Ultradot HD-Micro

Hi, has anybody used the Ultradot HD_Micro ?  I was wondering if this is an alternative to an Aimpoint.
Scott Duthie

I asked this a couple months ago and the responses were lukewarm at best in their praise.  Did a search and compiled a number of possibilities in the Micro Dot.  I like the microdot with respect to the weight and balance point when compared to  a regular red dot.  Quite frankly, I was tired of the weight of my aimpoint 9000 and was looking for a replacement.  

I went on a quest to replace the ultra dots in my collection, and this is what I have found.  

1) I went with the aimpoint 4 moa micro on my pardini.  It is my primary competition gun and it does not make sense to put a discount red dot on this firearm. This is based on the performance I got with the aimpoint 9000 and I am delighted with the weight reduction, not so much the weight reduction but the new balance of the pistol without all that weight up there.  It says 4 MOA on the side of this scope but I cannot tell the difference between this scope and all my other 2 MOA scopes.  Other then that, it is a dream and I am confidant that I will get a dozen years use or more out of it.  My only regret is that the rotary adjustment knob is on the right hand side (see below).    

I also obtained a number of other micro dots, and this i what I ended up with:

I purchased a Holosight and put that on my FWB Breznef?? mount.  The reason I went with the Holosun in this application is that it is the only micro dot that can be properly mounted on this type of mount on the FWB and still remove the bolt for a proper cleaning.  Subsequent to my purchase, I found out that I really do not like the pushbutton brightness and dimmer switches.  I can see in competition trying to turn down the brightness one click and holding it too long and turning the scope off, a significant problem before the second string of timed and rapid fire.  It is fine as a back up gun but I would not have a pushbutton dimmer buttons if I could avoid it. Other then that, the scope has performed beautifully and if you like the pushbutton controls, I would recommend it.    

I also purchased a Nikon on the recommendation of another member here.  again a pushbutton control and I loaned it out to a buddy who needs a microdot for his benelli.  I highly recommended that he get a rotary dimmer switch micro dot as a replacement for my loaner.  (I like to keep a loaner red dot for the newbies that show up with a POS $20.00 red dot to alleviate the frustrations of trying to zero a cheap red dot).  The Nikon I have mounted on a number of firearms and zeroing is precise.  No problems. 

Next up is a Primary Arms Red dot.  I like this scope, it is marketed as a economical replacement for the aimpoint micro dot with all the quality.  I have used this scope on one of my model 41s and it has performed admirably.  It has the rotary adjustment knob that I like, zeroing is simple and precise, I would recommend this scope no problem.  

I was recommended a Sig Sauer Romeo 5 red dot but that has the pushbutton adjustments which I discovered I did not like.  But, I found that Sig Sauer has a old model, the model STS 081 (not sure on the STS part but the last three identifyiers are 081 for sure).  This is a rotary adjustment that I like but more importantly, the rotary knob is on the left hand side of the scope which makes adjustments while holding the gun as a right hander the cats meow.  I have considered mounting this on the pardini although I would need to purchase a new kodiak base for it (I think).  If the aimpoint ever dissapoints me, this is going on the Pardini.  I would recommend this scope as well.  

I have also had a chance to use a vortex venom.  this is a reflex scope that a number of newbies on our team have shown up (and subsequently got my loaner red dot).  Zeroing is not easy with these scopes because of the slop in the adjustments.  I can eventually get them zeroed but would not trust it when moving from the long line to the short line with the required elevation adjustments.  

Unfortunately, all these scopes I have only had a few months and have not used them through the winter season and subjecting them from a sub zero vehicle into a 80 degree shooting range to see if they fog up but based on the reviews on line, I am not expecting any problems.  

Hope this helps!  

Sincerely, 
George

More information:

Once I got my micro dots, I had problems when the sun was near the horizon on ranges that faced west during the evening.  I got some of KC's shades for the aimpoint but they are not long enough to shield the lens of the scope.  

I read someplace (probably rimfire central) of someone getting carbon fiber tubes from ebay (china) and glueing them onto the front and back lenses of the micro dots for a longer shade.  I measured my dots and found that a tube with a interior diameter of either 29 mm or 30 mm would work and order them from china.  

20 bucks and a couple weeks later I got the materials to try out some new shades for my microdots.  I measured and cut them to length and at first glued them with rubber cement to make sure that this was what I wanted.  ONce confirmed, I made a permanent attachment with crazy glue and while I might have made them too long, I would rather have them too long as opposed to to short.  The only downside is that it takes  a long  handled q tip to keep the lens clean although they do not need cleaning as often with the long shades. 

Regards, 
Crankster

I added Carbon fiber tubes on some of the cheaper aimpoint copies a while back.. Halosun for one..  even glued the UD 30mm cap on the front so I could add the sun shade for the UD.  I used Golf club epoxy.. not coming off.

