Trijicon MRO 1x25

Red dot sights are perfect for close range/fast reaction shooting, plus their ability to be used with both eyes open retains a wide field of view! Trijicon’s 1x25 MRO® (Miniature Rifle Optic) fits that bill nicely. Built around a forged 7075-T6 aluminium housing, lenses are rebated 4mm within their apertures for more protection. The 8-position rheostat is on top, with two stages specifically for night vision. It runs on a single Lithium CR2032 battery (supplied), with an estimated life of 5-years (continuous use on level 3).

No problems

The red dot subtends two MOA, approximately 1-inch at 50-yards. The dot projected into your view shows minimal dispersion (flaring). Windage and elevation adjusters are external, flush with the body and require a small screwdriver to operate. The clicks are delicate and adjust point of impact by ½ MOA and give a precise correction on what is a relatively imprecise aiming system. Zeroing was easy, with 70 MOA in each direction.

At 66.5mm long and weighing just 116g, it adds very little bulk to any rifle, even standing a beneficial 25mm above the surface of any Picatinny rail atop your action. I quite like this position, as it fits with the comb height on a lot of rifles mainly designed around a conventional optic. Other mounting interfaces are available, but the twin screw Picatinny version with recoil stop is durable and will return to zero if swapped around.

Simple

Out in the open, I was pleased with the performance. Large quarry like wild boar are tricky shots with a red dot sight of any type when they get beyond 60-70m. But for close call, fast reaction shooting, the simplicity and practicality offered is excellent, allowing you to avoid potential obstructions like trees. And you remain more instinctive and intuitive and better able to see surrounding terrain fluctuations faster to give you a quicker idea for how your quarry may rise and fall as it runs.

Close range on rimfire tactical comps saw me prefer to draw the Trijicon closer toward my eye where more precision aiming was available on circular targets, here scoring is critical and the general subtension size of the reticle was more noticeable. You will never lose a red dot against foliage unlike a reticle; also, parallax is not a big issue, especially at normal distances. Plus, being an enclosed build, you have less problems with rain than you do with the ‘open’ (reflex) designs. Frankly, any red dot is not a long-range option, which, depending on dot size, could take you out to 80-100m. Pricewise, the MRO is in the higher bracket but not as expensive as the AimPoint Micro series.