My New Chinese "Aimpoint" Knockoff!

[nwilliams]

Ok so I just bought this Bushmaster AR and I wanted to find the perfect red dot for it. I really had no money left to invest in a genuine Aimpoint (which I really wanted) so I went on ebay to see if I could find any used. Well I came accross a bunch of these so called "Aimpoint" knock-offs for dirt cheap and decided to get one. Most shipped from Hong Kong but I found one seller located in Canada with very positive feedback from other customers who had bought these from him, so I ordered one. Four days later (today) I got the package in the mail and was immediately impressed by the item. Its very solid, nice and hefty, not some cheap plastic thing, but all metal construction. Came with the high mount thats pictured and batteries were included! Everything you see in the picture cost me $60 pluse $12 shipping! Not a bad deal at all in my opinion, certainly more attractive than the BSA Red Dots you see at Wally World.

Anyway here are some pics of it, oh and the reason I have it so far forward (if youre wondering) I have a flip-up rear sight on the way that's going right behind the red dot.

 

[Nil]

Hah. Let us know how it works when you get a few rounds through it.

 

[Wes Janson]

I'm really curious to know how well it holds up.

 

[blackhawk2000]

I picked up a Strike Dot recently. A local shooter has about 1000 rds on his AR, and so far so good. I put it on my AK. 2 weeks is my next match. I'll see how it holds up.

 

[chestnut ridge]

How bright is the aiming dot? Is it visible in high noon bright sunlight?
I have found the cheaper red-dots seem to wash out in the very bright conditions.
If this one is brighter; then I will get one.

 

[nwilliams]

Update....

Ok so I just got back from shooting with the new red dot and it seemed to work quite well for what its worth. Its a bright sunny afternoon here in Arizona, a bit windy but not a bad day to go out to my favorite "off the beaten path" shooting hole. I only shot off 4 boxes of ammo, so this by no means a thorough test, but I just wanted to see how it felt.

I can't say much about its accuracy, I wasn't using real targets just a bunch of soda cans between 25 and 50 yards. Out of the box the scope seemed fairly accurate, I had to adjust it a tiny bit, but right away I was knocking down the cans. Considering how bright it was out there I ws still able to see the dot fairly well. Its not quite as bright as the highest setting on my BSA red dot, but close. Put it this way if the highest setting on the BSA is 100% than this one is more like 90-95% as bright. Still its not nearly as bright as the much more expensive red dots I've looked through, but you get what you pay for and this gets the job done for what its worth.

Overall is it worth the price I paid for it? I would say definetly yes, I consider it money well spent. Until I can save up enough to get a genuine Aimpoint, this will do just fine. I certainly like how it looks on my rifle, I didn't care for the BSA one, at least this has the look of a expensive item, even if its not

 

[nobody_special]

Anyway here are some pics of it and a link to find out more about them. I would highly reccomend them to anyone looking for inexpensive red dot scope.
http://www.made-in-china.com/china-p...e-RD3000-.html

An 8 MOA dot!?!?!? That's huge...

 

[Sniper X]

doesnt that have to be .8moa! Or is it a 8moa circle with a 1moa dot?

 

[grimjaw]

nwilliams, I have one of those, but I got mine from a gentleman in Canada.

Within 100 rounds on an Ultimak rail + 7.62x39 AK, both covers had rattle loose, and the battery compartment was sufficiently shaken to make the power unreliable. On a lower recoil rifle, it's been fine, though. For the price I paid (~$100) it's OK for a range toy on a pistol caliber carbine or small caliber (5.56/5.45) rifle.

jm

 

[nwilliams]

Actually the one in that link is not the same as the one I got. I thought it was but on closer inspection I see that it isnt.

On the box that mine came in it says that its a 5 MOA red dot. Most genuine Aimpoints are 2 or 4 MOA.

Aimpoint CompML3: Avalible in 2 or 4 MOA
Aimpoint CompM3: 2 MOA
Aimpoint CompC3 2x: 2 MOA
Aimpoint CompM2 - M68: 4 MOA

Grimjaw:
I got mine from the same person in Canada (1337 Tactical) Theyre selling them now for $59.99, I just assumed they are made in China. Thanks for the tip, I'll keep it on my Bushmaster and not my M1A for the time being. As long as it lasts me until the end of the summer I'm happy thats when I plan on buying a genuine Aimpoint, unless I come into some spare change between now and then

 

[MikeH]

Got one myself. It's been through ~2000 rounds on my AR, and started acting up recently. It would not turn on without a tap on the side once in a while. Most likely there is a loose electrical contact somewhere inside.

It does hold zero pretty well.

 

[Davo]

Is the glass clear? Is the dot sharp? Ive only heard bad things about the cheap chinese stuff.

 

[chris in va]

Is there anything China *doesn't* make?

 

[3rdpig]

Is there anything China *doesn't* make?

Yes, it's called "quality goods".

 

[Lucky]

Well. Norinco firearms are forged and top quality, everything possible chrome lined, nothing I'm aware of is cast in any way shape or form, and I heard the 305s are manufactured on the oringinal M14 equipment that was gotten rid of during a corporate restructuring.

I agree with Chris, you can get ANYTHING you want from China. If you want cheap crap, they'll sell it to you. But it's not a reason to assume ALL the stuff is crap.

P.S. You can't get drugs, I've heard 1st hand that if you play with drugs they send you to a place where you spend many years turning big rocks into smaller rocks.

P.P.S. Also they frown on any religion that might open your mind too.

 

[nwilliams]

Is the glass clear? Is the dot sharp? Ive only heard bad things about the cheap chinese stuff.

The glass seems pretty clear, again you get what you pay for, for less than $100 its certainly not Nikon or Leupold qulaity, but you can see through it and it could be worse.

The dot is about the same as that produced by low end red dots, pretty diffused. Really if youre looking for optical quality its not going to compare to the multi-hundred dollar red dots out there. Its mostly just for looks and a temporary fix until one decides to invest in the high-end stuff. I wouldn't want to pay much more than what I did for it, anyone trying to pass it off as a true Aimpoint equivilant would be lying.

 

[RTFM]

Mao thanks you for supporting his economy comrade.

 

[MikeH]

I heard the 305s are manufactured on the oringinal M14 equipment that was gotten rid of during a corporate restructuring.

I know for sure that Taiwan bought the M14 production line in 1967, but haven't heard any such deal involving China.

Back to China-bashing ... wealth is not just about money itself, but the movement of money. While domestic manufacturing jobs suffered, the influx of goods from China does create new jobs in transportation and retail industries. By my rough estimate, only $0.30 or so of every dollar you spend actually goes to China. The rest end up paying transportation and retail industries right here.

 

[George Hill]

Out of the box the scope seemed fairly accurate, I had to adjust it a tiny bit, but right away I was knocking down the cans.

That's the important bit right there. For 60 bucks, looks like you got a good deal. Shoot the hell out of it and enjoy it. If it breaks eventually, no loss... it was only 60 bucks.

I've got a cheap TruGlo unit on one of my rifles... Sure it's not the best, cleanest or clearest. But it is tough and works just fine. Mine was 50 bucks.

 

[MassMark]

Would any of you proud people against goods made in China please remove everything in your homes made there and kindly stack it in your front yard, (under a tarp if you could). I'll be by with a truck to pick it all up...Thank you for your support and patriotism....