Trijicon RMR Dual Illuminated Review

Review – Trijicon RM08G Dual-Illuminated RMR Reflex Sight

The matte black RM08G Dual-Illuminated RMR Reflex Sight is enclosed in forged solid aluminum. The Trijicon RMR is very tough yet lightweight. It’s new simple-to-use adjusters with audible clicks that allows for easy elevation and windage adjustments. The new RMR08G Trijicon is suited to military, law enforcement, responsible individuals and other hunting uses.

What makes this RMR unique from the normal Trijicon line-up comprises:

  • Green triangle vs. red dot
  • No batteries wanted for nighttime use

Some quick highlights on features of the RMR:

  • 12.9 MOA Green Triangle Reticle Routine “Night time and Day time”
  • Double illumination: Tritium and fiber optics illuminate reticle in all lighting conditions
  • Hammered aluminum casing with matte black scratch and corrosion-resistant hard-anodized finish
  • Tough-coated optical glass window helps prevent scouring and scrapes
  • Waterproof to 65′

Mounted on a Glock
I mounted the Trijicon RMR08 right on the slide and began testing with a Glock 17. Before the class I’d scheduled for running the RMR, I’d been drawing and dry firing, practicing acquiring a target as fast as possible, accurately and safely.

Arriving quite early for the class, I started zeroing out the RMR in at 5 yards, and then to 20 yards. After just four shots, I was at 20 yards on zero. I ran quite several distinct exercises with this and no matter what I attempted, the target acquisition was excellent. We even examined the pistol in the water and had no problems, as it’s great down to 65″, which is way deeper than I intend on going with a firearm.

I fired 200 rounds of Detroit Bullet Works 9mm 124 grain HP and I can declare that I had a better-hit percentage than when using the Trijicon HD sights on my G19. Getting the target was a bit slower at first if I didn’t attentively concentrate on the basics to get down the proper sight picture. From the beginning though, I was firing from several spaces, while going and delivering rounds on target, precisely. In Particular, longer shots were much more precise and a lot simpler than with iron sights. I was able to hit 6″steel at 100 yards and that’s outstanding considering we’re coping with a close range weapon system.

When firing at closer ranges like 5-7 yards, I found the additional height of the RMR needed me to pay additional attention to principles such as hold-over. Target acquisition was easier, however, my shots would be off at first as a result of not accounting for the placement of the RMR. With training and time, this got simpler and much more natural.
At longer distances, quick acquisition and the glowing triangle made for considerably more easy shots. As old as I used to be, my eyes have more trouble picking up the nighttime ranges on my Glock. This super glowing RMR made the longer shots simpler than before.

Once it was dark, we checked the moon illumination and it was at 98.6%. This really is an almost full moon that created lots of added light. With having the double-illumination on the RMR, the green triangle was actually functioning nicely. While the backup batteries in some RMR’s would be needed with only moonlight at night, we found that the Trijicon RMR worked perfectly with no type of backup power.

Mounted on a Shotgun

We took the American Defense AD-RMR Mini Quick release Right Handed mount, as well as Trijicon RMR08G and place them on a Remington 870 Tactical complete custom shotgun. This was more enjoyable to shoot more than the Glock! After transferring the RMR a few times to get the right place on the very best railing, I was on my target in two shots at 25 yards. When firing from the prepared position, the target was not difficult to obtain compared to using the HD iron sights. Heading out to 50 yards was rather interesting, although most tactical scenarios are at close range.

We ended up firing at 100 rounds through the Remington, under varying conditions and in all instances as expected, the RMR performed. Because of the surrounding lights, it clearly didn’t stand out as much as it does at night, although firing the firearm in the brightest point of the day didn’t washout the triangle reticle. Trijicon has done a great job of balancing using surrounding light as well as man-made illumination to construct an RMR, which brings you a flexible tool that can perform in various circumstances.

Mounted on a Keltech KSG

We had the American Shield AD-RMR Mini Quick release Right Handed mount and the Trijicon RMR08G placed on a Keltech KSG. After making the necessary adjustments, I was on target in three shots, even with this being the first-time running the KSG.
I got the RMR off the KSG and ran without it. After several shots, it was obviously clear that the sighte alignment and target acquisition was better with the RMR.

Issues

This RMR relies on no outside power source and has no batteries. It uses a Tritium power source to illuminate the optic and make the targeting triangle or amplifies the light. In broad day and at night it does its job masterfully. Yet at dusk, this optic actually struggles. The triangular reticle is too weak to see, although I’m unsure if it’s the quantity of ambient light being more than the tritium can suppress or what, but the triangular reticle is not visible enough. During several scenarios, it did not even show up whatsoever. That is why we’d highly recommend updating to suppressor height sights to ensure seeing the posts above the RMR base in addition to using the RMR in combination with iron sights.

Closing Ideas

It is an excellent product out of the carton, needing just a couple of shots to get on target. The RM08 Dual-Illuminated RMR Reflex Sight from Trijicon is tough, took all of the punishment during multiple range excursions. Despite multiple mounting on the various stages, the reticle was holding zero and quite held up.
Using sophisticated technology that gets rid of the requirement for batteries is an excellent thought and Trijicon has done it perfectly well. For a home defense firearm like a pistol or shotgun, the problems associated with dusk are probably not an issue and makes this RMR a powerful competitor. Overall, the RM08G Dual-Illuminated RMR Reflex Sight is a fantastic product from a quality company.