I think it’s safe to say that anyone who’s ever stepped foot into the world of firearms has heard of Trijicon. Trusted by military personnel, law enforcement agencies, and civilian shooters across the globe, Trijicon is the undeniable world leader in combat-proven aiming systems. But, they have a reputation for being on the pricier side of things, sitting well outside the budget restrictions of a majority of average shooters.
As such, I wanted to see if the name lived up to the hype by my own standards, so I picked up a Trijicon MRO (Miniature Rifle Optic) red dot sight to see what it’s all about and if it’s worth a damn. I’ll let you be the judge.
About the MRO
Neatly packed in a durable hard plastic case with egg crate foam padding, the Trijicon MRO came complete with a factory-installed CR2032 battery, a Torx wrench, a lens cloth, and all the necessary paperwork and manuals. The integrated 1/3 co-witness mount offers quick installation on most Mil-Spec upper receivers, and lines up nicely with iron sights, like my Scalarworks PEAK/01 iron sights. Similar to the renowned ACOG, the MRO features patented and combat-proven forged 7075-T6 aluminum housing that’s designed to withstand just about anything you can throw at it. Water, dirt, dust, snow, and even sand have little to no effect, and thanks to its recessed turrets, the MRO holds zero exceptionally well.
Add to that the fact that the MRO features a large viewing area and multi-coated Trijicon glass lenses, and there’s quite literally nothing you could put the thing through that it couldn’t handle, short of throwing it into a volcano or feeding it to a T-Rex, maybe. It’s truly a piece of tactical art.
The MRO utilizes a 2 MOA red dot reticle, and it’s super easy to pick up in daylight and low-light environments thanks to eight user-selectable brightness settings, including two night vision-compatible settings for optimal visibility in virtually any lighting condition while optimizing visibility and battery life.
Speaking of battery life, the MRO operates on a single CR2032 battery and Trijicon claims to offer a battery life of up to five years without replacing the battery. Now, that remains to be seen and I’ll be sure to report on that once the battery bites the dust, but even still, that’s pretty impressive!
As expected, the MRO features recessed windage and elevation adjustment turrets on the top and right of the optic, protected by short aluminum towers to eliminate the risk of accidental manipulation. Adjusting in 1/2 MOA click increments, the optic boasts an adjustment range of 70 MOA; wide enough to accommodate most intermediate rifle cartridges with ease.
While the power setting dial is a bit stiff, I found it incredibly intuitive to operate with my weak hand while maintaining my shooting grip. I mention that because I’ve had trouble with some optics in the past, like the Sig MSR, that was so stiff, I had to relinquish my shooting grip to manipulate the dial with my dominant hand. It could have very well been a “me” problem, but even still, I thought it was worth noting.
It’s a bit surprising though, just how reliable and high-quality this optic is considering its ultra-compact design. The MRO sits low to the rail with little to no hangover. It’s super smooth, lightweight, and easy to handle.
Range Testing
I decided to run the MRO on my American Defense UIC Mod 1 AR-15 and zeroed the optic in at 50 yards as I was running it on true 1x magnification. The exposed elevation and windage turrets offer super-fast zeroing and precise click adjustments, and thanks to the parallax-free design and rather large viewing window, I was able to get on target without rooting my cheek around or searching for the reticle after each shot. I was able to run through about 300 rounds on the initial test, and the optic held true to zero with no adjustments needed.
That’s a win, of course, but I wanted to take things a bit further. I took the rifle out in the rain to see how well the optic performed when wet. Aside from a few water spots, the sight picture was clear as ever, and the electronics stayed nice and dry as well. No flickering of the reticle or complete power loss, and later, when I took everything apart, everything was bone dry. Not a drop of water made it inside the optic. Another win!
I’m not stopping with a little bit of rainwater, though. Never owning a Trijicon product before, I want to run the MRO through the gambit and plan to toss the rig into the mud, snow, and other inclement conditions. It will surely be gross and slippery, but if the MRO holds true, I’ll bet the electronics and everything will run flawlessly. I imagine I’ll revisit the testing this fall and winter when things are sure to be a bit more wet and nasty for a more thorough torture test.
But, given my experience with the MRO up until this point, I have full confidence in its ability to handle the field with ease, no matter what Mother Nature decides to do. And I don’t say that lightly. I don’t think I could say the same for some of the other “top-dollar” options out there.
Final Thoughts
I can’t say enough good about the MRO. It’s handled everything I’ve thrown at it thus far, and it’s even withstood a few big bumps and drops on gravel and asphalt gun range parking lots thanks to my clumsy hands. It’s a bit expensive, and it’s surprisingly small, but it runs and runs well. The Trijicon MRO is smooth, reliable, and incredibly consistent. If you’re in the market for a dependable, professional-grade rifle optic, this is a pretty decent option.
