By Cody Rediker
Published February 2, 2022

Since Aimpoint announced their new Duty RDS, we've seen many questions about the footprint of the optic and its compatibility with the many T-1/T-2 Micro footprint mounts already on the market. The simple answer to that question is yes; however, there are a few factors to consider when ordering an aftermarket mount for your Duty RDS.

Duty RDS: Out of The Box

The Duty RDS ships with a 39mm (1.54") mount, which puts it above absolute co-witness height, but slightly lower than most lower 1/3rd mounts. The good news is that the Duty RDS shares the same mounting footprint as the tried & true Aimpoint Micro T-1/T-2, which will allow the end-user to change the mount to the height of their choosing. However, due to the new brightness adjustment button design on the Duty RDS, the optic sits roughly .40–.50 inches taller than a T-1/T-2 would sit on the same mount.

Aimpoint Duty RDS vs. Aimpoint T-1/T-2 Mounting Height

Since the Duty RDS naturally sits higher, some extra thought must be put into choosing an aftermarket mount. Below, you can see both the Duty RDS and T-2 mounted on Scalarworks absolute height mounts (1.42"). With this Scalarworks mount, the Duty RDS sits around 1.89", which is surprisingly close to the 1.93" height that has grown in popularity in recent years.

At 1.89", standard iron sights will not co-witness with the Duty RDS on absolute height aftermarket mounts.

On the Scalarworks Lower 1/3rd mount (1.57"), the Duty RDS sits above 1.93" at approximately 2.05". This is similar to Geissele's 2.04" height used in a select few of their scope mounts and is approaching the 2.26" height of the Unity FAST mount.

When you move to taller mounts such as the Scalarworks 1.93" (seen below), the Duty RDS feels excessively tall in our opinion. With a 1.93" mount, the Duty RDS sits around 2.38"—taller than both the Unity FAST (2.26") and the KAC NVG High Rise Mount (2.33"), the latter more commonly known as the Skyscraper.

The Duty RDS starts to get extremely tall when used in conjunction with mounts like the Unity FAST and the KAC mentioned previously. The Duty RDS sits around 2.71" on the Unity FAST and 2.78" on the KAC Skyscraper.

From our first impressions, the Duty RDS will be a good addition to the current optic market as a compact, lightweight option with the quality that has come to be expected from Aimpoint at a more budget-friendly price compared to the T-1/T-2. However, you will want to be aware of how the Duty RDS interacts with existing T-1/T-2 mounts and what height it will translate to if you wish to use a different mount than the one it comes with.

Ultimately, optic height boils down to personal preference, so there is no right or wrong mount height. It all comes down to training with your setup to figure out what works for you.

If you have any further questions, please don't hesitate to reach out to us at [email protected].