When you’re setting up a ‘go to’ rifle, it’s important to make sure that everything about it is bombproof…
Of course, the rifle itself has to be 100% reliable, but so does the sight that you put on it…
And for years, Aimpoint has set the standard when it comes to making red dot sights that are extremely rugged and dependable…
The Aimpoint Pro Patrol Rifle Optic maintain’s that legendary Aimpoint reputation, and if you’re in a hurry here’s my quick and dirty review:
The Aimpoint Pro is insanely tough, reliable, and gives a great sight picture. It’s a fantastic optic for any law enforcement, military, or civilian rifle/carbine…
Check The Aimpoint Pro Patrol On Amazon (Over 500 Reviews)
Now if you’re looking for more information on the Pro Patrol, then stick around because in this review, we’re going to go over the following information:
- Durability Of The Aimpoint Pro…
- Battery Life Of The Optic…
- Reticle And Clarity…
- Extra Goodies Included With The Optic…
- Pro And Cons Of The Aimpoint Pro Patrol…
In the end, I’ll go over my final thoughts about the Aimpoint Pro, and you’ll have all the information you need to determine whether or not it’s the right red dot sight for you…
Let’s jump into the review!
Durability Of The Aimpoint Pro…
The Aimpoint Pro is a very durable and reliable sight. As I mentioned before, Aimpoint optics are known for their durability and the Pro Patrol is no different…
In fact, it’s called the Aimpoint Pro Patrol because it was designed to be an affordable optic that law enforcement guys could put on their patrol rifles, shotguns, or pistol caliber carbines…
So, from the start it was created for hard use. Now, the sight housing is made from high-strength aluminum, and it’s pretty sturdy…
In addition to that, the windage and elevation turrets have protective caps that are attached to the sight, and they sit relatively low into the sight housing…
To me, this is an important design feature because it’s easy to accidentally knock or bump the adjustment dials on red dot sights, and if they’re not rugged built, they could snap off.
That probably won’t happen with the dials on your Aimpoint Pro, because like I said, they sit relatively low.
To make adjustments to the reticle you’ll need a screwdriver or the rim of a spent cartridge, and the adjustment clicks are crisp, audible, and positive.
Now the weight of the Pro Patrol is 7.8 ounces, which makes it a relatively chunky sight compared to some of the micro red dot sights out there…
But the extra size and weight makes this sight much more robust than a micro red dot, and as you’ll see later in this review, there’s another BIG advantage of having a large red dot.
Last, the Aimpoint Patrol is waterproof up to 150 feet, which means it’s going to run in rainy and wet conditions without any issues at all.
So in terms of durability, the Pro Patrol is up to the high standards that Aimpoint is famous for.
Battery Life Of The Optic…
The battery life of the AimPoint Pro Patrol is very good. First of all, it has a total of 11 brightness settings that you can choose between.
Those settings include: 4 settings for night vision, 6 settings for daylight conditions, and one extra bright setting for shooting in the extremely bright conditions.
It uses one 3V lithium battery, and it can be left turned-on for a period of 3 to 5 years depending on which brightness setting it’s left on.
For me, ultra long battery life like this is a must-have on a red dot sight.
The reason why is because you can leave your optic turned-on at all times, which means your rifle will be ready to go in a moment’s notice.
For example, if you had to grab your rifle in a hurry because of a home defense situation…
…you wouldn’t have to worry about pressing the buttons that turn on your sight before going and dealing with the threat.
All you have to do is grab your rifle and get to work, and to me, that makes this a simple optic that you can zero, keep turned-on, and then forget about.
Now even though the Aimpoint Pro can be left on for a period of 3 to 5 years, I do recommend replacing the battery once every year…
If you do that, you really shouldn’t run into any situations where your battery dies no matter which brightness setting you keep the optic set to.
Reticle and Clarity Of The Pro Patrol…
The reticle and clarity of the Aimpoint Pro Patrol are both fantastic. To start off with, the lenses are very clear, and they allow you to see through the sight with a good amount of contrast.
In addition to that, I mentioned before that the size of this optic is an advantage and the reason why is because it has a 38mm objective lens.
