One of the best-selling red dot optics manufacturers in the entire world, Aimpoint has a decades-long history of products giving military, police and private users worldwide excellent service and thus has a superb reputation, and this particular entry is one of their most popular products.
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Introduction:
You may not be familiar with the Swedish firm Aimpoint, but if you're at all into the world of firearms, you surely must know some of their products- they have many military customers, and in fact, one of their biggest buyers is none other than the United States military. The U.S army have used Aimpoint's CompM2/M4 series (both where designated as the M68 Close Combat Optic) as their standard-issue rifle optics for soldiers since 2000 and throughout the war on terror, and it gave good service in both Afghanistan as well as Iraq. It was robust and tough as rocks with simple operation and a long battery life- exactly what any military would need from an optic.
Not only have Aimpoint red dots served militaries around the world admirably, but they have found good use in the service of police units and even private citizens as well. This is the market where specifically the Aimpoint Patrol Rifle Optic (PRO) comes in- generally, they are not too expensive and are quite plentiful (they're literally in gun stores everywhere) and combined with the options it offers and the quality one can expect from Aimpoint, they may be a pretty good choice for anyone looking for a solid red dot on their rifle (or any other long arm, for that matter).
But even so, are they right for you? Read on to know more!
Initial impressions and hands-on experience:
Before I delve too deeply into this, I should mention I am almost certainly somewhat biased in favor of this particular optic- it was an easy personal choice to put one on my AR as home defense-ready red dot. But how did this come to be?
About 2 years ago (2021) is when I first considered using a red dot over a holographic sight (of which EOTech is really the only quality viable option in my mind, and I'll be writing about them in another article later because who could ignore them?), mainly because their battery life is seemingly infinitely longer- while EOTech's most modern holographic sights generally have an average battery life of about a thousand hours or so (depending on the model and setting, this may vary by hundreds of hours, but this is a good average), most red dots- Aimpoints or otherwise- will literally stay on for years. Yes, years! (For those of you who are wondering, this is one of the main reasons people seem to prefer red dots to holographic sights and one of the most important differences between the two in relation to the end consumer).
The second reason is I already had known about Aimpoint since I was a teenager (thanks to the many military FPS games I was into) and had known that they made really good stuff- after all, if they make things good enough for 2 decades of service with users such as the most powerful military in the world today, who could say they are anything less than exceptional?
So, knowing this, I sought to find Aimpoint's best- and that's when I came across their Patrol Rifle Optic in a local gun store, and I was immediately impressed- despite its somewhat awkwardly bulky size it's surprisingly lightweight at only 7.8 ounces (without a battery), and it's got all these extra features that really are cool and potentially quite useful- and it's good to have them even if you'll likely never need to use them. For starters, it has 4 night-vision compatible brightness settings to choose from, plus 6 for daylight (the benefits of this are widespread and obvious), has a transparent rear lens cover in case of an emergency, has numerous spacer and mount options available, though the standard QRP2 mount it comes with is a good mount in its own right. Additionally, it is waterproof to 150 feet, can withstand temperatures as low as -49 degrees Fahrenheit or as hot as 160 degrees Fahrenheit, and has an option to thread on an anti-reflective device on the front of the optic (this could be especially useful to anyone who plans on using this outdoors, as it reduces glare and helps keeps the sight picture clear).
And of course, at the core of the entire system is it's crisp, clear 2 MOA dot- it offers reasonably quick target acquisition and quite visible even on its lowest setting on all but the brightest, most sunny days (for which, again, there are increased brightness settings to choose from should the need arise). As with other Aimpoint optics, it is designed to be parallax-free, which, boiled down, essentially means the dot will always be parallel to the barrel of the rifle- thus ensuring that the bullet's point of impact is in the same place as the red dot. Unusually for a red dot, The Aimpoint PRO also works very well with Aimpoint's optional add-on magnifiers (which users can utilize to switch between 1x and 3x magnification with just a simple flip- useful for hunters and competition shooters in particular).
And for all of this, it doesn't even cost 500 dollars. That's pretty good for a red dot optic of this quality, but it's not for everyone- newer users may be put off by this price point and even more experienced users who need something lighter and cheaper may not go for it. It was more than enough for me, however, and my experience with it thus far has been worth every cent- it does everything it's supposed to do perfectly, and I've had no real issues aside from the optic occasionally being a bit wobbly on its mount (which is easily fixed and it's the optic's fault).
However, like everything else reviewed here, it still will have its ups and downs.
Pros and cons:
It's a fantastic optic, but is it for you? Given everything we've been over thus far, I've highlighted some of the pros and cons of this optic. Keep in mind that some of these may or may not apply to you, depending on specifically what you're looking for.
Pros:
-Long battery life- far outliving any holographic sight
-Numerous extra features that will be beneficial to many specific niches
-Parallax-free red dot helps ensure good accuracy and shot placement
-For the quality, it's well-priced
Cons:
-A bit pricey for beginners or people who don't need all the extra features
-It's bulky and although light for its size, it's still heavier than some other options that may be better suited to your needs
Final thoughts and best deals
So, as you can see, its parent company has got quite a reputation, the optic itself is quite versatile, it's packed with features and everything you could expect out of a red dot, and more. And, to boot, it's not going to break the bank for most potential buyers. Needless to say, I was impressed enough to buy one, and many people domestically- including my own local police department- use this optic and trust it with their lives.
So, should you buy it? That depends on what you're looking for- if you need a red dot that that will function perfectly well in both day and night (including with night vision) is clearly very durable (being able to withstand extreme temperatures, being waterproof etc.) and comes with an overall quality that is guaranteed by a renowned manufacturer (plus more), then the Aimpoint PRO hits all the marks. Truly, it's one of the best red dot options available regardless of the application you need it for.
If you've decided this optic is for you, we've linked some of the best dealers to buy them from below (to save you time, they have been linked with direct links to the products themselves, as always)
Aimpoint PRO best deals:
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