View Full Version : Aimpoint versus Trijicon Reflex: what's your preference and why?
Doc Safari
09-01-15, 10:41
I've been looking at going "battery free" as much as possible. I sold all my Aimpoints and I'm looking for an alternative. I probably will choose a TA11 or TA33 ACOG, but a friend of mine let me shoot his rifle with a Trijicon Reflex sight on it, and I'm impressed.
Problem is: I know literally nothing about it and only heard of it when he turned me on to it.
Those of you that have experience with it (especially if you also have experience with Aimpoints), what's your preference and why?
Save me another $600 if nothing else...LOL!
I originally chose the Reflex over the Aimpoint Micro (and Eotech) years ago. I now own 4 Micros and still just the one Reflex (and an Eotech). I liked the idea of a battery free optic (especially for a HD rifle) but ultimately found that the Micro suited my needs better (smaller, lighter, more refined dot).
If you do go with the Reflex, I would suggest having a roll of electrical tape handy. This may no longer be an issue, but on mine, when standing in bright light and aiming somewhere not as well lit (think standing in a field aiming into some shaded woods) the dot will be so bright that it washes out some of your sight picture. Covering about 2/3 of the top of the optic (where it gathers light) with a strip of electrical tape will solve this problem. Fold one end of the tape back on itself for a quick and dirty method of adjusting the brightness of your dot (just pull!). Or, you know, just reach up and adjust the brightness on my Micro. This made the battery free/ self adjusting brightness aspect of the Reflex something of a wash in my opinion.
The Reflex is quite a bit bigger than the Micro (not sure what type Aimpoints you had), especially width wise, and heavier (at least the model of Reflex I have is).
Finally, I can tell you that the dot on the Reflex is not as refined as the dots on any of my Micro's. There is a noticeable crescent moon shape to the dot on the Reflex I own (doesn't bother me, have had others comment on it though).
TLDR: The Reflex is ok, I like the Micro much more, would use both over the Eotech.
Voodoo_Man
09-02-15, 08:36
which reflex are you referring to?
the full size or the rmr?
Doc Safari
09-02-15, 09:00
which reflex are you referring to?
the full size or the rmr?
The full size.
Voodoo_Man
09-02-15, 09:15
The full size.
Like this one that I reviewed? -> http://www.vdmsr.com/2014/11/trijicon-rx06-reflect-129-moa-amber.html
It's a good option, that works well in various scenario's. Though the smaller version of the reflex, the RMR, essentially does the same thing.
Singlestack Wonder
09-02-15, 10:00
Note that when standing in a dark area and shooting into a brightly lit area the reflex's reticle will go away as the tritium does not offer enough illumination to allow the reticle to appear. Tritium only works in very dark areas.
Strong pros and cons either way. With that being said, hard to beat a T1 with a 1 year + battery life!
Doc Safari
09-02-15, 10:53
Strong pros and cons either way. With that being said, hard to beat a T1 with a 1 year + battery life!
My thinking is that I want to go "battery free". I've been doing some reading and even though the tritium elements have a 12 year half life, that doesn't mean your eye perceives them as particularly dim at that juncture. I read a post on one forum where the person had owned some kind of ACOG for a long time and said that it was perfectly usable even after 18+ years.
I'm also considering a TA33 or TA11 ACOG for that same reason.
Love my T1 but after reading One Second After I want the RMR on top of my ACOG for an EMP proof gun...lol.
Love my T1 but after reading One Second After I want the RMR on top of my ACOG for an EMP proof gun...lol.
A gun safe would act as a faraday cage correct? So if you have multiple rigs with at least one in a safe you would still have a G2G gun with a working optic. A vehicle would also act as a faraday cage for protection. Unless your rigs are slung around you at the time of a EMP chances are your optic would be fine.
BrigandTwoFour
09-02-15, 20:13
My thinking is that I want to go "battery free". I've been doing some reading and even though the tritium elements have a 12 year half life, that doesn't mean your eye perceives them as particularly dim at that juncture. I read a post on one forum where the person had owned some kind of ACOG for a long time and said that it was perfectly usable even after 18+ years.
I'm also considering a TA33 or TA11 ACOG for that same reason.
If you want to go the fiber/tritium route, then I would personally lean towards the TA33 or Ta11 (depending on your use requirements and weight tolerance). My primary concern about fiber/tritium reflex sights is that if the fiber breaks (it can happen) or the tritium ages out, then there's nothing to aim with. With an ACOG, you still have a usable etched reticle, it's just not going to be illuminated anymore.
BrigandTwoFour
09-02-15, 20:26
A gun safe would act as a faraday cage correct? So if you have multiple rigs with at least one in a safe you would still have a G2G gun with a working optic. A vehicle would also act as a faraday cage for protection. Unless your rigs are slung around you at the time of a EMP chances are your optic would be fine.
Take a lot of theories about EMPs with a grain of salt. The things primarily affected by an EMP will be those electronic devices that are connected to the electrical grid. A lot of the concerns of battery powered objects are the result of Hollywood.
lawusmc0844
09-03-15, 00:56
My first privately purchased optics were an EO-Tech 512 and Trijicon Reflex RX-06. Today I only have Aimpoint T1s.
