Hi Guys,
Lookin' for some input from the hardcore Aimpoint users out there....

I've got an older Aimpoint M68 that the "dot" looks more like a collection of small dots, smeared a little.  At first, I thought that it was my eyes or something, but my two sons tell me that it looks the same to them.

Question - is this common on the older M68s?  If not, what do I need to do to get it fixed?  Will Aimpoint fix it?  All input is appreciated.

Thanks in advance,
SonnyBubba
[email protected]

I think aimpoints have a 10 year warranty.  You might try emailing customer service at aipoint, on the other hand I know people that pay good money to have a collection of goofy dots...Eotech.

If it is one of the oldder Comp M/ML XDs then yes they were known to have a few quirks. Things like the knobs falling off, brightness changes and weird shape dots. These problems were part of the reason they redesigned the M2/ML2 models. I have heard that you can send it back to Aimpoint and they will fix it for you. All of the people that I know, including myself, just opted to sell our Comp M/ML's and buy new Comp M2/ML2's.

When you focus on the target and not the dot,  you'll get the desired effect.

Make sure you are not using to bright a setting...or turn it up and look through it into a light.  You will be able to see the exact shape of the dot without any kind of glare or distortion.  

The dot in any red dot sight can appear distorted, but in the case of Aimpoint sights anyway, it's not usually a mechanical problem in the sight.  Ususally, it's just that the shooter's eye can not resolve the dot (worse with smaller dots) under the conditions present.

First, determine if the image distortion that you see is caused by the sight or not.  The best way to do this is to look through the sight and make a note of the way the distorted image is oriented.  For example, if the dot appears to have a "tail", is it at 2 o'clock or 6 o'clock?  Next, roll the sight on its optical axis while looking at the dot.  If the shape that you see rolls with the sight (like the spokes of a wheel) the sight has a mechanical problem and should be sent to Aimpoint (or the manufacturer in the case of other brands).  If the image remains stationary in relation to the rolling sight, the problem is not in the sight at all.

Another experiment you can do is to look at the dot through a small aperture (like the rear sight aperture of an AR15).  In many cases, you'll see the dot as it actually is, nice and round and clear.  I'm not an optometrist, so I can't explain it, I just know that it works that way for me.

This apparent distortion is why Aimpoint opted to increase the size of the dots in our sights to 4 MOA from the old standard 3MOA dots.  The majority of shooters that had problems seeing the 3 MOA dots clearly can see the 4 MOA dots better, and many have remarked that the dots actually appear smaller.  

I hope this helps.  If you have furter questions, please call our customer service department at 877-AIMPOINT.

Mike.

Hi Guys,
I called AIMPOINT  and spoke to Paul about my M68 sight.  From what we can gather, it looks like it'll have to go back to AIMPOINT for closer examination/repair.

Thanks to all that commented - I did all of the checks that folks suggested.  Problem is, the dang dot just ain't right!  i've had other reddots and have a Kobra for my AK toys - no problems with dots or chevrons on them.      

Anyhow, AIMPOINT is gonna take care of it.  Great folks to work with - friendly and very helpful.   I'm kinda relieved, actually - was beginning to think that it might have been my eyes!

Again, thanks to everyone that responded,
Jim
aka "SonnyBubba"

Quoted: When you focus on the target and not the dot,  you'll get the desired effect.

+1

I've noticed the effect when I use the holosight and pop up the BUIS. That clears the dot up nicely, dang it.

Take a picture of the dot with a digital camera.
If it looks the same in the picture, then you know if it's your eyes or not.

When i got my Red dot OKO, i was mad because the dot had a halo around it.  If i looked through the sight with my right eye, the halo stretched to the top left, if i looked through with left eye, it stretched middle right.
I asked a buddy if he saw a halo, he said yea.

So i took a picture of the dot to show people in this forum, except it came out perfectly clear.

:(

My friend bought an aimpoint, and it looked the EXACT same to me as my oko.

"I've noticed the effect when I use the holosight and pop up the BUIS. That clears the dot up nicely, dang it."-Tnronin
Yep, same with my OKO.  Small aperature makes it perfect.

Damn shitty eyes.

*Gouges eyes out*