by For years, Aimpoint has been the go-to company if you wanted a small, rifle-mounted red dot scope with ultralong battery life. Now Trijicon is has released their MRO (Miniature Rifle Optic) which seems to be directly aimed at the Micro T-1 and Micro T-2.
Trijicon is claiming a 5 year battery life. If you look at the picture above of the MRO, you can see that it is is cone-shaped and not tubular. Trijicon claims this makes for faster target acquisition and better situational awareness.
The scope isn’t cheap. The MSRP is $579 without the mount which costs in the $50-60 range depending upon height but it is still slightly cheaper than the Aimpoint product. That said, if it is like any Trijicon product, it will be well made and rugged.
I don’t see this new red dot as a game changer but I do see it as giving the customer more choices for small, ultra-rugged, military-grade red dot optics. If you prefer to buy American-made products, the MRO is made in the US while the Aimpoints are assembled in Sweden with some US parts.
Travis Haley has a first look review of it in this video.
Count me as a little underwhelmed. Best I can tell, while it might do everything an Aimpoint does, it doesn't do anything more than what an Aimpoint does. Add on the cost of a mount, and it's only slightly cheaper. The MRO may have the Trijicon pedigree, but it hasn't proven itself in actual use…but the Aimpoint has a track record. Since everything else is at best equal, I'd pay the extra for an Aimpoint until the MRO proves itself.
OK…check my last. Did a little more reading about the Trijicon, and I have to admit it could give the Aimpoint Micros a run for their money. I was under the impression that the MRO did not come with a mount, but it looks like it does. Makes the price advantage more significant, and if it performs as advertised it could be a winner.
I saw one this weekend…cheaper bigger and easier sight picture… Trijicon has Aimpoint in its sights and it's a kill shot. I just ordered mine at more than 100 less than an Aimpoint bang
Just ordered mine from Botach Tactical with an American Defense Manufacturing quick detach mount for $493.00 with free shipping!
They've dropped in price substantially if you shop around. The price advantage of an MRO, even with a mount is still well over $100 savings. I just purchased one brand new from a reputable site with a full co-witness mount for a hair under $450 on 02/2016. That's Aimpoint PRO territory, not T-1/T-2. Everytime I try to stray from Trijicon, I end up getting reeled back in. Hard to beat!