Pro Guns, Gear, Tactics, Training, Mindset, & Discussion
Equipment
Articles examining firearms equipment, load-bearing gear, optics, accessories, tools, and practical equipment selection based on mission and individual needs.
In mid 2016 Raven Concealment announced the Copia Pistol Magazine pouches. The Copia is a one size fits most injection molded (edited) pistol mag pouch. You can adjust the tension of the mag pouch to work with various sizes mags – i.e. Glock to M&P and back to the chosen gun, Glock. The mag pouches … Read more
Zeroing is literally one of the most important thing we need to accomplish with our rifles and #spacegun pistols. There is much talk around the technique to accomplish this but there is one way that is easy and fast.
Iron sights have been part of shooting since the very least April 19th 1775. Aiming was a major part of our tactics that helped defeat the British unaimed volley fire. This being said, it should come as no surprise that we have learned, used, and lost uses for iron sights in all environments from jungles, … Read more
A technical-manual-centered overview of thermal-sight boresighting, including equipment preparation, thermal target contrast, controlled adjustment, laser safety, and live-fire confirmation.
Editor’s note: This article reflects information available when it was originally published. Laws, policies, products, personnel, technical standards, and recommended practices may have changed. Verify time-sensitive details through current authoritative sources before relying on them. The following review comes from the perspective of daily uniform wear for law enforcement. This is not intended to be … Read more
We are continuing our discussion on the Boresight. Specifically, we will be boresighting lasers. The reference for this is TM 9-5860-226-13&P dated August 2007. The boresight needs to be zeroed to the weapon prior to zeroing anything else. To learn how to zero the Laser Boresight, and why it is important to do this, reference … Read more
Historical equipment note: This article documents failures involving older Aimpoint Micro T-1 sights mounted to reciprocating pistol systems in 2016–2017. It does not establish compatibility or reliability for current Aimpoint products, mounts, or pistols. Confirm present guidance with the optic and mount manufacturers.
After moving to a red-dot-equipped Glock, I mounted a well-used, pre-2009 4-MOA Aimpoint T-1 on an ALG Defense 6 Second Mount fitted to a Gen 4 Glock 22. Roughly 100 rounds into learning the setup, the dot disappeared. Aimpoint replaced the older sight with a newer 2-MOA T-1 under warranty.
Another older 4-MOA T-1 ran temporarily without trouble. Later, that sight was installed on a test example of the Raven Concealment Systems Balor mount on the same pistol. After approximately 200 rounds, its dot or adjustment assembly failed as well. Aimpoint again handled the warranty service promptly.
The battery-contact observation
During the subsequent discussion, Aimpoint advised that multiple older T-1 sights had failed in pistol-mounted use, although the information available did not prove that slide or pistol mounting was the sole cause. The visible distinction discussed at the time involved the battery contact.
An older example used three raised contact points on the copper disc:
A later-production example used a greater number of smaller contact points:
Production date and dot size were not reliable substitutes for inspecting the actual sight; existing inventory could remain in distribution after a production change.
Lessons for unusual optic applications
Verify that the optic and mount are intended for the recoil environment and installation method.
Follow current torque, fastener, thread-locking, and inspection guidance.
Establish a live-fire test and record round count and failures.
Check battery contacts, brightness controls, mount movement, zero, and intermittent operation.
Do not generalize from an old model to a current product without current manufacturer evidence.
This remains useful as a record of early experimentation with large-format enclosed optics on pistols. Current buyers should use the Optics and Red Dots Hub and manufacturer documentation for present options.
We are going to continue our discussion on the Laser Boresight. Specifically, we are going to talk about how to zero the enabler with a zeroed LBS. The reference for this is TM 9-5860-226-13&P dated August 2007. To learn how to zero the Laser Boresight, and why it is important to do this, reference the … Read more
