Aimpoint says their new-to-the-civilian-market CompM5 red dot sight was “originally created to meet the needs of a specific official end user.” Since the compact, light weight optic is waterproof to 150 feet and can stay on for five years on a single AAA, any guesses as to who that original customer was? The larger, heaver AA-powered CompM4 retails for a little under $900, so look for the CompM5 to be a little north of that. Here’s their press release:

Aimpoint, the originator and worldwide leader in reflex sighting technology, has announced the addition of the new Aimpoint® CompM5™ sight to their professional product line. Powered by a single AAA battery, and weighing just 147 grams (5.19 ounces), the CompM5 takes its place as the most compact optic in the Aimpoint® Comp™ Series family of sights.

Originally created to meet the needs of a specific official end user, the CompM5 is now being offered for sale worldwide as contract commitments and production levels permit. The compact size of the CompM5 was made possible by the sight being powered by a single AAA battery. These small and lightweight batteries are inexpensive and easy to find almost anywhere in the world. Readily available alkaline versions of the AAA simplify logistics, and eliminate the potential shipping hazards inherent in lithium batteries. Like the other Comp Series sights, the CompM5 boasts an extremely long battery life – with over 5 years of constant-on use at intensity level seven.

The CompM5 is fully submersible up to 45 meters (150 feet), and is compatible with all generations of Night Vision Devices, as well as Aimpoint’s professional magnifier line. A military grade optical lens system gives the CompM5 exceptional light transmission and dot clarity, making the sight operationally parallax free, and providing a crisp, clear dot even under magnification.

“The Aimpoint Comp Series has been established as the worldwide standard for military grade reflex sights for over 20 years. The new CompM5 sight provides professional end users the same levels of performance provided by our full-sized sights in a much more compact optic,” said Lennart Ljungfelt, President of Aimpoint AB. “This new product saves size and weight for the operator, with no sacrifice in overall performance.”

About Aimpoint Inc.
Aimpoint produces a complete line of high quality reflex sights for use by military, law enforcement, hunters, and sport shooters worldwide. The company also produces electronic fire control systems for use on crew-served military weapons. For more information on the CompM5 or other Aimpoint® products, please visit the company’s webpage: www.aimpoint.com

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43 COMMENTS

  1. Game changer.

    Close to T1 form factor without the hassle of a coin battery.

    Rechargeable AAA batteries are ubiquitous. Well done, Aimpoint.

      • Even worse. Cost more than my fly rod.

        But why is everyone so scared of coin batteries and cr123 lithium cells? Yea I guess if you were shipwrecked with nothing but a pile of fedex packages you might find AAA batteries in a box, but a pack of 10 coin batteries is smaller than a single C battery and will last the rest of your life.

        Love my Aimpoints and prefer small over large.

      • Except if the battery life is weeks, Vortex didn’t beat anyone.

        The total package has not been available yet, not by a long shot.

    • Oh, so much THIS! My biggest complaint with optics has been the damned coin batteries. I always loved the “Alice the Goon” looking EOtech 512 because it uses batteries I can buy anywhere and recognize on sight.

    • Better to use Lithium AAA than rechargeable since they are more tolerant of temperature extremes and a spare in the grip will still be good years later.

    • Really? I carry a pair of spare coin cells in my grip and have a sheet of them in my gear box. Honestly, the ones in my grip alone should be enough to last me a few years. I’ve had to replace the battery on my T-1 exactly once in the decade I’ve owned it.

      What the hell are you doing with your optics that you can conceivably burn through more than 2-3 batteries in your lifetime?

    • “Rechargeable AAA batteries are ubiquitous.”

      When it runs 5 years on 1 disposable AAA, why go rechargeable?

      Rechargeable have a nasty habit of self-discharge in things used infrequently. Even the best of the bunch, like Panasonic’s Eneloop, (claimed 80 charge after one year) will eventually self-discharge on you. I would only trust a rechargeable for maybe a year or so.

      I tend to only use rechargeable only on the things in relative constant use, like lights, radios, power tools, etc…

      • The latest Eneloops are rated to still have a 70% charge after 10 years. That’s better than an alkaleak (alkaline).

