2024 had way too many typhoons. I mean almost every month hitting Metro Manila. Strong wind, sideways rain, severe floods. The whole enchilada.
Two of them were even "once in a decade" in intensity.
Since I work in the vicinity of a few shooting ranges, I had more than a few chances to try my gear. As a bonus I would usually have the place all to myself since it would be raining cats and dogs.
Are eclosed emitter optics useless in a storm?
I wanted to see for myself. I've shot in the rain a few times, wasn't terrible. I could not resist doing the same during an all out tropical cyclone.
Optic: Holosun 510c
It was not a pleasant experience. I needed to make a few hard shakes on the gun to toss the water pooling into the emitter so I could get a serviceable retice.
Taking precise shots will be nearly twice as hard. That directly correlates to taking more time.
As you can see in the reel, 8-inch plates at 25 meters sometimes needed more than one round.
What about mud, blood, and undead guts? Who knows what life will throw at us? At the very least I will take more than twice the time needed to engage each target.
When SHTF, everything has already gone sideways. So if you intend to use an open emitter optic, you'd better be practicing in ways that simulate all of these bad things rolled into one.
Solutions
I can get an enclosed emitter optic like the Holosun AEMS or the
Holosun 515GM.
Im gravitating towards any model that has a quick-detach mount. There are also good options from Primary Arms, Trijicon, and Aimpoint.
There are also 3d printed shrouds that can be clipped on very handily. This will be my immediate option in a few weeks.
Having back-up iron sights are also a great option. They are inexpensive and take up little rail space.
Our most valuable lessons come from getting out there. Might as well have some fun while you're at it. Touch some grass folks.
Stay vigilant!
