The Aimpoint CompM4 is a non-magnified

red dot The Red Dot Design Award is a German international design prize awarded by Red Dot GmbH & Co. KG. There are prize categories for product design, brands and communication design, and design concept. Since 1955, designers and producers can appl ...

style gun

sight Visual perception is the ability to interpret the surrounding environment through photopic vision (daytime vision), color vision, scotopic vision (night vision), and mesopic vision (twilight vision), using light in the visible spectrum reflecte ...

adopted by the

U.S. Armed Forces The United States Armed Forces are the military forces of the United States. The armed forces consists of six service branches: the Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, Space Force, and Coast Guard. The president of the United States is the ...

, designated the M68 CCO (Close Combat Optic). It is produced by the

Swedish Swedish or ' may refer to: Anything from or related to Sweden, a country in Northern Europe. Or, specifically: * Swedish language, a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Sweden and Finland ** Swedish alphabet, the official alphabet used by ...

company

Aimpoint AB Aimpoint AB is a Swedish optics company based in Malmö, Sweden that manufactures red dot sights. Aimpoint is a contractor for the United States military and supplies the Aimpoint CompM2. Aimpoint products are used by various armed forces, ...

and is the successor to the earlier M68CCO, the

Aimpoint CompM2 The CompM2 is a battery-powered, non-magnifying red dot type of reflex sight for firearms manufactured by Aimpoint AB. It was first introduced in the U.S. Armed Forces in 2000, designated as the M68 Close Combat Optic (M68 CCO; NSN: 1240-01-411 ...

Overview

The Aimpoint CompM4 is a "tubed" style reflector (reflex) sight that uses a red

light-emitting diode A light-emitting diode (LED) is a semiconductor device that emits light when current flows through it. Electrons in the semiconductor recombine with electron holes, releasing energy in the form of photons. The color of the light (co ...

(LED) at the focus of a mirror type optical collimator to produce an aligned red aiming spot (what is commonly called a ''

red dot sight A red dot sight is a common classification for a type of non- magnifying reflector (or reflex) sight for firearms, and other devices that require aiming, that gives the user a point of aim in the form of an illuminated red dot. A standard desig ...

''). There are a total of 16 brightness settings for the LED, the lower 7 intended for use with night vision devices and the upper 9 for daylight. The CompM4 is powered by a standard AA battery, and the manufacturer claims that the sight will run continuously for 8 years on a single battery, in its 10th brightness setting. Reflector sights have unlimited eye relief, meaning that the user may place his eye at any distance from the sight and the reticle will remain visible. This allows flexibility in mounting and shooting position. The CompM4 uses Aimpoint's "parallax-free" optical correction system, meaning there is minimal induced optical error that would shift the point of aim ''relative to the sight's

optical axis An optical axis is a line along which there is some degree of rotational symmetry in an optical system such as a camera lens, microscope or telescopic sight. The optical axis is an imaginary line that defines the path along which light propaga ...

'' as the user's eye moves off-center in relation to the sight. The sight itself is parallax-free at around 50 yards, meaning that the red dot will not change position ''relative to the target'' based on eye position at that range. As in other

reflex sights In biology, a reflex, or reflex action, is an involuntary, unplanned sequence or action and nearly instantaneous response to a stimulus. Reflexes are found with varying levels of complexity in organisms with a nervous system. A reflex occurs ...

, the point of aim will change position based on eye position at other ranges with the maximum error being equal to the diameter of the sight's optical window at short range. There are currently two variants available; the standard CompM4 and the CompM4S, the latter being the same in terms of features and functionality, but having the battery compartment & power control knob mounted near the bottom of the sight instead of near the top. In 2009, the US Army selected the CompM4s to fulfill the M68 CCO program requirements and ordered 565,783 of the sights. This was followed by another order in 2017 for an additional 30,000 sights.

Dimensions

*Length: 120 mm (4.7 in) *Width (sight only): 53 mm (2.1 in) *Height (sight only): 60 mm (2.4 in) *Width (including mount): 72 mm (2.8 in) *Height (including mount): 72 mm (2.8 in) *Mounting ring width: none (does not require mounting ring) *Weight (sight only): 265 g (9.3 oz) *Weight (including mount): 335 g (11.8 oz)

Users

*: Used by Afghan Commandos on

M4 carbine The M4 carbine (officially Carbine, Caliber 5.56 mm, M4) is a 5.56×45mm NATO, gas-operated, magazine-fed carbine developed in the United States during the 1980s. It is a shortened version of the M16A2 assault rifle. The M4 is extensively ...

*: Used by Armenian Special Units. * : Used by most Belgian Defence soldiers equipped with

FN SCAR The FN SCAR (Special Operations Forces Combat Assault Rifle) is a family of gas-operated short-stroke gas piston automatic rifles developed by Belgian manufacturer FN Herstal (FN) in 2004. It is constructed with modularity for the United State ...

. * * : Used by

Army of the Czech Republic The Army of the Czech Republic ( cs, Armáda České republiky, AČR), also known as the Czech Army, is the military service responsible for the defence of the Czech Republic in compliance with international obligations and treaties on collect ...

soldiers equipped with

CZ 805 BREN The CZ 805 BREN is a gas-operated modular assault rifle designed and manufactured by Česká zbrojovka Uherský Brod. The modular design enables users to change the calibre of the weapon to 5.56×45mm NATO or 7.62×39mm intermediate cartridges by ...

. *: Used by

Hellenic Army The Hellenic Army ( el, Ελληνικός Στρατός, Ellinikós Stratós, sometimes abbreviated as ΕΣ), formed in 1828, is the land force of Greece. The term ''Hellenic'' is the endogenous synonym for ''Greek''. The Hellenic Army is th ...

SF. *: Used by the Armed forces of the Netherlands on the C7NLD, C8NLD, LOAWNLD,

FN Minimi The FN Minimi (short for french: Mini Mitrailleuse; "mini machine gun") is a Belgian 5.56mm light machine gun/squad automatic weapon developed by Ernest Vervier for FN Herstal. First introduced in the late 1970s, it is now in service in more tha ...

and the

HK416 The Heckler & Koch HK416 is a gas-operated assault rifle chambered for the 5.56×45mm NATO cartridge. It is designed and manufactured by the German company Heckler & Koch. Although the design is based on the AR-15 class of firearm (specific ...

. *: Used by the Indian Army's

Para (Special Forces) Para (Special Forces), also known as Para SF, are a group of special forces battalions of the Parachute Regiment in the Indian Army. These units specialize in various roles including hostage rescue, counter-terrorism, unconventional warfare ...

and Force One of the Mumbai Police on

. *: Used by

ISOF The Iraqi Special Operations Forces (ISOF) ( ar, قوات العمليات الخاصة العراقية) are a special operations force of Iraq. The unit was created in 1950, but was disbanded and recruited from scratch by Multinational Force Ira ...

. * *: Used by Portuguese Army and

Guarda Nacional Republicana The National Republican Guard ( pt, Guarda Nacional Republicana) or GNR is the national gendarmerie force of Portugal. Members of the GNR are military personnel, subject to military law and organisation, unlike the agents of the civilian Publi ...

. *

References

{{reflist

External links

Aimpoint AB
Firearm sights