  2. ” What the hell are you doing with your optics that you can conceivably burn through more than 2-3 batteries in your lifetime?
    Reply”

    That’s the same question I asked my EX about her vibrator

  3. my latest ar-15 carbine build the whole rifle cost about $900…with optic…and streamlight…all magpulled out:

    $300 hardened arms upper 16″ m4 profile barrel 1/9 twist

    $200 vortex diamondback hp 2-8×32 scope

    mil spec trigger

    shoots just over 1/4″ groups at 100 yards with factory winchester 5.56 55 grain white box q3131 ammo $7.50 a box at wal mart…without even trying that hard

    shoots just under 2 moa out to 300 yards with 75 grain otm trying pretty hard

    like I said… $200 scope… $300 upper…mil spec trigger

    not always but regularly i shoot as well or better with it than guys that easily spent 2-3x as much

    and im just a regular guy…no training no military no leo

    its probably a 1 moa rifle out to 300 with a better scope a better trigger and some formal training and practice

    given the chance to buy ONE optic for $900…or build another ENTIRE rifle like that for the same price…

    its no contest

    • LOL, it’s your money, dude–spend it however you want. Just don’t fool yourself into thinking your $900 total package platform + optic is “just as good” as a something 3-4x as much. That money goes into more than just marketing and brand recognition. Parts are more rugged, barrels are of better construction and more accurate, triggers are better, etc.

      If you want a weekend range toy, $900 ought to get you there. If you want something for SHTF, or combat, or passing down to your grandkids, you’re probably going to need to spend more money.

      • Just don’t try expensive nice things and you’ll be fine! Applies to most things, get a taste for quality and it’s hard going back to what you used to be happy with… Then the problem is all your hobbies get expensive… 🙁

        • Nyet, rifle is fine.

          Most glorious Mosin Nagant lasts for eternity for fraction of cost.

          Already passed down to three generations of grandchildren.

          Will outlive you and shitty plastic rifle.

    • So is it a .25MOA rifle or “probably a 1MOA” rifle?

      I’ll make you a deal, you send that rifle as you’ve described it to TTAG and I’ll run the full standard tests that I do for any AR review. If it goes the full 500 rounds without an issue and shoots 1/4″ five round groups off bags at 100 yards, I will pay you the $900 you spent on the rifle and send it back to you.
      If it fails to hit the 1/4MOA mark or fails to go 500 rounds without an issue using factory ammunition, I keep the rifle.
      I’ll pay the shipping either way, and I post the review either way.
      Deal?

      • PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE take him up on this. I’d love to see the myth of the “$900 just-as-good” rifle definitively busted.

    • It’s NEW AND IMPROVED! BETTER THAN EVER BEFORE! And they have to try to justify the outrageous price they charge the government for these gizmos.

      For this much money, I’ll buy a scope, tyvm, and meanwhile I will stick with my $125 Bushnell, since there isn’t currently a range anywhere in my area with ranges beyond 100 yards and I don’t plan to go swimming with it.

  7. I have a Holosun Red Dot that I bought 2 1/2 years ago and use frequently. IT STILL HAS THE SAME BATTERY…I NEVER TURN IT OFF(it has auto shut off/auto turn on). I recently bought a SOLAR/AUTO BRIGHTNESS Circle Dot Holosun for $149.99 and love it!! I also have 2 Aimpoint M4’s (and they are HEAVY). The Holosun’s work as good as the Aimpoints and are lighter with more USEFUL features! If I had any money invested in the Aimpoint’s (they were given to me) I would sell them!

    • *SIGH*

      Every time there’s a post about a new piece of cutting-edge but expensive kit, you get the inevitable commenter chiming in with, “BUT BUT MUH NC STAR IS JUST AS GOOD AND 1/10th THE PRICE!”

      No, dude. It isn’t just as good. Not everyone can afford the highest quality gear. Many people who can afford it still choose not to spend the money on it. That’s FINE. It’s your money, spend it however you want.

      But don’t knock the top quality gear for being expensive. A shitload of research went into designing and manufacturing something that no one else has ever built. That’s a good thing. Some people will need it. Some people will just want it. Innovation and product improvement cost money.

      I don’t ever plan to own a Lamborghini, but that doesn’t stop me from acknowledging the reality that it’s a better car than anything I’ll ever afford to drive.

      • I think there are two arguments here. The one that’s not complete bullshit it that battery compatibility on modern optics is a non-issue. As I said earlier, I’ve had to replace my T1 battery exactly once. A single sheet of coin cells will last you a lifetime and weighs more or less nothing.

        My go bag has a little waterproof case the size of a baseball. In it, I have 3 coin cells and 8 CR123s. Right now, the only gun stuff I own that doesn’t use one of those two is my PVS-14.

