With the abundance of optics manufacturers in the marketplace today, it is cool to see one when it is homegrown and close to home. For me, that is AT3 Tactical based out of St. Michael, MN – which is my home state. For those who are uninitiated to the brand, they are sellers of an assortment of products – firearms, lasers, components, magazines, and more – to include other manufacturers’ products as well as their own in-house items.
Overall, AT3 Tactical’s products are suspiciously affordable, and in our testing in the past, they are suspiciously durable as well. I’m not sure what kind of magic or witchcraft they’re imbuing into their products, but for what I would affectionately call cheap pricing, they hold up amazingly well. So, today we are going to take a look at another one of their new handgun optics in the ACE 3 MOA Pistol Dot, which is available in both Red and Green dot presentations. Let’s dive in!
AT3 Tactical @ TFB:
Specifications: AT3 Tactical ACE 3 MOA Pistol Dot – Red and Green
The AT3 Tactical ACE 3 MOA Pistol Dot is available in a red or green dot configuration as we previously mentioned, and it is the same MSRP of $199.99 for either colorway. That is incredibly rare to see both a red and green dot priced the same. So, I find that alone to be pretty cool. Most manufacturers would have a $50 to $100 price difference from the red to green color option. The rest of the important specs and attributes can be read below as presented by AT3 Tactical:
Technical Specs
- Footprint: RMR (Direct Mount)
- Reticle: 3 MOA Dot (Red or Green)
- Objective Lens: 22mm x 17mm
- Length x Width X Height: 1.98″ x 1.17” x 1.08”
- Weight: 1.35 oz (with battery and cover)
- Material: 7075 Aluminum
- Finish: Matte Black Anodized
- Adjustment Range: 100 MOA
- Click Value: 1 MOA
- Eye Relief: Infinite
- Parallax: Fixed, Parallax-Free
- Battery: CR2032 – 50,000 Hour Battery Life
- Brightness Settings: 12 (10 Daylight + 2 Night Vision)
- Shake Awake: Yes (5-Minute Auto-Off)
- Auto Brightness/Night Vision Compatible: Yes
- Waterproof: IPX7
- Shockproof: 1,200 G (5,000 Repetitions)
- Mount Screw Torque: 10 – 12 Inch-Pounds
Standout Features
Some of the more impressive attributes of note for this handgun optic that is feature-laden and affordably-priced are 12 brightness settings to include night vision options, a large viewing window, an RMR footprint for compatibility across a vast assortment of firearms, and shockproof as well as waterproof ratings that you’d come to expect from most optics nowadays.
- 3 MOA precision dot that is parallax-free with infinite eye relief
- 12 brightness settings – 10 daylight, 2 night vision
- 7075 aluminum construction
- IPX7 waterproof rating and shockproof to 1,200 G (5,000 repetitions)
- 100 MOA adjustment range with 1 MOA clicks
- 1 degree shim plate included
AT3 Tactical Warranty: ACE 3 MOA Pistol Dot – Red and Green
In the rare event that you should ever need service for your red dot, AT3 Tactical has a Lifetime Warranty that stands behind all of their products.
“All AT3 Tactical Brand Products carry a lifetime warranty against manufacturer’s defects. This includes AT3 Red Dot Sights, Handguards, Iron Sights, and any other product that carries the “AT3 Tactical” or “AT3™” name. In the event that your AT3™ product becomes unusable, we will repair or replace the product at no charge to you.“
A Word from AT3 Tactical on the ACE 3 MOA Pistol Dot – Red and Green
“The AT3 ACE pistol red dot solves the always-on battery drain problem with Shake Awake technology that powers on with movement and auto-shuts off after 5 minutes of inactivity. This optic works well for carry pistols where you need instant activation without manual buttons, competition guns requiring fast target acquisition, and duty sidearms needing 50,000 hours of battery life. The RMR footprint fits most modern pistol cuts while auto brightness adjusts to lighting conditions automatically – bringing smart features to your pistol optic without the premium price of competitors.”
What’s in the Box? AT3 Tactical ACE 3 MOA Pistol Dot – Red and Green
One of the most common and recurring questions I receive reviewing firearms and their related products is, “what’s in the box?” Meaning, what do you all get with your purchase. This is important because what you do and do not get will dictate what type of accessories you need to additionally buy depending on what you want your end-product or concealed carry setup to look like. All this being said, this is everything that you will receive:
Included in the Box:
- 1x ACE red dot sight
- 1x 1-degree shim plate
- 1x Windage/elevation/battery cap tool
- 1x T10 Torx key
- 1x Lens wipe
- 5x Sets of mounting screws (4-40x.025″, M3.5×0.6 for Picatinny, 6-32 for S&W M&P, 6-40 for FN 509, 6-32 for Glock)
What’s the Upsell? What’s the 30-Second Elevator Pitch?
