Best Budget Red Dot Sights For Pistols, AR-15 & AK-47: Tested By A Utah Gunsmith

It's not easy to find the best budget red dot for your pistol, AR or AK. I tested the most popular models myself, and this is my ultimate ranking.

FYI, prices and ratings are accurate as of time of writing.

1. Sig Sauer Romeo5 1x20mm Red Dot Sight

Highlight: 10 brightness settings, including NV settings.

Talk about easy to mount, this optic comes with the mounts, two of them, the mounting key, and they throw in the required battery to make sure I am ready to get this to the range as soon as it is screwed onto the gun. This is unquestionably the best budget red dot sight for pistols.

One of the things that has upset customers using this sight from my shop is the on and off button and the shake awake function. They don't read the instruction manual to learn how these functions work. If that on or off button is pressed, the red dot will turn off; that makes sense, right? What happens is the optic will turn off, and it will not move for 120 seconds. The new owner will assume the sight is turned off, press the button, and turn off the optic.

When sitting in the shop, playing around with the optic is excellent. If this is going to be a life and death function, there needs to be an exact way it is used. Around here, the chamber is empty if the gun is on the shelf or in the safe. That way, if I pick up a gun, it must be chambered. If it is on my hip, the chamber is loaded. The optic needs to work the same way or have the same plan for use.

Also, when the battery is installed, the brightness will be set at the lowest from the factory. So, it's a simple fix. I just had to turn up the brightness to max, then back it down to where I wanted to use it. It's an easy money fix, but some owners will be frustrated. It's an easy fix; it just needs some reading. The brightness adjustment is not a “press and hold” adjustment but a push-for-each-step button.

The optic is made like a tank. The body is made of high-quality aluminum, and the glass is as clear as a summer day. The red dot is easy to pick up in the wide objective, and the gun is fun to shoot. I have these on pistols and carbines, which are an excellent fit for the AR15 platform.

I have one client who has one of these on his turkey gun. He shoots 12-gauge buckshot, and in over seven years, the optic has not lost its center. The red dot on this 12-gauge platform does need some maintenance on the tightness of the mount and the optic. I mean, think of this amount of recoil. It will eventually shake mounts loose unless they are welded to the gun. Even then, the optic needs to be checked from time to time.

AR-15 SPECIALIST REVIEW:

The box has everything you need to mount this optic to the AR15 rifle. In fact, the Romeo 5 comes with two mounts to ensure this optic will work on whatever you have to upgrade it on. One caveat for the mounts anywhere is that the gun has to be made so the mount has a place to go; if not, find a gunsmith who can mill a flat spot, and away you go. I found out the hard way that reading the instructions in the box is a necessary part of operating the Romeo 5, so do yourself a favor and start there.

Put the Romeo 5 on an AR15 or a large-frame pistol, and you make an actual battle-ready weapon. The Romeo 5 has one of the most responsive "Shake Awake" features ever. Let it sit for two minutes, and the reticle will turn off, barely bump the gun, and it will be back on right where you left it. For an AR15 rifle, this will work out great. If you are holding the AR, you will most likely want that reticle ready to go when you bring the gun up to your shoulder. Pistols, not so much; walking all day will always keep the reticle on. The Romeo 5 also had a switch that could turn off the reticle and turn it on again when you put the gun into action.

I have read reports or reviews from other owners that say the Romeo 5 does not work or failed to work, etc. This is likely due to operator error. The push button is not like a flashlight you click from setting to setting; it is a continuous push to adjust in tiny increments. Like I said in the beginning, read the instructions. Don't look like a fool (speaking from experience) in front of a customer trying to show this upgrade and not make it work until I read the instructions on the switch.

One thing that happened to me, and to some other reviewers, is that the sticker that keep s the battery form connecting has a powerful adhesive, unlike the other Vynil stickers that blow off in the wind. Check the battery surfaces for glue residue before you install the battery. It's easy to remove. I used "Simple Green" and a rag and had it shiny and new in 30 seconds.

A note for field operations when mounting a Romeo 5 on an AR15: If the switch is used to shut off the optic to conserve battery, it is all the way off. The "Shake Awake" function only works when the switch is on and the timer runs out from zero movement in two minutes.

The best value in Romeo 5, for me and all the other aging citizens who visit my shop, is the ability to see the sights. As we age, the ability to focus on the open iron sights gets a little trickier, or maybe I should speak the truth and say fuzzy. All I do is glue a mount to a stick and have customers use the stick to look through different Red Dot optics and choose the one they see the sight picture the best with. This makes a tremendous side-by-side comparison as they rotate the stick and look at 4 optics in one demo. The Romeo 5 sells itself; I just mount it on their new gun.

The final thing I found impressive about the Sig Sauer Romeo 5 is the turrets. The Romeo 5 has tiny turrets that are finger-adjustable. This means I don't have to keep track of a small flathead screwdriver at the range when sighting them on the Lead Sled.

AK-47 EXPERT REVIEW:

When I mounted one of the Romeo5 optics on a customer gun, I tried to see it in my shop and found that the iron sights and red dots did not align. Of course, I figured it was the mount and was going to take the mount off and start over. Upon further investigation, I found that the stock sights on the AK were bent or not mounted squarely by the manufacturer.

The Romeo5 comes with two mounting plates, a higher one and a low-profile one. I used the low-profile one, and the way the AK optical mount works, the low profile worked like a champ.

The only negative thing I can find about this scope or red dot is the look of a cube sitting on top of the gun. So far as function goes, I can't find anything to point out as a flaw. The materials this optic is made from will withstand anything an ordinary shooter will run it through. The mount will break before the optic breaks. Unless the customer decides to torture test this and tries to break it off the gun with a hammer. I am not sure any optic on the market can tolerate some of the crazy torture tests I have seen on YouTube and other places.

