FOG HORN
November 2018 Twobirds Flying Publications
Crimson Trace CTS-1000
Copyright 2018, Towbirds Flying Publications. All Rights Reserved.
Crimson Trace CTS-1000
Crimson Trace CTS-1000 By: Sal Palma
Are you looking for a high performance red dot sight that is also moderately priced? Up until about 3 months ago, those goals were mutually exclusive. Fast-forward to Q4 / 2018 and shooters now have an impressive array of choices that are both high performing and won’t break the bank. I call that a good thing, but with an abundance of choice comes consumer responsibility to separate chaff from the wheat. Fortunately that’s made easier when one of your choices comes from a name we’ve all come to trust. A couple of months ago, Crimson Trace (CT) Company, Wilsonville, OR, and part of American Outdoors Brands Corporation, officially entered the tactical sight and magnified optics space with some very impressive offerings. In this review, I got to test drive the CTS-1000 2 MOA red dot sight.
2018
The mount has some very nice features also. First you have an easily accessible tensioning adjustment.
Second, the QD mount release features a lock. Once you install the CTS-1000 it’s not going anywhere unless you want it to.
For my review, I mounted the CTS-1000 on a 9mm AR15.
So, what do you get when you acquire a Crimson Trace CTS-1000? Right off the bat is the quality quick disconnect (QD) mount that full co-witnesses with your primary weapon sights.
Copyright 2018, Towbirds Flying Publications. All Rights Reserved.
Crimson Trace CTS-1000
2018
On this platform, I use a 50 yard zero. Zeroing at this distance allows a dead hold from 25 yards to 100 yards, with NATO spec 9mm. If you’re an MP5 user, try zeroing at 50 yards; then, see how that works out for you, I think you’ll like the results. Continuing… Readers familiar with Crimson Trace (CT) know the company prezeros all of its laser sights. Well, they must prezero their red dot sights as well, because the results you see are from a CTS1000 straight out of the box at 50 yards. I had to laugh because this is a first for me and I’ve shot everything from Aimpoint to Trijicon – any vertical stringing that you see is variability in the ammunition. I did adjust windage 2 clicks left. I was extremely impressed with the sight’s optical clarity. The CTS-1000 is as true of a 1x sight as I’ve experienced with no noticeable parallax. Its 2 MOA dot is very sharp and crisp; there is no streaking or noticeable optical anomaly. Crimson Trace uses a notch optical filter, which is a lens coating designed to reflect laser wavelengths; accounting for the impressive clarity of the aiming dot. Its ten brightness settings provide sufficient variability to adapt to any lighting condition. Although not listed as NVG compatible, the lowest brightness levels work quite well with night vision equipment.
Elevation and windage adjustments are 1 MOA. I did find the click tactile to be a bit subdued for my tastes. You can clearly detect each click but I prefer a more tangible feedback. The sight offers 100 MOA of adjustment, which is more than enough for any carbine application.
Crimson Traces claims a battery life of “as much as 9 years.” Obviously, that will vary with ambient temperature, dot intensity and frequency of use. The company attributes its battery efficiency to “intelligent power management. “ However, missing from technical documentation are the specifics of any dedicated power regulating circuitry or process. That may change as the
Copyright 2018, Twobirds Flying Publications, All Rights Reserved
Crimson Trace CTS-1000
CTS-1000 matures and documentation catches up with the product. Crimson Trace skimped on nothing when they brought the CTS-1000 to market. This is a quality sight made from aircraft grade aluminum and is shock, dust, impact, fog and recoil resistant. Throughout my testing, I experienced no loss of zero from firing or dismounting and remounting the sight. Is there’s anything I wish CTC had included? Yes, I would like to see lens covers, or an optic coat to keep the glass free from scratches.
2018
FEATURES & SPECIFICATIONS > 2.0 MOA round aiming dot > Magnification: 1x > Battery Type: One (1) CR2032 > Battery Life: Up to nine years > Shock, dust, impact, fog and recoil resistant > Material: Aircraft Grade Anodized Aluminum > Weight: 5.9 oz > Length: 2.7"
In closing, the Crimson Trace CTS-1000 is a moderately priced (MSRP $299) high performance compact electronic red dot sight that will increase shooter performance on any carbine or rifle. It is backed by CT’s 3 Year limited warranty and Crimson Trace’s Free Batteries for Life policy. You can’t ask for much more than that! -SP
> Width: 2.1" > Height: 2.5" > Brightness Settings: 10x > Adjustment Range: >100 MOA > Adjustment Graduation: 1 MOA > Operating Temperature: -10 to +50C
Copyright 2018, Twobirds Flying Publications, All Rights Reserved