Mepro MPO F Review: The Ultimate Red Dot for EDC?

When choosing an optic for your pistol, shooters often look for reliability, clarity, and affordable price. The right optic can enhance your accuracy and target acquisition speed, which is critical for both tactical and defensive applications. The Meprolight MPO F stands out as a versatile choice, offering reliability and awesome value. Today, we’ll be breaking the Mepro MPO F down showing you exactly why its grown to be one of my favorites.

Overview

The Mepro MPO F is designed for fast, smooth draws with full-sized pistols, featuring a low-profile design to reduce snagging. It includes user-friendly controls, a long-lasting 20,000-hour battery, and an RMR footprint for easy mounting. The selectable 3-segment reticle (3 MOA dot, 33 MOA bullseye, and 33 MOA ring) allows shooters to tailor the sight for different situations, improving speed and accuracy. Built for personal defense, it ensures quick target acquisition while maintaining focus in high-stakes scenarios, making it ideal for everyday carry.

What’s in the Box:

• MPO-F
• CR1632 Battery (1)
• Slotted Screwdriver (1)
• Screws (#6-32×10, #6-40×10, #6-32×9)
• T10 Torx Wrench (1)
• Cleaning Cloth (1)
• User Manual (1)

Technical Specifications

Feature	Details
Footprint	RMR
Objective Lens Diameter	W: 0.95” x H: 0.7”
Reticle Type	3-Segment
Reticle Size	3 MOA Dot, 33 MOA Bullseye/Dot
Reticle Color	Red
Brightness Settings	10 Daylight / 2 Night Vision (NV)
Auto Brightness	Yes
Manual Brightness	Yes
Battery Type	1x CR1632 Battery
Battery Life	20,000+ hours
Windage/Elevation Adjustment	1 MOA
Windage/Elevation Travel	± 30 MOA
Waterproof	IPX7
Fog Proof	Yes
Weight	1.4 oz

Key Features

RMR Footprint

The Mepro MPO F is manufactured with a RMR footprint, making it compatible with many full-sized handguns. This allows for direct mounting to any pistol cut for a RMR or to be used with additional plates or adapters, ensuring a secure and flush fit.

Automatic/Manual Brightness Adjustment

The optic features both automatic and manual brightness controls, giving users the flexibility to switch between modes depending on their needs. The auto-brightness setting adjusts the reticle brightness based on ambient lighting conditions using the sensor on the front of the optic. For shooters who prefer more control, the manual brightness option allows for precise adjustment, with 10 daylight and 2 night vision settings.

Three-Segment Reticle

The MPO F offers a versatile 3-segment reticle, providing a choice between a 3 MOA dot, 33 MOA bullseye, or a 33 MOA ring. This flexibility is crucial for adapting to different shooting preferences, whether it’s for rapid close-quarters target acquisition or precise mid-range engagements. The crisp red reticle is easily distinguishable in various lighting conditions, improving focus and accuracy.

IPX7 Waterproof

With an IPX7 waterproof rating, the MPO F is designed to function in harsh conditions, including heavy rain and wet environments. This level of water resistance allows it to be submerged in water up to 1 meter for 30 minutes without compromising its performance, ensuring reliable operation regardless of weather or environmental challenges.

Shake Awake Feature

The MPO F is equipped with the innovative Shake Awake feature, which powers the sight on with any movement, ensuring it’s always ready when you are. This feature helps conserve battery life when the optic is not in use, automatically turning off the sight when inactive and reactivating it the moment it detects movement.

Design and Build Quality

The Mepro MPO F features a sleek and refined design, offering a modern look without unnecessary bulk. Its sight window is impressive, providing a clear and large view only to help with fast target acquisition. The optic’s hood, though slightly wider than a Glock 19 slide, remains pretty much unobtrusive when handling or carrying and is the reason for the larger sight window. The build quality is definitely what I would consider top tier. It feels lightweight, durable and instills confidence in its ability to withstand tough conditions. Lastly, the subtle Mepro logo on the right side adds a tasteful branding touch without being too flashy and overpowering.

A standout feature is the auto-brightness sensor, which is subtly integrated into the front of the optic. Positioned to face the direction you’re aiming, it provides accurate light readings for optimal brightness levels. The sensor itself could practically go unnoticed unless looking for it.

The adjustment knobs on the MPO F operate smoothly, although they lack audible clicks, relying instead on a subtle tactile feedback for precision. This requires a focus on feel when making adjustments. Another notable feature is the side-accessible battery tray, a significant convenience compared to optics like the Trijicon RMR, which require removal for battery changes. Additionally, the side buttons that control the brightness and settings, offering a satisfying click without protruding excessively, maintaining the optic’s streamlined profile.

