Lightweight optic for a lightweight build.

[5pins]

I’m in the process of building a lightweight carbine and the thought of what optic I should put on it came to mind. I’m thinking about something along the lines of a mini red dot like the Trijicon RMR, the Burris FastFire II, or maybe the Docter red dot. They all weigh around 1.5oz not including mounts. Any opinions?

[SDDuc996]

Any thoughts as to purchasing an Aimpoint Micro H1?

[TehLlama]

A MiniRDS is going to require a spacer either way - The FOV limitation on those makes them less than ideal for primary rifle sights IMO, which I think is why the Aimpoint's are so much more popular.
That said, the IronDot system from LT with any of those would work great if that's the route you want to go.

For the cost, I chose to step up to the H-1 with ADM Co mount, and I'm extremely happy with that.

[rt7]

If you wan't a really light weight MRD check out the JP, they also have several mounting options. Larue's iron dot mount is nice and offers a perfect co-witness. C-more's MRD seems to be the one that I am partial to.

[rob_s]

I think you need to have an idea of why you're going the lightweight route, and then apply that logic to your optic. Is it for a woman? A kid? Both? A truck gun? A hiking gun? Something else?

As an example, if you're trying to get the weight down as much as possible for a child or a woman (and are also doing something to address the increased recoil that comes with reduced weight) and it will be a range gun only, using one of the HUD-type ultr-light optics might seem to make sense. The limitation, however, is going to be one of range, especially for a new shooter.

If you're trying to build a gun for hiking purposes, you may want something a bit more robust, and depending on where you hike you'll want to balance weight, durability, and relative range of potential targets. An Aimpoint H-1 might better fit the bill in that case with it's increased durability.

My personal lightweight build is geared towards a woman and a child and other new/small shooters. I'm keeping the gun as light/short as I possibly can but I'm planning on a 1.5x sub-compact ACOG with a green circle-dot reticule. It weighs under 1/2 oz. more than the H-1 in LT mount, gives just that small bit of magnification that can be helpful, and the circle-dot reticule gives both close-range and distance-shooting options.