Thanks to Augee and PA_Mike for all the information!

we took my buddies out this past Xmas wknd on his AR (blem with included riser).  Put 250 rounds through it with no issues, brightness deff needed to be cranked up to like 8 in the outdoor sun.

on another note, might have my blem up in the EE tonight as my dad surprised me with a Holoson Circle dot for xmas which makes more sense to put on my shotgun then this blem simply due to the 65moa reticle

Received my blem.  Tough little optic.  I feel like I stole it.  Will be looking to score another soon.

I have both a Pro and an MRO,  so I have something to compare to.

PA did a good job.  Fix the NV issue, and at full price it’s a bargain.

That's the one I was talking about.

The TRS 25 is less than half the price and has triple the stated battery life.

What makes this particular model better than the TRS 25?

Better bulid quality, perhaps?

Schuyler Arms has the Primary Arms one for $70, and the Bushnell TRS25 usually sell for around $50ish on sale?  That said I would likely still buy the PA one even though I have never owned one. I have owned a couple TRS25s and they are good optics for the money but when compared to my other PA red dots aren't nowhere near as clear and the dot is not as clear either and doesn't look like a clear circle.

I would bet that the TRS25 and the cheaper $70 PA Micro have about the same battery life but are rated differently based on what they chose.  I could be wrong on that and would like to know if the TRS25 really does have a longer life or if it's just a number made up for a certain brightness setting.

Also when you watch the EE here and buy used optics the PA ones will often be sold for $50-60 which is about the same as the TRS25's being sold here.  I'd pay the extra $15-20 having never owned one.  Maybe that would change if I compared them both side by side.

I also wanted to say I noticed some glare while looking through my blems as well but haven't gotten to take them out to shoot yet so don't know how bad it will be in the sun.

And I totally understand the comment made by Mike on do we put money into a fix for an existing dot or one for the future.  But since this dot just came out and new ones usually aren't made but every few years I think it would be safe to put it into this one so we don't have to wait a few years for all of the upgrades.  Unless you have another new model you plan on introducing in the next year or so?  I am so down for a U.S. made PA red dot and would happily fork over the extra cash to put them on the higher end builds assuming they weren't Aimpoint prices.  But really there isn't much that is needed for upgrading since this sight is just about perfect other then a couple slight things.

So known issues so far on the new model:
-Night Vision settings to bright - Being fixed as we speak
-Slight glare when light is behind optic - Probably not an issue for most, and I doubt it bothers me much either but a fix is very welcomed.
-Very slight Magnification - This is very very slight but bothers me more then the glare I think.  It still isn't enough to matter and if you aren't looking for it you likely won't notice.

Pros
-50k Battery Life
-Dials are very positive
-Very clear glass with a crisp reticle
-Feels extremely solid and well built
-Battery is held in place with an o-ring setup unlike my PA ACSS red dot - This means the sight stays on even with battery cap removed and makes me very happy because I have issues with my ACSS version on this.  My ACSS dot has to have the cap on with a certain amount of tightness or else you can smack it and the dot dies due to the battery shifting inside.  I want to try and find a fix for this sometime.

Overall - In my opinion it is an amazing optic for $150 and even more so for the $70 blems.  You get 95% of the performance of an Aimpoint for a fraction of the cost.  I know they are new and haven't been out long but I think they are going to hold up really well and take the abuse better then the older models which took abuse well themselves.  I wouldn't be surprised at all if this thing took the same amount of abuse that an Aimpoint would take and still keep ticking - minus maybe diving to the bottom of the ocean with it.  It is one heck of a deal and beats all of the other dots in this price point for me I just wish they came in an ACSS version which I figure will likely happen.  The 2 slight issues with the slight glare and slight magnification could be fixed to make this a perfect optic but even without them it is pretty much as good as I will ever need.

Everyone. The TRS is junk. Maybe they will switch the emitter again to save money and screw customers for a while again. F them.

Yeah at first I was like Wtf when I was introduced to it. . But then I tried it and fell in love. Totally. I think it breaks down to different body types too. You might absolutely hate it.

I keep hearing that the blem model/MD-RB-AD is a new model, but I seem to remember recommending the 50k hour battery life optic from PA a couple of years ago to a buddy who had bought his first AR.  Was that the push-button MD-ADS model that is made by Holosun for Primary Arms?  I honestly don't remember the specs.  In other words, the Holosun push-button model has been around a few years and the MD-RB-AD is an upgraded model of the one they still sell that has the 1000 hour battery life and rotary knob?

Yes

I ran one on my duty rig for years. Several others have also. Never an issue among us.

