Shortly after I received my A300UP from Beretta I mounted an optic on the receiver. I had no plans to change my mount or optic, and was generally happy with my setup. Then one day I received a package from Adam, of Aridus Industries. In this package was a prototype of his Imperium handguard for testing prior to release. This wasn’t all he had in store for me however, as I also found a CROM in the package as well. What is a CROM? In addition to being the God of Steel and Vengance, CROM is also the Co-Witness Ready Optic Mount from Aridus Industries. So with some pain in my heart, I removed my trusty optic and mount from the Beretta, slapped the CROM on the receiver, and began the review process.
The CROM is a direct mount for attaching optics to your Beretta, Remington, or Mossberg shotgun. It often replaces factory picatinny rail, or iron sights, screwing directly into the receiver of your shotgun. Unlike most other optic mounts for the shotgun, the CROM features three points of contact, providing shooters with a very solid attachment to the gun. This particular model support the RMR footprint, and is paired with a Trijicon RCR. Aridus Industries also offers an Aimpoint Micro footprint for those using T2 or similar optics.
Observant readers will note the integral rear ghost ring on the CROM, providing shooters with an emergency aiming option. My rear apeture sports the “Haught Mod”, turning it from a full ring to half, as a sort of express sight, developed and favored by Rob and Matt Haught of Symtac. This rear sight is fully adjustable for windage and elevation, and is manufactured by XS Sights. What appear to be windage and elevation screws are simply there to secure the sight in place. Loosen the set screws and then manually move the aperture by hand, then tighten the screws before confirming zero. I recommend applying thread locker here to help keep the screws from walking under recoil.
There is no included front sight with the CROM, that’s a feature, not a bug. Instead you’ll use your factory front sight to get a complete sight picture. This is designed to replace the rear sight of guns already configured with ghost ring or rifle sights. On my Beretta A300UP, I had no issues getting a good zero using my factory front post and the CROM’s ghost ring.
As of this writing, the CROM has seen approximately 1,322 rounds fired through it. Below is a breakdown of rounds fired during this review.
I initially mounted the Aridus Industries CROM without using any thread locker to see how well it’d fare for the average shooter doing the same. I was pleased to see that the screws stayed tight for about 200 rounds, at which point one of the three began to loosen. Despite this, the mount stayed fairly solid, holding the black of a B8 at 25 yards with slugs. Once this datapoint was recorded, I applied Vibratite to the screws, and continued the review.
Once properly fastened, the CROM stayed put without further issue. The low mount allows a standard cheek weld, and the rear sight has stayed firmly in place as well. I used this setup for standard drills such as my Shotgun Diamond Drill and Shotgun Battery Course, along with a substantial amount of clay pigeon shooting. The mount was great to use on aerial targets, and I had no issues powdering 90mm clays out to 40 yards when I did my part.
The Haught Mod took some getting used to, but I’m familiar with it now and can perform decently with it. If I were to buy another CROM, I’d likely stick with a standard ghost ring, but that’s simply personal preference.
Overall I’m happy with my CROM. Or in other words, this pleases CROM. It’s a solid mount, and I appreciate the inclusion of a rear sight. While I wasn’t thrilled to swap out my trusted mount and optic, I have no plans to pull the CROM or RCR from my A300 as it stands today. If you’re wanting to mount an optic to your shotgun, give the Aridus Industries CROM consideration.
MSRP on the Aridus Industries CROM range from $124-140 depending on configuration. You can find yours >>HERE<<.
Author’s Note: The CROM was provided to me by Aridus Industries for purposes of review. No expectation of positive coverage was given by either party.
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