Description
NOTE: PMA is compatible with TA02. Due to its large brightness adjustment turret on the left, the dot is still visible in the upper 2/3 of the MRDS’s window with a very low mount. A taller MRDS mount will mitigate this and clear the TA02’s brightness adjustment turret better.
Below is an accurate view of an MRD mounted on PMA with a 4×32 ACOG (TA31ECOS):
TA02 shown with an RMR mounted a 0.458″ tall mount (measured from the bottom to top of the RMR mount) and PMA.
PMA (Parallel Mount, ACOG) is an offset Picatinny mount designed for use in conjunction with Trijicon 4×32 ACOGs.  It is not an ACOG mount.
LPVO version of the Parallel Mount is in production, it is lower and does not have a Picatinny rail to reduce mounted MRDS height.
The red dot mounting, 5 slot Picatinny interface runs parallel to the rails on the handguard and upper, and is elevated to provide clearance for red dot mounts, and bring the red dot to eye level of the shooter.
PMA can be mounted on the upper receiver, or a railed hand guard with available Picatinny rails at 12 o’clock, it can be mounted with the cantilevered Picatinny rails on the left or right of the weapon. PMA’s MRDS mounting Picatinny rails have 5 slots, sufficient for almost all MRDS Picatinny mounts.
A MRDS thus mounted is fast to use that takes but a slight shift (less than an inch) of the user’s head to acquire the dot. Optionally, the user can choose to rotate a carbine or rifle with MRDS mounted on PMA, but no longer is necessary to rotate the weapon 45 degrees, PMA only needs 10 degrees of rotation.
Do note that PMA isn’t a 45 degree offset mount, the way it’s mounted and used is different. A red dot sight mounted on the PMA should be INBOARD, not OUTBOARD like a 45 degree offset mount.
For instance:
If you’re a right hand shooter, PMA should be mounted with the offset/cantilevered red dot sight on the left side.
If you’re a left hand shooter, PMA should be mounted with the offset/cantilevered red dot sight on the right side.
PMA is over built in the way of strength, it is machined from a solid block of 7075 aluminum and Type III hard coat anodized, its Picatinny clamp is machined in 4140 steel and black zinc coated, its screw holes have helical lining. If a rifle with PMA and MRDS installed is dropped on the side where PMA is mounted, PMA (not the MRDS) takes the brunt of the impact, and distributes the force to the hand guard.. PMA doesn’t solely rely on energy transfer to survive drops, it has thicker walls than any known hand guard and offset mounts, it.
Be sure to choose a duty rated MRDS. While your MRDS is far more likely to survive a drop when mounted on PMA, the optic itself has to be robust.
In testing with a SWAT team in TX for close to a year, we can offer the following observations:
1. If you’re used to a 45 degree offset mount, PMA will take a bit of getting used to, as it’s faster than a 45 degree mount, and more intuitive in use.
2. If you’re not used a 45 degree offset mount, PMA feels natural and is fast to deploy.
3. Uers hit the target faster and more accurately with a PMA mounted MRDS than with one mounted on top of an ACOG.
4. Because PMA isn’t a 45 degree mount, it has minimal lateral protrusion from the rifle to which it’s mounted, and has a slimmer profile than a 45 degree offset mount.
Notice the minimal lateral protrusion of PMA.