The red dot reticle is very clear. Some red dots I have looked at have a blurry outline, and the Romeo5 does not. The optic is easy to look through with the square body; nearly all red dots are made round, which works well for the eye to center automatically. Still, the square body makes it easier for me to get the red dot on the target.

The Romeo5 uses the shake awake feature. The battery has as much life as almost all red dot options have, but this one is made with a shake-awake feature. What the Shake Awake, or whatever it is called, is excellent for making sure the print is ready when needed. What happens or how this works is that the sight will turn off if it sits still for more than five minutes. When the gun is moved, the red dot will turn on and be ready to go to work.

Get it from Amazon now: $149.99 & FREE Returns

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2. Holosun 510C Open Reflex Sight

Highlight: Dot and Circle reticle.

The Holosun red dot is my favorite sight on the market right now. The sight will run neck and neck with the heavy hitters RMR and Vortex all day. The 510C will compete on platform rifles I mount and sell many.

After getting this red dot to zero, this zero has never moved, and that is what I have found on all of the optics I have sold in the past. The reticle for the Holosun is a circle with a dot inside of it. This reticle allows for quick and on-the-move target acquisition. The larger circle will get the reticle to the area I want bullets to impact, and the dot will let me get a more precise shot if I have time to get that picky about shot placement.

This optic is solar-powered; yes, I write that correctly. The Holosun will run from solar power and draw from a battery when the sun goes down, or I go inside; whatever it takes, this optic keeps the reticle on. If the battery dies, my nighttime activities must be done with flip-up sights. When the sun comes out or a bright flashlight is held over the solar cell, the reticle returns. I do not recommend using the flashlight to power the optic in the dark if trying to stay out of sight. Flashlights work both ways; they show what's in the dark and show what's in the dark exactly where I am, but it will work if needed.

Another feature I love about this red dot is its proper shake-awake function. If I leave this optic sitting still, it will turn itself off, saving the battery. With the slightest movement, that LED flashes back on, and this gun is ready to work. On top of the shake awake function, since this optic is solar-powered and can see and measure how much light is available, it will auto-dim the reticle for me. When I go outdoors and the noon sun is trying to fry my brain through the missing hair on my head, the reticle is at max brightness. When I return to the house, the reticle is about midway through, and if I go to the cold storage room under the front porch, the reticle is at a low setting. All of this happens without me doing it; the solar sensor takes care of it, teaching me to do what I need to do.

The sides of the optic have thin walls, which gives me a better sight picture. If the walls were thick, when I look through the sight, it would have a tube-like view, much like a scope-style optic. With the thin walls, my eye will only see the reticle and the target getting lined up, making shooting with both eyes open easier and more effective. This is definitely one of the best budget reflex sight on Amazon.

CCW INSTRUCTOR REVIEW:

The Holosun 510C may be the only red dot to outperform the Vortex and maybe even the Romeo 5. The Holosun can outperform the more prominent brands because of how it operates. This unit is solar-powered and can recharge the power cell. The solar panel will auto adjust the brightness settings, so you must look through the optics and make the right decisions.

The reticle has one of the shake awake technology functions like the big dogs, and all of the auto functions make this a true-to-life battle-ready gun. This makes it an excellent idea for the nightstand gun, or one in the handy gun box, for things that go bump in the dark. With the suitable mount, I could set this up to cowitness with the front sight post, making it ready to go however I pick up the gun in whatever situation I find myself in.

The reticle is bright and will not wash out in the bright sun. The reticle is 2 MOA and has a 65 MOA circle around it. The reticle quickly finds the center of the sight picture in a hurry. According to the owner's manual, the battery should last for years. The kit has a spare battery, so you will have plenty of power. The solar panel will power the LED when using the optic during daylight.

For the big question, should I buy one? YES! I have one on a large frame revolver, an old Ruger Redhawk I use in the woods (Bear County), and one on my AK platform to see how it works and it works perfectly. This magnificent optic costs half the money of the power players and performs better in most situations.

AR SPECIALIST REVIEW:

The is a fantastic piece of engineering. I have one on an AR15 platform rifle in 350 Legend and my new favorite, Red Dot optic. It's a solar-powered Red Dot optic. It also uses that solar cell to assess the light conditions that you're currently in and where you move to adjust the reticle automatically.

With the solar function, this Red Dot will keep a battery charged if you put in the correct style battery and function without a battery in case it dies after 30,000 hours somehow just by using the Sun. Depending on this solar function in the dark, it doesn't do you much good, but it's much better than nothing; at least you'll have it during daylight hours if the battery fails.

The Holosun is a valid and effective "shake-awake" function. This new feature makes your AR15 platform rifle an actual grab-and-go gun. If you have this AR15 on your ATV or in the back of your truck, your Red Dot will constantly be on. With 30,000 hours of battery time, I'm not sure this is going to matter much; however, the day that it will matter is the day that it won't be fully charged because it is just "shaken awake" from movement.

The 510C uses the solar panel to check the ambient light and will auto-dim the reticle. Suppose I needed to travel from inside a building to outside or outside to inside to accomplish a particular job. In that case, this optic truly cannot be beaten. Suppose you have a job that requires you to go outside to inside or inside or dark to light. In that case, the Holosun 510C will do the logistics regarding the reticle adjustment. Hence, you only have to focus on what's ahead and keeping yourself safe.

The 510C also comes with a mounting plate. This mounting plate will save $100 to $150 over other manufacturers, and this one comes in the box. All the tools to mount this optic to the plate come with the kit, so you'll have everything you need. Other gunsmiths have mentioned that they found the mount to be slightly loose. I didn't see this to be the case. I noticed that all I had to do was turn the mounting screw with the supplied tool when it got tight, give it a little bit of a shake, then tighten it again. That bugger will be as tight as it can possibly be, and no movement afterward.

