Samurai OP Red Dot Sight Review

I recently picked up a Samurai O.P. Scope for my MP7. I wanted a small, low profile, open RDS similar to the one seen on the MP7 in HL2 and photos of the PDW prototype. This one seemed to fit the bill.

MP7 with Samurai OP Red Dot Sight fitted.

One of the reasons I wanted a sight like this was so I could remove the (awesome) MP7 iron sights when using the gun with my Guarder Tornado Holster. It works well in this situation. However if you wish to leave the sights on, they can be co-witnessed with the Samurai OP RDS when they're in the low position. When set to the high position, they clear the top of the sight.

It's also a great sight for the P90. I tried it on my TR briefly and it seems to be just the right size and height so as to be easily viewable without throwing off the balance of the gun. Really this is a great sight for any application that can benefit from a light weight, low profile sight.

Overall it seems well designed and built. It features an ambient light sensor (hereafter 'ALS') which automatically dims the LED in low light conditions. It's quickly and easily mountable thanks to a thumbscrew. It comes with an allen key (for accessing the battery compartment), a small flathead screwdriver (for adjusting the elevation and windage), a spare battery (nice since the pre-installed one was dead out of the box), a cover (more on this later), and a cleaning cloth. One thing conspicuously absent is an on/off switch.

The cover is useful not only for protecting the sight when not in use but also because it covers the ALS. Putting the cover on will cause the LED to run at a lower brightness prolonging the runtime. If you're going to put the gun down for a little while then simply putting on the cover should be fine. However if you're not going to use the sight for a while it would be wise to remove the battery to avoid running it down.

The battery is accessed by removing the two allen screws from the top of the unit. The mount base can then be separated from the sight, exposing the battery underneath.

When zeroing the sight be sure to loosen the two lock screws at the back of the unit.

A close up of the front of the sight. Note the ALS, the small hole under the lens.

The back side. Note the two lock screws on the back face.

I've found the red dot to be bright and clear. I have not had a chance to properly zero it (though I did roughly adjust it at a short range) or use it outside. Still, I think it will work out well. I've looking forward to trying it out more thoroughly soon and I'll update this review when I have done so.

Finally, King Arms also makes a red dot sight whcih looks identical to the Samurai, retails for the same price, and comes with the same accessories. It's probably safe to say they're made by the same OEM and are interncangeable.

-staticzero, 04.06.2006