Why Aimpoint ?

By Rémi D. – Principia Solutions

Why Aimpoint?

From 2007 to 2025, I served as a police officer. Like many operators of my generation, I only discovered pistol-mounted red dots late in my career. On long guns, however, red dot optics became part of my daily work from 2014 onward, when I joined the Protection Service.

Over the years, I had the opportunity to test a wide range of systems, concepts, and brands, both professionally and personally.

On handguns especially, I witnessed the arrival of the first optics evaluated within operational units. At the time, we were assessing two different approaches simultaneously: an open-emitter system and a closed-emitter system.

The first one was initially selected for a first batch of operators, mainly because of its smaller footprint and thinner housing. Before eventually stepping back from them as the drawbacks inherent to open-emitter systems became increasingly apparent.

2021, first testing phase. The Aimpoint Acro P1, the very first optic I ever shot with. A demo model that I eventually purchased personally from the supplier after the evaluation period.

At the same time, I personally purchased what would become my very first handgun optic: an Aimpoint Acro P1. That was in 2021.

On long guns, my preference quickly shifted toward the Micro T2. I have always been a strong advocate of running a standalone red dot.

This opinion is, of course, my own, but I have consistently favored simplicity, speed, and durability over the multiplication of systems.

Already on the G36 platform, back in 2021, I strongly favored a standalone red dot over magnified reticle-based systems.

Beyond reliability, one aspect that always stood out to me with Aimpoint optics was their optical quality: exceptionally bright optics with virtually no noticeable distortion, offering a very natural view of the environment.

Another often underestimated aspect, and in my opinion a true game changer, is parallax management. Under stress, on the move, or from imperfect shooting positions, this design philosophy allows for extremely fast and intuitive dot acquisition without disrupting the shooter’s visual processing.

Widely used across the unit, the Micro T2 pairs exceptionally well with Aimpoint’s own magnifier, providing effective support even beyond the typical engagement distances encountered in this type of unit.

Throughout my career, I saw countless variations, concepts, and sometimes very questionable solutions come and go.

I also witnessed the evolution of Aimpoint pistol optics firsthand: from the P1 to the P2, and later, in 2025, the arrival of the COA and its A-Cut interface, which I consider a particularly coherent evolution in pistol optic integration.

The transition from the HK G36 to the SIG MCX finally allowed the use of elevated optic mounts, enabling a true heads-up shooting posture.

Toward the end of my career, I was working entirely within an Aimpoint ecosystem: Acro P2 on handguns and Micro T2 on long guns.

Final months within the unit (2025), passing on the small tricks and lessons learned to operators newly equipped with the Acro P2.

When it came time to transition out of law enforcement and build Principia Solutions, one major question quickly emerged: what direction should this company take?

Should it simply provide instruction?

Contribute to product development?

Or become what social media now commonly calls an “influencer”?

That model never aligned with either my personality or my vision of this profession.

The modern tactical world sometimes encourages a form of constant gear consumption: endlessly switching brands, systems, and doctrines depending on trends, partnerships, or social media exposure.

Everyone is free to choose their own path, but I did not want Principia Solutions to become part of that dynamic.

I was not interested in promoting equipment I would not personally trust in an operational environment.

That is precisely why the partnership with Aimpoint made sense to me.

Rather than entering into a purely promotional relationship, I joined their training team under the supervision of the Training Director, participated in instructor seminars, contributed to technical discussions surrounding future products, and organized presentations of the brand’s latest developments.

It would have been difficult for me to imagine a collaboration more aligned with my values: continuing to improve technically, refining my instructional abilities alongside experienced professionals, and helping present products I genuinely believe in.

Following the first instructor seminar recently held at Aimpoint headquarters in Malmö, Sweden, that conviction only grew stronger.

Aimpoint Trainer's Summit - Sweden 2026

There, I discovered manufacturing processes of remarkable quality, technical and training teams fully worthy of the brand’s reputation, and a very clear philosophy: developing reliable, intelligent, durable products designed for professionals who may one day trust these optics with their safety or even their lives.

Behind that philosophy lies a genuine obsession with technical detail: glass quality, brightness, absence of distortion, parallax management, mechanical durability, and overall product consistency. Nothing appears to be left to chance.

That is exactly what I expect from a partner.

With Principia Solutions, my goal is not to promote equipment for the sake of promotion. My goal is to support solutions that are coherent, proven, and genuinely compatible with the realities of the field.

Aimpoint is one of them.

My thanks to the entire Aimpoint team for their trust.

“Performance from trust.”

Aimpoint's HQ - Sweden