After saying all these great things, the most outstanding value is the price tag for what you get. You can shop for and purchase more expensive Red Dot sights a lot of people have; you're not going to shop to buy a better Red Dot sight in this price range. I would go so far as to say that if you purchased an optic that is 100 bucks more than this 510C, you have overpaid for an equivalent or lesser Red Dot optic.

Get it from Amazon now: $309.99 & FREE Returns

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3. Bushnell Trophy TRS-26 1x26mm Red Dot Sight

Highlight: Withstands the harsh world of shotgun-mounted red dots.

I suggest this red dot to anyone looking to mount a red dot on an AR, a shotgun, or a muzzleloader. The optic is large, so it looks right on larger guns and works like a champ on heavy recoiling guns.

The TRS-26 is the most budget-friendly highest-quality optic that I recommend all the time. And for the price, they perform like they should cost about a hundred bucks more. I mount these on shotguns, some muzzleloaders, like I said, and many on AR platforms. I really like the AR mounts because I can get the laser bore sighter to work. When doing that with a shotgun, I use many cuss words and have to keep the shop doors closed. In my opinion, this Bushnell is the best budget red dot for AR platform firearms. However, if you ask my clients, many of them would argue that this is the ideal red dot for shotguns. Either way, I think this one's a winner. Now let me go into some details.

When I finally get a gun with a heavy recoil bore sighted and to the range, the optic zeros in pretty quickly and easily; the adjustments are simple and work very well. When the gun hits with the recoil, the optic never flickers or shuts off due to the battery moving away from the connections; it just keeps working.

The materials these are made of will take anything my customers have brought out in the field, and I have yet to bring one back to me, not even to check the mounts. The finish has been scrapped off on a few, but that is to be expected from looking at the gun I put it on; I am pretty happy they have yet to be knocked off and brought back in a box.

AR SPECIALIST REVIEW:

Suppose you're in the market to get a Red Dot sight on your AR-15, and you're not worried about big giant brand names or bragging to your buddies about how much you spent on your optic. In that case, the Bushnell Trophy TRS may be the best money spent to put a red dot on your AR-15.

After mounting the Bushnell Trophy TRS Red Dot, the brightness and on and off switch felt like an actual light switch. When I pushed this switch, I felt it move and click into position either on or off, and when I adjusted the brightness settings. Most of the other Red Dots must be trying to be quiet, so you don't hear a clicking noise, or the more expensive switch they put into that particular Red Dot is designed not to make a clicking noise. I can tell you it sure is nice to know if you are moving the adjustment switch.

I mounted the Bushnell Trophy TRS on a lever action Marlin 30-30, for which I had attached a picatinny rail to the top for a client. The client loved this sight so much that when he moved from a lever action gun to an AR-15, he bought the brand new gun and moved the inexpensive sight to the new rifle; that says a lot. Mounting the TRS to the new AR15 was simple; my client was used to getting his cheekbone right on the butt stock to see through the I Bushnell Trophy on his 30-30, so he had no problem getting his face right on the buttstock of the AR-15 so we did not use a riser.

This client wanted to move the Trophy TRS from his old lever gun to his AR-15 because of the Red Dot quality and the clear and bright presentation of that Dot. He loved it enough that, as I said, he moved an old sight to his new gun. I don't know why he didn't buy another Bushnell Trophy TRS. The price makes it possible to have one for each firearm. Hunters are a strange and superstitious bunch. Hunting superstitions in my family are similar to this customer keeping his optic and changing it to a new gun; it's the hat you wear in your hunting kit. I don't know why we keep the same hat forever and a day, but that's what we do; mine is 32 years old.

AK-47 EXPERT REVIEW:

The TRS-26 is the red dot I always use to set up guns when they leave the gunshop. I like their dependability and price. I read many folks talking about this as a good disposable red dot, and I will replace it with a more expensive brand later. I know some folks who have had me order a replacement or, more accurately, an upgrade to other optics. I do not have anyone who has taken one of these out of my shop to replace one due to failure. That is not to say they don't fail, but none of the ones I have mounted and reported back to me.

When I look through the optics, the red dot is clear and bright, and it is easy to pick up on the target when I use them. The glass used is of high quality, not as high a standard as other makers, but this does not cost closer to a thousand bucks either.

The adjustments are the old-school style, made for a coin to adjust. The slots are not square cut but made with a slight curve, like a dime, which fits perfectly. I have used the rim of a round to turn the adjustment as well, but it is a pain in the ass, so carry a dime or find a tool that will work and keep it in your pocket. The materials are high quality, and the items that move are easy to move and not sloppy. I have done dunk testing with this in the sink to see how it will work. The optic does not make a waterproof claim, but my bathroom sink testing shows it could fall in the drink for a few seconds and live to work another day.

Get it from Amazon now: $199.95 & FREE Returns

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4. Vortex Optics Defender-CCW Micro Red Dot Sight

Highlight: Top load battery and trim profile.

The Defender-CCW red dot is a true pistol sight. Other red dots work on a pistol but hang over the sides. The Defender-CCW fits precisely on the top of a Glock-style slide like it was born there.

By making a red dot the right size for a pistol, Vortex may have limited its market impact in the red dot sight lane. This site on a rifle will be tiny and maybe too hard to get a good sight picture with. I don't know, as I have not put any on a rifle, but many of them are on pistols, especially the Glock style from my shop.

