Aimpoint PRO Review, User Review Two

With this Aimpoint PRO, you honestly do “get more than you pay for.” I switched to it from an Eotech 512.A65 because I hated the 65MOA ring on the Eotech. It seemed to always cause problems with my vision for both eyes open shooting. I also found that the Eotech was a little low for me when mounted straight to the top rail. I may have needed a riser for it, but the fact that I was not having much luck with the reticle and the height issue was not worth me getting a riser to see if that might help. To me, the reticle being compatible with your eye, shooting style, and the brain is the most critical part of the optic.

When you get this, it is just packaged in a plain white cardboard box. No fancy Tupperware or pelican case for it. Merely a plain white box with some stickers on it. Inside it some run of the mill foam. So why just a box? Well, this was designed to be purchased and used by police departments. When Aimpoint first introduced them, they were only available for purchase by law enforcement. Most police departments, at least the ones I have been associated with, could care less what it comes in, they just want a product that works. The cardboard box also helps to keep the overall cost of the product down. The boxes are meant to be tossed (or recycled if that’s how you swing) when the optic is taken out and mounted. Also inside the box is an allen wrench for taking the riser off, shorter screws for using without the riser installed and one 1/3N-Cell battery.

First impressions of the mount and optic together are “that is one HUGE knob…” It is much bigger than it looks in the pictures, and it sticks out a fair amount. The riser looks nice, and of course being the gadget kind of guy I am I had to take it off to see how it would look without it in place. You quickly understand that you need the riser, or you will end up with a sore neck and cheek. The torque limiting mount is very nice. In the past, I have seen quite a few top rails that have been permanently damaged by over tightening rail attachments. Once you click it three times it is set, and very secure. I tend to give it a click or two whenever I pick up my rifle or get out to the range just to make sure that it is right and tight. The knob is low enough that it does not interfere with your vision, and I have yet to have it get in the way when shooting. Over all the mount is very well made and a wonderfully innovative design.

One thing that I did do was when I reinstalled the riser after experimenting, I put some blue (242) Loc-Tite on the screws, just to ensure that the screws were not able to back out on their own. While I do not foresee this as an issue, one can never be too careful with something used as a defensive tool. I have removed this mount and optic several times to test the return to zero, and each time I have not had any shift in my zero. Something to note though that is you will need to return the optic to the same rail slot to maintain zero, moving the optic on your rail will result in the shift. If you plan to re-index the optic on your rail, you will want to go back and zero your rifle and optic again.

Pre-installed on the optic are lens covers and a battery and turret cap keeper. The lens covers are of decent quality and appear to be of the same type as Butler Creek, but appear to be better made. The cover that comes on the rear is clear, and the front cover is black. While you can get two clear covers, the combination of the clear and black will work for a shooter that leaves both eyes open. Even though you cannot see through the optic, the dot will still superimpose onto your vision, and you can always use the red dot. This can be used in a panic situation where you have your rifle and have not flipped the front cap. One thing that I did find though is that when shooting in this way that my shots were hitting about 1″ low at 25 yards. While not a huge point of impact change, if you are shooting farther, that will open all the way up to 4″ low at 100 yards. In a CQB situation, 1″ low is not going to make a huge difference, and will still affect the desired outcome on a torso sized target. But it is something that you want to practice and find out how much of a change in the impact you will get. The cap keeper that comes with the optic is nice rubber and will hold the caps for you. The keeper connects the battery cover and both of the adjustment turret covers. So if you are at the range and remove your adjustment turret caps, they will stay attached to the optic. This is an excellent feature so that you do not lose your caps. I have lost a fair share of turret caps in the past just by setting them down and then leaving without them.

The adjustment turrets are 1/2MOA per click. The clicks were a little weak, but when I switched from a screwdriver to a coin, I was able to feel them a lot better. This is probably because the clicks transfer through the metal coin better than through the plastic handle of a screwdriver. So I just use a coin now to make any adjustments, and any of the standard coins you will find in your pocket will work.

There are a total of 10 brightness settings on this optic. While four of them are for night vision devices, the other six are visible without night vision. I do find that only the last three settings are evident, even in complete darkness. So there are three settings that seem to be lost in limbo, they are too bright for night vision and not bright enough to be seen without night vision. I tend to use the settings at the 8 and nine position. With this dot, I have found that you want to keep the brightness as low as you can for your situation because the brighter the dot, the more it bleeds in the dark. Also of no real use if the brightest setting or the ten sets. It is so vivid that the dot bleeds, and it illuminates the outside edge of the optic around the glass.

I currently have mine sighted in at 25yds for CQB/Home defense work, but have shot it out to 300yds and was consistently hitting a 4MOA gong without any problems. The best way to find a good zero for yourself is to find the furthest you plan to shoot. Once you have that information, you can plug your data into a ballistic calculator and find out where the bullet will cross your line of sight. So if you want to zero to 300 yards the round you fire round will cross your line of sight at 36yds and then arc back to the point of aim at 300yds. This would give you both a close in zero and a ranged zero if you were ever to need both. This typically called a battle zero, or BZO.

One feature that helped to sell me on the Aimpoint PRO was that it is waterproof to 150ft (5.5ATA for the diver types). While I do not see myself taking my rifle SCUBA diving anytime soon, the impervious nature of this optic is a nice feature. I am in the Pacific Northwest where it tends to rain most of the year, so range time might include being out in the rain. Unfortunately, that is just a fact of life here. It is a great comfort to know that in a hard rain that my optic will not be damaged and will continue to function as designed. Another positive to it being waterproof is that if it gets dirty, dusty or otherwise fouled it can be removed from your rifle and rinsed off in the sink. I have done this once after training sessions where I was running and moving around a muddy range all day. It was a great relief to know that I could wash it off, let it dry and oil everything down.

This is indeed an excellent optic for the price. Typically they can be had for around $400 depending on where you order one from. You can find them used in the $300 range. What you get with this optic is the same high-end Aimpoint quality, battery life, and simplicity for a smaller price tag. While there are some differences in the battery life between the Aimpoint PRO and the CompM3, they are not worth the extra money that you end up spending in my opinion. A battery life of 30,000 hours is pretty good and translates out to 3.7 years. The CompM3 has a battery life of 50,000 hours or 6.2 years. When a new battery runs you $6, I couldn’t justify the added expense.

Whether you are looking for a new optic with less clutter or something with fantastic battery life this optic is impressive for the price. You cannot go wrong with this as a red dot sight. It functions well, is reliable and holds a zero. Don’t be fooled by the price tag; this is a solid optic that will stand up every bit as good as any other Aimpoint out there.

I’ve done this once after coaching sessions at which I was running and moving around a range daily. It had been a relief of knowing that I was able to wash it off, allow it dry and acrylic everything down. This is an excellent optic for the purchase price. Usually, they could be had for about $400 dependant upon where you order one from. You’ll find them used at the $300 range. What do you get with this mind is the same end Aimpoint quality, battery ease, and life for a smaller cost. While there are some differences from the battery life between the Aimpoint PRO and the CompM3, they aren’t worth the extra money that you wind up spending in my opinion.

A battery life of 30, 000 hours is reasonably good and overlooks to 3.7 decades. The CompM3 has the battery life of 50, 000 hours, or 6.2 decades. When a brand new battery runs you $6, I could not justify the added expense. Regardless if you’re searching for a brand new optic with less mess or something with a fantastic battery life this optics is excellent for the purchase price. You can’t go wrong with this as a red dot sight. It works well, is reliable and retains a zero. Do not be deceived by the purchase price tag; this can be a good optic that can stand up every bit as good as any other Aimpoint on there.