Over the past couple of weeks I’ve been talking with Jaime at Hartman Optics about this new reflex sight. This past Monday I had the privilege of a Skype call with Mikey Hartman who designed this sight and owns Hartman Optics. Mikey is also the CEO at CAA.
To give you some background Mikey was born in Memphis, Tn. and later moved to California. In the mid 1980’s he decided to move to Israel and join the IDF. It was a big decision for a young man but one that in the end benefited Mikey and the IDF.
Mr. Hartman also served as a sniper or designated marksman,as we would say, in the IDF. At that time the IDF used the Galil, then the M16 and finally the Tavor. The optics used were a variety of types with all falling short in some area of combat use. As an example the M-21 sight reticle would wash out when used in shadow with the target in bright daylight. On the range he even had the soldiers being trained move out to 25 yards so that they wouldn’t experience this reticle washout. This is something American shooters have talked about for years.
In the 1990’s he was placed in charge of the IDF marksmanship program which to us would be like being in charge of the training program for all IDF soldiers as well as the designated marksman and sniper programs. He headed this program for the next 17 years and retired as a Lt. Colonel.
Mikey is fond of saying all he knows how to do is shoot. A rather modest statement considering his experience. We move forward to the last couple of years and his work on a reflex sight that would solve the problems he encountered during his military career with other military sights.
Now we come to the present and the MH1 reflex sight which will be sold here in the US towards the end of the first quarter of 2016. He will also have the MH1 at the Hartman Optics booth during SHOT. If everything goes as planned I should be able to return from SHOT with an MH1 to test and put through it’s paces.
The MH1 has the largest objective of any reflex sight as you’ll see in the specifications. Power supply is unique in that the primary power is supplied by a USB connection allowing the sight to be charged in two hours by using a laptop, car adapter and really any other device we use today to charge our laptops and phones. The charge last 1000 hours of actual use. A backup supply is a single C123 battery inside the right rear of the unit should you need it.
One really neat feature is the PTT function. This is a strap with transmitter that fits on the front of your rifle allowing the user to use buttons on this remote to control the brightness settings and other functions of the sight. This is a first for sure.
After talking with Mr. Hartman for an hour or so I had a good understanding of the sight and why the features it has were incorporated into it’s design. One thing I can say is he is dedicated to making the best reflex sight he possibly can for the military and civilian shooters alike.
Rather than my continuing on and repeating what is said in the video lets just watch the video and let Mikey explain the MH1 and it’s features. Of course if you have any questions ask away! Also the MSRP will be announced soon. This video can only be seen on TFB and the Hartman You Tube channel. After a reader asked again about the price I was able to contact Mikey and the estimate is between say $650—$675. That includes the PTT device. Of course street price is frequently lower.