Whenever I mount the Defender-CCW on the back of a Glock-style gun, the shooter seems better. It knows it has a great optic mounted on it. That sounds ridiculous, and it is, but it sure does seem to happen. The red dot is a breeze to bore sight, then take to the range, and the groups tighten up quickly. After about ten to fifteen rounds, I am just playing around on the range; the gun is ready to go to the owner.

The optic will turn itself off if left undisturbed for hours, not minutes like some, which is suitable for being ready but not too battery-friendly. I am not a red dot shooter. I do shoot them for customers, and I have a couple of guns with them mounted, but that is more to sell the red dots and gun work than enjoy shooting with the optic. Using high-quality red dots makes me like them more than I used to. I find myself in the old-school habit of seeing the front sight and then getting on target; that is not how a red dot is made to be shot. The target is the focus, and the red dot is painted on the target through the optic. I keep looking for the sight, its old habits in an old brain, what can I say?

Whenever I have been hired to mount a Vortex, anything for a customer, it never fails. The box the optic came in does not have the correct screws with it anymore. I blame the same gremlins that steal the lids on Tupperware and the odd sock that never finds its match. I am sure it's not the customer throwing away the screws with the box they came in; that would be crazy talk. All I have to do is call Vortex customer service and tell them what I need. Before the end of the week, they arrive in the mailbox and are always free of charge.

CCW INSTRUCTOR REVIEW:

Vortex is one of my absolute favorite makers. Everyone in the gun world and I, especially the bolt action guys. I love the full-size scopes and their low-power stuff for AR-style rifles. Then I started looking into the red dot optics they offer, and let me tell you, I am impressed with the Defender-CCW. I put it on one of my custom-made Glock 17-style pistols to take to the gun show and make a little money. I am not sure if I want to sell it now. I may have to make another one and put the Defender on that one to sell.

Shooting a red dot takes some practice, and shooting a red dot on a Glock-style gun takes even more practice. If you are one of the folks who does not like the Glock platform, you will never enjoy the red dot on one, for any reason, unless the gun is free. I like the Glock frames and wish I had put the Defender on a Glock 21 or, better yet, a Glock 20 (10mm). But it's pretty fun to shoot on a Glock 17 too.

The auto shut-off function is a good battery saver and will remain on for hours, not just minutes, so this will be a turkey gun optic; you will not have to move the gun to get the reticle on before lifting the shotgun to the shoulder. Another great function of the Defender-CCW reticle is the auto-brightness feature. The optic will sense the light and change the reticle to match.

All the items needed to mount the Defender-CCW come in the box, and you will be ready to boresight in about 20 minutes or less; getting the reticle zeroed will take longer. When I went to the range to zero the sight, I used my Caldwell lead sled (I was zeroing more than one gun that day), and it took long enough to be fun and short enough to not get on my nerves. The optic is easy to see through and pick up the reticle; I may even get good at it with more practice.

AR-15 SPECIALIST REVIEW:

After months of researching mid-range priced Optics for a customer's AR-15, he owns a 300 blackout, so I talked him into trying the Vortex Defender-CCW Red Dot sight. We discussed the EOTech, the Trijicon, and the Aimpoint. From what I discussed with him, the EOTech and Trijicon pricing is pretty excessive for that specific gun. That was a sporting gun, primarily used to shoot targets.

We live in Utah, where we do have extreme weather sometimes. On the same day, you can go from a chilly morning of about 45° to a kind of warm afternoon somewhere in the 80s and then back down to below freezing at night, depending on where you are and what time of the year that has a lot of impact on an optic.

I had to ensure that we had the proper optic at the appropriate price, and the one that would do the best job for this client was the Defender-CCW Red Dot. This particular client is a law enforcement officer. He chose to get his personal AR-15 in the 300 Blackout caliber, which he felt was a better caliber. The AR-15 he uses for work was in the standard issue 223 or 556. This customer did not have much money to spend on his personal firearm, especially when it was used for individual training, primarily for sport, and would be used if he needed it for home protection. He wanted a smaller profile to save space on the rifle's top. I chose the Defender-CCW over the Aimpoint because it fits the lower profile. I was able to use the spacer to have it co-witness with his flip-up sights. If he were to flip down his sights, the Red Dot would have added only one inch or so of height to the rifle.

Keeping this client's AR-15 to a low profile allowed the rifle to be stored in a pretty narrow carry case, to say the least. This provides storage behind a pickup truck's seat in many containers you can remove and take into the house.

The Defender-CCW sight mounted on top of the AR-15 in co-witness with the flip-up sights makes this Red Dot ready to go the minute you pick it up. Suppose you have to turn on this sight because everything is happening rapidly. In that case, you can look through this Red Dot sight, and your eye will naturally center to the middle of the orifice. If you see the front sight, you basically have someone of a ghost sight, so if you flip up the front sight, then flip up the rear sight and turn the Red Dot on last, you're able to now move with both eyes open and see the Red Dot this is very convenient and quick deployment for an AR-15.

I bore-sighted this red dot in my shop, went to the range, put it in the Caldwell Lead Sled, and got this shooting pretty much in the X-Ring at 50 m within about 20 rounds. With the ability to use the Red Dot or the flip-up sights or all of them together, I believe this 300 Blackout AR-15 is going to be very accurate and very effective out to the 100 m, maybe 200 M, of course, depending on the shooter, circumstance, terrain, and all the other terminology at supposed to be used.

The affordability of the Defender-CCW makes this within reach for anyone building a serious AR-15 platform rifle. To save money on the build, the this optic may not be the right choice for some shooters. The highest value of this optic is its durability and build quality. You won't find anything built better, no matter how much money you spend. You may discover some holographic sights that are a lot fancier and will be more effective for two eyes-open walking while shooting, which folks need in a combat situation. You won't go wrong with this optic if you want something to put on top of your AR-15 to train at the range or add any shooting school. However, you will need to get the spacer, and they do make some.

