Aimpoint vs inexpensive RDS

Why did you buy the higher priced rifle?

I asked myself the same thing every time I buy a gun item. When the red dot for my ar came up, I bought a sparcII. I would rather have an Eotech, but I did not want to spend the extra money. No regrets at all. The sparcII works fine.

If and when I get a more expensive ar, possibly a DD, LaRue, or something else at a similar price point, I would get the eotech. Not the aimpoint though.

The aimpoint is made to last long in hard usage. If you're shooting paper with a carefully handled rifle then it might not be for you. If you intend to mount the aimpoint on a rifle that will be dragged and beaten through a couple of decades of rough outdoors hunting, fighting or shooting, then the aimpoint is for you.

I have a DD M4V3 with DD fixed BUIS and an Aimpoint Pro, and I consider it an ideal setup. As was stated, if you are going to purchase a DD for the quality it has, then why settle on the optic? If you visit the DD website, check out the torture test they conduct on this rifle with a Micro T-1. While the rifle test is impressive, one could argue that any decent M4 would likely do as well. But that Aimpoint held up incredibly well. Even after they blew it up with tannerite and shattered the back lens, it still projected a dot on the front and held zero.

If you don't want to drop $650+, get the PRO. you can find them for $400, and they already come with a bulletproof mount and lower 1/3rd riser for co-witnessing the BUIS. Those DD fixed sights are bombproof, by the way. Uless you are planning to run a magnified optic for hunting or longer range, I would stick with them over the folders.

One last point on the Aimpoint, due to the 3-5 year battery life while ON, you never shut it off, and forget it is battery powered.

It would be better to not think of an RDS as an optic, but as an open sight with a floating glowing bead. That's because the RDS does nothing to focus the sight picture, an important distinction for shooters with vision issues.

I use an Aimpoint Micro and with my astigmatism and aging eyes, the dot gits a little smeared when the brightness is set too high. Still, I'm able to make good hits with it even beyond 300 yards. However, I find I can get a sharper sight picture with an optical sight as it allows me to focus it to my eyes. Instead of an RDS, you may want to investigate a 1-4x or 1-6x variable.

It never pays to cheap out on your sights, especially when it comes to an RDS/holographic sight and optics. If you've got a $2K rifle with a cheap sight that burns up the battery fast, gives a poor sight picture or has a wandering reticle, you will not shoot a well as the guy with an economical rifle with a quality sighting system.

I've got a shooting partner with a bargain brand RDS on his AR and it needs a new battery every time we take it shooting- four since November. I've got an Aimpoint Micro that has had two batteries in the last three years counting the one it came with. It's always on a usable setting and the dot may have dimmed a little after two years with the original battery.

If you want to get into an RDS for less, check out the new Primary Arms. It's about the size of a Micro, sells for less than $200 out the door and has a battery life of two or three years
https://www.primaryarms.com/Primary_Arms_Advanced_Micro_Dot_with_Push_Buttons_p/md-ads.htm

If you do get an Aimpoint and decide you don't like it, you can sell it and recover most of your money.

The quality and durability of an Aimpoint is so far above the ~$100 stuff it's not even funny. I'm not trying to be a snob, and I do own several of less expensive RDS in the $100-$250 range. But there is just no comparison, which is why my HD rifle wears an Aimpoint. That, and the extreme battery life of Aimpoint optics; the PRO is 30,000 hours on medium setting, IIRC. I do not turn it off, just plan on replacing the battery every other year.

For range toys/plinkers, absolutely nothing wrong with the less expensive sights, and the TRS-25 is a good value. But for serious use, be it home defense or competitive, don't skimp. I've had the cheaper ones fail on me, be it that they beat a dimple in the battery, started switching themselves off under recoil or just plain died. Just an irritation when you're playing, but not something you want to have happen in competitions or, God forbid, a situation where real lives are on the line.

The T2 has night vision capability, a more neutral tint than the T1, it's submersible to 25 meters, and it's tough as could be. You're paying for that R&D, the constant minimizing of technology, and of course some name. But is it worth it? I think so. That being said, if you're not using NV or diving, get an H1 or H2. They're submersible to 5m (17ft), but have the same durability and are a little less expensive. I've used H1's hard, and they just work. I probably still wouldn't bother with an H2 over an H1 unless the deal was right, but if you're one to use caps, you might like it. But take a look at the H1/2, as well as the PRO... the PRO is a bulkier optic, but you can get them for anything from $425 to $375 depending on the deal, and it'll offer the same durability, just at the expense of weight.

