Cosmic Tactical Saturn 2.0: the anti- ACOG
Cosmic Tactical's Saturn 2.0 prism sight features a laser-etched, fiber-optic illuminated reticle, a sturdy quality construction, and brilliant image: everything you need from an ACOG, with nothing you don't
Cosmic Tactical Saturn 2.0: the anti- ACOG
US-based company Cosmic Tactical offers the Saturn 2.0 4x32 prism sight, available in two variants as a commercial alternative to the legendary Trijicon ACOG
In 1987, a Michigan-based company named Trijicon – already quite famous on the US market for its line of optics and luminescent sights despite having been established only four years prior – launched the TA01 Advanced Combat Optical Gunsight, or ACOG for short, on the global markets.
Similar in concept to a binocular tube, the Trijicon ACOG was based on a roof prism optical sight located pretty forward within the machined alloy body, with an etched reticle that featured a center chevron and a series of ballistic drop compensation hash marks up to 600 meters in range, set for 5.56x45mm ammunition.
The key features of the ACOG, setting it aside from all the rest, were the red fiber-optic filament embedded on top of the sight body that would capture natural or environment light to illuminate the chevron in daylight conditions, and the small tritium ampoule inside the sight body that would illuminate the reticle for shooting at night or in low light conditions. This allowed the ACOG to work at any time, in any environment, without requiring a battery.
Trijicon's ACOG sight immediately became an almost undisputed technology leader in sighting systems for professional operators; to this date it is one of the most widely spread and appreciated optical sight among military and law enforcement personnel, with a small cult following among civilians.
Cosmic Tactical Saturn 2.0 4x32 prism sight – right side
Cosmic Tactical Saturn 2.0 4x32 prism sight – left side
Due to ITAR and other regulations, Trijicon's ACOG sight is difficult to export; and even on the markets where it is constantly available for commercial purchase, the ACOG was never cheap. Now that exclusive patents have expired, several companies have tried – more or less successfully – to offer alternatives that would be as close as possible to the original ACOG in terms of quality, features and performance, but at a considerably lower price point.
That's no easy feat – quality always comes at a cost – but among the companies that have so far fared better than others in such endeavour is Florida-based Cosmic Tactical. The company first introduced the Saturn 4x32 prism sight in 2024, and is now distributing the Saturn 2.0 upgraded version, offering a solid alternative to the ACOG for commercial sales.
The Cosmic Tactical Saturn 2.0 4x32 prism sight is built around an aircraft-grade aluminum alloy body, anodized in burnt bronze or matte black
The position of the factory mount can be removed and reversed to prevent interference with the use of charging handles or other controls
The Cosmic Tactical Saturn 2.0 4x32 prism sight was designed to replicate as much of the ACOG as possible in terms of form-factor, features and performance; not conceived for military use on the battlefield, it aims at carving itself a solid following among hunters, sport shooters, private security personnel, law enforcement, and all those customers who need a reliable sight for a defensive or survival rifle or carbine.
Like most commercial sport optics available on the global market – including those sold by famous brands that one would never suspect of – the Cosmic Tactical Saturn 2.0 4x32 prism sight is manufactured in the Far East. Quality levels are guaranteed by Cosmic Tactical, the Saturn 2.0 having been designed and engineered entirely and being subject to quality control in the United States.
Capped 1/2 MOA-per-click turrets allow a fine adjustment of the reticle in a fast, easy and instinctive way
Like the ACOG, Cosmic Tactical's Saturn 2.0 4x32 prism sight is built around a lightweight aircraft-grade aluminum alloy – available in black anodized or flat dark earth variants – whose stubby, almost futuristic design full of sharp edges gives it an identity of its own.
Inside the shell beats an ACOG-ish heart: a roof prism optical system with a 4x magnification factor, featuring a laser-etched reticle with a large center chevron and a set of hash marks on both sides for a better lead on moving targets, plus ballistic drop compensation lines on the bottom ideally based on the performance of a 5.56x45mm NATO 62 gr round fired at sea level from a 16-inch barrel.
The center chevron is illuminated by a fiber-optic filament embedded on the outer top right portion of the sight body, whose function is to capture light from the outside and channel it on the optical system. The Cosmic Tactical Saturn 2.0 4x32 prism sight is available in red or green fiber optic options, the latter becoming more and more popular as green light spectrum is by far the most easily visible by the human eye, far superior to red particularly in bright light conditions, thus allowing faster alignment on target with less eye fatigue.
This allows the Saturn 2.0 to do without a battery for daytime use – and indeed, it doesn't come with a battery option. The main difference between the Saturn 2.0 and the original Trijicon ACOG is that the earlier lacks the tritium ampoule that made the ACOG famous, and thus the reticle will not illuminate in complete darkness.
The eyepiece lens and 32mm objective lens are both manufactured out of selected optical glass and multi-coated for superior protection and light transmission
That's a big difference, but an understandable one: tritium technology is tightly controlled in terms of availability and export due to their sensitive nature, to the radioactive nature of tritium itself to its rarity. Today, tritium is one of the world's rarest elements, its market price ranging around US$30,000 per gram and projected to skyrocket in the coming years.