      • Talk about Panties in a bunch…
        NO Peter I didn’t say “NC Star is just as good!
        Yes “DUDE”…in my experience my HOLOSUN has worked as good or better than my Aimpoint’s. You may ask what kind of experience can this “Dude” have?? 12 years Military SF..25 years SWAT Instructor/Asst. Team leader/Sniper and in that time I have seen plenty of broken Aimpoints! I’m not saying Aimpoint is shit, they are actually very good (although overpriced and heavy)except for the T1. The reason my Aimpoint M4’s are in the safe and the Holosun’s are on my rifle’s is because the Aimpoint’s (M4)are so HEAVY! I use my rifles hard and often and the Holosun’s do the job better (lightweight/auto-on/auto off/solar powered auto brightness/etc.)”DUDE”!

        • Let’s see.

          Assuming you joined the military at 18 and went straight to “Military SF,” that would put you at 30 when you got out with 12 years. Then you get out and join PD. Takes at least two years to be eligible to put in for specialized units on most departments. So let’s say you were 32 when you joined SWAT. that would put you well into your fifties while still on the SWAT team, 57 to be exact.

          I just don’t buy it man.

          • Good math ….I am exactly 57 years old and retired….but still training SWAT Teams through my state’s Police Officers Standards and Training Commission. I did 6 years active duty/6 years National Guard (12 total). I was placed on SWAT as a rookie when I became a State Trooper because of my Military experience (Dignitary Protection/Anti-Terrorist Team Leader in the Middle East). I am retired now (after 25 years as a Trooper) and have been working part time for a Convention Center doing Undercover Security/Active Shooter Prevention. As I said above since I retired I have been teaching SWAT-Basic and Advanced/Sniper-Basic and Advanced/Tactical Rappel Master/Patrol Rifle and in my free time I write poetry!!

        • Didn’t mean to get under your skin by calling you “dude,” bro. No harm no foul.

          And I’m not questioning your credentials. If I take them at face value, they’re very impressive.

          Regardless, everyone is entitled to his or her own opinions. If you happen to think Holosuns are better than Aimpoints, that’s your call, even though you’ve got to realize that 99% of people familiar with both will disagree. It’s your buck, and your gun, so buy whatever floats your own boat.

        • Tacbear

          But are you comparing like to like? Holosun makes micro red dots. There are things those are useful for and things that they aren’t. I personally like a slightly larger field of view through my sight and a little less parallax shift. (Yes, red dots still have some parallax shift.) That’s why my go-to rifle has a MRO and not my T-1. If weight is your primary consideration, sure, any micro red dot will be better than an M4, but the weight difference can be neglected if you like the better field of view iand that’s your priority.

          The better question is can you honestly say that the Holosun is as good as a T-1? I have both and give off a girlish giggle at the idea. Sure, the performance difference is not proportional to the cost difference, but if you need that extra 10%, you’ll shell out the cash.

          • NO THE HOLOSUN IS NOT AS GOOD AS THE AIMPOINT T1! I guess I am one of the few here that doesn’t shit gold bricks!

  8. Tacbear,
    I wish someone would give me an Aimpoint!
    Or even a Holosun
    For the average recreational shooter, I agree that the Aimpoint is overkill
    I have an Aimpoint on my Steyr Aug and that is my TEOTWAWKI gun
    Combat proven, always on
    My CZ Scorpion wears a Bushnell red/green multireticle scope
    For plinking, range use and home defense it works fine
    I prefer the crosshair reticle instead of a dot
    The dot can cover the entire bullseye while the cross let’s you see the center
    You don’t see anyone using a Holosun or Bushnell in a combat zone

  9. I get the price/quality continuum. No problem there. But if I’m going to be stuck staring into a tube for around $1,000 then I’m going to pay just a tiny bit more and get an ACOG.

    I love my eotech and magnifier combo which cost around the same TOGETHER. I wish thermal shift wasn’t a thing because it’s got me all worried about my sight. Love it too much to use anything else though.

    • ACOG is also a good choice, and a very nice piece of kit, but the ACOG and the Aimpoint are two different animals. Aimpoint is unmagnified, parallax free, battery-driven, and has unlimited eye relief. ACOG is none of those things.

      Again, they’re both great choices for their own specific applications. It’s just apples and oranges.

    • Meh, thermal shift wasn’t an issue for me since I didn’t experience temperature swings, but my seals leaked and my reticle started to fade. If it weren’t for that, I’d still have my 512. My only other complaint about it (in stark contrast to red dots) was the mediocre battery life.

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