Our own @Wayne Dobbs was kind enough to loan me a demo Acro P-2 this past weekend.
It’s hard to give a review of something after only a few days with it, but I told him I would so here goes.
Just remember, these are one guy’s opinions and your mileage may vary.
Background
I started playing with pistol-mounted RDO’s back in 2013 or so, but didn’t seriously consider one for my own use on a gun I actually carried until last year when I started using a Trijicon RM07 Type 2 mounted on my duty/daily carry Glock 17. Most of my pistol RDO time has been spent with both Type 1 (shoe-goo) and Type 2 RMR’s although I also really like the DPP despite its shortcomings.
When I first saw the Aimpoint Acro P-1 a couple years ago my first thought was, “Well that’s big and ugly.”
I’ve had the same Aimpoint CompM2 for a decade and a half mounted on my work carbine. I’ve banged it into just about everything possible and exposed it to just about every element that Northern and Southern California can muster and having only changed the battery less times than I have fingers, usually leaving it turned on, I have to say I’ve been extremely impressed with what the product the company offers. Never mind the fact my department has another 140 or so Aimpoint optics in service all which have had zero issues. So despite my first impression, I figured Aimpoint probably knew what they were doing with a pistol RDO. When I really began to understand the benefits of a truly enclosed emitter, the call of the Acro became more and more appealing and the now advertised long battery life out of the common 2032 just pushed me over the edge. I pre-ordered one.
I have ZERO experience with the Acro P-1 so I cannot compare the two.
The Gun and the Holster
I had signed myself and four co-workers up for Mike Pannone’s 2-day RDS Instructor Class in San Mateo. Because I’ve been getting bored with Glock and re-discovered my love of the USP as of late, I decided to buy a 2020 VP9 for the class.
I’ve modified lots of Safariland holsters over the years for myself and co-workers, but if you want it done right, send it to out to Chris Geist. Since Safariland doesn’t make a holster for a VP9 with an optic, I sent a P320 6360RDS to Chris of Ghostmen Designs. I’m not sure what or how he does it, but the holster fit the VP9 much better than it had fit a P320 and it accommodated the gun with the Acro mounted just fine. It also fit that gun much better (and smoother) than recent Safariland holsters meant for Glocks fit Glocks. I highly recommend his work.
The Aimpoint Plate fit the VP9’s mounting system well. I had mounted XS suppressor height sights on the VP9 (the only option right now) and they had a decent lower 1/3 co-witness with the Acro.
Impressions Before Class
I fired about 300 rounds of a mix of 124gr Federal American Eagle and 124gr Federal HST +P through the gun at our department range on Thursday morning just to familiarize myself with it and test the setup prior to going to class.
I have to say the dot is very clear. Even with my astigmatism.
The glass is very clear. More on that later.
Next to an RM07 Type 2. Stupid iPhone distorts the dot. It’s actually very clear and round.
The controls are intuitive and very easy to use. I can’t see them being bumped accidentally.
It requires a Torx wrench to zero. I use a handy piece of range brass to adjust my RMR so thought this was kind of lame, but then again if it holds zero the way I would expect it to this is kind of a non-issue. You don’t have to take it off to change the battery and since the mounting is superior to the RMR theoretically you’ll very rarely have to take it off and re-zero it.
The mounting for the Acro is awesome. It has a nice fat bolt that pinches a rail ala Picatinny rail. If you’ve ever had to fight stripped out RMR screws or the myriad of issues that can happen to those tiny little things you’ll appreciate this.
The Acro feels large. No way around it. I don’t like the way it sits high on the VP9’s plate mounting system and don’t see this gun and optic working for my long term. Keep in mind, my daily is an RMR on a milled Glock factory slide so it sits as low as it can go.
The design of the Acro does lend itself to being mounted quite low on a pistol milled for it. Unlike an RMR, Holsosun 508, or DPP, it isn’t flat on the bottom so it seems it can be milled very low depending on the internals in the slide it’s being mounted on. I know ATEi offers milling on the P320 slide that mounts it so low it allows the use of standard height sights as backup sights. I think that would be the way to go.
Bright sun light and sun at weird angles seems to have little effect on it. The sun was low in the sky which usually creates that annoying multi-dot thing with the RMR. I didn’t get any of that with the Acro P-2. When I took it out in bright sun later in the day I also didn’t have any issue with the dot washing out. I’m not sure it has a lot to do with the body design, but it always seems like the dot is in the shade. I dig the Acro in bright sun.
Impressions At Class
The class was a typical two day deal on Saturday and Sunday that was open only to LE and was shot at an indoor range. I’ve taken classes from Noner before so I knew what to expect. Buck Pierson from Staccato was his co-instructor and was also great.
I fired 525 rounds of Federal American Eagle 124gr FMJ during the class. Neither the gun nor the optic had a single hiccup. I was a tad rusty and this was only the second time shooting the VP9 and Acro, but I think I did alright. I learned quite a bit since this is the first formal training on an RDO I’ve had. All five of us from my department had nothing but positive things to say about the class in general and we’re going to go back and create a “transition” course for RDOs.
Enclosed emitters are cool. At one point Buck walked around spraying guy’s optics with water to simulate that scenario and how to work through it. With an enclosed emitter it’s a non-issue. Pretty much any crap that gets on the back of your optic you can simply wipe it off.
I had already compared the Acro to my own RMR’s and thought the glass was pretty clear. The guy shooting next to me had a Holosun 509T milled by ATEi into a M&P and we swapped guns for a minute. The Holosun has a wider field of view, but man, is it distorted and blue/green. The Acro’s field of view is tall and clear compared to the 509t. I couldn’t wait to get the Acro back.
Both the Acro and the VP9 were 100% reliable in two day class as I would have expected.
I shot a couple of Staccato’s. As a long time 1911 nerd I know what my next gun purchase is going to be.
Ending Thoughts
I really liked the Acro and hated to send it back. I’m anxiously awaiting my own coming in. I think for a bomb-proof duty optic it’s more than worth the cost.
I don’t like the size. There is no free lunch. I feel comfortable sticking an RMR on just about anything since it’s fairly small and compact. I can’t say that about the Acro. While similar in footprint, it is fairly bulky because it’s fully enclosed. Like the DPP, it’s a bit of a trade-off. I think for me it will be a gun/milling specific optic.
Would I carry one for concealed carry? I think it depends on body type, concealment method and the gun being used. Someone on here will probably slam me for saying this, but it’s big and if you mill it into a Glock it has to go at the back of the slide which will lend it to feeling bigger. As stated previously I think it may be perfect for a gun like the P320 where it can be set very low. If you want absolute reliability and can conceal it then sure.
I think on a duty pistol carted around in the elements in a duty holster it’s absolutely perfect. Long battery life with an easily changed common battery you can buy at a 7-Eleven or CVS; impervious to the elements; little effect from the sun; super clear bright dot and clear glass; bang it into as much crap as you want and it will hold zero. For a general issue optic for your average cop I think it is the way to go.
I think the Acro P-2 will prove to be cop proof (big endorsement).
So there you go…
…and a big thank you to Wayne!
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Originally Posted by Erick Gelhaus
