C79 optical sight

A Canadian soldier with a C7A1 assault rifle equipped with a C79

Canadian soldiers training with C9A1 light machine guns equipped with a C79

Adopted in 1989, the Elcan C79 is the primary sighting system for the small arms of the Canadian Forces and is mounted on the Diemaco C7 and C7A2 assault rifles, the C8 Carbine family, as well as the C9A1 Light Machine Gun. It is also used in the armies of Denmark, the Royal Netherlands Army and Netherlands Marine Corps and Norway.

In Canadian service, all C7A1 and -A2 rifles come equipped with a C79 sight as standard. The C7A1 uses a C79 sight, which is easily distinguished by its matte black rubber overcoating. After reviewing feedback from the soldiers who used the sight, Elcan produced the fourth generation mount C79, known as the C79A2, and is mounted onto the C7A2 rifle, as well as the C8A3 carbines. The C79A2 sight is a component of the C7A2 mid-life update program of the Canadian Forces' inventory of C7A1 rifle systems. The older rifles and sights are meant to be exchanged 1:1 and brought to the -A2 standard.

In Dutch service it is used on the Diemaco C7 (regular infantry), C7A1 (airmobile infantry) and C8, FN Minimi and FN MAG series of firearms.

The reticle of the C79 sight was designed to serve on the C9 Light Machine Gun, thus an appropriate pattern was chosen to aid the gunner in judging distance. The reticle consists of a single vertical post with a sharp tip in the center. The tip is flanked by horizontal Mil-bars on either side. Under the left-hand Mil-bar, a second horizontal bar was added for judging distances, where the distance between the two bars would equate to 76 cm at 300 m. The (radioactive) tritium light source is an unstable isotope with a half-life of 12.32 years that gradually loses its brightness due to radioactive decay. It is to be replaced every 8–12 years to maintain adequate brightness.

C79 3.4×28 sight adjustment controls

The C79 sight is attached to a mounting rail on the receiver of the weapon. On CF weapons, this is in the form of a modified Weaver rail, also known as a "Diemaco rail". Two adjustment knobs are used to secure the base to the receiver. A bore-sighting device is usually used to roughly zero the sight before a first-time shooter takes it to the range. Adjustments come in 0.25-mil clicks (one mil equals 10 cm at a range of 100 m, so each click adjusts the sight by 2.5 cm at 100 m). Sighting in a C79 sight is normally done at a range of 200 m. Windage adjustments are made on the left hand side of the base, using a flat object such as a flat-head screwdriver or a coin. The windage adjustment is intended only for the initial sighting in procedure of the C79. Elevation adjustments are made via a rotary knob and are adjusted from 200 to 800 m. To bring the sight to a proper elevation zero, a small "gate" must be elevated which disconnects the elevation cam and one mil clicks can now be made. For precise shooting, the gate is usually left open to allow for finer adjustments than the rougher presets. Target shooters will sometimes mark pre-established open gate adjustments with whiteout pens to remind them how many clicks must be made for each range. At close ranges, when rapid aiming is required, the emergency battle sights on top of the sight can be used, although they are very crude and only intended for use inside of 75 m.

It has been noted that the external adjustments mount is an Achilles heel of the C79 since it can be jammed by foreign matter and also adds to the weight of the sight.[1]

• Length × Width × Height = 165 × 57 × 86 mm
• Weight = 690 g
• Magnification = 3.4×
• Field of View = 8 degrees (14.1 m @ 100m)
• Entrance Pupil Diameter = 28 mm
• Exit Pupil Diameter = 8.5 mm
• Eye Relief = 70 mm

•  Australia
•  Canada
•  Denmark
•  Iraq
•  Netherlands
•  Norway
•  United States
•  United Kingdom
•  France
•  South Africa
•  Belgium
•  New Zealand

• SUSAT—The British Armed Forces' universal sight.
• Advanced Combat Optical Gunsight (ACOG)—The United States Armed Forces' common equivalent of the C79.

• "Operator's Manual: C7 family of combat weapons". Archived from the original on 2011-07-08.. (543 Kb), 2005-08-17, Colt Canada

• ELCAN C79 Product Page
• Technical Evaluation: ELCAN C79 scope
• Elcan SpectreM145 Brochure