REVIEW: ELCAN Specter DR 1x/4x - the Jack of All Trades

"What do I put on my AR?" This is a question that AR-15 owners ask themselves more than once. Purpose and budget can be two helpful guides in the optics maze. Those looking for a universally usable sighting device without compromising on any factors have to dig deep into their pockets. Henning Hoffmann from WAFFENKULTUR has taken a close look at this piece.

Almost everyone has heard of the premium optic Specter 1x/4x from the Canadian manufacturer ELCAN. And everyone wants to have one; until they see the price tag. The ELCAN is outrageously expensive; but good. That's the common opinion. However, those who have tested the optics in various scenarios and distances do not want to give it back. This includes the author, who promptly acquired the loan device from Oberland Arms after the test.

ELCAN - Ernst Leitz Canada

The Canadian company is part of the US arms manufacturer Raytheon, founded in 1922, specializing in the production of optical and electronic components. The name ELCAN is derived from Ernst Leitz Canada. The company was founded in 1952 in the Canadian province of Ontario with the participation of the Ernst Leitz Group from Wetzlar.

The windage adjustment is located at the front of the device and can be operated with a coin or a cartridge case. The elevation adjustment wheel is tool-free. It can be secured via a locking lever. The switch lever from 4x to 1x is thumb-operated.

The Specter® optical sights are just one line of products from the conglomerate. Informally, the optics are also known by the name ELCAN. In addition to the 1x/4x, there are other variants. The line is topped by the ELCAN Specter DR 1.5x/6x. At the lower end, there are variants with fixed 4x or fixed 6x magnification, as well as 1x magnifying red dot sights and a 5-20x Optical Zoom riflescope. The abbreviation DR stands for Dual Role, hinting at the two applications: shooting at close range with 1x magnification and the ability to take precise shots over longer distances due to the 4x magnification. Here are the technical specifications of the device:

Manufacturer: ELCAN
Model: Specter DR 1x/4x
Reticle: ballistic with LED illumination
Length: 15 cm
Weight without mounting: 670 g
Eye relief: 70 mm
Click adjustment: ½ MOA
Zeroing distance: 100 meters
Power source: DL 1/3 N or CR2302
Price (RRP): 2,800 Euros

In dual role

The easy switch between magnifications is the unique selling point of the ELCAN "Dual Role" line. No other manufacturer has anything comparable in their range. ELCAN thus overcomes a perpetual compromise forced upon users. Until now, the decision to acquire an optic had to be aligned with priorities. If firearm use is primarily within a short range up to 200 meters, magnification is not necessarily required. As the likelihood of engaging targets in the infantry's half-kilometer distance range of up to 500 or 600 meters increases, a 4x magnification is helpful at least for target identification. Other products available on the market try to smooth this compromise with a pre-mounted magnification module (Magnifier) or a variable zoom riflescope. However, neither of these options even comes close to the user-friendliness of an ELCAN Dual Role.

ELCAN optical sights come with an ARMS clamping mount included. With a riflescope, this has to be purchased separately. The locking lever of the elevation adjustment is unlocked in the image.

Hands on: Specter DR 1x/4x

The DR 1x/4x model is about 15 cm long, comes with an ARMS clamping mount, and weighs 670 grams. The eye relief is seven centimeters. The manufacturer specifies the click adjustment for elevation and windage as ½ MOA. In practical tests, these clicks measurements could be verified almost exactly.
A DL 1/3 N serves as the power source. The operating time is supposed to be 3,000 hours. The latest version of the ELCAN now uses a CR2302 battery.

In focus: the reticle

The reticle features a crosshair with ballistic hold marks for 300/400/500 and 600 meters. The 200-meter hold mark has been removed for better clarity. At 4x magnification, the width of each hold mark line corresponds to a target width of 48 cm. The hold marks for 700/800/900 and 1,000 meters are marked with a circle. In practical use, they serve as hold marks for shooting with a machine gun or the "rapid semi-automatic fire" mode.

The reticle resembles a riflescope. The user has the option to illuminate just the dot or the crosshair.