The Vortex quick-release Riser Mount will come in about 100 bucks, but it is impressive. If it's a quick-release mount, you must ensure you're still on target every time you put it back on the gun. A great way to do this in a hurry if you don't have time to get to the range for whatever the situation is always to make sure that red dots are lining up with your sights because you can line up that Red Dot with your flip-up sights or your permanent sights on your rifle as well.

AK EXPERT REVIEW:

I use a new mount type to mount them on a customer rifle. This scope mount was mounted on both sides and over the top of the action. I do not know how well this mount works, as the customer has yet to contact me.

This Vortex red dot has been mounted on many guns that leave my shop. I have put one on the M1 carbine I inherited from my Dad. Talk about a wonky scope mount. I do not recommend anyone try this unless they need to do something just to see it get done, like I did.

This Defender-CCW is excellent to use. It looks as clear as the air, though, and the red dot is spot-on perfect. Like all of the offerings from Vortex, this thing is made like a tank. With the heavy recoil of the AK and sitting right over the bolt, I expected the reticle to be off after sending 200 rounds down range. The red dot did not move, and the optic did not move on the mount either. I made RVT bedding for the red dot to ensure this did not happen. If anyone will do this, make sure to put some release agent on the red dot. If you don't, the red dot will be glued to the mount forever.

While on the range testing the mount and how it works for the AK, I found myself tempted to shoot some ravens in the field next to the range. I am happy to report that this red dot mounted on that AK was great at sending about four ravens to wherever they go when they become a hatband. I have been told that the black feathers look really cool on a leather cowboy hat.

The low profile of the Defender-CCW makes this red dot fit anywhere on any gun that needs one. The glass is broad, and it is easy to see the target through and follow if necessary. I can use this sight with both eyes open very quickly, and it feels natural when moving with the rifle-shouldered.

Get it from Amazon now: $218.74 & FREE Returns

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5. Sig Sauer Romeo-MSR Red Dot Sight + FREE Magnifier

Highlight: Comes with a magnifier.

This sight is made for a battle rifle. For the AR15 market, this optic combo fits like a hand in a glove. The red dot and Magnifier work like a rifle scope made in two pieces. The Magnifier can be removed or tipped out of the way so the precision sight can be used up close and quickly.

When it is time for an AR to reach out a bit, nothing beats the ability to add magnification to the red dot. This will allow an excellent operating sight to become a fantastic operating sight, especially if it needs to reach out in low light; there is nothing better than a magnified red reticle to get the bullet right where I want it.

The magnification is low-power and gives a good field of view when needed. This setup will not work like an actual scope or even a low-powered variable optic; this is a fixed-power 3x magnification. So, by using the combination, this setup is effectively a 0 or 3 power optic. The mount for the Magnifier can tip out of the way, or you can use the quick-release lever to remove the magnification altogether.

I feel the Magnifier needs to be removable because it will take weight off the gun and keep it out of play until I need it. Suppose I am moving to Target for whatever reason and must be up and on target in a hurry. In that case, I don't want the Magnifier flipping around. When I get to the place where I may need some magnification, I will place it on the gun and use or not use it accordingly.

The only thing is to get suitable mounts so this setup will all fit one and be close enough to the shooter's eye to take advantage of the sights working in a scope fashion. All that needs to happen if I run out of rail is to use an adapter, which is cheap, especially for an AR15. With little to no recoil, the only thing stopping me is running out of motivation to keep looking at optic mounts.

AR EXPERT REVIEW:

The Sig Sauer Romeo MSR is not holographic but reflex optic. For all intents and purposes, the difference is a lot of money and some operation differences. The holographic sight will be looked through as you move forward with the rifle. Most Red Dots are reflex sights, which means you pick the gun up to come on target and look through a tube with a red dot in it, but that Red Dot on your target pulls the trigger.

 The Romeo MSR Red Dot has a small dot in the center and a Halo or outer ring as part of its reticle. Some shooters do not enjoy this type of reticle. The Halo allows your eyeball to center its focus automatically. This centering focus is a naturally occurring thing with binocular vision. Binocular vision means both eyeballs look forward simultaneously to find depth and focus. Any creature that's a hunter or a predator will have binocular vision; game animals and most amphibians and reptiles have monocular vision, meaning one eyeball sees a thing and the other eyeball sees a thing they're not intended to work together to make the vision better for pursuit.

The Sig Sauer Romeo MSR Red Dot is mounted on a customer's AR-15 pistol and equipped with an arm brace that can be fired from the shoulder on rare occasions when that happens. Unlike other red dots in this review, the Romeo MSR has a magnifier in its kit, and the kit I installed for this customer came with a matching magnifier. The magnifier base allows the magnifier to move out of the way. By moving the magnifier out of the way, you can use the Red Dot as a reflex sight, move the magnifier back into place, and now you use it pretty much like a Red Dot scope. Personally, I would not have put this on an AR-15 pistol platform; I would have put this on an AR-15 full-length rifle platform to get the most out of that magnifier function as I could, but that was the client's request.

I mounted the Romeo MSR on top of the AR-15 pistol, bore-sighted in my shop, and then took it to the range. After two boxes of ammo, I had this punching out the X at 25 ft without the magnifier. I moved the target to the hundred-foot mark and continued to sight in this AR-15 pistol. The X-Ring at 100 feet moved that magnifier into position, and that was an amazing experience. I could drill those bullets in right on top of each other. Using the magnifier increases the effective range of this AR pistol exponentially. If the shooters are up to it, this AR pistol will be practical, up to 300 M, if you're comfortable shooting on such a small platform. I would have used this setup on an AR-15 20-inch rifle, but that's me, not for everybody.