I’d like to get one of these for my Walther SSP rimfire. Seems like a good fit.

I use one for my Matchguns 2 EVO, works great!

I stripped two screws keeping it in place. I ordered some stronger ones from a miniature race car place and solved that problem but I never got over the feeling it was slightly canted. There is no adjustment for that so I sold it here for a fair price.

Len

I have an UD Micro. At first it wasn't bright enough. Sent it back to UD and it came back corrected.

Pros: Weight. Offset screwdriver groove, yields difference in half revolution adjustments. No rings, comes with base mount. Long battery life. Price compared to some others like Aimpoint Micro. Has a bit of sun/shade coverage. Using it on .22

Cons: Adjustment clicks are not as absolute/positive as I like. On/off and brightness are up/down press pads. I prefer a numbered dial.

Not unhappy with it. But have upgraded to more expensive Aimpoint Micro with Shue Shades for CF guns.

jscot111 wrote:Hi, has anybody used the Ultradot HD_Micro ?  I was wondering if this is an alternative to an Aimpoint.
Scott Duthie

I've had two 2MOA UD Micros.  Both failed to hold zero and "jumped" adjustments after about 1K rounds.  UD replaced both but I now use a 2-6X scope.

George;  Any idea what the difference between the STS-081 and the STS-081/G1 is?

The perfect combination of three things that didn't work as hoped for. Four if you consider how flexible that mount is.

Aprilian wrote:George;  Any idea what the difference between the STS-081 and the STS-081/G1 is?

  
Hi Aprilian:

I came across mine at a gun show for $30.00 no box, no wrench, no battery, nice coating of dust.  Immediately noticed that the rotary brightness knob was on the left hand side and immediately recognized the ergonomic advantage.   Asked if he had a battery and he said no, went to the car and got a 2032 out of the pistol box and checked it out.  Looks like a nice 2moa dot, crisp and round when I have my shooting glasses on, zeroing was nice and precise with no slop. Did not appear that it was ever mounted as such as that there was a blue daub of lock tite on each of the three mounting screws.   

I pulled up a lot of images on the web of the sts 081 and it looks like there were a couple of models made over the years.  The one that I have has three mounting bolts that line up with the weaver or picatinny rail on my pistol real nice although I noticed that other models only had one cross bolt.  Also mine has a longer nose or a longer round portion of the body on the objective that I used to put the carbon fiber tubing on as opposed to other models.  

I just had it out to the range today with some of my other pistols and I noticed that the brightness adjustments need a bit more muscle to adjust, not a big deal, just a characteristic of the scope.  Optic wise, red dot quality, and zeroing quality I would rate it equal to the aimpoint.  Not sure I will ever really test the anti fogging characteristics but I am impressed that it compares favorably to my aimpoint micro dot.  

The Sig Romeo 5 receive outstanding reviews and I have used them when testing/borrowing/zeroing my teammates handguns and was impressed.  I am also impressed with the primary arms red dot as well, not sure which one is better but I do like the brightness knob on the left.  

Regards, 
Crankster.

A new dot from Sig - I guess there is always room for another micro dot:

https://www.sigsauer.com/products/romeo-msr/

Romeo-MSR. Rotary brightness dial, located on the TOP of the dot. Should suit both left and right handed shooters. MSRP is $149, thus the street price should be under $100. No information yet on the Sig Sauer site on whether dot has a low mount for pistols, or if a low mount can be installed.

The spec sheet doesn’t list anything but the 1.41 inch elevated mount.

Cranky, here is my Holosun with graphite tubes I added...it has the UD 30mm ring

I want to thank everybody for taking the time to respond to my question. I currently have several ultradots with the 1" tube and 1 old Aimpoint 5000 which has a 30mm tube. The dot in the aimpoint is very round and I love the extra field view. So I,m going to live with the weight and get a Aimpoint 9000sc for my next dot sight.
Scott

Hey jscott:

YOu might want to check out the aimpoint microdot.  A lot less weight then the 5000 and while it is the 1 inch tube, take a look at the masters and high masters on the shooting line.  Most all have either consciously or sub consciously migrated to the 1 inch tube.  

If you feel that you need the extra real estate within the scope to find the dot on the target, your positioning is not correct.  You need to work on your stance, your grip, and maybe your stock to get the pistol positioned right such that when you raise your gun on the target, the red dot is in the center of the scope and it is on the black.  

Regards, 
Crankster

Does this Ultradot HD-Micro have a mounting footprint below its built-in mount?  

I'm particularly interested in something with an Aimpoint micro red dot footprint (such as the Sig Romeo5 or the Holosun 403/503).

No, the mount is a part of the dot, you cannot remove it. Thus it only mounts to rail. That's the reason I sold mine + negative magnification.