G&P Auto-Brightness Adjust Red Dot Reflex Sight and Silverback Pistol Mount Review by Booligan
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Introduction
Ordering
Basic Information
First impressions/Packaging
Optic Details
Mounting/Performance
Pros/Cons
Overall
Introduction:
G&P is a manufacturer of airsoft accessories, and their optics are some of the better budget options on the market currently. Today, in part of my continuing Echo 1 Timberwolf Race Pistol project, I'll be reviewing their compact “Doctor” type Auto-Brightness adjusting compact reflex sight. In order to mount this sight to my pistol, I'll be using a special mounting base that replaces your rear sight. Keep reading for more info on this unique optic setup!
Ordering:
I ordered the optic and mount through Evike, who have them available HERE, and HERE, priced at $50 and $18 respectively. The optic itself is not designated as a pistol optic, and in fact comes with a special angled mount for putting it on an AEG, but when combined with the Silverback mount, you can throw it on your pistol. The order came through USPS First Class shipping, which got it to me damn fast, within a few days!
Basic Information:
The G&P optic is a compact reflex type sight that is generally used on submachine guns, or as a supplemental optic on a long arm. Its compact size allows for it to be used in a variety of ways, including piggybacking it on a larger, magnified optic, or placing it on an angled mount so that you can rotate your gun a few degrees to access it. In my case, I'll be removing the base it came with and replacing it with a pistol mount base by Silverback. Silverback has a few different options with their optic bases, with models available for KSC and TM Glock series, and Marui/WE Hi-Capa series.
First impressions/Packaging:
The optic came packaged in a small reddish brown box with a sticker on the side indicating the model held within. Along with the optic itself, it included a 1 o'clock RIS mount, a plastic cover for the sight, two batteries, and a few tools for mounting and adjusting the optic. The mounting base came with some properly sized screws to mount your optic, and a new mounting screw to mount it to your slide.
Optic Details:
The optic is a tiny little thing, barely over 1.25 inches tall and about 1.75 inches long. It comes in at a whopping 130 grams (dripping with sarcasm). I mean, this thing takes up so little real estate and is so light weight that it's a negligible addition to your gun. With the included angled mount, you can run it on a gun in addition to a larger, magnified optic, and have an option for quick, close, and moderately accurate shots. The issue with the angled mount on AEGs is that, with hop-up effect, your shots go wild if you tilt your gun to the side. That makes this angled mount more of a novelty for extreme close ranges.
From here on, click all pictures to enlarge
Optic on angled mount
Showing the angle relative to the mount
The angled mount works by fitting between the gaps in a standard 20mm rail, making it incredibly low profile. It is secured by two small hex screws that lock the mount onto the rail. It's very stable when mounted, but due to the way airsoft guns work, it's not the most effective way to get accurate shots.
Mounted on an AR platform
The sight itself is made entirely out of metal with a glass lens that is securely mounted into a protective metal hood. At the front of the sight, you'll find a small light sensor, which the optic uses to automatically adjust the brightness of the dot for changing conditions. There is no on-off switch to be found, and you turn off the sight by placing the included plastic hood on it. After a few seconds, it will power down to preserve battery life.
Light sensor
Plastic hood
The sight is adjustable for windage and elevation using the included flat-head screwdriver. In order to adjust it, you must first loosen the two locking screws at the rear of the sight by turning them counterclockwise. You can then adjust your windage and elevation using the screws located on the top and right side of the optic.
Adjustment points
Mounting/Performance:
For my use, I used the Silverback TM G-Series mount to attach it to my Echo 1 Timberwolf race buildup. It was a simple installation, requiring me to remove the optic from its stock base and attach it to the new base. The included screws were a little too long, so I added a small washer to each screw to space it out a bit.
Attachment screws
Once I had the optic mounted securely to the base, I was able to attach it to the pistol slide. In order to do this, you have to pull back the slide to expose the screw at the rear of the slide that secures the rear sight. Unscrew this, and you can remove the rear sight and replace it with the mount/sight combo.
This is the screw that secures the sight to the frame
Once attached, check for any looseness, and make sure your gaps are minimized. It should be a flush fit with the top of the slide, with no funky angles or anything.
Flush mounting
Nice and straight
No looseness or wobbles
So, now that it's on your gun, how well does it work? I'm glad to report that the optic is bright enough for everything but the most direct sunlight exposure. The auto-brightness adjustment works well, allowing the sight to adjust itself as needed to various lighting conditions. The dot is crisp and clean, but the sight is not parallax free. For the best accuracy, the dot must be kept centered in the bottom half of the sight window. You'll notice that the dot gets washed out towards the edges, due to the curved lens design. This is the only real negative point that I can find, but it comes with the optic design, and is something I've encountered on other brands of optics with a similar design.
Dot
Pros:
Tiny, lightweight optic
Comes with an interesting “1 o'clock” mount
Easily able to mount on a pistol with the proper mount
The mount I used is lightweight and well made
Rock solid mounting on a pistol slide
Automatically adjusts for different brightness conditions
Very affordable, $50 for the sight, $18 for the pistol mount
Cons:
Not parallax free, dot must be centered for peak accuracy
Plastic cover may get lost if you're not careful
Angled mount won't work well due to hop-up effect
Overall:
I was looking for a “Doctor” type optic for my Echo 1 Timberwolf race gun project, and I'm really glad to say that this combo worked perfectly. The TM G series Silverback mount worked perfectly with the Timberwolf, and the G&P optic mounted to it without any fuss. Once mounted up, its rock solid, and seems like it'll take the abuse of GBB use without issues. Most importantly, it helps me get on target quickly, which is one of the most important parts for speed competition shooting. The fact that it looks absolutely bad ass is just the icing on the cake!
Many thanks again to Evike, and of course, Airsoft Retreat!