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.

Link to other reviews:

Chris from the 740 on YouTube

Price point:

MSRP = $359.95

Retail = $240

I need it now! Availability:

Aimwin Optics or Amazon

Our Rating:

Pros:

Multi reticle
Solar fail safe
Large window size
Acro footprint w/RMR plate
Auto on/off (Aim Awake)

Cons:

Optic is physically wider
Deck height is pretty tall

Score: 8.00 Great

Favorite Link: Grey Ghost Glock Slide Review

I first learned about the Atibal SLR-1 red dot at Triggrcon. To say the least, I was impressed with the prototype I handled. After some time, the production versions were released and they sent one for review. The SLR-1 is 1x20 red dot sight.

There are a lot of red dots on the market, but only a few are even similar to the Atibal. The Atibal SLR-1 is solar and/or battery powered. The solar works so well that I even ran the red dot without a battery, in overcast weather. Because the SLR-1 is so efficient, it has a combined battery life of over 100,000 hours, that’s over 11 years! Another innovative feature is the removable solar panel, should you break it or something, just order a new one. Much better than ordering a whole new sight. When in the “solar” mode, brightness adjustment is done automatically depending on ambient light. One can switch over to “manual” mode if they want to set the brightness level.

As with most red dots, the Atibal SLR-1 has a bunch of expected features. The SLR-1 has a 2 moa dot or a 35 moa circle dot reticle. 8 brightness settings, 1 of them is night vision compatible. It’s shockproof, water proof, parallax free, nitrogen filled, and has multi-coated lenses. The battery is easily accessed on the side of the sight, as are the multi-use buttons. Length on the SLR-1 is 3”. Weight is 5.6 ounces. It comes supplied with a very nice AR co-witness mount, but has mount compatibility with Aimpoint T-1 and H-1 mounts

Now that all the technical stuff is out of the way, let’s dig into some of the good stuff. My SLR-1 came in a nice plastic padded case with everything needed to mount it, zero it, clean it, and cover it, they even threw in an extra battery. I can’t say enough good things about the supplied mount. Most supplied mounts are usable, but not great. The Atibal mount is sturdy, good looking, and mounts very securely. A wrench is even supplied to tighten down the mount.

Actual use of the SLR-1 is where it shines. The dot and circle dot are very clear. Looking through the 20mm tube, I see little to no color differences. Because the solar panel is mounted on top, it picks up light well. When using the “solar” mode, the brightness of the dot is automatically adjusted. One drawback to the “solar” mode is that you can only use the 2 moa dot reticle, not the 35 moa circle dot. The auto brightness function adjusted brightness extremely well, never did I feel like the dot was too bright or too dim. It is also very responsive to changes in ambient light. To switch over to the “battery” mode, just tap the “+” button and you are now using the battery. Here you have manual brightness adjustments. As you can guess, “+” increases the brightness, and “-” reduces the brightness. The dot does flare when turned up, but that’s pretty normal for any red dot. Since we are on “battery” mode, if you hold down the “-” button for about 3 seconds, the reticle will change over to the 35 moa circle dot. After using the circle dot, I think I prefer a 65 moa dot over the 35 moa dot. Mainly because the bottom of a 65 moa circle is the height over bore zero of an AR at 7 yds. Now if you want to switch back to “solar” mode, just hold down the “+” button for about 3 seconds.

I’ve been using the SLR-1 for around 4 months. I really like the 2 moa dot and hardly ever use the circle dot. Like mentioned before, it is super clear and easy to find the dot. It has held zero, even with me bouncing it off a wooden bench. It’s light, so it fits in well with the carbine it is on. One design aspect I like is the protected turrets. Yes, it makes it harder to get the caps on and off for adjustment, but protects them from being broken off. Speaking of caps, the turret caps also can be turned over and used to adjust the windage and elevation, both of which are 1 moa adjustments. The actual clicks on the adjustments are pretty good also. There is no problem hearing or feeling them.

Atibal did a stand up job designing the SLR-1. It’s clear, tough, and has some of the best battery life in the game. The use of industry standard mounts is smart, as is the multiple reticle option. Plus it has a lifetime warranty. Atibal has been upping their game in the optics industry, definitely give them a look.