So, what’s the upsell? What’s the metaphorical and literal 30-second elevator pitch? For the AT3 Tactical ACE 3 MOA Pistol Dot, you’re looking at several prominent traits that might tip the scale in favor of AT3 Tactical as opposed to a competing manufacturer at a similar price-point.
- Auto brightness mode adjusts to ambient light and night vision compatible
- 50,000 hour battery life on single CR2032
- Shake Awake technology with 5-minute auto-off
- RMR footprint for universal pistol compatibility
- Includes mounting screws for Glock, S&W M&P, FN 509, and Picatinny mounts
Field Use: AT3 Tactical ACE 3 MOA Pistol Dot – Red and Green
So, how did the AT3 Tactical ACE 3 MOA Pistol Dot perform out in the field?… To get this show on the road, I was going to mount these pistol dots to my Springfield Armory Echelon 4.0C Comp 9mm. With the Variable Interface System (V.I.S.) that all Echelons have for mounting optics, it makes it incredibly easy to add and remove optics without needing any plates at all.
Mounting
With the RMR footprint that the ACE 3 MOA Pistol Dot has, this handgun optic easily fit the Springfield Echelon 4.0C Comp – and while AT3 Tactical doesn’t have a pouch of screws that openly calls out being compatible for Springfield Armory pistols – I was actually able to use the 6-32 screws from the Glock bag perfectly.
Sight Picture
With the optic mounted to my chosen test gun, you can cleanly see the dot in the glass lens, but you can’t quite get a perfect sight picture of your iron sights – at least if you’re going to mount this pistol dot to an Echelon. If the optic wasn’t quite as thick, or if Springfield had their mounting area a little lower into the slide, then you would be able to see both. You probably still wouldn’t be able to co-witness – if you like that kind of thing – but if those variables changed, you could maybe see both.
To me, that is a small trade-off. If you’re going to go whole hog and add a handgun optic to your pistol, then you are all in on that sighting option. You can’t always guarantee that you will be able to use both the dot and iron sights.
Test Firing
When it came to test-firing I used an assortment of ammunition types from hollow-points (HP) to full metal jacket (FMJ) to even some hybrid rounds with weird bullet profiles. I did this to see if varying recoil impulses would have any effect on de-stabilizing or changing my zero. Unsurprisingly, the ACE 3 MOA Pistol Dot was unfazed by my garbage pail of random ammo.
Accuracy
In terms of accuracy, all of my random fistfuls of ammo grouped differently, but they did all group. So, I never noticed the red dot jumping around, being squirrelly, or dramatically shifting my groups unintentionally.
That was essentially all I was looking for in this test because it is quite a reach to blame your pistol dot for any “lack of accuracy” your range session might have when it’s predominantly the numbskull pulling the trigger who is hurting the accuracy the most (said numbskull being me).
Durability
In terms of durability, I am not one of those gun reviewers who is looking to blow crud up with Tannerite… drag it behind a truck down a gravel road… or leave it submerged in a lake for a month. I shot roughly ~500 rounds of ammo through my Echelon for both the red and green dot sent to me for testing (so, maybe only 250 rounds per colored dot).
During my time with these dots, the dots itself remained crisp and bright. I saw no wavering or flickering (signs of a poor refresh rate), no edge distortion where it appears to have a “fish eye” effect, and I would rack the slide by jacking the dot against a table a dozen times or more and it never jarred the dot loose or made it lose its zero. So, through regular range use and some abuse against a wood table, this dot held up well.
Final Thoughts
So, what are my final thoughts on the AT3 Tactical ACE 3 MOA Pistol Dot in both Red and Green presentations?… Over the course of several months this spring, these pistol dots did everything I asked of them. They mount securely, maintain a zero, have a clean and crisp dot, and are durable enough for everyday carry (EDC) use. For the modest MSRP of $199 for either colored dot, I find these to be a bargain in the world of handgun dots. They might not have the brand name recognition of a Trijicon RMR, but AT3 Tactical is slowly cementing a strong, legitimate reputation for themselves in the world of firearms. If anybody is contemplating jumping in on one of these, they have my endorsement. They are a good value and made with good quality.
In closing, I want to say thank you to AT3 Tactical for allowing TheFirearmBlog and myself the opportunity to try out their ACE 3 MOA Pistol Dot in both Red and Green presentations. That is greatly appreciated. Also, we would like to know what all of you guys and gals think? Do you believe that the AT3 Tactical ACE 3 MOA Pistol Dot is something worth spending your money on? Would you take one with you hunting? Shoot a league or competition? Put it on your everyday carry (EDC)? As always, let us know all of your thoughts about AT3 Tactical and the ACE 3 MOA Pistol Dot in the Comments below! We always appreciate your feedback and engagement.
