AIM-O LCO Red/Green Dot

Window size is the specification nobody quotes and everybody notices. A 25 mm aperture is fine when you have time to settle behind it; a 32 mm one lets you find the dot with your head in roughly the right place rather than exactly the right place, which is how shooting actually happens when somebody is already moving on you.

The cost is size and mass. This is a 90 mm body standing 60 mm tall and weighing 200 g, so it is a rifle optic rather than something to hang off a pistol-calibre carbine. On a full-length platform that height puts the dot at a sensible line without a riser.

Both dot colours are available at variable intensity, and the housing is aluminium with multi-coated glass that is sealed against weather, fog and knocks. Adjustment is the usual windage and elevation pair.

It takes a CR123, the same cell as a decent torch, which is a longer-running battery than a coin cell and part of why the body is the size it is.

Specifications

Good to know before you buy

This is the big one in the range. If you are building a lightweight short gun, the smaller micro patterns suit it better; if you are running a full-length rifle and want the biggest window you can get, this is it.

At 60 mm tall the dot already sits high. Adding a riser under it will usually put the sight above a comfortable cheek weld.

A CR123 is a camera and torch battery rather than a watch battery. Worth buying a pair.

Frequently asked questions

Why pick this over a micro red dot?
The window. A 32 mm aperture is noticeably easier to shoot through at speed, especially behind a full-face mask where your head position is not as repeatable as you think.

Is 200 g a lot?
For a rifle, no. For a short SMG-sized gun it is enough to feel, and one of the micro patterns would be the better fit.

Do I need a riser with it?
Usually not. The body is 60 mm tall, which puts the dot at a workable height on most rifles without anything underneath.

Is it waterproof?
AIM-O describe it as weather resistant, anti-fog and shockproof. That is rain and a dropped gun, not submersion — do not go looking for the limit.

Is the dark earth version available?
AIM-O list black and dark earth, but our supplier carries only the black. Ask us and we will check whether the tan one can be brought in.