The Meprolight M5 Red Dot Sight—a quick overview
***Update: Range report added at post 11***
I originally had an AImpoint Pro on my CTAR and although I like Aimpoints a lot I wanted to try something different—must be the cabin fever from not shooting since December.
I’d heard about the M5 but didn’t know much about them until recently—they’re designed specially for the Tavor so I knew it’d fit good from a height perspective. Wolverine had them in stock so I though I’d give it a try
I just picked it up last night so I’ve only had a quick rundown today—here are my initial thoughts.
Overview
The sight is similar is shape to Eotechs, but with a more angular profile. It’s a bit shorter front-to back that an Aimpoint PRO, and around the same weight—the specs say the M5 is 1/2 ounce lighter. There’s a QD mount, which is nice, too.
The sight takes one regular AA battery that inserts from the front:
There is a brightness adjustment dial at the rear left, with four settings including one night vision setting.
Windage and adjustment dials are on the front left and the top. The hood over the glass is plastic, I think. Military models have an aluminum hood. Although I don’t treat my rifles roughly I’d still prefer the aluminum version.
Initial Impressions
The red dot is 1.8 MOA so it looks more or less the same as the PRO’s 2 MOA dot. Side-by-side there is, for me, slightly less astigmatism flaring on the M5 than on the PRO, although the Trijicon reflex sights I’ve tried are better than both in this regard.
The PRO has a brighter highest brightness setting than the M5, although the M5’s dot was still easily picked up when looked at bright sunlit snow at its brightest level. There is a big difference between the night vision brightness and the lowest regular brightness—it probably wouldn't cause an issue in actual use but the lowest regular brightness seems to me to be wee bit too bright.
The sight has an auto shut-off feature if it’s left immobile for 10 minutes. In impromptu testing I found that very little movement was needed to cause the dot to re-appear…maybe less than a centimetre or so.
I really, really like the wide field of view. The glass has no tint at all, unlike the greenish or bluish tint of the Aimpoints or RMRs. There’s also no lens-effect like the RMRs have. Here’s the field of view comparison between the M5 and the PRO.
Here’s how it looks on the CTAR. I’ve got range time booked next week—I’ll update more then.
***Update: Range report added at post 11***
I originally had an AImpoint Pro on my CTAR and although I like Aimpoints a lot I wanted to try something different—must be the cabin fever from not shooting since December.
I’d heard about the M5 but didn’t know much about them until recently—they’re designed specially for the Tavor so I knew it’d fit good from a height perspective. Wolverine had them in stock so I though I’d give it a try
I just picked it up last night so I’ve only had a quick rundown today—here are my initial thoughts.
Overview
The sight is similar is shape to Eotechs, but with a more angular profile. It’s a bit shorter front-to back that an Aimpoint PRO, and around the same weight—the specs say the M5 is 1/2 ounce lighter. There’s a QD mount, which is nice, too.
The sight takes one regular AA battery that inserts from the front:
There is a brightness adjustment dial at the rear left, with four settings including one night vision setting.
Windage and adjustment dials are on the front left and the top. The hood over the glass is plastic, I think. Military models have an aluminum hood. Although I don’t treat my rifles roughly I’d still prefer the aluminum version.
Initial Impressions
The red dot is 1.8 MOA so it looks more or less the same as the PRO’s 2 MOA dot. Side-by-side there is, for me, slightly less astigmatism flaring on the M5 than on the PRO, although the Trijicon reflex sights I’ve tried are better than both in this regard.
The PRO has a brighter highest brightness setting than the M5, although the M5’s dot was still easily picked up when looked at bright sunlit snow at its brightest level. There is a big difference between the night vision brightness and the lowest regular brightness—it probably wouldn't cause an issue in actual use but the lowest regular brightness seems to me to be wee bit too bright.
The sight has an auto shut-off feature if it’s left immobile for 10 minutes. In impromptu testing I found that very little movement was needed to cause the dot to re-appear…maybe less than a centimetre or so.
I really, really like the wide field of view. The glass has no tint at all, unlike the greenish or bluish tint of the Aimpoints or RMRs. There’s also no lens-effect like the RMRs have. Here’s the field of view comparison between the M5 and the PRO.
Here’s how it looks on the CTAR. I’ve got range time booked next week—I’ll update more then.
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