U.S.A. – I’m a big fan of micro red dot sights (MRDS) on pistol slides. I’m also a fan of competition in the market to drive innovation and provide options for the consumer. One area that has been growing recently is the closed emitter optic. For quite some time, the only options were the Aimpoint ACRO and the Holosun 509T. That is until Steiner released the MPS earlier this year. Having never interacted with a Steiner product but liking the MPS conceptually, I decided to pick one up myself. After several months with the MPS, how does it compare?
Construction and Use
The Steiner MPS is a closed-emitter MRDS, meaning that the LED is entirely enclosed by the housing and lenses of the optic, protecting it from rain, dirt, and other debris. Size-wise, the MPS is pretty much on par with the ACRO, making it a fairly large optic. Coming in at 2.05 ounces, it is just barely lighter than the ACRO, and slightly heavier than the Holosun 509T.
One of the big wins with the MPS is that it uses the already established Aimpoint ACRO footprint, so no special mounting plates are required if you’ve already jumped aboard that train. I opted to use an ACRO plate on my Glock 19 MOS from Forward Controls Design, which worked like a charm throughout the review process.
Battery Life
The Steiner MPS is powered by a single CR1632 battery. The battery is housed on the top of the optic using a large, screw in battery cap. This cap requires a proprietary tool to open and close, one of which is provided by Steiner. This compartment is a bit difficult to open and close thanks to the rubber O-ring inside the cap to help ensure a proper seal and positive battery connection. I’d like to see this cap changed to be compatible with standard tools, like other MRDS on the market.
Battery life on the Steiner MPS is listed at 13,000 hours, paling in comparison to its nearest competitor, the ACRO P-2. Unfortunately, the quoted 13,000 hours of life is only for a middle level of brightness. If you’re like me, and live somewhere sunny, you keep the optic on its highest setting. When doing this, the MPS battery dies is under three weeks with Duracell CR1632 batteries. This was a shock to me, as none of the big names who got these ahead of time mentioned that in their reviews and overviews. There is currently no shake-awake available to help improve battery life.
One thing that Steiner initially implemented, then later removed, was an auto-shutoff. The initial run of MPS optics would automatically turn off after 13 hours, with the alleged justification being 13 hours exceeding a common 12 hour shift. In a rolling change, Steiner allowed users to turn off this auto-shutoff, which wasn’t possible initially. To my knowledge, there’s no way to tell the difference between the two variants, so be cautious if buying used. Anyone picking up a new MPS shouldn’t have anything to worry about. To turn off the auto-shutoff, hold the + and – buttons for roughly 15 seconds until the reticle flashes.
Design and Durability
The Steiner MPS is slightly wider and longer than the Aimpoint ACRO, though not by enough to significantly impact concealment. Interestingly, there is a sort of protective shroud around the housing, with serrated top edges, which I imagine could help with one-handed manipulations. Despite the theoretical benefits of these serrations, I am not a fan. On more than one occasion, I have sliced by hand during remedial actions on these serrations, which is what I’d describe as suboptimal.
Thanks in part to the top-mounted battery, the MPS sits relatively low on the slide. Due to this, standard height iron sights should work perfectly fine with the optic. My gun is equipped with Ameriglo GL-429 suppressor height irons, which aren’t overly intrusive, covering less than half the height of the glass in the MPS.
Durability
I have mixed reports on the durability of the Steiner MPS. The first class I attended with this optic was FPF Training Street Encounters. Upon my return from class, I noticed what appeared to be a tiny screw bouncing around inside the housing of the MPS. The optic was still fully functional, and I could not determine the source of the screw nor what its loss was impacting. However, I opted to pause my review here for maintenance, not wanting to spoil the process with a damaged example. Total rounds on the MPS at this point were 409, all of which were fired with the use of a KKM compensator.
I contacted Steiner upon seeing the screw and they replied to me before noon on the next business day with a prepaid return label. I was initially told to expect a 2-4 week turnaround time upon their receipt of my MPS for repairs. Instead, Steiner opted to send me a complete replacement for my MPS, which arrived within two weeks. After I received my new MPS, I restarted the testing cycle, resetting my round count to zero.
Since receiving the new MPS, there has been nothing significant to report regarding durability. It appears that brass impacts the top edge of the housing. However, I haven’t seen any damage to the glass and only minor scuffing of the housing.
Controls and Adjustments
Controls and adjustments of the Steiner MPS are very straightforward and comparable to other MRDS. There is tactile and slight audible feedback for the brightness adjustment, with the rubberized buttons being slightly raised from the surface of the optic with further raised + and – text on each button.
For zero adjustment, the tactile and audible adjustments are fantastic, probably the best in class as of the time of this writing. Each click provides 1MOA of adjustment. Zero has remained across all rounds fired, and there have been no issues with the brightness adjustment either.
Reticle and Glass Quality
Glass quality is reasonably high but falls short of the Aimpoint ACRO for the top spot. There’s a very little tint, or notch filter, on the glass, leading to a clear sight picture at the cost of low battery life. Additionally, there’s next to no distortion, even around the edges of the window, and magnification is essentially non-existent.
Reticle quality is very good, roughly on par with the ACRO for my particular eyes. The reticle itself is 3.3MOA, making it very similar to the average reticle size across most MRDS. Currently there are no options for different reticle sizes on the MPS.
There are eight brightness settings, two of which are night vision compatible. Max power on the MPS looks to be roughly comparable to the second highest setting on an ACRO P-1 for those familiar with that optic. During a recent Armed Parent class, I had the opportunity to shoot while in direct sunlight. Unlike some Holosun and Leupold options, the MPS had no issues with direct sunlight, which was is a big benefit.
