Likes it rough.

I have had my Aimpoint COMPM4 for about a year now. I have competed with it, left it on in the closet from day one to test out battery life, and it has been a constant companion on range trips. We need not argue over the brands pedigree. We know that it has a solid reputation for durability and reliability... but is it worth your coin or will a lower end RDS suffice?

Examining the COMPM4:

I got the M4 after trading for a Vortex 1-4x variable viper PST. My reasons for trading were weight and bulk related as the Vortex with mount started making my rifle feel like the titanic. I appreciate a rifle that's on the trimmer side so I decided to try a used high end red dot sight. The Comp M4 is built tough and is really all business: The one piece machined barrel of the optic is made with precision. The mounting system is robust and has some "heavy metal" construction. Weight is: 11.8 oz with the mount.

The only moving component is the dial switch for dot brightness which leads me to my only complaint. The dial has lots of side to side turning movement before you actually click over a new setting. It has yielded no issues as far as reliability, but it is a complaint I have seen elsewhere. Why on a 700 dollar red dot does the only moving part feel loose as a goose? No Idea. So far so good and it has not gotten worse or affected the optics performance.  
 
2 MOA precision:

The 2MOA red dot has been a great shooting aid. The choice to go with a 2MOA dot has allowed me to dial the intensity down to eliminate glare or bloom (present in many bright red dots) and what is left is a very precise 2MOA dot. I owned a Trijicon RMR but the 6MOA dot and the intense bloom held back my ability to acquire the target. The more precise dot of the CompM4 has been a blessing. Three simple holds have allowed me to make hits out to 400 yards with this optic; however using the dot at 500 yards becomes guesswork as to how far above the target you have to hold... but at this distance I can barely see a white man sized steel silhouette anyway. If pushing past 400 yards is your goal I would suggest magnification.  

The optic holds its zero well. I have removed and replaced it, bumped it, scraped it, ect and so far no zero change. Nothing has affected its performance. I would like to throw it into concrete and blast it out with dynamite for you guys but I think a few other people have done things like that before so I don't see the need blow up my optic. If you are thinking about buying a Aimpoint product then you know many people will back up the brands legendary reliability and toughness.

Worthy of the investment?

From a rifleman's perspective... it depends on your needs but overall YES. It has assisted my shooting out to 400 yards very well. Hits are fairly easy with it at that distance. It is lighter than the previous setup I had equipped on this rifle so there is another bonus. At this price range you are getting into ACOG territory but here the question here is which fits your needs better? Will speed up close and "man sized target" capabilities out to 400 yards suit your needs better than 4x magnification and precision the ACOG (or variable) provides? Which do you prefer? So far the CompM4 has complimented my modest rifle skills and it is dump truck tough to boot.



www.thenewrifleman.com

Thanks for reading guys, let me know how I am doing with my writing and blogging and what you would like to see reviewed or done down the road test or review wise.

Good review, thx! A few more technical details for those unfamiliar w/the CompM4 might be nice (AA battery, 80K hrs battery life, etc).
The play in the brightness control knob is actually the result of physically disconnecting the knob from the switch proper so impacts to the knob won't break the switch (major problem w/earlier M-series Aimpoints).
The CompM4/M4S are my fav 30mm Aimpoints.
Tomac

advantages of the down battery compartment vs the up version would be nice...

this is gonna be my next optic so I appreciate the effort put into this

thank you

I picked up a comp4sM4s  and I think it is great as well, a very well made optic that performs extremely well.  Well worth the investment. Great write up.

The slop in the adjustment dial is purposefully designed by Aimpoint as such. The older Comp M2 did not have any slop/play in the adjustment dial, and would easily be moved by bumping into things, dropping the rifle, etc.
Aimpoint added that feature to the Comp M4 specifically to address that issue. By allowing some slop/play, it is less likely a bump will cause the setting to be moved.
It may not seem like a big deal, but when you are outside with the dot near or at full brightness, if it gets bumped and is adjusted to a lower setting, when you go to shoot the rot may not be visible due to the setting on it being changed inadvertently. This doesn't happen with the Comp M4 because of the slop/play.
Again, probably not a big deal at the range, but remember these optics are the Army's M68 CCO (Close Combat Optic), and so having this happen to a soldier on patrol in the sunny middle east would not be good. Aimpoint listened closely to the complaints of the original M68 (Comp M2) and decided to make the change when they submitted the Comp M4 and M4S to the Army, which has replaced the Comp M2 as the new M68 CCO.

ETA, related pic:
MWS clone with SU-233 Gun Light.

Thanks for the input!

I will add more statistics to future reviews.

Unfortunately I don't have the low battery model to review. I wouldn't mind having one to play with.

The only complaint I have about the M4S (and this is *very* minor) is that the lower switch just *barely* keeps you from reversing the QRP2 mount if you want the mount knob on the right side instead of the left.
Tomac

Nice sight, too bad it's way overpriced and heavy.  If I'm gonna spend that kinda coin I'm buying a T1/H1 that weighs half as much.

80k hr battery life is worth it IMO. Although, the T1 is 60k so it's not far behind.