Tactical Red
Tiny Red Dot Sights
Flip up back up iron sights are almost universal on ARs these days, but they do have some limitations. Firstly, they’re not there when you need them – it takes a few seconds to flip them up. This can make all the difference in a variety of competitive and combat situations. Secondly, those iron sights instantly drop you back into the early years of the 20th century in terms of the capabilities they offer. Having a secondary red dot sight instantly available is a far better alternative. It can be used to engage targets that pop up at close range.
One of the most popular options as a secondary red dot is the immensely strong Aimpoint Micro T-1. MIlled or extruded from 6000 series aluminium, this sight is 2.4″ long by 1.6″ high and weighs just 3.7 ounces with an allen key tensioned integral Weaver/Picatinny mount and 3 ounces without it. It is parallax free and withstands depths of up to 80 ft. The sight can run for 50,000 hours continuously on its 3 volt battery. The T-1 has 6 night and 7 day settings that are manually selectable via an easily manipulated drum on the right hand side of the unit. The aiming point is a single 4 MoA dot which the makers claim has been proven to be the fastest and most accurate aiming pattern ever devised. Adjustment is via one half inch and one hundred yard clicks and an adjuster tool is included in the lens cap. The Micro is mil spec anodized. The US Army has now issued the T-1 in Afghanistan with the 3XMag magnifier in an effort to reduce the soldier’s burden still further in a theatre where soldiers are already resorting to cutting the handles off toothbrushes to save weight. Mounts are available for a bewildering array of applications including both vertical and canted offset units.
Not everyone wears night vision goggles or habitually SCUBA dives with their gun, therefore the manufacturer has come out with the 15 ft rated Aimpoint Micro H-1 model which has 12 day settings, including one extra bright one. The H-1 is otherwise the same sight as the T-1 but optimised for sport shooting, hunting and pest control. This tiny sight does not look out of place on sporting arms and has won a following in the Nordic countries for waterfowl, moose and wild boar hunting.
For those with higher power optics, the US Army recently followed the US Navy’s lead and type classified the L3 Insight Mini Red Dot Sightor MRDS. This 3.5 MoA dot sight is 1.9″ long, 1.1″ wide and 1.5″ hight and weighs an incredible 0.85 ounces due to its immensely strong polymer chassis. A single CR-1632 lithium battery powers the MRDS which is supplied with an adjuster tool, fixings and a lens cleaning pen. It adjusts in one minute of angle clicks and has four manual brightness settings which can be overidden by a self-regulating mechanism that adapts to ambient light levels. The Micro Red Dot Sight will initially be issued to snipers and designated marksmen but could well end up on the M150 ACOG. The MRDS will fit any mount designed for the Docter red dot sight.
Airsoft GI – Tactical Gear Heads Red Storm Edition – James