During the majority of my military service with the 2nd Ranger Battalion, I used an Aimpoint M68/Comp M2. While I also used an ACOG at times, the trusty Comp M2 rode with me on nearly every mission during my 5 combat deployments. Never one hiccup, never one failure. Aimpoint (of Sweden) earned a great deal of respect from me, but that was nowhere near the pinnacle of their efforts or abilities. Enter the Aimpoint Micro H-2.
Imagine if you will, that I had been issued an optic the day I took my oath of enlistment. Turning it on, imaginary me put it in a box and went along my way. Upon completion of my 4 year enlistment, that red dot would still be turned on, with enough battery life to last more than another year. When we’re talking about the Micro H-2‘s 50,000 battery life, that’s the kind of longevity Aimpoint wrings out of the ACET diode circuitry. Fifty. Thousand. Hours. On one 3v CR2032 battery! There are 12 brightness settings on the 2 or 4 MOA dot, with the brightest being more than sufficient even on a sunny day.
The H-2 is a svelte little minx, weighing in at 93 grams without mount and 136 grams with the mount and flip-up lens covers. The H-2 is barely over 2.5″ long and is under 2″ tall. Not at all a show pony, this optic is tough as well. Waterproof to 15 feet, impervious to humidity, shockproof and capable of operating in temperature swings from -113°F to 160° F. All that in a little anodized aluminum body.
My H-2 came with clear scope caps, allowing me to shoot even if I “oops” and keep the caps down due to rain. Windage and elevation are adjusted using one of the scope caps which has two little nipples on the exterior. Said nipples fit into two female divots within the top of the scope turrets, allowing them to be spun. Herein lies what might be my only gripe about the H-2: only one cap has both the adjustment nipples on the outside and the directional arrows printed on the inside of the cap. The other cap is flat on the outside and contains no directional arrows on the inside. So, if you’re needing to make vertical adjustments but the one capable scope cap is on the horizontal adjustment turret, be prepared to remove both. Yes it’s a small complaint, but it’s one easily remedied by discontinuing the use of the flat/bare cap. These turret caps are easy enough to lose as it is, no need to remove both if you only need to make adjustments in one direction.
My first range trip went very well: I tossed the H-2 onto my SBR and was shredding pieces of shattered clay pigeons at 50 yards with no adjustments. When I took the SBR/H-2 combo out to 100 yards on a zero target, I did need to make a few clicks worth of adjusting to center my group on the bullseye. What started out as light rain turned into a torrential downpour as Graham Baates and I did a lengthy and time-consuming workup for a rifle from Ranger Proof Arms. The H-2 spent the entire time out in the rain but honestly, does anyone expect me to say there was a problem? There was of course none. Aimpoint’s reputation for durability is long-established and with good reason.
One reason I liked my issued Comp M-2 (as well as this H-2 and my personal Comp C-3) is that Aimpoint‘s dots appear to be better defined and have less bloom than lesser quality red-dot sights. This is of course in addition to a ridiculously long battery life, extreme resistance to the elements and rock-solid mounts. Using the 2 MOA dot on a 1″ circle at 100 yards should prove challenging, yes? Turn down the intensity a little further than normal, keep both eyes open and let your brain transpose the red dot onto the black. You’ll be able to see both and still sling lead. I was able to print a 1″ group using Barnes T-TSX rounds before the rain got too heavy. I’ll get back out to the range to repeat the feat and post the results.
With more than 1,000,000 M68’s in use with the US military, Aimpoint has established a huge presence in the red-dot market. With massive success after massive success, they have continually built upon their legacy to the point where the missteps and QC issues that seem to plague Aimpoint’s competitors feel all but impossible for Aimpoint to stumble into. The Micro H-2, released in 2015, is yet another stepping stone on Aimpoint’s path to perfection. Buy one and rest assured, it may just be the last red-dot you’ll ever need to buy. The Micro H-2 retails for around $700 and has a 10 year warranty for personal use. Check it out!