I'm new to all of this.  I picked up a blemed FDE and haven't had a chance to mount it yet.  It's my first step into the world of red dots.

Will I be able to mount it to my AR with the mount supplied with the red dot or will I need to buy a different "riser"?  If I need to buy a new riser, what should I be looking for?

Thanks y'all for your help.  And @PA_Mike, thanks for being active in this thread.  This is my first order from y'all and based on what I'm seeing, it won't be my last.

You have to take the 4 torx screws out of the base that is installed on the sight from the factory. Then use those same 4 screws to mount the supplied riser base to the sight.

Do not remove the other screw, the phillips one. That screw is the port for purging the sight with nitrogen.

To make it BIG!

How long has the rb-ad been out?  I admittedly haven't paid much attention to the PA red dots the last few years but the blem caught my attention.

Not very long, a couple months maybe.

My pleasure, hell of a red dot for a lot more money.....Forget the part about, a lot more money.

Props goes to "Thezman".

Thanks, I was gonna make it more obvious but never tried on a IPad.

Test

Looks like I figured it out.

I just want to know when I can buy another

Got my FDE blem installed. Love it.
Now just need to dirty it up a bit!

It won't help for people that ignore the big red letters on the manual.

Nature has a way of trying to "Cull the Herd".

Laughing with you bro, not at you.

I really think the manual was/is a bad place to warn people of the screw issue.  How many people truly read the manual, or for that matter even look at the thing before messing with a product?  I must admit for 99% of the stuff I buy I never look at it unless I have a question about something.  These sights are very self explanatory....

I still think for the future runs you guys should put a little sticker over that screw that says DO NOT REMOVE SCREW UNDERNEATH or something similar to that.  Then they could see the sticker as they was pealing it off.  Or at the very least put a tag on a string around the base of the optic that says the same thing.  Too many people just don't even look at the manual and while the STOP sign on the front of it is a nice touch it didn't make me think it was a warning for anything I just thought it meant hey guy you should check out how to use your optic first.  Kind of like replacing the Please Read Manual Before Using with a STOP sign.  

Thanks Mike!
I had an issue with the light mount that was on there.
Have an Arisaka offset on the way currently.
I always feel a little on edge when one of my rifles is without a light for any extended period of time!

yeah, that font...  let the marketing dept. take a second look at that.

I have been buying Primary Arms since the time the 30mm clone was their primary product, they used to be up the street from where I grew up in Texas which is maybe why they caught my attention.

I bought one of the last batch of blems, still need to mount it.

As far as NODs go, I will have my buddy with a 203 launch parachute flares and we shall make our stand with the enemy WWI style...

Ok I bought one of the push button 50k models to go on a Fortis mount.  Is this the best one they have?

Double tap

Is there an ETA on when the fix will be complete?  I may cancel and hold out for the new one.

Love your optics btw I've had several.

Saw that coming I likely will get both but I just bought an Aimpoint so this PA will likely be my last optics purchase for next 6 months or so.

I'll just get the currently available one now and see what the year brings money wise later.

It'll be going on an Androcorp 300blk AR pistol. Look forward to trying it out.

How are the Prism 3x and 5x optics with ACSS? A good choice in lieu of an ACOG for a budget A4 clone?

Attached File

Awesome, thanks for the info!

Any plans to upgrade the 30mm?

Cause your “blem” you sold me has me sold  on the MD-ADS, and now I want the same thing in 30mm.

I'm poor.  I have no night vision.

Sell me the blems.  I'll take a 30mm too.

Good.  When they are in stock, your “blem” sold a 30mm and another Micro....so...

Good lord PA shipping is fast.

Got my dot installed,  very impressed with the optic.  Had some frustration with my Shockwave and Fortis mount getting under my skin a bit but the dot is very nice.

Attached File

Easiest way to stop a knuckle head like me from screwing it up? Don't have cutouts for the purge port on the mount. 5 cutouts means 5 screws need to come out so I can switch the mount. Cause once I get it mounted, then I might glance at the manual of big red letters.

That would be my first choice as well but I didn't figure PA would get new mounts made up for all the ones they already had and a little sticker put over it would be doable and fairly easy.  But totally agree, there is no reason that hole should be in that base... anyone taking that screw off to release the nitrogen can go ahead and take the base off as well.

I picked up a black and FDE version of the blems and I finally got out to the range. I noticed a lot of reflection glare, even on a partly cloudy day. It's very distracting and I decided to go back to my Eotech. Anyone else have this issue?

Wait just a minute, the advanced 30mm red dot is defective also?

@PA_Mike

Anymore blemished PA red dots coming to market?