Aimpoint H2 Failure on 1301T

[Gray Ghost]

I offer the following as an anecdotal data point only.

I have a 1301T set up with the Aridus Industries forend, stock adapter, and Aimpoint CROM mount. It has the Magpul SGA stock, as well as a SureFire M600 and a Wilderness Giles Sling. It formerly had an Aimpoint H2 on the CROM mount. I had a few hundred rounds on it in this configuration. I took one of TCinVA's classes with it last year. I had not fired it in a while. Back in April I took it to a local indoor range to shoot the Virginia DCJS shotgun qualification. This is a ridiculously easy course that involves shooting five slugs at a Q target. I fired the first slug, and as the gun came out of recoil, I noticed the dot jump dramatically to the right. It had formerly co-witnessed with the irons.

It moved enough that when I fired the four successive slugs using the dot, they were barely on the edge of the target (the paper not the bottle). I took it home and played with it, and I was able to adjust the turrets to get it to co-witness again, but I just didn't trust it.

So I took it off and dug out the box and sales receipt. I had purchased it about two years prior.

I eventually called Aimpoint USA and got an RMA number. It took me a couple of weeks after that to get around to sending it to them. I finally did. My package was delivered on June 14th. On June 21st, I got an automated e-mail saying my ticket had been closed. This morning I wrote back to ask what that meant. The reply I got was as follows:

We have your sight and it is in Sweden now being serviced.
We should have it on its way back to you shortly.

I take this as a good sign that Aimpoint identified a problem of some sort and are working on it. I am being patient, as I have other guns to rely on, and I want it fixed correctly.

The big question I am wrestling with is this: Is 12 gauge recoil just too punishing to use a red dot at all? If it kills an Aimpoint, maybe that is what we call a clue? Maybe I should just use irons?

I own a number of other Aimpoints (as well as numerous conventional optics), and this is the first one that has ever failed.

[TCinVA]

I've seen a few Aimpoints exhibit this issue in class. Someone is shooting and then all of a sudden they start launching rounds far off their intended point of aim. First thing to check is the mount, as that is usually the failure. But the adjustment mechanism inside some of the units can get knocked out of whack by the 12 gauge recoil.

It doesn't happen on every unit. I don't regard it as an eventuality.

As an example, I bought a Primary Arms microdot a few years ago because I kept getting questions about them as an economical alternative to the Aimpoint. I expected to kill it in short order, but years and thousands of shells of defensive ammo later it's still working just fine.

In fact, I've seen quite a few Primary Arms and Holosun units in class and I've only seen a couple of them fail.

Aimpoint, as good as they are, is not infallible. They will ship units that have defects from time to time, some so minor the owner may never see them. If your optic was on a 5.56 the problem with the tracking mechanism likely wouldn't have manifested.

Aimpoint likely ships fewer defects than most companies in the business and their customer support is good.

Shotguns are rough, but not so rough that you should expect optics to fail in short order when mounted on one.

[BobM]

I've seen a few Aimpoints exhibit this issue in class. Someone is shooting and then all of a sudden they start launching rounds far off their intended point of aim. First thing to check is the mount, as that is usually the failure. But the adjustment mechanism inside some of the units can get knocked out of whack by the 12 gauge recoil.

It doesn't happen on every unit. I don't regard it as an eventuality.

As an example, I bought a Primary Arms microdot a few years ago because I kept getting questions about them as an economical alternative to the Aimpoint. I expected to kill it in short order, but years and thousands of shells of defensive ammo later it's still working just fine.

In fact, I've seen quite a few Primary Arms and Holosun units in class and I've only seen a couple of them fail.

Aimpoint, as good as they are, is not infallible. They will ship units that have defects from time to time, some so minor the owner may never see them. If your optic was on a 5.56 the problem with the tracking mechanism likely wouldn't have manifested.

Aimpoint likely ships fewer defects than most companies in the business and their customer support is good.

Shotguns are rough, but not so rough that you should expect optics to fail in short order when mounted on one.

That’s good to know, I had to re-purpose the Micro from my 1187 to an AR pistol. I put a PA “Micro” on it before deer season. Eventually I’ll get another Aimpoint but it’s held zero so far through deer and turkey seasons. A couple summers ago I also took it to a Rangemaster shotgun class as for now, it’s my “do-all” shotgun.

[Wayne Dobbs]

PM out to you.

[Gray Ghost]

UPDATE

By way of update, I arrived home yesterday after a couple of days out of town on business. There was a box waiting for me from Aimpoint. Inside was a service ticket which quoted my original description of the problem. There was also an item on the sheet captioned "Action description." It said this: "Broken diode. Warranty Exchange." Inside the box was a new H2 with a different serial number. It also included the low mount, flip-up lens covers, and adjustment tool which I had not sent in along with sight, so now I have two sets of those (which aren't used with the Aridus mount but it was nice of Aimpoint to send them).

I can't complaint about the resolution. Aimpoint stood behind their warranty. My package was delivered on June 14, and the replacement was at my door on July 21 or 22 ( I am not sure, as I was way). That is about five and half weeks. Not blazing fast, but not terrible either given that they sent it back to Sweden.

What it cost me was shipping one way. I am also out the ammo it will take me to zero and test the new sight, but that is just the cost of doing business. I'll get the new sight mounted on my 1301 and report back.

[GJM]

I have used legacy (30mm tube) Aimpoint optics on various .45-70, .375H&H, and .458 Lott rifles, and enough shotguns to believe they hold up to recoil as well as any optic. I have less experience with micros on heavy recoiling rifles, but still have shot hundreds of full power slugs with them without an issue.

Wouldn’t the forces imparted to a micro mounted on a 1301 be much less than a micro on a slide mounted pistol?

[SecondsCount]

Is the H2 lighter duty than the T2?

I had an H1 on an AK for a while and never had an issue. My son gave me a Chinese knockoff MRO and my 9mm AR killed it in less than 200 rounds. The lens retaining ring came loose.