As Aimpoint celebrates its 50th Anniversary, in a partnership with Glock, it has introduced the COA red-­dot sight and A-­CUT mounting interface for 2025. The COA is a slim-­profile red-­dot sight designed to reduce the height-­over-­bore of the optic window so that it may easily co-­witness with standard pistol sights. Especially innovative is the mounting system, called “A-­CUT,” which will be exclusive to Glock pistols for one year.

What is A-­CUT?

A-­CUT is a mounting profile that eliminates the need for adapters or plates to attach the Aimpoint COA sight. Initially available on compact and full-­size Gen 5 models such as the Glock 19/45 and slim models such as the Glock 43X, COA is positioned deeper in the slide, closer to the bore-­axis of the Glock Marksman Barrel (GMB) when mounted. This makes it faster and easier for shooters to recover the red dot inside the window with each shot. Downrange, shooters should expect to maintain or improve their accuracy potential within tighter time restrictions.

Due to the longitudinal and tapered mounting interface, A-­CUT supports the entire length of the COA sight that can’t be loosened in any direction. Furthermore, the slide cut incorporates a unique wedge-­and-­hook design to trap the front of the COA and a ramp at the rear that forms a wedge when the rear sight clamp is installed. The rear-­sight clamp secures the COA to the Glock A-­CUT slide using two pan-­head hexalobular M3.5 “Torx” screws set to 2 Newton-­meter (nm), i.e, 17.7 inch-­pounds (in.-­lbs.). The provided Aimpoint T10 tool can be used to secure these screws or adjust windage and elevation.

The black, square ­notch-­type rear sight is integral to the top clamping wedge. With the optic secured by the wedges at the front and rear, and interlocked underneath the base, COA can’t move or become loose. To ensure that an optic won’t loosen, the patented A-­CUT design means that no stress from recoil energy is transferred to the screws either; the screws are isolated from the recoil, which can cause typical optic-­mounting screws to fail. When compared to the usual optic set-­ups on a pistol, COA also requires fewer screws (resulting in less weight) because the user doesn’t need to mount an adapter plate to the slide and then an optic to the mounting plate. The A-­CUT solution enables extreme stability and is the most rugged and precise on the market.

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When mounting an optic to a pistol slide, users are often faced with the issue of co-­witnessing the pistol’s sights as a backup system to the optic. Co-­witnessing a set of sights to the red dot means that when aligning the front and rear sights, a zeroed red dot will sit atop the front sight post. Due to inferior engineering and the stacking of thick mounting plates, most optics are too high to co-­witness the red dot with standard-­height sights. To achieve co-­witness, users often choose to replace factory-­installed sights with taller “suppressor-­height” sights. This effort is unnecessary with the A-­CUT and COA sight combination because the height of the enclosed optic windows is lower on the Glock slide. Users can retain the factory installed, standard-­height sight and enjoy the benefits (such as not having to order a custom holster with a tall sight channel).

The Aimpoint COA

The COA is an ultra-­compact sight with a large aperture. It is an enclosed-­emitter optic, a category invented by Aimpoint with the introduction of the ACRO in Guns & Ammo’s November 2018 issue. “Enclosed emitter” means that the electronics and internal adjusters are encased in a ruggedized 6061 aluminum alloy housing. The housing is hardcoat anodized matte ­black, which has been proven on Aimpoint products to resist the wear from hard use. The glass lenses are precision ground and coated before the optic is assembled and sealed in Sweden.

There is a subtle groove that wraps around the sides and top of the front of the COA. This channel was designed to support protective accessories that will be developed for the front window. Atop the COA, there are no buttons or adjustment screws that could be unintentionally pressed. Instead, users will find the windage adjustment on the right side just behind the battery access, and an elevation adjustment screw on the left side behind the rubberized intensity level and power-­control pad. Note: When it’s time to change the battery after 50,000 hours of constant on, you won’t have to remove the COA from the slide and forfeit its zero, nor will you have difficulty finding the CR2032 battery. It’s an engineering feat that Aimpoint managed to locate a common battery and maintain the optic’s slim profile.

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The battery powers the red dot, which is adjustable between 12 settings, eight for daylight and four for night vision (NV). Changing settings produces a smooth transition between intensity levels. With inferior sights that I’ve tested, pressing the up and down arrows results in the dot disappearing before reappearing with an increased or decreased brightness. Aimpoint red dots transition seamlessly between settings, a nod to the brand’s premium quality.

The COA features a 3.5-­MOA dot. Even at the brightest setting, there is no evidence of flare that can distort aiming and compromise accuracy. The lower intensity levels support shooting in low light or with increased precision. The NV settings are useful to those who serve in uniform and wear night-­vision goggles (NVG). The dot is easily visible while wearing all types of night vision, and the manual of arms to successfully engage a target in the absence of light is no different with the Aimpoint COA.

The Takeaway

At launch, the Aimpoint COA will be offered preassembled from the Glock factory on Gen 5 G19, G45, G47, G48, and G43X slides. It will be sold exclusively through Glock for 12 months, and the sight alone will be priced the same as the ACRO P-­2: $599. Anyone who carries a pistol for defense or duty should consider this collaborative effort. If your performance with a pistol requires dependable accuracy and durability, there is no better solution.

When the ACRO was announced, gunwriters defined the name as an acronym for “Advanced Compact Reflex Optic.” In truth, it means nothing. The same is so for COA. Legally, the name needed to be as unique as possible. Name aside, I have chosen to describe the COA as “brilliant.” The superlative is often used as hyperbole to describe a fresh idea, but the A-­CUT mount and Aimpoint COA are — undeniably — brilliant. 

Aimpoint COA

• Magnification: 1X
• Reticle: Red dot, 3.5 MOA
• Dot Settings: 12 (four NV, eight daylight)
• Adjustment Intervals: .5 MOA
• Total Adjustment Travel: 60 MOA
• Overall Length: 1.8 in.
• Width: 1.1 in.
• Height: 1.2 in.
• Weight: 1.7 oz.
• Materials: Aluminum
• Finish: Hardcoat anodized, black
• Battery: CR2032, 3V, lithium
• Battery Life: 50,000 hours (constant on)
• MSRP: $599
• Manufacturer: Aimpoint, 877-­246-­7646, aimpoint.us