Installation

Installing the Mepro MPO F is straightforward, thanks to its RMR footprint, which is very common among full-sized pistols. To mount it, you’ll need a slide cut for an RMR, an adapter plate, or a mount like a QD one for a Picatinny rail. In my case, I mounted it on my Accuracy X AXE-19 Tactical using their MultiSight System plate.

Meprolight includes three sets of screws with different thread pitches and lengths, pre-treated with locking compound, so you have everything you need. Simply align the optic, use the correct screws, and torque it to 12 in-lb. After mounting, open the side battery tray, install the battery (positive side down), and reinstall the tray and be sure not to overtighten.

To power on the optic, press the up button for one second. To shut it off, press both up and down buttons for three seconds. Cycling through reticles is easy: hold the down button for three seconds to switch between options. One drawback is that the optic defaults back to the 3 MOA dot with the bullseye when turned off, which may be inconvenient if you prefer a different reticle (which I do). A simple workaround is to leave the optic on and let its power-saving mode handle it.

Activating the auto-brightness mode is as simple as holding the up button for three seconds, which cycles the reticle through brightness levels. This mode adjusts well to changing environments, a feature I’ve come to appreciate from previous Meprolight optics.

Performance

After mounting the Mepro MPO F on my Accuracy X AXE-19 Tactical and after several months of use, it has proven to me thats its got what it takes to be one of my top optics. It ranks as one of my favorite red dots for carry, tied with the Leupold DeltaPoint Pro. While the Leupold excels in target and competition shooting, the MPO F is my go-to for everyday carry.

The sight picture on the MPO F is awesome. Before this, I used an RMR on the AXE-19 Tactical, but its smaller sight window, combined with the co-witness sights covering pretty much half of the window, left me unsatisfied. Switching to the SRO with its bigger sight window, but it did feel a bit bulky for a carry. To me the best way to describe the the MPO F is it gives the compactness of the RMR combined with the larger sight window like the SRO but obviously not as big, into one package. It still sits low on the slide, but now only allowing the co-witness sights to cover only the bottom quarter of the window, making for a much less obstructed view.

After zeroing the optic, I’ve put probably thousand plus rounds down range, and the MPO F has held zero flawlessly. The reticle is clear and crisp, my personal favorite is the single 3 moa dot. One minor inconvenience is that, like i said before, when I power it off, I have to reselect the 3 moa reticle. To avoid this, I’ve been relying on the power-saving mode, which has proven now to be effective. I haven’t turned it off in three months, and the battery is still going strong… Unlike my Eotech!

The optic has also proven to be pretty durable during rough use. I’ve banged it around quite a bit, and its performed well, except for one incident where it took a tumble down a flight of stairs. The sight turned off but powered right back up without losing zero. While I had to reselect my reticle again, there were no other malfunctions, no flickering or shifting zero throughout my entire time with it so far. Lastly, One of my favorite features is the automatic brightness adjustment. It adapts seamlessly to different lighting conditions, eliminating the need to manually adjust brightness when transitioning between environments, making it a hassle-free option for everyday carry.

Overall Rating

Reliability: 4/5

The MPO F performed well during extensive use, maintaining zero even after thousands of rounds. It would have scored higher if it hadn’t shut off during the stair drop. However, the fact that it powered back on and held zero afterward kept it from scoring lower. The only downside was needing to reselect the 3 MOA dot.

Sight Picture: 4.6/5

The MPO F offers an impressive sight window. The slightly wider hood allows for a larger sight picture, enhancing overall visibility and making target acquisition easier.

Design and Build Quality: 4.8/5

The optic looks fantastic on the AXE-19, with sleek lines and a subtle logo that add to its visual appeal. It proved highly durable, enduring a fall down a flight of stairs with only a minor paint scratch and no dents or damage.

Ergonomics: 4.5/5

The MPO F’s size is ideal for everyday carry. While the slightly wider hood might feel a bit bulky to some, it’s unnoticeable during concealed carry and provides a large sight window that greatly enhances usability.

Value: 4.7/5

With an MSRP of $319.99 and available for around $289.99 at retailers like OpticsPlanet and Palmetto, the MPO F offers tremendous value. For under $300, it’s one of the best options on the market IMO, providing a high-quality sight with excellent features and durability.

Overall Rating: 4.5/5

Final Thoughts

The Mepro MPO F has proven itself as a reliable and versatile optic, ideal for those seeking a balance between performance, durability, and value. Its sleek design, expansive sight window, and user-friendly features make it a top choice for everyday carry, while its solid build quality ensures it can handle tough conditions. Although it has a few quirks, like the need to reselect the reticle upon restart, these are easily outweighed by its strengths. For under $300, the MPO F delivers exceptional performance, making it a standout option in the red dot market.

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To see our Last Review: Streamlight TLR-1 Review: Is This the Best Tactical Weapon Light?

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