Hey guys. I am currently deployed in Baghdad and have been here since April '09. I have been running my personal Aimpoint Magnifier on LT swivel mount behind my issued CompM4.
Within the first week of getting in and out of the trucks and paroling, that plastic ring on the back of the magnifier that protects your optic from damage and protects your eye from the optic, continued to fall off. Well, after several times, I was unable to find it again.
Since then, my magnifier has been used a lot obviously, inside my 8 months of being here. The magnifier has been dinged a bit and the paint has been rubbed off along the edges. This is common for all of my kit, but I am usually more protective my MY gear, especially items that cost that which this one did.
I have emailed Aimpoint about possibly taking my magnifier when I return home, and possibly RE-rounding the back side of the optic, or offering what repair they can. I would also like to acquire another plastic protective ring and GLUE it to the back of the magnifier. I am still waiting for a response from Aimpoint, but in the mean time, I thought I would ask you all if you have had a similar wear and tear issue that I have and how you dealt with it.
The magnifier still works well. The glass is clear as a bell, and the LT mount has paid for itself TIME AND TIME again! My problem now is mainly cosmetic and I’m sorry to bitch about something that sounds a little minor, considering this is a “tool”… but like I said, this is MY kit and I like to care for it as much as possible. I am a HUGE supporter of an Aimpoint optic partnered by a magnifier.
There is a gent who posts here on M4C who goes by the name “FJB” and if I remember right he’s on Aimpoints payroll as the Mil/LE sales rep. If you send him a PM or email I’m sure he can get the ball rolling for you. BTW–I ran the same rig as you do and I waffled around with the thought of replacing same with either an ACOG or an Accupoint but in the end I dismounted the M4 and replaced it with an H1 (in a LaRue mount of course ;). ). Aimpoints 3x extender is an outstanding force multiplier and I am (now) a believer in the concept.
Yes, I’ve had the same issues with my magnifier but I was able to recover the protective ring, though. When I have time I will figure out a way to set the ring on the optic in a little more secure fashion and will somehow manage to over look the nice ding that I put on it on a moment of “oh f**k!!!”.
Mine came off right away since with the LaRue mount you are grabbing the magnifier body and pulling back to pivot it to the right. I toyed with using contact cement and other adhesives but I figured they would all let loose sooner or later and I was in no danger of the back of the magnifier cutting my forehead like the scope on a high power rifle. While I don’t baby my rifle at the the range I’m sure you’re usage is 10 as brutal as mine. But, if you’re hitting the rear ring hard enough to distort it, would the rubber ring actually offer any protection?
I think that if that plastic ring would have been in place, the damage would have been prevented. It doesn’t take too hard of a hit to dent or bend the outer lip of the magnifier. It’s constructed VERY well, but still… I’ve been directed to contact a few sources. I’ll let you know what Aimpoint says in the end.
I thought I was clear. Don’t misunderstand me. This $700 is the best I have spent on a single item in a long time, if not ever. The joining of the magnifier in the LT swivel mount seemed to align the universes for me.
In no way, shape, or form, would buying the item you are talking about be a “better” idea. I don’t own one, but I wouldn’t trust it on my weapon over here, or back home.
And so you know… the red dot is actually intended for the 300m mark without a doubt. The US Army issues the Comp M4 to it’s soldiers. The qualification course… pop up targets ranging from 50m to (you guessed it…) 300m. Those targets can be hit all day long with a 2MOA Aimpoint. It’s been done for years, even before the Comp M4 was issued and the M3 was. So… adding the magnifier only INCREASES your lethality with such an optic.
Nothing from Aimpoint yet. My biggest obstacle lately has been trying to figure out how to get the magnifier out of Iraq back to the US. With all of the regulations (I’m guessing ITAR), it’s hard to mail out weapons components. Although we have received countless packages from great vendors back home (I won’t name them) that have contained P Mags, stocks, grips, slings etc… we can’t turn around and mail them back home. So I may have to wait until I actually step foot onto US soil to be able to address the repair problem fully.
I’m going to contact one more source out here today to see if they can help. I’ll let you know what they end up saying.
Before I got a chance to try my idea of a method to “glue” the rear ring onto my Aimpoint magnifier: Elmer’s white glue; I came up with what I think is a better solution.
I’ve installed an Aimpoint rear flip up lens cover in the place of the rear ring. The same lens cover that works on the rear of the sight itself also fits the magnifier.
