max. Adj.: 60 MOA

• Parallax Free: 100yds
• Battery Type: 1x CR2
• Illumination: RED
• Lens Coating: FMC
• Length  5.11"

2. GPOTAC 8XI Riflescope

"[The] GPOTAC 8Xi is a scope like no other - it's amazing. It's packed with optical brilliance and technical features expected from super-premium tactical riflescopes. We were very careful to make sure every demanded feature available was jammed into this optic. You've got to see this scope."

That's what owner and CEO of GPO, USA says anyway. And it's jammed full of vitamins too! You know though, if you can overlook the sensational, breakfast cereal commercial style prose, you'll find the 8Xi does indeed seem to have some interesting features.

The 34mm tube optic will initially be offered in what they call the 1-9 x 24i version, with something called the "iControl illuminated mil-spec reticle" — and it's a first focal plane reticle too, which is a huge plus-up in our minds. Turrets are locking metal milrad, with what the describe as "GPObright high transmission lens-coating technology." It features double HD glass objective lenses, "fast focus" rubberized oculars, and wide machined-aluminum magnification adjustment rings. The horseshoe center point is fiber optic driven, with an auto-off feature to prevent unnecessary battery drain (and provides an alert when the battery is down to 15% remaining life).

Yes, the press release sounded like it was written by Billy Mays, but this is another one we're actually very interested in. You can check it out online here; full specs are at the bottom of the page. They're on Instagram (sorta), @gpo_usa) and Facebook. FYSA they've also just released a binocular line.

Remember - even the best gear in the world will avail you nothing if you rely on equipment to compensate for skill and honed ability. Train accordingly.

3. Nikon BLACK Riflescope Series

The BLACK Line optics are not Nikon's first — they've had ProStaff, Monarch and other styles for years. However these are some of the first ones Nikon has manufactured specifically for tactical applications.

Its lineup includes five versions of what the company calls the BLACK X1000. That selection includes 4-16x50 and 6-24x50 models with X-MRAD or X-MOA reticles synced to windage and elevation turrets. Nikon describes what you see through the glass is a, "...visually clean, yet highly functional and advanced too for estimating range or maintaining holdovers." (Not sure what all that means? Read this piece about Minute of Angle).

Their 1-4x24 scope uses what they call the "SpeedForce" reticle (nothing to do with Barry Allen, Jay Garrick, Wally West or anyone else drawn by Alex Ross). This reticle is intended to be used with the scope dialed to true 1x. It features an illuminated double horseshoe intended to assist in quick target acquisition, better ability to hit a moving target, and more precise intermediate range holdovers. (You can learn more about MILS here; we break it down Barney style.)

They're all built with a 30mm body using an aircraft grade aluminum alloy, and they're TYpe 3 anodized. The turrets are spring-loaded and "zero-reset", and MSRP ranges from $399.95 up to 649.95. You can expect 'em to start showing up in the Spring and early Summer — meaning they're just in time to let you, uh, provide "overwatch" on the beach or where they're sunbathing out back of sorority row.

Follow Nikon on Instagram for lots of pretty pictures; @nikonusa.

This has been your Thursday Threesome. Got a tip on some new gear we should look at? Hit us up on the Instagramz, @breachbangclear, or drop us an e-mail at SITREP(at)breachbangclear.com. You can also send us a PM on Facebook. Don't post nuthin' to our wall. We never read it.

More news as we get it. You can also follow our Be Advised column (warning: occasionally NSFW).