Spawning from some PM's with RWH24, I took a couple of temperatures with a laser thermometer of my Aimpoint H1 with its factory mount, and my Ultimak. I took readings from the thicker "handguard" portion of the Ultimak, and the left side of the Aimpoint in the center of the body. I don't have any way of calibrating or checking the thermometer for accuracy, it's just a hardware store thermometer, but I didn't put too much effort in keeping the ROF the same either, so this isn't at all scientific... just some range time fun.
First readings were ambient, then I did three BSA drills with 10 rounds at 10 yards. So, 10 shots, take a second to check my time, then again, for all 30 rounds in the magazine. That's about as quick as I ever shoot, and I usually do 5 round drills instead of 10... so I feel it's relevant without being an extreme "shoot as fast as possible" test.
So; readings.
Ambient;
Aimpoint - 67°
Ultimak - 67°
Magazine #1
Aimpoint - 67°
Ultimak - 112°
Magazine #2
Aimpoint - 79°
Ultimak - 156°
Magazine #3
Aimpoint - 99°
Ultimak - 200°
I also took readings after 15 minutes just laying on the ground. The Ultimak had cooled to 98°, but the Aimpoint continued to heat for a few minutes, and read 125°, but was on it's way down by that time.
Lessons learned? Well, my main interest has always been whether the optic itself actually gets hotter than Aimpoint's quoted temperature range (140°). It's close. And I wish I had checked every 5 minutes, to see where the optic peaked. But, I would be surprised if the optic surpassed 140° in typical training firing schedules. I was able to remove the dot without gloves no problem. It was hot, but if you've ever poked a steak on the grill, you can manage removing the dot in a critical situation without gloves. Anyway, just a short, unscientific test that I thought might interest some looking into an Ultimak. I have been using them for a couple of years, along with the H1, and I've got no complaints.
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