I am looking for a solid CQB optic to mount on an M4 14.5 Bushmaster with A.R.M.S. standard swan sleeve for back up irons. I have never used either of these optics and would appreciate any opinion on the pros/cons of these two, or any other recommendations for a possible set up. I am hesitant about batteries, but have heard good things about the Aimpoint, but only from dealers. Any experienced shooter's opinions/experiences would be greatly appreciated.

I have had both an Aimpoint and a Reflex.  You would be better off with the Aimpoint.

The only nice thing about the Reflex is that it cowitneses perfectly when placed directly on a flat top.  But it will not do that on a Swan sleeve.  There are a lot of downsides to the Refelx.  It is too dark.  I had difficulty picking up medium to long range targets.  It also washes out in some circumstances.  A lot of times you end up using it as a OEG, and you need pretty good eyes for that.

The Aimpont has no downsides.  Great mount, cowitnesses OK, works as well on a sleeve as it does right on the receiver, long battery life, decent recticle, pretty light sight picture and easy to manipulate controls.  I bought my Reflex when the Aimpoints had batteries only that lasted a few hours.  Now that they last 10,000 hours or whatever, the battery issue is pretty moot.

Agreed. I have been using both about 3 years now. I used to like the Reflex better, but the Aimpoint won me over. There are things I really like about the Reflex and I still think it is a great sight. No on/off button is a great advantage, so is the triangle reticle. However wash out is a bog problem with the Reflex and the blue hue in the lens is a drag.

The Aimpoint with its incredible battery life is just an easier optic to use in my view. I'd recomend either without hesitation, but if I had to pick one, it would be the Aimpoint for me.

Ditto on the Aimpoint.  Too many different lighting conditions have played hell with the Reflex for me.  I've switched both the ones I had out for ML2's.  I used to think anyone using a battery operated sight was crazy, but the  CET Aimpoints took away that worry.

I wold also suggest the Aimpoint, I had three Reflexes in the past, I trade most of them in for the Aimpoint or the EOTech.  For CQB, EOTech is a bit faster, but if you are picking between Reflex and the Aimpoint, I would take the Aimpoint in a heart beat.  

Get the ReflexII only if seeing the dot is unimportant.......

-- Chuck

Is the Reflex II "brighter" (not as dark and bluish)than the original Reflex?

Dont know if its BRIGHTER per se, but the 12.5 MOA Triangle was certainly BIGGER and easier to see (when you could).

Thanks everyone for the great advice. I did some more research and found this review on sniper country:
http://www.snipercountry.com/Aimpoint.htm
-Its not the M2, but the predecessor M series.

I've also found a dealer that will allow me to mount the optic and shoot it prior to purchase so that I'll have a feel for it. All around this looks to be a great sight, and the new battery life makes me feel a lot better about purchasing a battery dependent sight. Does anyone have any idea of shelf life of back up batteries???

The shelf life of backup batteries is the same as all lithiums... 10 years.  Lithiums work in the coldest conditions and the M2 will have a life of 10000 hours at the minimum setting and you can get a battery doubler to get it to 20000 hours.  In all likelyhood the batteries in the unit and a pair of back ups will last almost as long as the tritium in the Reflex.  Get the Aimpoint M2 and you will not be disappointed.

Hahaha, Dev, you had me thinkning! The double batteries in the Aimpoint will last a Max of 20,000 hours, times another set of backup batteries will equal 40,000 hours. 40,000 hours equals about a little more than 4 and a half years. That's a heck of a long time, but the tritium in the Reflex is rated at about 15 years. I still like the new Aimpoints better, but the tritium will last longer [;)].

I, too, am currently debating the Aimpoint vs. Reflex for a CQB setup.  I was leaning way towards the Reflex because of the no-battery thing, but I know that most of you guys greatly prefer the Aimpoint.  So, if the new battery life negates the battery vs. tritium argument, how about the co-witness with irons?  I will be using the optic on a flat mount, RAS II, with the 300m KAC BUIS and fixed front site.  I believe the "hump" on the RAS II can be used specifically for the Aimpoint - no?

Finally, what price are we talking about for the Aimpoint?

Thanks again.

You can mount the Aimpoint wherever you want on a set up like yours. Another one of the great things about the Aimpoint are the MANY mounts available to you. With the right combination of mount and placement, you can easily get the aimpoint to co-witness on the bridge of the RAS II, or mounted out further on the handguards, or behind the bridge on the flat top upper. No worries there. Just decide where you'd like to attatch it and get the corresponding mount.