Closed emitter pistol sights are a new “must-have” accessory for pistols. These types of red-dot sights have at least one advantage over open emitter optics: with the LED emitter covered or closed, a tiny piece of debris or a strategically inserted drop of rain can’t block the emitter and obscure the red dot, which is a very good thing when one needs to shoot fast and accurately.
Israeli manufacturer Meprolight entered the closed emitter market with its MPO PRO series of sights, available in two units: one with the RMR footprint, the second built for the RMSc footprint.
I recently ran Meprolight’s MPO PRO-F closed-emitter sight and it zeroed quickly, adjusted to various lighting conditions nicely and put me on target fast and accurately at distances close and further out. And it did all this at roughly half the price of many of its competitors.
Details
The rear lens of the MPO PRO-F is nearly an inch wide for a substantial sight picture. I could see from side-to-side a good way with the reticle centered on a target. The unit has 10 daylight brightness settings, and two night vision settings that are operated manually. The red dot also employs an auto-brightness control that adjusts to light conditions on its own.
The PRO-F features a user-selectable reticle system, which allows the shooter to choose from a 3-MOA dot, a 33-MOA bullseye surrounding the dot and a 33 MOA ring by itself. Reticles are easily changed out by pressing and holding the “Down” control button for three seconds. I ran all three reticles during my shooting, and the ability to easily switch between reticles was a real plus, as I found when light conditions and the shooting distances altered.
The LED emitter runs on a single CR1632 battery that Meprolight rates at 20,000+ hours of life. After an hour of no motion, the unit automatically shuts down with its “power saving” mode. Once the unit/handgun moves, the reticle pops back to life. The battery loads/unloads via a slot on the right side of the red dot. Elevation and windage adjustments are at 1 MOA per click, with a total of 30 MOA travel possible for each.
Canik Time
I mounted the PRO-F on a Canik SFx Rival-S 9mm pistol. I’d run several hundred rounds through the SFx Rival-S weeks before and it was very accurate and extremely reliable. It also featured a removeable rear sight and various optic plates including one for the RMR footprint.
Mounting the Meprolight consisted of removing that rear sight and replacing it with the provided RMR adapter plate. Then, things got a bit different, as I had to mount Meprolight’s RMR plate on top of the Canik plate. With that plate in place, I then slid the PRO-F onto the plate and tightened the dovetail mount.
I was concerned the two plate system would place the optic too high, but that wasn’t the case here. The good news is that in the very near future, Meprolight is adding re-designed adapter plates for different pistols, with the result being a single plate mounting system.
Zeroing
At my outdoor shooting range, I ran the Canik with Winchester USA Ready 9mm 115-grain full metal jacket rounds. I first zeroed the PRO-F at 10 yards shooting from a rest and using the red dot surrounded by the 33 MOA bullseye reticle. First shots hit low approximately two inches, and to the left three inches.
I could’ve gotten out my calculator and figured out what a 1 MOA click translated to at 10 yards and made the appropriate adjustments. But I like to “walk in” a red dot zero, clicking a half dozen times or more on the controls, shooting and clicking some more. (Am I alone in this?) Anyway, it took me ten shots and I was on the bullseye.
Reticles and Distances
It seemed to me that the three separate reticles would work best at various distances, and that’s how I tried out each reticle. The distances and reticles used:
- 5 yards and in, circle-only reticle
- 7 yards, single red dot
- 7 to 20 yards, red dot surrounded by circle
Circle-only for close range because, well, the circle gets on target fast but not precisely. At five yards, I pegged five shots at 2.0- to 2.5-inches shooting fast, 1.6 inches when taking my time. The single-dot reticle was perfect for relatively closer-range precision. Even with relatively quick shooting I made 1.5-inch five shot groups. More measured shooting produced 1-inch groups.
I really liked the circle surrounding the dot for intermediate to longer ranges; the circle helped me get on target quick, and then the dot provided finer aim. For my 20-yard shooting, I rested the butt of the SFx Rival-S on a hard surface and placed groups of five between 1.5 and 2.5 inches. My best at this distance: 1.4 inches for six shots.
Drop In Anytime
Nearly every closed emitter description uses the words “tough” and “durable.” Good words. But what do they really mean for the red dot in question?
I asked Eric Suarez, Meprolight’s Director of Marketing, if he could provide specifics on his company’s description of the PRO-F as an “incredibly tough and durable enclosed optic.” According to Suarez, Meprolight staff took a half-dozen commonly used LE pistols, including the Glock G17 and G19 and the Sig P320, and weighed them when fully loaded. The average weight was then determined, and the staff built mock-up pistols at this weight.
With PRO-F and PRO-S units mounted onto the mocked ups, each pistol plus optic was dropped onto concrete from 1.5 meters and right onto the top of PRO-F, again and again.
“The closed emitters accepted repeated blows without breaking and kept operating, with the testing done over a range of units,” Suarez told me.
Seeing Green
My eyes work best with reflex optics featuring green reticles. Suarez assured me that green reticle option would be forthcoming for the MPO’s in the very near future.
The only problem I experienced with the optic is the problem I have with most of these smallish pistol optics: the tiny brightness control buttons can be hard to manipulate, which is more of a reality versus an actual problem.
The MSRP for the Meprolight MPO PRO-F and PRO-S are half of other closed emitters I’ve used, and are closed units that promise toughness of design and the ability to function under poor conditions. This the MPO optic rank among my top choices for concealed carry, home defense, target shooting and hunting.
Specifications: Meprolight MPO PRO-F Closed Emitter Sight
- Optic Footprint: RMR (as tested)
- Objective Lens: 0.95 inches wide x 0.7 inches high
- Reticle Options: 3-MOA dot, 33-MOA bullseye with dot or 33-MOA ring
- Reticle Color: Red
- Brightness Settings: 10 daylight, 2 night vision
- Auto Brightness: Yes
- Manual Brightness: Yes
- Battery Type: 1x CR1632
- Battery Life: 20,000+ Hours
- Windage/Elevation Adjustments: 1 MOA
- Windage/Elevation Travel: ± 30 MOA
- Waterproof Rating: IP67
- Fog Proof: Yes
- Weight: 1.8 ounces
- Included In The Box: 2 adaptor plates, 1 screwdriver/torx wrench tool, 3 sizes of nylock patch screws, cleaning cloth, user manual
- MSRP: $359.99 (as tested)