The lack of the tritium illumination option – definitely one of the elements allowing Cosmic Tactical to keep the retail price for the Saturn 2.0 4x32 prism sight down to accessible levels – is balanced by the astonishing optical quality of the product: the multi-coated, selected optical glass lenses and the high quality prism deliver an exceptional level of brightness and image quality, which in our tests and per our experience is probably one of the highest in any optical sight we've seen offered for this particular market segment and at this price.
Lacking a battery-powered illumination system, the Cosmic Tactical Saturn 2.0 4x32 prism sight is pretty easy in terms of control: a focus dial is built-in on the eye piece while two recessed turrets – located on top and on the right side of the sight body and protected by hexagonal aluminum screw-on caps – allow the reticle to be adjusted for both windage and elevation.
The turrets feature rubber O-rings at the base of the threaded cap seat – a caring touch that will prevent overtightening and stop the infiltration of water, dust, or any such potentially dangerous element – and the turrets offer crisp, tactile and audible ½ MOA clicks all through the (very wide) adjustment range.
The Saturn 2.0 features a green or red illuminated chevron and a set of ballistic drop compensation hash marks for .223/5.56mm 62 gr ball round, up to 1000 meters
Accessories: Titan quick release mount
Accessories: absolute co-witnessing riser
Accessories: RMR footprint micro red dot sight mount
Accessories: Calypso ARD anti-reflex device
The Cosmic Tactical Saturn 2.0 prism sight can also be installed directly on ACOG screw mounts
The Cosmic Tactical Saturn 2.0 4x32 prism sight comes from factory with a standard Picatinny interface with two tightening screws, secured to the bottom of the sight by two Torx screws that allow it to be removed, reversed, or replaced with alternatives sold separately by Cosmic Tactical such as the Titan quick-release mount or a machined aluminum riser that will bring the sight up to an absolute co-witnessing height for those who like the sight height of the classic M16-A2.
Alternatively, the sight can be installed directly with a screw on a fixed carry handle or any other interface that features compatible screw holes. A see-through tunnel is machined at the base of the sight to allow shooters to use their iron sights should the need arise.
The Cosmic Tactical Saturn 2.0 is sold in a padded plastic box with very few accessories – it doesn't need many to begin with: just a rubberized lens cover and a top Picatinny rail segment, integral to a half-ring screwed on to the eyepiece, to allow the installation of an ancillary micro red dot sight in a "piggybacking" position. Other accessories, sold separately, include the Calypso ARD honeycomb anti-reflex/kill-flash device that mounts easily via a rubber band and a bottom plastic stud, and a replacement RMR footprint attachment that will replace the top Picatinny rail for those who want their ancillary MRDS to piggyback a bit lower on the Saturn 2.0; Cosmic Tactical manufactures its own micro red dot sight, dubbed the Mercury, which would be a great choice for any Saturn user.
At 100 meters, the Cosmic Tactical Saturn 2.0 4x32 prism sight absolutely delivers
Despite weighing in at just 440 grams (15.53 oz), the Cosmic Tactical Saturn 4x32 is certified to withstand and hold zero under recoil up to 40 ft.lbs of energy – in layman's terms, recoil levels exceeding those of .300 Winchester Magnum, making it perfectly suitable for the vast majority of hunting, sporting, defensive, and tactical rifles or carbines currently available.
Its 5,98° field of view (9,6 mt @ 100 m, or 31.5 ft. @ 100 yards) is a bit small for a prism sight, but the 52,2 mm (2.05") eye relief and 8mm (0.31") exit pupil proved, in our tests, to keep the Cosmic Tactical Saturn 2.0 4x32 prism sight very comfortable to use. The field of view, after all, is more than enough to maintain perfect situational awareness while engaging stationary or moving targets at most distances without compensation. At a 100-meters range, the Saturn 2.0 gives its best in terms of visibility.
It's a 4x32 after all – a type of sight designed to engage targets in modern infantry combat conditions, and as all studies show, infantry rifleman will rarely be effective above 300 yards or 270 meters to begin with. Even better, with its size (14,5 x 7 x 5,5 cm or 5.74 x 2.77 x 2.21 in), the Cosmic Tactical Saturn 2.0 doesn't add excessive weight or bulk to your rifle.
The starting price point on the US market as of today is $284,95, which is exceptionally competitive on such a crowded market, but time and time again Cosmic Tactical will offer deals at lower prices with accessories included.
The biggest issue for many users is that, to this day, Cosmic Tactical will not ship directly outside of the United States. That's a shame, and we would really love to see importers here in Europe pick up distribution of this sight, because the Saturn 2.0 is definitely one of the most interesting fiber-optic prism sights we've seen in some time: the Cosmic Tactical Saturn 2.0 4x32 offers most of what a commercial user, a hunter, a sport shooter or a police officer may need from an ACOG with nothing you probably won't – and at a great price to boot.
For further information, visit the official Cosmic Tactical website.