As a reflex sight or a red dot sight, the Romeo MSR is fantastic on its own, coupled with the magnifier in this kit, and it is truly an incredible tool for any AR-15 platform. I plan on purchasing this kit in the next two weeks, mounting it onto an AR-15 rifle setup in 223 Wylde to handle anything to 600 M without an issue. If you can mount the Romeo MSR kit with a bipod mounted to your AR-15, I am sure you will be drilling targets at 600 yards all day.

AR PISTOL SPECIALIST REVIEW:

I tested the Romeo MSR with the Magnifier because I thought it might fit on my friend's Desert Eagle just for kicks. I discovered that it would not work, not even close. So we did the next best thing and mounted it on an AR pistol platform picatinny rail. If you hold the AR pistol the way they are meant to be shot in one hand, it works OK. If you remove the Magnifier, it will work pretty well.

Sig Sauer makes all its products with top-shelf materials and high-quality machining. This little optic will be around as long as the gun. The Romeo MSR is a little large for a carry pistol, maybe a sidearm. The old-school scope on a revolver, carried in a shoulder holster or a cross-chest holster for hunting, may work the best.

So now that I have it mounted on the AR pistol, a 10-inch barrel set up with a total length handguard, I bore sighted the setup. Then went to the range to sight in the Romeo 5. The optic took minimal adjustment to get on target and stayed on target for the entire range visit. Part of the range visit to test this red dot was to treat it like it was given to me (thanks, Sig), and I tossed it around a bit to see if it kept the mount tight and the reticle on target. With my affordable torture test, it worked like a champ; everything stayed tight and on target.

Since I had the Magnifier handy, I had to use it. This is how to put an optic on an AR platform or any battle platform rifle. Flip the Magnifier in line with the sight, and you can reach a little farther and make better shots. The flip-in-place function of the Magnifier is something to get used to, but the coolness factor will make practice easy.

Should you get one of these kits? Everyone with a battle rifle-style gun should have one. If I figure out how to put one on a modern lever action gun, I will immediately try that.

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6. Burris FastFire III 8 MOA Dot

Highlight: Adjustable reticle without tools.

The FastFire III can come in 8 MOA, which is a considerable dot and easy to find. I found this to be a great optic to put on guns for people who hike and hunt in areas that have creatures that may hunt them back, like bears.

The 8 MOA reticle or red dot will cover quite a bit of the target, so this reticle is not the correct answer for long distances. However, for close and highly exciting distances with a pissed-off Grizzly Bear, that dot will be easy to see, get on the vital targets, and end a dangerous situation quickly.

I use a riser to make it easier to see when my cheek is on the stock to mount this optic on a flattop long gun. To mount one of them on a handgun, I put them as close to the slide as possible. The Burris is a red dot that is a comparison style to a HUD system, and everything is on screen. Other red dots are more like a tube or scope for more precision shooting, and the shooter can take some time. The FastFire III can be shot with both eyes open and moving forward.

One issue with this sight is that it needs to be turned on when the gun is picked up; it does not have a motion-on function. This comes to training with the equipment and always setting it down or holstering it the same way every time.

I have heard of some reviewers counting the lens size as too small. I find that the sight is not overly large for most guns I mount them on. If I mounted one of these on a combat-focus shotgun like the Mossberg 590 or an AR10, that would provide severe cover fire. With some training, most shooters don't notice the lens size very much.

One fantastic option this red dot has over many others is the auto-dimming feature. When I take this from the shop to the side of the shop, the red dot will change brightness to match the environment. This auto-adjusting reticle is impressive for anyone hunting turkeys in heavy brush and then moving to the bright light at the edge of the clearing.

AR-15 SPECIALIST REVIEW:

The Burris FastFire III may be one of the most incredible Red Dots ever. I used this Red Dot on a brand new built AR-15 at the range for my favorite new sport, AR-15 golfing. I made up this sport, so no one's probably heard of it before, but what I do is throw a handful of golf balls out down range and start planking those golf balls and seeing how far I can drive them from hitting them with a 55-grain Full Metal Jacket Boat Tail 556. I built a brand new AR-15 in 223 Wylde; this one wasn't built per customer order, just constructed as a fantastic rifle. I decided to put a Red Dot or a reflex-type sight on top of this AR-15 versus flip-up sights or a low-power variable optic or LPVO, as they're called to have a different option on the table at the gun show.

I mounted the Burris FastFire 3 on an adapter on top of this new AR, mostly to get a little bit more height off the top of the receiver, which seemed to fit my shooting platform better. I didn't put any flip-up sights on this AR; I wanted it to look more sleek and attractive to the optics-only crowd. Then I sighted in the Burris FastFire III with a bore sight in my shop, loaded that into the truck, drove to the range, put it on the bench in the Lead Sled, and started getting this sighted on paper.

Having the ability to adjust the optic with just my fingers on the little knobs versus using a little tiny screwdriver was unique. I didn't realize how much I would appreciate that. After about half an hour, I got this red dot sight dialed right in at 25 ft to where I could watch it try to dig one ragged hole into the target. Later at 100 feet, I put about seven rounds close enough to touch each other. Since I was the only person on the range that day, I decided to try out my new idea of AR-15 golf. Suppose you want a lot of fun with a few people and are the only people on the range. This is a fantastic way to spend half a day, not many rounds, and improve your shooting ability.

