The Sightmark M-Spec takes a beating from the Cheyenne, Wyoming police department and proves it’s a durable and reliable piece of essential gear.
Our country’s police forces wouldn’t be able to protect and serve without reliable equipment. They are better prepared to do their duty safely and swiftly when they are equipped with dependable gear they can trust. Sellmark Corporation Senior Law Enforcement Sales Representative Rich Collier who is also a current Deputy Constable of Tarrant County and former Chief of Police says law enforcement need their equipment to be reliable, cost-effective and have a good warranty. It is a tough job evaluating a new product. Getting it wrong can cost innocent lives. How can they be sure it won’t fail when it really matters? In 2017, Sellmark added a dedicated team to support local, state, national and even international law enforcement personnel. With new GSA-approval, it is now easier for government agencies, including law enforcement, to purchase Puslar, Sightmark, Firefield and 12 Survivors products. Sellmark stands by its products and without hesitation will send them out to police departments for review and testing.
One product that both law enforcement and military find useful is a red dot or reflex sight. These optics provide quick target acquisition and accurate shots, are easy to use, perform well in low-light, and allow the user to aim and shoot with both eyes open, which is important to staying situationally aware.
From February 8 to February 26, 2018, the police department of Cheyenne, Wyoming ran the Sightmark Ultra Shot M-Spec FMS (SM26010) through the gauntlet. In fact, they performed more rigorous testing on a product than any other department. Officer Young of Cheyenne, Wy PD pushed the M-Spec to its limits and it exceeded expectations.
The Ultra Shot M-Spec is a night-vision compatible reflex sight with an illuminated red 65 MOA circle dot crosshair reticle with 6 brightness settings.
Features:
- 65 MOA red Circle Dot Crosshair (60 MOA circle w/ 5 MOA sub tension, 2 MOA central dot)
- 8 brightness settings, 6 night-vision compatible settings
- 33×24 window
- 105’ field of view at 100 yards
- Unlimited eye relief
- 120 MOA elevation adjustment
- Up to .50 caliber recoil-resistant
- IP68 IP Rating, submersible to 40’
- Weaver/Picatinny mount
- CR2 battery with up to 1,000 battery life
- Parallax-corrected lens system from 10 yards to infinity
- -22 to 160 F operating temperature
- 103mm long x 49mm wide x 61mm tall
- Weighs 7.5 ounces
- Cast magnesium housing with protective shield
- Automatic shut off after 5 minutes of no motion
Here is the detailed account of the test:
Cheyenne, Wyoming PD received the unit along with a magnifier on February 8, 2018. It mounted quickly without issue to a DPMS AR-15 and was easily zeroed at the range. The leaver on the magnifier got in the way of the rifle’s charging handle but changing the lever to pull closed to the front made it fit better. Shooting several drills at steel targets at 100 to 25 yards, the M-Spec’s dot was easy to see and got on target quickly. After 180 rounds, the optic was still holding zero.
Drop Testing
The DMPS rifle was tipped over on its side 20 times and the Ultra Shot M-Spec still held zero. The magnifier was removed, and the rifle was tipped over again on top of the sight and it still held zero. The rifle was dropped from a height of 3 feet onto its side an additional 20 more times. Zero was still held. Then it was dropped from 4 feet directly onto the optic 5 times and removed from a vehicle 20 times. It was after this round of testing that zero moved three inches high.
On 2/26/18, the rifle was dropped directly on top of the optic from three feet and again, it kept zero. To test the durability of the optic by itself, it was removed from the rifle and thrown 10 feet into the air, allowing it to hit the gravel 5 times. It still held zero. Additionally, the M-Spec alone was thrown about 20 feet into the air 5 times and still held zero. The sight by itself was thrown down range 30 yards and it still stayed zero. Thrown 30 yards again—it still held zero. Thrown 45 yards down range and it stayed zero. While taking the optic on and off the rifle, Officer Young accidentally over-tightened the rear mounting screw, stripping the screw. The M-Spec had not been turned off since the department received it on February 8 and was still fully operational.
Extreme Temperatures
Two days after getting the Sightmark M-Spec, Officer Young froze the rifle with the red dot attached in sub-zero temperatures and poured water over the optic and magnifier.
After freezing, on February 13, 2018, the M-Spec was still functioning at full power, despite having been turned on since the 8th. The magnifier needed slight adjustments to bring the reticle back to center. Despite this, the M-Spec was still holding zero.
Officer Young put the rifle with the optic attached in a hot shower and then froze it in a sub-zero temperature for three hours. It was frozen multiple times and tested for fogging.
Click here to check out the M-Spec.
Conclusion
After finishing the drop and extreme temperature tests, Officer Young drove around with the rifle and M-Spec in his trunk for two days. He slid it down a flight of carpeted stairs. After all of this, he fired 60 rounds and found that zero was still held.
After test and evaluation were finished, the Cheyenne, Wyoming PD ordered 10 units for law enforcement use.