Brand new with more power: the Aimpoint ACRO S-2 red dot sight for shotguns will be available from February 2024

What is new about the Aimpoint ACRO S-2 and who is it intended for?

With the new red dot for shotguns, the ACRO S-2, the renowned  Swedish company Aimpoint  is presenting a system for shotgun shooters that promises significantly better performance than its predecessor, the Aimpoint Micro S-1. While the predecessor had a  6 MOA red dot, the ACRO S-2 now features a 9 MOA red dot. Aimpoint is known for its high-quality optics and sights: the ACRO S-2 is currently one of the the few red dot sight that has been specially developed for shotgun shooters. It will be particularly appreciated by shooters who are not often on the hunt or at the shooting range and/or have problems with eye dominance. According to Aimpoint, the problem affects around 30% of all shotgun shooters. But it can be solved quite well, as the new red dot sight shows.

The advantages of the ACRO S-2 red dot for shotguns at a glance

Thanks to state-of-the-art optics, improved aiming capabilities and a 9 MOA red dot, the new model supports intuitive shotgun shooting much better. Anyone who has ever shot a shotgun knows how difficult shooting with a shotgun can be. Some days it goes better and other days it's exasperating because you can't even hit the easiest clay pigeons.

While it only affects clay pigeons on the shooting range, a miss on the hunt has far greater consequences, because if a piece of small game has to be tracked down, this is not always crowned with success. This makes it all the more important to take the right shot, which must be well placed to be truly lethal. 

These concrete advantages of the Aimpoint ACRO S-2 help the shotgun shooter:

1. Large adjustable 9 MOA red dot.
2. Easier target acquisition: intuitive shooting with the shotgun.
3. Made for hunters and shooters: it is designed for users who don't shoot shotguns very often or have problems with eye dominance. The learning effect is said to be much faster with the ACRO S-2 (we will test this)!
4. No fogging of the lenses: the rnclosed system offers a whole host of advantages: compact and rugged, it can cope with even the most difficult weather conditions.
5. Slim design: despite its higher performance, the ACRO S-2 is more compact, elegant and combines form and function perfectly.

What is the potential of the ACRO S-2 red dot sight?

As we have not yet been able to test the sight ourselves in practice, an exact determination of the potential of the ACRO S-2 is purely theoretical for now. Based on the first data supplied by the manufacturer Aimpoint for the product launch, we can only advise every shotgun shooter who has problems with eye dominance to try out the new system from Aimpoint to solve the problem. According to the manufacturer, the problem affects every third shotgun shooter. In addition, as it shows exactly where the bore is relative to the target, the new red dot is also said to make a superb training tool for beginners, shortening the learning curve. The ACRO S-2 therefore scores on two fronts.

Tips for signting-in the Aimpoint ACRO S-2

You have to bore-sight the device. If you have an over-and-under shotgun, for example, you take two empty shotshells and remove the primer so that you can look through the barrel. Then you aim at a target at 25-30 meters, bring the axis of the barrel and the red dot together to line-up the system. If the red dot does not collimate, you can adjust it using the elevation and windage adjustment. These are located on the top and side of the device. Adjustment is then made using the Aimpoint tool. The sight is supplied with interchangeable base plates so that the ACRO S-2 can be mounted on almost all common shotguns. It fits on standard ribs from 6 to 12 mm. It is very flat with a height of only 15 mm. The red dot can be adjusted in 10 settings and can also be used in bright or backlit situations.

Technical specs of the Aimpoint ACRO S-2 and availability

We would like to inform readers in advance that the system will be available from specialist retailers from February 2024. In summary, we found the following points particularly important for the user: 

1. The sight is extremely flat (only 15 mm) and can be used on almost all shotguns by means of an adapter system.
2. The sight can be mounted on ribs from 6-12 mm using interchangeable base plates.
3. The 9 MOA red dot is adjustable in 10 intensity settings and can cope with bright light conditions or backlighting.
4. The ACRO S-2 is submersible up to 5 meters.
5. Elevation and windage adjustment of the red dot is possible using the Aimpoint tool.
6. The entire sight weighs just 74 grams.
7. Battery life: 5 years or 50,000 hours according to the manufacturer (CR 2032).
8. Operating temperature range: -30°C to +60°C / -20°F to +140°F.
9. Asjustment: 1 click = 20 mm at 100 m / 0.7 inch at 100 yards.
10. Adjustment range: ±1 m at 100 m/ ±1 yd at 100 yds in windage and elevation adjustment.

The Aimpoint ACRO will be available from specialist dealers from February 2024. The recommended retail price in the U.S. is $755.