By Steve Comus
Red dot sights are just plain fun to use, and they are incredibly effective for both quick and more precise shooting. This reality came to mind when I took Holosun’s AEMS sight atop a Ruger Scout rifle in 5.56 NATO to the range for a ride.
The AEMS stands for Advanced Enclosed Micro Sight. By any name, it’s a winner. Although the strong suit of red dot sights is that they are fast to use, they also can deliver credible accuracy from close to pretty far out there.
For this effort, I stopped at 100 yards. But considering that I shot sub-MOA groups at 100 yards, the sight obviously is effective farther than that. I think I’ll see how it works on a coyote out there in wide open.
But back to the sight itself. It has three displays: 2 MOA dot, 65 MOA circle and combination of 2 MOA dot and 65 MOA circle. I opted to go with the combo for a couple of reasons.
First, the larger circle catches the eye instantly, and then the eye naturally goes to the dot for precise sighting.
For me, it’s the most natural display to use because at that setting it is ready for the fastest close-range action, yet also ready for more precise aiming without me having to do anything additional in the process that might slow things down.
Such sights are becoming more popular on dangerous game rifles in Africa and on driven game hunts in Europe because they are so fast to use, and because it is easier to keep them on-target when engaging running game.
The Holosun AEMS has about all of the bells and whistles one would want in a red dot sight. It was fascinating to see just what all it can do because there are so many shooter-friendly features, all in such a small, light and handy package.
Since I am electronically challenged and nothing electric is intuitive for me, I did the subversive thing. I actually read the instructions before trying to mount and use the sight.
Mounting and using the AEMS sight was both easy and straight-forward when I followed the directions that came with the unit. It attaches to any Picatinny rail, so I put it on the Scout rifle, figuring that it might be fun to use on coyotes or running jackrabbits. It also would be a handy sight for an AR.
The unit came pretty well zeroed because initial shots at 25 yards hit within an inch of point of aim. A few 0.5-inch clicks in two directions centered the point of impact, so I took the target to 50 yards where I shot a sub-inch group.
Next, I took the target to 100 yards and the first three-shot group measured 0.975-inch center to center. That’s about as good as I can shoot any 0-magnificattion sight. The group was a little low and right, so I made a couple of adjustments and the shot to confirm was dead center.
After that, I shot the rifle from other positions at 100 yards, some supported better than others, and the aggregate of the hits was within three inches of the aiming point. That’s pretty good for a 0-magnification sight being used by very old eyes.
One feature that is really nice is the solar cell atop the sight. When there is enough ambient light, the solar cell runs the sight, and the sight automatically switches to battery power when lighting is not enough to be run by the solar cell – nothing for the shooter to do because the sight goes back and forth, all by itself.
And the standard CR2032 battery (sight comes with a battery installed that can be changed easily). Holosun reports that the battery can run the sight for 20,000 to 50,000 hours, depending on setting. That’s a long time.
The sight automatically goes to sleep if there is no movement for 10 minutes, and then automatically goes back on when the rig is moved. Very handy because it means that even if the shooter forgets to turn it off, it won’t bleed battery power just sitting in a gun safe. Also, it has a low battery power indicator when the battery power wanes, so it warns of when it is time to replace the battery.
The housing of the 3.9-ounce sight is made of 7075 T6 aluminum with matte finish, and the sight is parallax free with unlimited eye relief. That means it can go anywhere atop the rifle where the shooter wants it to go, and the unit is waterproof, so it is ready to go anywhere under any conditions. Someone put a lot of thought into designing and making this sight.
There are built-in clear dust covers front and back that hinge out of the way, or the sight can be used with the dust covers in place. The 0.87 x 1.1-inch window is big enough to mount the sight close or far from the eye on the rifle. I mounted it close to the front of the receiver because that just seemed handy.
The sight features 8 daylight and 4 night vision compatible brightness settings and the unit can be operated via automatic or manual modes. I liked the auto mode because the sight would adjust the brightness, depending on ambient light intensities and I didn’t have to do anything but concentrate on shooting. It was a no-brainer
The sight comes with a small combination tool that has a T10 Torx bit on one end and a blade on the other end. That’s all that is needed to mount the scope and to adjust point of impact, or to change the battery.
The more I used the sight, the more I liked it because it is so simple to operate. The point of impact adjustments were positive, which meant that sighting-in the unit was quick and easy.
In fact, everything about the sight was simple and straight-forward, allowing me to focus on hitting the target. And isn’t that what sights should be all about? Works for me. Shoot straight and often.