optics | Military Times GearScout

Trijicon SRS – The evolution of the red dot

By: Rob Curtis

10-10-2011

As of today, the Trijicon SRS (Sealed Reflex Sight) is the newest red dot sight on the market. Trijicon took a hard look at the 1x magnification sight market and did what it took to get on top. The state of the art in red dot sights (RDS) has been the Aimpoint CompM4. A great sight, but no doubt long in the tooth. Looking at the feature list, it’s easy to see how Trijicon took on the CompM4.

The bullet points:

1.75 MOA red dot
38mm objective lens- The SRS has a huge viewing window, nearly eliminating the tube effect
Runs for 3 years on an average setting and uses the solar panel to power the optic in place of the AA battery when in sunlight
Automatic plus 10 individual brightness settings for the red dot, 1-3 are night vision compatible
Sealed, ruggedized case
No tools needed- sighting adjustments can be made with a shell case and the Bobro self-adjusting mount snaps into place with a locking lever
3.75 inches long

I had a few hours on the range with the new optic last week and found one of the greatest features of the SRS is the near elimination of tube effect. That’s the feeling that you have to look through a tube to see the red dot reticle and the target area past it. The SRS’s tube is far shorter that the CompM4 and it’s field of view is about 2.5 times more. What’s more, looking at the sight from the cheekweld, the outside walls of the sight are thinner, allowing you to look through the sight with one eye and see what’s past it with the other easily. End result- way more situational awareness than looking through at narrow tube.

Confirmed: Leupold Mark 8 is for M2 and Mk19

By: Rob Curtis

21-03-2011

Contracts

MARCORSYSCOM responded this morning to a query about the HDO contract award. Indeed the Leupold Mark 8 CQBSS will be used on the M2 and the Mark. According to 1st Lt. Jamie Larson, USMC Public Affairs:

“The Heavy Day Optic (HDO) will be used with M2 Heavy Machine Guns and MK19 Grenade Machine Guns.”

“A Ballistic Extended Rail Mount (BERM) that provides MIL-STD 1913 rail space will be used to attach the Heavy Day Optic (HDO) to the weapons. The BERM will also have MIL-STD 1913 rail space for the use of other sights, lasers and other equipment.”

“The HDO is being fielded in response to an urgent requirement from Marine units in Afghanistan and, as such, the quantities procured and to be fielded will support combat operations. There are magnified day optics already associated with the M16A4/M4, the M249 and the M240B; the Rifle Combat Optic (RCO), the Squad Day Optic (SDO) and the Machinegun Day Optic (MDO), respectively. “

See the original post here.

Leupold Mark 8 CQBSS + M-TMR reticle = USMC’s new M2 and Mk19 sight?!

By: Rob Curtis

15-03-2011

Contracts, Product Announcement

UPDATE: MARCORSYSCOM responds with confirmation. See below.

We first got wind of the Leupold M-TMR reticle last fall. We were talking with Leupold about the development of the 1.1-8 Mk 8 CQBSS optic when they they told us they’d made a brand new reticle, just for this optic. They called it the M-TMR. We’d heard of the TMR (Tactical Milling Reticle), but not an M-TMR. The Leupold reps were very, very guarded about the origin of the M-TMR and would only tell us that the “M” stood for Marine.

When we finally got our hands on it, we had more questions. We had our friends in the scout/sniper community look at it- they could only guess what it was for. The optic itself? Yes, they loved it. In fact, they helped us review the scope (it’s coming). But they just couldn’t figure out what all the little ranging features were for and they told us the reticle was just too cluttered for a sniper’s taste.

Well, a contract dropped last week for $2.43m to buy 728 Leupold, MK8, Heavy Day Optics. Okay, put them on the USMC’s Mk 12s, or even use them on the M110 SAAS. Get the snipers an optic that works on a variety of missions. If things get close and personal on a medium distance stalk, the CQBSS has them covered with their primary weapon. Case closed, right? Well, we couldn’t get around the fact that the snipers didn’t like the reticle. They told us they had called back to the schoolhouse, and to their friends at precision weapons, and nobody knew anything about the M-TMR. Something wasn’t right. There was no way that SYSCOM was going to just shove this reticle into the sniper’s optics without some serious consultation with the USMC sniper school house team.

Aimpoint Patrol Optic – Pro

By: Rob Curtis

21-01-2011

Product Announcement

A 2 MOA red dot Aimpoint optic with a mount for $440. Hard to believe so I’ll say it again. It’s only $440. The Patrol Pro isn’t a stripped down optic, wither. It’s got all the features of the Comp series at a lower price. 3 year battery life, NVG compatible, anodized aluminum housing, waterproof to 150 feet. Plus, a new, transparent rear flip cover that lets you shoot with the dust covers down, and a modular rail mount that will co-witness on an AR or run flat on a shotgun with the spacer removed. At 5.1” and 11.6 oz complete, it’s a tight little optic that’ll be hard to resist for $440.

Aimpoint Micro R-1 on closeout for $300

By: Rob Curtis

27-12-2010

DealScout

If your holiday cards came with checks (thanks grandma!), check out this deal. Midway is clearing out the Aimpoint Micro R-1 since it has been discontinued in favor of it’s more rugged siblings, the T-1 and H-1. The R-1 doesn’t have the night vision compatible settings and it will only take a 3 meter dunking, but it’s otherwise the same $500+ optic in civilian specs.