The Burris is FastFire 3, comes with everything you need to mount it onto your flat-top AR-15 rifle. The one thing you'll need to install the new battery is the time and patience to read the instructions to figure out how to open the battery door. Hence, you're not damaging anything like the O-ring or the surface finish. If you do decide to put the Burris FastFire 3 onto your AR-15, do yourself a favor and get the flat top scope riser mount. Red Dots are more designed to go on a handgun than an AR-15, so they will sit flat, so your eyeball has to almost sit on top of the receiver to use it without the spacer. Red Dots that are made more to go on the handgun than to go on an AR will work fine on an AR. You need to have that scope riser, and every manufacturer worth the money they charge will offer one of these scope mounts. Do yourself a favor and get the scope mount.

The Burris FastFire 3 has five brightness settings; the best is automatic brightness. This will sense the brightness in the area and adjust that reticle for you versus clicking up and down to high, medium, and low. If you go too far, you just shut it off and have to start again. This optic one will sense the available light and adjust that to what feels like perfection. The makers don't know how your eyeball works; you may want it to be brighter or dimmer, depending on the shooting situation. If it needs to be brighter, push the button.

The adjustment screws for elevation seem to have a wide range and didn't bottom out. I didn't have to start using shims, or at least I didn't on this setup. The one thing that is kind of annoying about these adjustment screws or knobs, whatever you want to call them, is they don't click, so you do have to pay attention as you are twisting.

I've put cheap red dots on AR-15s and other battle platform rifles, some of which were made of plastic. They should save a lot of weight and make it easier to pack it all day. Do yourself a favor and buy quality optics, especially with a Red Dot. Most of these do not cost much money and will make shooting much more effective, especially with a long gun.

CCW EXPERT REVIEW:

Burris is a maker to whom I wish I had more exposure. The few optics I have had from Burris are outstanding, to say the least. The Burris FastFire III is my latest exposure, and I put it on a buddy's Desert Eagle in 50 AE. The main reason is to use the picatinny rail mounting that the FastFire III can use and the milled-in picatinny from the Desert Eagle. On top of all the logistics, it was just too cool to not try it all out.

The Burris FastFire III stood up to the massive recoil for our ammo and did not appear to lose the zero. We bore sight of the FastFire III, and from our first shots on the paper, the last shots were in the same place. We set the RedDot to the 2 MOA size dot. The FastFire III can adjust from 1 to 8 MOA for the dot size, which would also be great for a shotgun-mounted red dot.

When it comes to zeroing or bore sighting, for that matter, the adjustment knobs are finger adjustable. No need for a small screwdriver to make the adjustments. I read the owner's manual to understand the reticle brightness settings, and the on-off and auto functions are all controlled by the same push button. The setup on the Burris FastFire III for the led functions is not my favorite, I may not be the right guy for this setup, but to me, it is more confusing than it is worth - the push button series (I think that is what its called) is not my flavor.

The battery is easy to get to, and the top loading feature makes it easy to get to and change out if needed. The body is made from aluminum and small-bodied aircraft, so looking through the sight of a handgun takes a bit of practice. However, I found it easy to use after practicing for a while. From what I am told, a sight like this is easy to shoot with both eyes open. After trying to do this for years, I still have to close one eye to hit anything downward.

For the big question, should you get one? Yes, you should; the build quality is worth the money. The ability to withstand the recoil of the 50AE is impressive. After practice finding the red dot to put on target, I am sure my shooting will improve with this optic.

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7. Aimpoint - CompM5 Red Dot Reflex Sight

Highlight: Constant-on battery life of 30,000 hours.

If you find the new and improved idea of "super reticles" more of an annoyance than a help, the Aimpoint PRO with its 2 MOA simple red dot is what you are looking for. The Aimpoint is more suited for large-frame handguns, sub-guns, and short AR platform guns. Another thing Aimpoint does not do is get all fancy with the packaging. The red dot will come in a plain box, almost like an ammo box, but with foam padding instead of a plastic bullet tray.

Aimpoint started this world of the red dot as a supplier to police departments. EOTECH had the military bottled up tight, so Aimpoint went after the police market and did a great job of tightening that up. So, Aimpoint did not go all fancy with the packaging; they went with how many could fit in the box when shipped.

The Aimpoint PRO comes with the Allen wrench to install it and some different screws if you decide to take the riser plate off and mount it directly to the gun. I almost forgot to mention the red dot also comes with a battery to power it. I could pull this out of the box, mount it, boresight it, and then head to the range to see what this optic is all about.

The Aimpoint PRO comes with a fantastic mounting option; it has a torque-limiting feature, so the tip rail cannot get munched by overdoing the mounting knob. When I learned this, I had to try the Aimpoint PRO, a "Scout Rifle" setup, and put it about the midpoint of the total top rails in an AR in 50 Beowulf. I wanted to see if the mount would spare my top rail on the handguard. I wanted that optic away from my eyebrow ridge when that much recoil lets loose. I am happy to report that both parts of the experiment worked well.

When not in use or in transport, the Aimpoint PRO has a scope cover; it covers the ends to protect the glass, turrets, and battery cap. The lens covers are clear on the back and solid black on the front. The manual and website say that two clear caps can be purchased when things happen fast, so you can shoot without flipping the caps off.

The reticle adjustments are slotted, and a coin can be used, so you need to carry a special tiny screwdriver, just a penny. The reticle brightness has 10 levels of adjustment to fit anyone's needs. I don't have anything to use to test the night vision settings, so I cannot attest to their functionality. The red dot itself, for my eyeballs, needed to be set pretty high on the settings clicks. I don't know if everyone will have that same issue, but a bright sunny day at the range will make you realize the need to set them up to witness your sights.

When I was reading the manual, it told me that the Aimpoint PRO is waterproof to 150 feet! This is the one for you if you are a diver of some nature and need to exit the water with a gun ready to fight. Think of this for the action shooters that crawl in the mud and stuff for the range challenge; when you are done, you can safely hose off the rifle and optic without worrying about damaging anything. If you decide to use the infantry method of gun cleaning, get the water displacement oil on the parts immediately after.

