How Good Is Aimpoint Carbine Optic (ACO) Compared to PRO?

Interested in getting your own rifle to be used for sports, hunting, or home protection? You might want to take your time to think about a few things that matter when making a decision on what is the best rifle for you. For example, optics selection is an important factor if you’d like to consider a rifle’s accuracy. It also contributes to the rifles’ acquisition of its target.

The market offers a wide variety of optics to choose from. But if we are to consider how accurate its shooting capabilities as well as target acquisition, it will be beneficial to learn about red dot scopes. Unlike iron sights, the red dot technology offers magnified scopes that is an important consideration when choosing a rifle may it be for hunting or target shooting purposes.

To offer a brief background, the red dot technology was first developed 1975. It’s development was spearheaded by Aimpoint, which incidentally, is also the biggest market source for red dot scopes.

This red dot technology provides an opportunity for the shooter to get a clear line of sight on the target by allowing the shooter to keep both eyes open while aiming. The red dot directly aligns the shooter’s sight towards the target so there is no need to zero in on the game.

In addition, this technology utilizes light emitting diodes (LED) instead of the laser technology. In which case, it provides precautionary protection for the shooter’s eyes because it can avoid damaging emissions from lasers. Furthermore, when using red dot scopes, only the user can see the red dot on their target because the red dot is not projected externally so it can avoid detection if the target for example, is a moving animal.

As the leading manufacturer of this technology, Aimpoint has further developed red dot scopes for the benefit of both the civilian and the police force. And in time, two of the most notable models were developed to cater to the marketś needs. These are the Aimpoint Patrol Rifle Optic (PRO) and the Aimpoint Carbine Optic (ACO).

Aimpoint Carbine Optic (ACO)

The ACO is initially designed to cater the growing market for modern sporting rifles. Unlike the earlier red dot scope models, it only incorporates the tried and tested design features that will fulfill the basic needs of a civilian shooter. And like all Aimpoint products, it offers premium Aimpoint quality at an extremely friendly starter price.

As most reviews have identified, the ACO has a fixed mount so it is always ready to be used given that it shoots directly out of the box. It has a battery life that although far lower than a PRO, can extend up to a year if used constantly. Also, to account for its lack of night vision compatibility, its settings for daylight brightness has been improved to nine from the six that an Aimpoint PRO has.

Aimpoint Patrol Rifle Optic (PRO)

The Aimpoint PRO is mostly comparable to the ACO but while ACO is designed with modern sporting rifles in mind, the Aimpoint PRO was initially introduced to address the needs of police officers.

To provide context, the Aimpoint PRO was actually developed to fill in the same needs of police officers using M4s at a lower price offering. Whilst the ACO’s price is aimed at the civilian market, Aimpoint PRO targets the working police force. With that in mind, Aimpoint PRO offers additional features that are useful to fulfilling police work in such ways that it is ruggedized for real time combat situations, may it be a gunfight, cross fire, or a mission at the outskirts of a remote or forested environment.

What are the differences between the Aimpoint PRO and ACO?

If you are to compare the ACO and the Aimpoint PRO models, you’ll find that there is not much difference with the features that they offer. They both provide optics that are preferred by most shooters. Also, as a product of Aimpoint, it is guaranteed that they are both durable and in great quality. The question now boils down to how you are going to use the rifle and how much you can afford to buy one that suits your needs. So let’s look at the pros and cons of these two equally worthy models to guide your choices.

If you are on a tight budget and you are only interested in acquiring a modern shooting rifle out of necessity, you may only need the most basic features that Aimpoint ACO already has. Remember that ACO is the more affordable second version of the Aimpoint PRO. Their features are almost entirely the same.

To explain the details further, remember that an ACO does not offer compatibility with a night vision. You will need to buy an extra lens cap for it as well. But it’s daylight brightness is better than PRO so it is better to use ACO when shooting in daytime. Meanwhile, PRO’s night vision provides four extra night vision settings. So the choice here depends on whether you’d see yourself shooting at night or not. If you prefer using your guns at night, choosing the Aimpoint PRO for these additional features will be a smarter and more affordable choice.

When it comes to the duration of its battery usage, you’d like to ask yourself how you would want to use the rifle so that you can choose which best suits your needs. Are you going to use it for a long duration? ACO’s can only last for 10,000 hours while Aimpoint PRO can last for 30,000.

Lastly, if you are to consider the mount for your rifle, remember that the Aimpoint ACO has a fixed mount. It is not as adjustable unlike the QPR2 mount of an Aimpoint PRO. When making this decision, ask yourself if you prefer a clearer line of sight when you are out there shooting. If you are, choosing Aimpoint PRO over ACO will be ideal.

To sum up, Aimpoint PRO best suits the needs of those in the police force while Aimpoint ACO will be the more affordable choice for amateur shooters and home defenders.