As for the Aimpoints vs. the Bushnell/PA/Vortex offerings... It comes down to durability and QC. The rest are made in China, the Aimpoints are made in Sweden, and if you see videos of their factory, they are meticulous about quality (this is what sold me on Aimpoint as a company, more than anything else. It was a Larry Vickers series on YouTube). In the real world, they can take a beating better than the Chinese optics. See the Daniel Defense testing... The T1 survived an explosion, broke the rear lens, but stayed zeroed and was still usable. I think the helicopter drop shifted the windage, but again, it was still useable. Try their tests with a Chinese optic... Again, a Larry Vickers/Daniel Defense video on YouTube.

And I'm sure someone will chime in about how they're not near IED's or in helicopters and how it's all just marketing. Well, that durability scales on the small side as well. Have a rifle in the back of a truck or just dealing with training abuse for a year, two years, 5 years, or 10 years, and you will see the difference. Like MachIVshooter said, it's not about being snobbish... It just is what it is. I've killed a number of Chinese optics, but not yet an Aimpoint.

And as for sights... it's personal preference, largely based off of perceived needs more than anything else. I like fixed irons with the dot in a QD lower-1/3rd mount. Open FOV looking over the irons, but if I forget to turn it on or the dot washes out under white light, the irons are there. If I break it, or it's otherwise blocking my sights, I can just take the whole thing off without having to also flip up sights. That said, as long as the mount is QD, I'm not super picky about the iron setup or mount height. The only thing I actively dislike is an absolute mount with fixed irons. It's just cluttered. And one last thing, using your irons with the optic in place can induce some level of parallax, because you're looking through two lenses. So, if you're going to shoot irons a lot with the optic in place, zero them with it there as well.

The aimpoints are just bulletproof, awesome quality, and on a long enough time line the difference in battery life between and the cheap stuff, the aimpoint practically pays for itself. Go with the PRO if your looking to save a few bucks.

Mines going on 6 years of hard livin' you'll never regret buying quality

If you're just fooling around at the range, the difference isn't that big of a deal. But, if you've bought or built an AR for serious use (regardless of whether it actually gets used that way), then investing in a serious RDS may be worth it. I have one AR that was build as a "no compromise" project from the beginning. Literally every component has been considered, and everything is just like I want it. For that rifle, I have an Aimpoint. I hope it's never needed for rough use, but I'll have it if that need arises.

For rifles equipped with an optic, I like a folding BUIS like the one made by Troy. Depending on your setup, a fixed BUIS with an RDS may create a cluttered field of view from behind the trigger. Without an optic, I like a fixed BUIS, especially Larue's offering.

I run a PRO and 4 trs-25 or PA micro dots on various ARs. I will say I notice variation on the dot clarity and size on the budget optics. All work and hold zero.

My opinion: pro for duty and serious training (or other aimpoint models)
Trs-25 or PA microdot are sufficient for toys and some backups.

I quickly sold a strikefire fwiw based on size and controls.

I agree with the consensus. An Aimpoint (PRO, H1 etc) for home defense or serious training. Otherwise, the lower end ones will work fine. The Primary Arms MD-ADS kinda splits the difference. It has 5 yr battery life and is really rugged, it will be my next RDS.

The AR I'd grab for HD wears an H1. I see no reason to spend that kind of coin on my other ARs though.

If you are wanting a true co-witness and are leaning toward the PRO, it comes with a removable spacer. Remove it and you have a true co witness. I prefer the lower 1/3rd; allows me to keep my head up and ignore the BUIS. If I need to put one behinds a pig ear, I can hunker down, dot the eye, and make a more precise shot.

Well, after using a Primary Arms Advanced RDS, I sold my Aimpoint H1. The Primary Arms is just as clear, just as bright, just as good battery life and by most accounts, extremely durable. I simply couldnt justify the AImpoint price to performance ratio over the $170 Primary Arms unit. Another nice thing about the PA Advanced RDS is the extremely low profile emitter. Its virtually invisible in the sight picture.

It can be hard to pony up money for the best, but over time one rarely regrets it.

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For some reason, I have to keep re-learning this lesson. I'm going through it with scopes at the moment.

Some of the factors to be considered when looking at the RDS offerings.

1. Battery life. Some of the more expensive ones can go YEARS if left on. 4+ years in some cases.

2. Clarity. The clarity of both the glass and the reticle. You will notice some of the super cheap ones, have terrible fuzzy reticles.