Range Time
Between my two MPS examples, I’ve fired a total of 1199 rounds through Steiner MPS optics. This includes time in Gunsite 250 Pistol, The Armed Parent/Guardian, competition, regular range time, and more. Below is the division in round count between the two optics.
409x Rounds Fired through my first MPS:
- 50x Winchester 124gr NATO FMJ
- 50x Speer Lawman 115gr FMJ
- 300x Magtech 124gr FMJ
- 9x Speer Gold Dot 124gr +P JHP
790x Rounds fired through my second MPS:
- 50x Remington UMC 115gr FMJ
- 50x On Target 115gr FMJ
- 50x Aguila 124gr FMJ
- 75x Winchester White Box 115gr FMJ
- 90x Blazer Brass 115gr FMJ
- 340x Speer Lawman 115gr FMJ
- 135x Federal American Eagle 124gr FMJ
Overall, the Steiner MPS hasn’t really stood out from the crowd in a massively positive or negative way during the review. Felt recoil is increased from my Holosun 509T, and similar to that on the Aimpoint ACRO. The reliability of my Glock hasn’t been impacted by the optic, nor has compatibility with concealment holsters. For duty-style holsters, this configuration is compatible with the Alien Gear Rapid Force, Blackhawk L2C, and Safariland 6360RDS for Glock 17 and RMR. It was not compatible with my Safariland 6354DO setup for a Glock 34 and DeltaPoint Pro.
To date, the Steiner MPS optic has remained firm on the plate with Vibratite VC3 applied to the screws. Of course, 800 rounds isn’t a big test of durability, but it’s safe to say that my first experience was likely an outlier, and the combined rounds provide a decent evaluation of the type from a user standpoint.
Steiner MPS Micro Pistol Sight $???.00, Click to Enter EMAIL for LOW PRICE
Live Inventory Price Checker
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Steiner MPS Micro Pistol Reflex Sight 8700 | EuroOptic.com | $ 429.99 |
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Steiner MPS FDE Micro Pistol Reflex Sight 8700-MPSFDE | EuroOptic.com | $ 468.99 |
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Steiner MPS Micro Pistol Sight 3.3 MOA Reticle | BattleHawk Armory | $ 574.99 $ 384.88 |
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Steiner MPS Micro Pistol Sight, 3.3 MOA, Flat Dark Earth, Red Dot Sight | BattleHawk Armory | $ 632.99 $ 429.99 |
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Steiner Optics Micro Pistol Sight (Mps) | Brownells.com | $ 549.99 |
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Final Thoughts on the Steiner MPS
The Steiner MPS is okay. It is my first optic to fail across 8 different makes/models, and while it was still functional, that wasn’t acceptable. Steiner took care of the problem quickly and without issue, but the experience lingers in my mind. That being said, I’m very happy with the customer service I’ve received from Steiner, and give them huge props for that. I do think the first was a lemon, and I have not heard of others encountering that specific issue.
Overall the Steiner MPS feels a bit like “We have ACRO at home”, coming in just slightly cheaper for a slightly degraded user experience in my opinion. While I don’t plan on buying another, I will keep the MPS for use as a backup optic on my rifle, which seems like a solid role for it. If you don’t want to buy an ACRO or a 509T, give the MPS a look. It wouldn’t be my recommendation for a first optic, but maybe as a later purchase. If it weren’t for that screw coming loose in my first sample, I’d probably be a little warmer on the MPS, bringing it to a solid choice.
Specs:
Specifications
- Magnification: 1x
- Reticle: 3.3 MOA
- Special Features: Parallax Free from 10m to 150m
- Clear Objective Lens Diameter
- Objective Lens: 20x16mm
- Ocular Lens: 21x16mm
- Reticle Color: Red
- Finish: Flat Dark Earth
- Mount: ACRO Platform
- Click Value: 1 MOA per Click
- Elevation Adjustment, Total Capability: 90 MOA
- Windage Adjustment: 90 MOA
- Length: 2.17″
- Weight: 2.05oz
- Illumination Control: 8x Manual Brightness Control; 6 Daylight & 2 Night Vision
- Battery: CR1632
- Manufacturer Steiner
- Model MPS FDE
- UPC 840229106332
- SKU 8700-MPSFDE
- Weight 1.0000
The current MSRP on the Steiner MPS is $599.00 (less $ online)
Additional Sources:
About Dan Reedy
Dan is an Air Force veteran, avid shooter, and dog dad. With a passion for teaching, he holds instructor certifications from Rangemaster, Agile Training & Consulting, and the NRA. He has trained with Darryl Bolke, Mike Pannone, Craig Douglas, among several other instructors, amassing over 400 hours of professional instruction thus far. In his spare time you’ll find him teaching handgun, shotgun, and less lethal classes.
Dan’s work has been published by Primer Peak, and The Kommando Blog, and he has been featured as a guest on Primary & Secondary.
This is 2022. An optic without shake awake should be looked upon like a new vehicle without bluetooth for your phone.
I’m not super interested in shake awake technology. It helps when in the safe or at night, but is largely useless throughout the day when I’m wearing the gun. If the battery life is high enough then it’s not much of a factor either, like with a DPP or RMR. Though I’ve been living with an ACRO P-1 for two years now, and while changing batteries every three weeks isn’t ideal, it’s not as problematic as a lot of people make it out to be.
I swapped out a Vortex Viper out for a Sig Romeo Zero with shake awake on my Steyr L357A1 last year. With a rated 20,000 hour battery life it has been on every time I pull the gun out of the case. It’s not my EDC that is another Steyr with Tritium/Fiber Optic sights. But if it were and stayed on me say 16 hrs a day I shouldn’t have to change that battery for over 3 years. While doing some fact checking to be sure I wasn’t posting any BS I did run across statements saying Duracell’s were hit… Read more »