The old Reflex sucked, amber dot that barely looked like a dot that washed out easily. The polarized filter was a POS that broke apart after a few rounds mounted on a Mossberg
Besides the known issues, I liked my old EO-Tech. However, the batteries leaked for whatever reason. I sent it to L3 for service but sold it shortly after getting it back.
I did have a TA33G-H that I sold only because it didn't see much use. I do regret selling it though because it would be perfect for my future carry handle build.
I've owned my first T1 for 6 years and I am still using the battery that it came with. As great as the T1s are, I do want to try the Reflex RX34-C-800112 with the 42mm lens and 4.5 MOA green dot. I hear the larger RX-30 series are much better than the old RX-06.
lifebreath
09-03-15, 22:27
I really like the RX 30 for a battery-less option, with the exception of the dot washing out when shooting from the shadows into bright sunlight or when using a weapons light at night, especially inside. These deficiencies can be compensated for by mounting fixed sights, front and rear. Inside at night with lights off, you will easily see the tritium dot, then when you hit your weapons light, the front iron sight comes immediately into view for a seamless transition. Shooting from the shadows, same thing. At CQB distance, you really only need the front sight picture, and for longer shots, you can take a little more care to line up your shot through the iron sights if needed. I have one gun set up like this with Daniel Defense fixed irons and a lower 1/3 co-witness.
I've been looking at going "battery free" as much as possible. I sold all my Aimpoints and I'm looking for an alternative. I probably will choose a TA11 or TA33 ACOG, but a friend of mine let me shoot his rifle with a Trijicon Reflex sight on it, and I'm impressed.
Problem is: I know literally nothing about it and only heard of it when he turned me on to it.
Those of you that have experience with it (especially if you also have experience with Aimpoints), what's your preference and why?
Save me another $600 if nothing else...LOL!
Well, the battery in my Aimpoint will last as long as the Tritium in your ACOG. Constant on at level 12, it will last 10+ years, but level 12 blooms at night, so I dial it down to 8-10. 12 is plenty even in direct noon-day sun. So I figure 10-15 years battery life. The shelf-life of the L91 battery is a minimum of 20 years. Tritium is ticking whether used or not.
I've been going "tritium free"! Screw tritium. It doesn't last as long as a good battery ;)
Seriously though, Aimpoint owns the "reflex" sight market except for the MRDS.
Oh. I can buy a new pack of L91's at Wal-Mart every year. Always g2g for 20+ years. You gonna service that ACOG/Reflex every year? lol
Take a lot of theories about EMPs with a grain of salt. The things primarily affected by an EMP will be those electronic devices that are connected to the electrical grid. A lot of the concerns of battery powered objects are the result of Hollywood.
EMP uses wiring as an "antena". For the amount of wiring in a normal "item" to wipe it out by picking up enough juice, you would be dead from concussion from the blast, IMO.
Outlander Systems
09-07-15, 19:25
I'm pretty biased, as every time I have gone to EOTech, and Aimpoint, I go slithering back to Trijicon.
The RX series are a no-bullshit, no-frills, RDS. can they wash out with white light? Yes. Can you prevent it with the polarizing filter? Yes.
I've used them on everything from a shotgun to a crossbow, and the RX-01 is my favorite non-magnified optic. For me personally, the Trijicon does not **** with my eye like EPTechs and Aimpoints have. That is completely personal, but the Aimpoint turns into a comet, and the EOTech is too fuzzy for my eyeballs.
Rather than get wrapped up in the "battery free" idea, look at it as an "electronics free" optic.
I don't recall ever hearing of a Trijicon Reflex going down.
There's drawbacks, like the washout issue. This can be fixed with the RX series and the polarizing filter. This can't be fixed with the RMR series; however the RMR seem to be brighter, but this may be due to the larger MOA reticle...
If you can, look into the Tripower / TX-30. They're hard to find, and a lot of folks can't get used to the chevron reticle. If Trijicon had released it as a dot-reticle, with a CR-123 battery, it would have been the king of 1X optics.
https://www.m4carbine.net/showthread.php?337-Trijicon-Tripower-review
Doc Safari
11-06-15, 15:43
I noticed the RX30 doesn't come with a polarizing filter like the 1x24 reflex sight. Does it not need one?
Note that when standing in a dark area and shooting into a brightly lit area the reflex's reticle will go away as the tritium does not offer enough illumination to allow the reticle to appear. Tritium only works in very dark areas.
This is true, although some DI Reflex-style optics are more resistant to reticle washout than others. The Trijicon DI RMR, for example, was nearly immune to reticle washout when I tested it, but the fisheye and limited FOV through the optic killed it for me (YMMV).
Tomac
I noticed the RX30 doesn't come with a polarizing filter like the 1x24 reflex sight. Does it not need one?
Didn't need one, IMHO. However, I found the RX30's dot to bloom badly in bright sunlight. Surprisingly, the Meprolight M21 reticles I tested (bullseye & triangle) would get bright but not bloom.
Tomac
Doc Safari
11-09-15, 09:14
I was checking out a Trijicon RMR over the weekend. Any consensus on these?
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