Aimwin PE320

Enclosed Emitter

Red dot Review

In today's market, there are a bunch of good pistol style red dots. They basically come in two categories: open emitter and closed emitter. Aimwin recently released their PE320. The PE320 is an enclosed emitter red dot with a multi-reticle system and a solar fail safe.

As with any quality red dot, the Aimwin PE320 comes with everything needed. In the box you get the optic, a battery, extra screws (including one for the battery tray), wrenches, cleaning cloth, etc. Probably the most important included item is the Acro to RMR adapter. This gives you the ability to mount it on anything that uses the RMR mounting footprint. There are lots of pistol options using a direct RMR footprint.

Mounting the PE320 is pretty straightforward. However, it does come with two options. If you happen to have something with an ACRO mounting footprint, like a riser or a plate adapter, you can mount the PE320 directly to that. If you have a direct mount RMR cut/footprint, you can use the supplied ACRO to RMR adapter. This is what I did. Just screw down the RMR plate onto your slide and then clamp on the PE320. It's really that easy.

Now that the Aimwin PE320 is mounted, you can take it to the range. To initially turn on the PE320, just click the “+” button. The buttons to control the PE320 are located on the left side of the optic. These are rubberized raised buttons labeled “+” and “-”. They are pretty large and easy to use, even if you are wearing gloves. Of course, tapping on a “+” or “-” button will increase or decrease the brightness of the red dot. There are 11 total brightness settings, the 2 lowest are night vision compatible. Now that the PE320 is on, you can sight it in. A nice feature on the Aimwin is its click adjustable windage and elevation screws. Each click adjusts the point of impact 1 MOA, which is fine for these types of red dots. Now that it is sighted in, and you want to completely turn it off, just hold down the “-” button until the dot disappears.

The PE320 uses Aimwin's “aim awake” feature. The “aim awake” is their auto on/off feature. Once you turn on the PE320 this feature is enabled. Aim Awake works like any of the other auto on/off systems. After the optic sits idle for a short time, the dot will turn off. Once you barely move the optic, the dot will turn back on. The aim awake feature helps with battery life, giving the PE320 around 50,000 hours of run time. I am a huge fan of these auto on/off features.

Aimwin's PE320 is not just a red dot. It features a multi-reticle system. So you get the option of either a circle dot, just a circle, or just a red dot. If using one of the options with the circle, the circle also has little hash marks in it that are located every 90 degrees (similar to an Eotech). To cycle through these 3 reticle options, just hold down the “+” button until it changes. The PE320 uses a 36 MOA circle with a 3 MOA dot, or any combination of the three. I like having reticle options and the PE320's are useful for whatever you need or want.

The multi-reticle system of the PE320 is housed inside a large window. How large is the window? 0.94 inches wide by 0.79 inches high. It's a big window, which is really nice for finding the reticle. However, because of its large window, the PE320 is a little wider than a lot of the enclosed ACRO footprint optics. This isn't bad or good, it really just depends on what trade offs you want.

The last notable feature of the PE320 is the solar panel on top of the optics housing. This solar panel adds a “solar failsafe” to the optic. So if your battery is low, and there is enough light, you will still see the reticle. The Solar Failsafe also works when the battery is completely dead, as long as there is enough light. I tried it with the battery out, and the reticle still comes on under normal room lighting. Don't expect it to work in a dark room without a battery. The Solar Failsafe is a nice option to have, especially if you forget to change the battery out once a year. When you do need to change that battery, the PE320 uses a side mount battery tray for easy use.

I mounted the Aimwin PE320 to a Polymer 80 with a Grey Ghost slide. This particular slide is cut to direct mount an RMR footprint. So I ended up using the PE320’s ACRO to RMR plate. I chose this pistol because I use it in various different forms, one of those is using a Recover Tactical 20/80 brace system. This let me try out the PE320 in a chassis style system and as a standard pistol. I put a ton of rounds through it and even beat the crap out of the PE320. No loss of zero and no other problems, even when using the optic as a slide racker off the benches at the range. With the PE320’s adapter plate, the red dot does sit a little higher up on the pistol, but still below the top of the slide. If you want the PE320 to co-witness with iron sights, you will probably have to get some suppressor height ones. Those still might not be tall enough to clear the PE320’s deck height. Speaking of size, the PE320 is large for a pistol style red dot. Not so much height wise, but more width wise. It definitely is wider than a standard Glock slide. I only see this as a problem if you are carrying it inside the waistband. On a rifle, this could be a bonus. Especially since the window size on the PE320 is fantastic. It made finding the dot real easy. I like the 3 MOA dot size, it is a good compromise between speed and accuracy. Since I live in Oregon, it also rains a lot here. Having an enclosed system also makes it way easier to wipe the rain off of the lenses.

If you are in the market for an enclosed style pistol red dot, the Aimwin PE320 might be worth looking at. It has a decently large window and different reticle options. Being larger in size, it would also make a good rifle dot. If you forget to change your battery, it might still work for you thanks to that solar failsafe. It is also durable and held up to my abuse. So go check it out over at Aimwin.com.

Firearms Insider Reviews - Key Points

Claim to Fame:

Enclosed pistol red dot with large window

Target Market:

Those wanting a large windowed enclosed red dot

Features, Benefits, and Specifications of this product:

Weight: 2.19 ounces (62g)
Dot Size: 3 MOA with 36 MOA ring (selectable)
Window Size: 24.0mm x 20.0mm (0.94" x 0.79")
Dimensions: 45.3mm x 35.0mm x 31.2mm (1.78" x 1.38" x 1.2")
Housing Material: Hard-anodized 6061-T6 Aluminum
Adjustment per Click: 1 MOA
Windage & Elevation Range: ±50 MOA, total range 100 MOA
Footprint: ACRO, RMR adapter plate included
Battery: Side load CR2032
Solar Guard Fail Safe
Battery Life: 50,000 hours (low brightness)
Aim Awake mode
Operating Temperature: -30℃ - 60℃ (-22°F - 140°F)
Brightness Settings: 9 Daylight / 2 Night Vision Levels
Water Resistance: IPX7
Vibration: 2000 G’s

What other aesthetic options or finishes are available?

None

What others are saying?:

5 out of 5 stars on Amazon

Very Nice Enclosed Optic

Just picked this up for my H&K P30L. Had to change the optics plate (Langdon Tactical cut) to an ACRO mount, but it fits perfectly on it and locks down solid. The body appears to be pretty durable and stout without being overly heavy. Controls are nice and large so adjusting brightness and/or choosing dot style is pretty easy. ACRO mounts are probably the easiest installation of any of the footprints since it works like a pic rail. No screws into the plate to worry about getting torqued just right. It does really need a torque spec listed for the clamp screw, though. Never really liked "make it tight, but be careful not to over tighten it" with no spec for what "tight" is. Dots are extremely bright on the max setting and much calmer on the lower settings. Again, it is nice to be able to choose different reticles for different situations. Battery is side loading, which is nice as you don't have to remove the optic for swaps. Only issue I have with the battery compartment is that the tiny screw that holds it in place seems easy to lose as it is not captured. So be careful swapping batteries. We'll see how it does at the range this weekend at holding zero. Adjustments are nice and tactile with just enough resistance to turning to make me think they will stay put pretty good. May wind up being awfully high if you were to use the RMR to ACRO adapter that comes with it on most RMR cut applications. But sits at a nice height on the ACRO specific plate I have installed.