The ballistic reticles of the Specter are calibrated either for the 5.56 caliber with a 62 gr. full metal jacket bullet or for the 7.62 caliber with a 147 gr. full metal jacket bullet. The manufacturer additionally etches into the reticle which caliber each ELCAN is configured for.
The reticle is illuminated by LED. The crosshair or the red dot can be illuminated as desired. The red dot is 1.5 MOA at 4x magnification. The zeroing distance of the ELCAN Specter DR 1x/4x is 100 meters.

Furthermore, the reticle features the "Vertical Subtention Optical Rangefinder" (VSOR). With the help of this stadia line plate, a skilled rifle shooter can estimate distances at a selected 4x magnification. The distances correspond to a target height of 76 cm each.

For users who have only worked with open sights or a red dot optic before, the ELCAN reticle may seem initially overwhelming with its wealth of information. Especially at short distances, the shooter must learn to ignore this additional information. The proverbial brilliance of the reticle and the clear contour of the red dot significantly support the shooter in this regard.

Three high-performance optics, as different as they could be: The minimalist Aimpoint Micro (bottom) has no magnification. The Vortex 1-6x24 Razor HD can be smoothly adjusted from 1x to 6x magnification. The ELCAN 1x/4x combines the advantages of simple magnifying optics with those of fourfold magnifying optics.

Two years of field testing

The ELCAN has been serving as a sighting device on the Black Label M4 since late summer 2016 and has fired well over 1,000 rounds to date. It has been used at distances ranging from five to 625 meters. Various standard exercises have been performed, such as the 5/1 Drill, the ½ & ½ Drill, Delta Drill, or the Rifleman exercise. While standard exercises at shorter distances can be completed flawlessly even with a purist iron sight, the ELCAN shines most when swiftly switching from 1x to 4x magnification during precision exercises like the "Rifleman." The lever for this is ergonomically located.

500 meters

The ballistic hold marks are remarkably accurate for the 5.56 caliber with a 62 gr. bullet. The 500-meter hold mark actually produces a very accurate shot group at 500 meters. The best 500-meter shot groups were 85 mm. This corresponds to a system deviation of 0.2‰. Other shot groups were around 0.4‰, which is typical for the M4 and resulted in groups of 16 cm to 24 cm at 500 meters. The 4x magnification was used.

625 meters

With a total shot count of nearly 12,000, the barrel of the Black Label no longer achieves the precision it had at the beginning of the long-term test. During firing exercises at 25 meters, hole-in-hole groups have become rarer. Instead, more common are shot groups that can still be covered with the thumb. This results in an average dispersion of 1‰; that is, 10 cm at 100 meters; or 50 cm at 500 meters. Therefore, the majority of shots still hit a man-sized target at 500 to 600 meters.

Beware of trap: If a spring-loaded flip-up rear sight is accidentally released, it will press against the ELCAN from below. This will result in a significant shift in the point of impact.

In spring 2018, equipped with the long-term test firearm Black Label M4, the ELCAN had the opportunity to work on a 1,200-meter long-range range. The wind was blowing from twelve to two o'clock at speeds of 2 to 4 m/s, peaking at 7 m/s. The furthest reproducible hit was at 625 meters, target size 45 cm x 45 cm. For this, the "700 m" hold mark in the ELCAN reticle had to be used. For hits on the 570-meter target, the "600 m" hold mark had to be used at twelve o'clock. Despite the sometimes complicated wind conditions, about 90% of shots hit the target. Target size at 570 meters: 45 cm wide, 100 cm high.

CONCLUSION: Those who are looking for an optic for all distances and applications and are not deterred by the investment of 2,800 Euros should buy the ELCAN Specter DR 1x/4x. By doing so, users have a highly usable and practical sighting option for the infantry's half-kilometer. The brilliance of the reticle is unmatched even among premium riflescope manufacturers. We had previously reviewed an Elcan Specter DR - HERE is the review.

The ELCAN Specter DR 1x/4x is available in Germany at Oberland Arms. The different models are listed HERE.

ELCAN online:

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