G&P T1 Red/Green Dot Sight review by Booligan
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Introduction
Ordering/Company Info
First impressions/Packaging
General Information
Proper Use
Pros/Cons
Overall
Introduction
You can have the best airsoft gun on the field, but if you can't aim it, it won't do you a lot of good. Red dot sights are a great option for airsoft use, mainly because of the great combination of precision and rapid target acquisition. G&P has a long history in the airsoft accessory industry, and one of their recent products is the red dot sight being reviewed today, the T1 micro sight. This compact optic gives you high performance with a tiny footprint, able to fit on pretty much any gun with a 20mm rail.
Ordering/Company Info:
I obtained this optic from Evike, where it is currently available HERE, priced at $50. It is available in black and silver, both at the same price. Many thanks to Evike for providing this optic for review here on Airsoft Retreat!
First impressions/Packaging:
The T1 came packaged in a small black box, containing the scope with battery installed, and an allen wrench to tighten the mounting bolt. I was really surprised with how small this optic really was, even though I had seen pictures of it previously. It's a tiny little thing, taking up barely any rail space. I was happy to see that it was made entirely out of metal, with glass lenses, and with simple zero adjustment knobs.
General Information:
As mentioned previously, this red dot sight is constructed entirely out of metal, giving it a solid, robust feel. It is tiny, only 2.75" long overall, and about 1.75" tall off of the rail deck. It takes up a total of 7 rail segments when mounted on your gun, giving you plenty of room for other accessories on your gun.
From this point, click all pictures to enlarge
Right side
Left side
The front lens is a multiple lens design, with an outer protective lens, and an inner lens with a highly reflective coating. The rear lens appears to be a single lens design, with a relatively non-reflective coating. Unfortunately, the front lens gives a slightly distorted effect at its edges, but not so much to negatively affect the performance.
Rear lens
Front lens
This sight gives you the choice of a red or green dot, in five different levels of illumination. You control the illumination using a rheostat type switch located on the right side of the body. This rotary switch houses the battery as well, which is a CR1632 3v wafer type battery.
Power knob
This optic is fully adjustable for windage and elevation using the top and side mounted knobs. The knobs are covered by metal protective caps which double as the tools used to adjust them. The covers are sealed up with O-rings at the base, keeping the inner mechanism free of dust and moisture.
Protective caps
Inner adjuster
The mounting deck is secured with a single crossbolt into a beefy locking lug, which seems sturdy enough to avoid stripping. This is an extremely low mounting optic, meaning that, with the stock mounting deck, it can't be used when mounted on the top rail of some guns (M4s for example). On these guns, you need a rail riser, or the specific high mount deck designed for this optic, available at various retailers.
Mounting deck
Overall, it's a damn solid little red dot sight, whose only real flaw is also one of its best features, which is the low profile design. With most guns, you will be able to easily mount it as is, but for some guns, you will need to utilize a riser in order to clearly see the reticle.
Proper Use:
Well, if I have to tell you how to properly use a red dot sight, you may need to reconsider airsoft as your hobby of choice, but I will make this mercifully brief. Mount it on your gun. Turn it on. Enjoy.
The scope is parallax free past 15' or so, and the dot is bright enough to be seen in broad daylight. The different colors work better in different environments, as green or red will tend to contrast better with different backgrounds. With the 2 choices of color and 5 choices of brightness, you should be able to find a choice that works for you.
Red dot
Green dot
As mentioned before, the scope is parallax free, meaning that no matter where the dot is in reference to the sight, it will be on your target. Up to the very extreme edges of the sight, the dot stays right on target, with the last tiny bit of the lens giving you some slight deviation. It's certainly good enough for airsoft, and these photos will show you how the dot stays on target.
Here are some photos showing the optic mounted on a variety of guns.
Mounted on my scout rifle
Mounted on an M4 carry handle mount
Mounted on a GHK 74U
Pros:
Extremely compact
Full metal construction
Very affordable
G&P quality
Low profile design
Cons:
Low profile design - needs a riser for some guns
Slight distortion from the front lens
Dot can be seen from the front
Overall:
I've never really been disappointed with a G&P product, and I'm happy to say that the T1 red dot sight hasn't changed that. The dot is crisp and bright, the zeroing seems like it will hold true, and it is easily mounted using a single crossbolt. Provided you don't need to get a riser to make it work with your gun, this thing is ready to roll out of the box, and should provide quite a long life in airsoft usage. I will be torture testing this with some real steel use, and will update this accordingly, but in my airsoft use, it has been nearly flawless.
Many thanks again to Evike and of course, Airsoft Retreat!