The R-1 is a fine, 4moa, 1x optic that can run on anything from a six-shooter to a carbine. I run the T-1 on a carbine and have no complaints. If you’re looking for something to run matches, this is a good deal.

You’re going to want to pinch the new Trijicon RMR-A’s cheeks

By: Rob Curtis

06-10-2010

Photo Recon, Product Preview

If an EoTech XPS and an Aimpoint T1 Micro got sloppy in a hot tub during a SHOT show rooftop party, nine months later a cutthroat custody battle would ensue over the resulting RMR-A optic from Trijicon.

The RMR-Adustable is the third of the RMR series, the scrappiest little family of sights we’ve seen. Each is barely bigger than a Dokter sight, but packs the features we’d expect from a primary combat sight. The news with the latest is its adjustable brightness. It’s two older siblings didn’t offer manual control of the illuminated reticle. The always-on RMR LED offered an automatic brightness setting mode that got the 4 or 8MOA red dot in the ballpark for the ambient lighting. The RMR-Dual uses batteryless fiber-optics during the day, and tritium at night to illuminate a 7, 9 or 13MOA reticle.

The RMR-A brings two button brightness control to the series and makes it a serious competitor in the carbine primary sight market. It still retains the automatic adjustment as one of the settings, but it now gives the shooter 3 night vision and 6 daytime settings while retaining the auto brightness control for those shoot-first-adjust-stuff-later situations. The buttons are big and easily manipulated with coarse motor skills, which is important when the adrenaline is pumping. Just reach up over the weapon and pinch the sight between thumb and index finger to raise or lower the brightness. We photographed the RMR-A on a business card to give some idea of scale. Check the gallery below.

The body of the sight isn’t changed from damage deflecting shape of the original RMRs. The scalloped top is not an aesthetic swoop but a way to make sure that the glass lens is protected from impact no matter how the rifle is oriented when it hits the ground. By protected, we mean that the impact forces are transmitted around the glass and through the body of the sight where it can be absorbed by the mass of the weapon. If you look closely at the images we shot, you can see the the aluminum is scored from Trijicon’s drop testing. They claim no loss of zero after a drop, too. Adjustments are made in 1 MOA clicks with a spent cartridge.

We saw a prototype, so until Trijicon releases the RMR-A officially, everything below this line, including the name of the optic is subject to the whims of their engineering and marketing staff. Trijicon plans to announce the RMR-A at AUSA, so we won’t have to wait too long to see if anything changes.

From what we understand, the RMR-A will come in two reticle choices, 3 or 6 MOA run for a couple of years of ‘normal’ use on a single CR2032 battery. It weighs about 1 ounce bare. It will be priced around $550 and will not include a rail mount/adapter. You’re going to to pony up anywhere from $70-100 more for a co-witness height mount. (The mount on the prototype we photographed is more of a handgun mount since it’s too low to work on an AR or SCAR platform.)

UPDATE: We just talked to Trijicon and got the DL on battery changes. Just unscrew the two bolts on top with the included wrench and the battery is right there. It should hold zero, but Trijicon suggests putting a few rounds through it before getting back on line.

Leupold drops the HAMR

By: Rob Curtis

30-09-2010

Product Announcement

In a sentence, the HAMR is a well thought out ACOG competitor with a built-in secondary sight up top and a sweet LED-lit reticle in the 4x magnified tube that combines an aiming circle with a tiny dot for precision at longer ranges. With 3 inches of eye relief and 40 grams lighter than an ACOG, it’s worth a look. If you want to know what “HAMR” stands for you’ll have to watch the video. Available for $1500 MSRP initially in black next year, followed by a dark earth version later.

SpectreDR optic- Afghanistan GearPorn XI

By: Rob Curtis

26-03-2010

GearPorn

One of the platoons had a Mk48 with a new ELCAN SpectreDR optic. The DR stands for dual role. The lever on the left side switches the optic from 1.5x to 6x. It’s a big optic, though the gunners like the ability to reach out since engagement distances up here in the mountains of eastern Afghanistan are rarely less than 300m. The throw lever gives them the option towork in near 1:1 with both eyes open if the fight gets close.

Afghanistan GearPorn, Part VII: 4x ACOG

By: Rob Curtis

18-03-2010

GearPorn

Here’s the latest issued Army 4x ACOG with “cross” reticle and secondary Docter close quarter optic on top, as issued. Soldiers are generally happy with the new “cross” reticle and see it as a worthy upgrade. The Docter CCO was not as popular, though. Blame it on the nature of the fight here in the mountains. One soldier told me that every engagment he’s had was close to the max effective range of his M4.

2010 SHOT American Rifle Mounts

By: Stickman

20-01-2010

Photo Recon, Product Announcement

American Rifle may be a new company, but no doubt we will be seeing a lot more of them in the near future. Company president Theodore Karagias met with us last week and unveiled a new mounting system for optics. Coming from an engineering and aerospace background, Mr. Karagias takes the accepted design for optic mounts and throws them out the window. The wrapping style of his mount is more than simple aesthetics, it is less on optic longevity and truing up the mount. Take a look at the Web site for the technical information on these mounts, and know that we’ll be looking these hard getting ready for an upcoming review. I’ve already got one of my Aimpoints riding in this mount, and once the larger mounts are out, I’ll be dropping in my IOR Valda into the mix as well.

http://americanrifle.com/