3. NVG Compatible. Not all of them are. Aimpoint, Trijicon, and EoTech all make NVG compatible devices. This is not important to all, but some use them night competitions, hog hunting, and other events.

4. Durability. Some are built like a tank, some break from the recoil of a 223.....

5. Lens coatings. Some come with them, some don't.

6. Auto-Adjusting dots. Some are far better/fluid than others. I run a Burris Fast Fire 3 on my .22LR Pistol, works just fine, but the auto-adjustment to light does not even compare with the Trijicon RM09. The durability either. The Trijicon has somewhere around 11 different levels of brightness vs the Burris's 3. The reaction to changing light is very noticeable, the Burris has a delay, the Trijicon is almost instant. I have them both, because they are different applications. The 22LR I use to teach my kids, and my friends children how to shoot with. It works great, and 99% of the time needs to be full bright. The Trijicon is on my personal 3 Gun Comp Weapon. I have done some night fire events with PVS 14s with it. It works beautifully, and its a 1 MOA dot. I don't believe anyone else makes a 1 MOA Dot.

7. Warranty - Some offer some pretty wicked warranties. Some don't give you much of anything.

Their are other differences, and each application needs to be looked at carefully, but these are just some to think about.

I have ran some cheaper optics that failed. All my high end stuff, has performed without a hiccup. In fact I had the lens on a cheaper RDS break while on my wife's AR-15. She then bought a semi non cheap optic. It would not hold zero. She fought it for two weeks, and returned it. After that she made me buy her the good stuff.

I was at an aimpoint demonstration. Where we were instructed to remove the optic. bounce it across the gravel. Then place it back on the weapon. The weapon and optic provided by aimpoint. Then we shot at 7 - 100 - 200 - 300 yard steel. Hits on all 4 targets after being removed, dropped, and placed back on.

matthewpittinger said:

The aimpoints are just bulletproof, awesome quality, and on a long enough time line the difference in battery life between and the cheap stuff, the aimpoint practically pays for itself. Go with the PRO if your looking to save a few bucks.
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Mines going on 6 years of hard livin' you'll never regret buying quality

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I don't know about the bulletproof part Every time I think of ditching my BUIS this image comes to mind:



I use both an Aimpoint Pro, an older Trijicon TriPower on carbines, and I have a Vortex Strikefire on a .22, zero issues. Friend of mine just got in a Primary Arms and we laid it next to my Aimpoint. As far as glass and dot quality I'd be hard pressed to tell the difference. Longevity......we'll see.

Chuck

Chuck R. said:

I don't know about the bulletproof part Every time I think of ditching my BUIS this image comes to mind:



I use both an Aimpoint Pro, an older Trijicon TriPower on carbines, and I have a Vortex Strikefire on a .22, zero issues. Friend of mine just got in a Primary Arms and we laid it next to my Aimpoint. As far as glass and dot quality I'd be hard pressed to tell the difference. Longevity......we'll see.

Chuck

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Looks to me like that Aimpoint stopped a bullet from entering that brave warrior. I would say that is yet another reason to go with quality...

I learned long ago that its better to buy quality optics/RDS. Buy once......cry once. I have some experience with low end RDS and optics. Chasing zeros, stripped adjustment screws, cut off on recoil, broken crosshairs, lens dislocation, etc.. I started buying serious sights for my serious rifles. It hurt the old bank account a bit more, but I have sights I can count on. How much is that assurance worth?

I recommend buying a good quality sight. If you cant afford it, use Irons til you have the money saved up. Nothing wrong with Irons. I feel they get neglected more in this age of red dot sights. If you can use Irons well, then you will use the red dot better.

As far as your Irons go, I have both fixed and folding. All fixed sights have their RDS set for lower 1/3 cowitness. All folding sight rifles are set for absolute cowitness, but folded down when not in use. I think a lot of it is personal preference. I do like a clear RDS sight picture, free from anything but the red dot, but I also like having the irons available instantly should the RDS fail.

One thing I believe in is having Irons on all serious rifles. Even my scoped ARs have irons.

I don't know on the bulletproof part either, however, I can attest to the ruggedness of the Aimpoint CompM2.

After the dust had settled, I picked up a M4 that was blown up from a dump truck filled with explosives. The rifle had a cracked magazine well, but the Aimpoint worked and was still adjustable in brightness. I can only imagine that if the optic hadn't shifted on that rail that it likely retained its zero too.

Maybe the Bushnell's and other budget brands will hold up like this, I'm not sure.