Sightron S30 compared to Aimpoint H-2

I bought a Nelson conversion. Didn't understand what it was but it looked interesting. I had made a 2023 New Years resolution to do more shooting and figured if I had (ianother) interesting gun I would find a way to shoot it.

Last Saturday there was a fun match at Miami Rifle and Pistol Club in Batavia, OH, Caddyshack Classic.



It looked like fun and was an excuse to shoot my new pistol which I had previously fired 10 rounds to make sure it functioned.

It took me about half the match to adjust the Sightron the right way, remember to load all 10 rounds in the magazine. Shooting a 90 round match with two 10 round mags is fun. LOL

All in all I had a good time and will shoot it again next month.

There was one particularly bright spot, in addition to shooting my new pistol and finding an new game to play. After the match was completed there was a "Pistol Challenge". 10 shots at 25 yards, unlimited time. I ended up winning the Pistol Challenge which comes with a free entry to next month's match.

So now to the point of the post. The pistol came with a Sightron S30-5 which seemed to be ok but I have never shot a red dot before and have no basis of comparison.

Other than ruggedness, how would the Sightron compare to an Aimpoint H-2? Night vision is not a concern either.

Bigger tube, heavier, bigger dot. Maybe a marginal difference in glass. Different battery life management (most of the modern micro dots are “set it and forget it, change the battery once a year” tools).

Depending on your physical strength and how the pistol balances in hand, you might prefer the bigger optic or have a tighter hold with the bigger optic. A cheap comparison would be trying out a Romeo5 or similar dot. If you hate the feel of a microdot, you could probably sell it in a heartbeat for almost what you paid for it.

Thank you @JRV

What is a microdot?

Nothing wrong with an S-30!

Good glass, and a clear dot that is the same size, or possibly smaller than a 2moa Aimpoint.

Slight weight difference though for sure

Microdots are the tiny (20-24mm) dots with integrated mounts like the H2 and its clones (Sig Romeo5, Primary Arms Advanced Microdot, etc.).

Traditional red dots have a tube body and require separate scope rings (Sightron S30, Ultradot, Aimpoint 9000SC).

JRV wrote:Microdots are the tiny (20-24mm) dots with integrated mounts like the H2 and its clones (Sig Romeo5, Primary Arms Advanced Microdot, etc.).

Traditional red dots have a tube body and require separate scope rings (Sightron S30, Ultradot, Aimpoint 9000SC).

Thanks for the response. Not sure I follow. 24mm is almost an inch. The tube of a traditional red dot is typically and inch although some are 30mm.

I'm trying to understand what would prompt someone to buy an H-2.

It’s not purely about the tube diameter. The integrated mount under a short tube with a lower line-of-sight is the trademark of microdot design.

Micros can be lighter than a traditional tube optic by a few ounces and that changes how the gun balances and (with slide mounts) feels as it cycles. The lower line of sight to the bore might be someone’s preference.

Micros also have fewer screws/parts involved in mounting.

You won’t know what you like until you try it.

SteveJewels wrote:

JRV wrote:Microdots are the tiny (20-24mm) dots with integrated mounts like the H2 and its clones (Sig Romeo5, Primary Arms Advanced Microdot, etc.).

Thanks for the response. Not sure I follow. 24mm is almost an inch. The tube of a traditional red dot is typically and inch although some are 30mm.

Sorry, I should have stated my question more clearly. What part of the H-2 are you referring to as "tiny"? 24mm seems rather large in the context of a 1911 pistol.

Thanks!

Ok, to answer your question....

A "micro" dot for our purposes is an enclosed, tube style dot where the objective lens and ocular lens are generally close together (ie, about 2.5-3"). The diameter of the lenses aren't what sets it apart, as a 1" ultradot is not a "micro".

In addition, all micros have a built-in mounting system that does not use traditional rings. 

So really, tiny means front to back, not how big around.

I use Aimpoints for everything, for reliability more than anything else. Only thing I trust on a reciprocating slide. I know a few people have had failures with them, but far less than any other brand.

Dave