AR Sponsor
Posted: 2/25/2026 4:00:14 AM EDT
|
There hasn't been much discussion on the Duty RDS MR, and quite frankly I think Aimpoint let this one slide in under the radar without really advertising what it really does. Even I was hesitant to try one, mostly because it cost more than the 2 MOA version that works so well. I ended up with $75 off an optic through Aimpoint, and combined with their LE/MIL discount I was able to snag this one for $458 shipped. Bottom line up front the Duty RDS MR some noticeable improvements over the Duty RDS, but that comes with a weird auto shutoff system that cannot be disabled and might be a big negative for traditional Aimpoint users. First off, a little back story. I was one of the early purchasers of the original Duty RDS. Aimpoint released them in early 2022 with initial sales only to LE/MIL and I snagged one on day one. I love my original Duty RDS. It rides on my retired work rifle now, but it's been used quite a bit with zero issues. This early model (SN K495xxx) has the really noticeable blue tint these are known for, but quite frankly it's a non issue. I later picked up two more (SN K533xxx and SN K550xxx). The later two do not have as much blue tint and are almost indistinguishable from the 2021 T2 I have, save for the glass being a little nicer on the T2. All three, along with the T2, have a noticeable red ring around the outside when they are turned up too bright for the lighting conditions. Back to the Duty RDS MR, it features a selectable reticle system that is a first for Aimpoint. You can chose from a 2 MOA dot, 2 MOA dot in a 65 MOA circle, or just the 65 MOA circle. It's easy to switch between reticles, just hold the brightness up button and cycle through them. The dot is always going to be your typical Aimpoint 2 MOA dot. It's clear, bright, and clean. The circle portion is crisp and clean. The dot is always brighter than the circle, which is nice. I'm a 2 MOA dot guy generally, but I really like how crisp the circle dot setup is so far. Time will tell on that one. The most noticeable change about the reticle in the MR flavor is the lack of a red ring at high brightness. Even running just the 2 MOA dot, the red ring that is so prominent on the Duty RDS 2 MOA is not a thing on the MR variant. The other new feature the Duty RDS MR has is auto shut off. For most users this feature will be a negative. The reticle shuts off after two hours and turns on with movement within 24 hours. After 24 hours, it's just off and you have to push the up button to turn it back on. For a patrol rifle, this is a great feature as you can turn the optic on at the start of your work week and forget about it until you come back from days off. For a home defense rifle, it now functions like an EOTech and needs to be turned on when you need it. If Aimpoint made this feature user selectable or just function as a shake awake, it would be fine. Glass quality on the Duty RDS MR is fantastic. It has less blue tint than either my T2 or my three 2 MOA Duty RDS. The glass clarity is equal to the T2, maybe a little better without the tint the current T2 has. This is where it gets interesting. The spec sheet for the Duty RDS MR shows the light transmission ratings are better than the T2. The Duty RDS MR has greater than 80% light transmission from 420 to 900 nm; T2 is listed as having 70% light transmission from 420 to 900 nm. The original Duty RDS was listed as 85% light transmission from 420 to 620 nm, which is why I think it had such a poor reputation for NV performance and blue tint. This led me down the rabbit hole of looking at the current spec for the 2 MOA Duty RDS; it is now listed as greater than 80% light transmission from 420 to 900 nm. I dont know when Aimpoint made this change as they did not announce it. Aimpoint has a habit of making changes without announcements. The 2 MOA version has been out of stock for a while, so maybe that change has not hit the street yet. I'm just now starting to dabble in night vision so take the following with a huge grain of salt. My first impression passively aiming through the Duty RDS MR on a cloudy night in a rural area is really good. I'm not ready to say it's as good or better than the T2, but playing with them side by side I don't know that I can see a difference. I can confidently say the MR is a significant improvement over the three 2 MOA variants I have. I know that was a lot to cover, especially since I don't have a lot of time on this optic yet. I do think Aimpoint did themselves a disservice by only highlighting the multi-reticle system, when the glass and light transmission on the Duty RDS MR is so much better than the older models. |
|
I came close to buying a Duty for a few of my rifles. At the time the reviews were a mix bag and one review mentioned the MR being released. I felt like that one would be the better of the two since you get options. The one thing I didn’t like is the battery life and the odd mount. I was changing out my optics on a few AR’s and two bullpup rifles and I knew the optic would be difficult without changing the mount for my bullpup rifles. I ended up going with Sig Romeo 4T Pro’s and a 4XT Pro. I still want to try a Duty at some point and the MR would be the one I’d go with. Great right up and comparison between the two different Duty optics and a T2. |
| Replaced a T-1 on my KAC CQB with the new DUTY MR so I can run my 3x magnifier with it. I have to say the glass seems clearer than the older T-1 and definitely better than the original DUTY on my 8" Bren 2 SBR. The new MR coupled with the 3x-c magnifier works perfect together and is exactly what I hoped for on my CQB. Pleasantly surprised with how clear the circle dot reticle looks vs eotech hologram which always looks pixelated and blurry to me. |
|
Look at the Scalarworks mount offerings, they have mount/optic pairings for purchase or reference. When you want let's say a lower 1/3 with the duty, you have to get the correct Sw mount otherwise it will be to high if getting a T one. I would have to look at mine to see what model number is correct but the site makes it easy. SW1910 for 1.57 https://scalarworks.com/shop/quick-detach-mounts/leap-10/ |
AR Sponsor