Photo by Michael Anschuetz
October 15, 2019
By Joel J. Hutchcroft
Trijicon has an entirely new miniaturized reflex sight designed specifically for use on handguns. Shooting Times received one of the first to come off the line, and it’s an exciting new offering.
Miniaturized red-dot/reflex sights got their start with competition pistol shooters who wanted the speed and precision of a red-dot optic but not the big, heavy tubes associated with them. Not long after, tactical operators figured out that a miniature reflex optic would allow them to use a long-range gun at short CQB ranges. The only catch was the early miniature reflex sights weren’t strong enough for combat use. But then Trijicon developed the RMR, which was able to stand up to the rigors of battle. The RMR has been used successfully for many years in battle and in competition shooting. Now the company has gone further and produced the SRO (Specialized Reflex Optic) that’s designed and contoured for optics-ready pistols.
The parallax-free, 1X SRO weighs 1.6 ounces with battery and has a unique rounded top, which provides a rounded 0.98x0.89-inch sight window and a large, unobstructed field of view. Three dot sizes are offered: 1 MOA, 2.5 MOA, and 5 MOA. The lens is tempered glass, the windage and elevation adjustments equal 1 MOA per click, and a total of 150 MOA travel is provided.
The Trijicon SRO is 2.2 inches long, 1.3 inches wide, and 1.4 inches high. It is waterproof to three meters, and it features an easy-access, top-loading battery compartment that is conveniently located on the same plane as the windage and elevation adjustments. Power is provided by a CR2032 battery, which provides automatic brightness adjustment of the red dot plus eight manual settings.
Photo by Michael Anschuetz The SRO has the same mounting footprint as the RMR, but uniquely, it does not require a sealing plate. It also does not need a mounting plate for many applications, such as on S&W M&P C.O.R.E. pistols, Walther Q5 Match and PPQ Q4 pistols, STI models cut for the RMR, Beretta APX, CZ P10, and custom-cut Model 1911s and Glock pistols. Mounting plates are required for Glock MOS pistols, Springfield XDM OSP pistols, and standard Model 1911s.
I received the Trijicon SRO with a 2.5-MOA dot and easily installed it on a Kimber KHX (OR) Model 1911 using Kimber’s Trijicon RMR mounting plate. It fit the pistol’s milled slide like the proverbial glove, and the circular viewing window made finding and tracking the dot fast and easy.
The SRO is compatible with suppressor-height iron sights, and the housing is made of forged 7075 aluminum, so it is sure to stand up to rugged use. So will the electronics. The company says the new sight will survive 30,000+ rounds.
MSRP: $739, trijicon.com