Having that large objective lens allows you to have a much larger viewing area than something like a micro red dot sight.
Now that doesn’t mean that I don’t like micro red dot sights because I’m actually a big fan of them and I own several different models…
…but having that extra large objective lens (even though it adds size and weight) is a definite advantage when it comes to the amount of area you’re able to see through the optic.
Now the reticle on the Pro Patrol is a 2 MOA (Minute Of Angle) red dot. For me, a 2 MOA dot is a fantastic reticle for a red dot sight…
…and the reason why I like it is because it’s a very easy reticle to pick up when you’re trying to make quick shots at targets up close…
But it’s also small enough that it allows you to aim with precision at targets off in the distance.
So, for me a 2 MOA dot is perfect, and it’s one of my favorite reticles on this type of optic.
Aside from that, you also get unlimited eye relief with the Pro Patrol, and you get a very clean sight picture when looking through the optic.
Extra Goodies That Come With The Optic…
The Aimpoint Pro Patrol comes with some really cool included accessories. First of all, it comes with a high quality Aimpoint mount…
…which is going to hold up in tough conditions unlike the cheap mounts you get with some of the Chinese produced red dot sights.
Aimpoint calls it the QRP2 mount, and I find that it’s really simple to use.
To mount it on your rifle all you have to do is attach it to your rail and then turn the side knob until it snaps three times.
In addition to that, the mount includes a riser that sets the Aimpoint Pro up for an absolute cowitness with backup iron sights (if your mounting it on an AR-15).
And since most guys will end up using this optic on an AR-15, I think it’s a really smart choice by Aimpoint to include that.
When you remove the riser out of the mount, it sits the sight closer to the bore…
So even if you’re running it on a shotgun, AK, or pistol caliber carbine, you can still mount the optic in a low position that makes sense for whichever gun you intend to use with this optic.
Now the Pro Patrol is a 30mm optic… so if you want to get an aftermarket mount to save a little bit of weight, there are many high-quality options out there.
But personally I like the included mount from Aimpoint, and I don’t think you need to replace it with one of the aftermarket options.
In addition to the included mount, the Pro Patrol also comes with flip open lens covers.
The included lens covers give your sight (which is already very durable) even more protection and they’re designed in a very cool and unique way.
The front lens cover is blacked out like most lens covers are, but the rear lens cover is clear…
This allows you to see the red dot reticle against a black background when you look through the clear front lens cover.
Aimpoint does this because it allows you (in an emergency) to present your rifle at a target with both lens covers closed…
Even if the lens covers are closed, if you’re aiming with both eyes open the dot should still appear over your target and you should be able to hit it.
There are actually some very old optics that the U.S. military used to use that were designed this way…
…and I think it’s kind of a cool feature that Aimpoint includes in their lens covers.
Now unlike one of its main competitors, the Trijicon MRO Patrol, the AimPoint Pro Patrol does not come with a killflash or as they call it an anti-reflection device…
But the front lens area is threaded for one if that’s an accessory that you would like to add on to your optic later.
It would be cool if it came with an anti-reflection device, but overall I’m pretty happy with the amount of accessories that Aimpoint includes with this red dot sight.
Pros And Cons Of The Aimpoint Pro Patrol…
Pros…
- Aimpoint Reliability And Durability
- Super Long Battery Life
- Clear Lens
- Huge Viewing Area
- 2 MOA dot reticle
- Included Aimpoint Pro Mount
- Included Lens Covers
Cons…
- It’s a large red dot sight (if this is a problem for you, I recommend you check out this sight)
- It’s an affordable optic for an Aimpoint, but overall I’d say it’s in the moderate/high price range (if you’re looking for a more affordable red dot, I highly recommend this sight)
Aimpoint PRO Review (Patrol Rifle Optic) – Final Thoughts…
In the end, I think the Aimpoint Pro Patrol is a fantastic red dot sight…
- It’s super reliable
- It has great battery life
- And it has a HUGE viewing area
I’m very happy with it, and I highly recommend it if you’re looking for a bomb-proof quality sight that gives a great sight picture and has a pretty reasonable price.