When it comes to tactical accessories, they typically come from military use. However, in some cases competition world can sometimes lead the way. Offset mounts for red dots are nothing new. 3-Gun shooters in Open Division are allowed multiple optics and some of the fastest shooters will run an offset red dot along with their magnified optic of choice. It is just faster to roll the gun to get a 1x sight picture with a red dot for faster target acquisition and close-range shooting. Well, lately a couple companies have taken this concept and are making it for the tactical crowd with night vision use in mind. TREX Arms has their T.REX Offset Mount while Valhalla Tactical has their RUKH offset mount.

3-Gun Did It First

I saw offset red dots utilized heavily in 3-Gun. Warne Scope Mounts came out with their Ramp mount. It is a 30mm mount for a magnified optic, most 3-Gun shooters opted for an LPVO like the Vortex Razor 1-6. The mount, as you can see above, has 45-degree offset Picatinny rails on either side so you can mount a second optic of your choice. For those in Tac-Optics, you could mount a rear BUIS and have a corresponding offset front sight, or if you were in Open Division you could mount a red dot.

While the Warne RAMP Tactical 30mm is nice for competition it is a bit limited in terms of scopes. So their next step would be to have a separate offset mount for your red dot. You could get a simple 45-degree offset Picatinny rail but dedicated mounts are more streamlined and less bulky.

T.REX Offset Mount

Thanks to my friend Jerry for lending me his spare T.REX Offset Mount to check out. I mounted my dual illuminated RMR to test it out. The mount comes with a riser which, according to the packaging, is for speed and NVG capable. I was interested in the NVG height.

The T.REX Offset Mount can be used with night vision but I found it to be a little bit lower than I would have liked. Lucas says he is working on different sized risers to raise the optic higher.

This mount is right-handed only for Trijicon RMRs. Their Delta Point and Aimpoint T1/T2 offset mounts are ambidextrous. This mount is $80 on TREX Arms’ website.

Valhalla Tactical RUKH

While the TRex Arms mount gets the job done, the Valhalla Tactical RUKH offers more features for the Trijicon RMR. The first thing you will notice is that the RUKH articulates. You can adjust the position of the RMR to be closer or further away from your optic. I am using a Vudu 1-8x LPVO. Below you can see the range of the RUKH.

Fortunately, my setup allows clearance of the Vudu magnification lever. This is as far as the lever can move to the right.

Why would you want an articulating offset RMR? The simple matter is to get a clearer sight picture. The TRex Arms offset mount is fixed and other than adding a riser you do not have many options to move the RMR out of the way of things on your gun. Like scope turrets. My friend Jerry wanted to use the TRex Offset mount on his SCAR17S but his Leupold MK5 turrets are too big and block his sight picture more than he would like when looking through the RMR. Since the RUKH is taller and articulating you can swing the RMR further out.

Valhalla Tactical recommends 25 in-lbs torque on the clamp screws if you want to be able to shift the tower under stress. I believe this is to help save your optic in case you drop the gun and it lands on the optic. With 25 in-lbs the tower will shift inwards, assuming you have some range left in the articulation. If you want the RUKH locked into place then Valhalla Tactical recommends 60 in-lbs torque with thread locker.

What really sets the RUKH apart is the underside battery cap. While this is wasted on my dual illuminated RMR it is pure genius for battery operated RMRs. Now you no longer need to remove the RMR to change the battery.

This is such a simple solution I am surprised it has not been done before. And actually even with a non-battery operated RMR or a Holosun 507C V2 you can use this space to store a spare battery. You will also notice two threaded holes on the side of the RUKH mounting plate. This is for a protective hood that they will be coming out with later.

The RUKH mounting plate is bolted to the tower. This way you can rotate the plate 180 degrees and have the RUKH set up for left-handed shooters.

The downside to the RUKH is the cost. Partly due to the complexity and material used, in this case Titanium, the RUKH costs $250 on Valhalla Tactical’s website.

Do They Really Work With NODs?

I found the taller height of the RUKH to be easier to get a sight picture when wearing NODs. The TRex Arms mount sits lower and while I can see through the RMR with NODs, I have to lower my head even more to get see the dot. Below is a POV video I shot with an Aurora Sport mounted on my helmet.

Here is a little GIF I made to show the difference in cheek weld between the RUKH and TRex mount. In this comparison, the difference does not seem that big.

Final Thoughts On RUKH Vs TRex Arms

The TRex Arms mount certainly gets the job done and at a price point that is affordable. The only downsides is that it is not ambidextrous and fixed position. So it might not work with your scope setup. Also if you need to change the battery in your RMR you will have to remove it to do so.  If that is the case then you might want to spend more and get the Valhalla Tactical RUKH. It is ambidextrous for RMR and articulates to better clear obstacles for a clearer sight picture. Add the fact that you can change batteries without having to remove, remount and re-zero your RMR is a huge benefit. But spending just over 3x more for the RUKH over the TRex mount is only something you can decide on. Thanks to my friend Jerry for lending me his mount and spare RMR for this review.