AR-15 SPECIALIST REVIEW:

The Aimpoint was the first (I believe) Red Dot optic designed to go on the AR-15. When you look through it, it's a little bigger Red Dot reticle (2 MOA). This makes finding the reticle and placing it on the target much more manageable. Since this is a Red Dot reflexive type of sight versus a precision shooting optic, you don't need the super pinpoint dot. I believe you will enjoy shooting the Aimpoint Pro on an AR-15 rifle more than a precision scope with an illuminated reticle that has a tiny Red Dot reticle. (Unless you're going for absolute precision... then use the small dot and use the variable magnification to get closer to the target.)

Many shooters enjoy the simplicity of the Aimpoint versus the cumbersome mega reticles you can find in some of these Red Dot optics. The more complex reticles are designed to give you more in-the-sight pictures to help you calculate the distance for holdover and distance for moving targets. Other shooters want a dot in the middle so it looks like you're looking through a piece of glass at a laser pointer; when that Red Dot hits the center of the target, they're going to pull the trigger.

The Aimpoint Red Dot was designed for Police Department use, not military use. The military went with the EOTech holographic-style sight. Since the Aimpoint was intended for law enforcement, the budget to purchase department-wide bunches of optics isn't as large as the Department of Defense-wide open bottomless checkbook to buy the EOTechs. The Aimpoint will come in a plain white box and be packaged nicely.

Aimpoint will come with a mount you can take off, and try the Aimpoint on your AR-15 rifle to see how it works. I'll tell you right now: you'll want to leave that riser in place. It was designed to put that Red Dot optic in the correct line of sight for shooting the AR-15 rifle. The Aimpoint mount comes with a torque-limiting feature. This mount makes it so you cannot over-torque and bend the rifle mount or mounting platform. The one thing you're going to notice is the knob that you used to tighten this mount down onto the gun; it's pretty big, and when I say pretty big, it's bigger than it looks like in the ad. If you have a slim or tight-fitting gun sleeve or gun case, you may want to make sure you're going to be able to draw this out of that gun mount without that knob hanging up on it.

What I've been told about the amount is you can get this sighted in, remove the Aimpoint, and put it back on; it will be right about the money. The client I installed on his AR-15 hasn't done such a thing, so I can't attest to this in person. I've seen many reviewers tell me that is precisely the case. This is a fantastic piece of engineering. It would be a privilege to have this mounted on an AR-15 rifle.

The Aimpoint does come with scope lens covers. The one in the box will have a transparent lens in the back and a black lens in the front. You can purchase clear covers for the front and back. They seem to be made by the same people that make Butler Creek brand scope covers, so you're going to get the high quality that we come to know from Butler Creek. The great thing about replacing these lens covers with clear ones on both sides is that they will protect the glass and allow you to shoot through the scope covers if you have this rifle brought into service unexpectedly. The one thing you'll notice shooting through scope covers is they're pretty blurry, or they will get blurry pretty quick; they're just plastic. They're not glass like the optic will be made with, and your bullet impact is sometimes up to an inch or more due to the distortion from shooting through the plastic covers left in place.

The reticle has 10 brightness settings. The issue with the brightest of these settings is that the Dot gets so bright it gets blurry or out of focus because it's more light than your eyeball can use, especially when trying to focus on that reticle and the target simultaneously. It's easily fixed; don't turn it up past 8, and you'll be fine. You need to set this brightness level for your use situation; you won't have time to adjust brightness levels. What I mean by that last sentence is if you have to pull this out of the Gun Locker and use it right now fast, that brightness level needs to be set for your living room with the light on, for example, not set for the last time you were looking to shoot squirrels.

AK EXPERT REVIEW:

The Aimpoint on an AK fits the elevated mount setup. Optic mounts for an AK are a bit of an answer without a question. The AK was never designed to have an optic. It was only made to use open iron sights. The AR platform was built with a top handle and became a flat top receiver; the AK is made with an open-top receiver.

The Aimopoint will not fit flat on the top of the gun, no matter what it is put on. Since that is not needed for a red dot on an AK, no problems will be had. The red dot reticle in this optic is excellent for two-eye open shooting. All I have to do is raise the gun, and the red dot shows me where the bullet is going to hit. Other optics have different reticles for different reasons. Still, the simple red dot can not be beat for two eyes open shooting.

The red dot was shipped to me in a plain white box. The other optics in the fancy case, with all the cool stuff included, are made for consumer markets. The Aimpoint is made for the police market. The inclusions are some shorter screws for use without the riser, the Allen wrench, and a battery to turn it all on.

Speaking of the battery, it is in a simple and exposed tube, to use a word. All caps, including the battery compartment, are sealed for water leakage. The lenses are protected by shoot-through caps or covers. The caps can be flipped up for a clearer view, but if things go bad in a hurry, or if this is on a turkey gun, I can shoot through the clear lens covers without an issue. The lens caps on the optic I ordered are see-through; the standard caps will have a black cap on the front, which obviously cannot be seen through. Mine are clear on the back and yellow on the front. These caps seem to be made a little better than the ones from Butler Creek.

The red dot is slightly different for shooters used to shooting with a scope. The reticle is made for quick shooting, not precision shooting. All this means is that this optic's red dot is bigger or more prominent than a deer scope illuminated dot. This dot is 2 MOA, and what that means to everyone else is it will cover a turkey's head when the target is about 25 feet away. With this type of optic, the bullet drop and reticle are different. At about 100 feet, not yards but feet, the bullet's drop is not predictable with the red dot optic.

The brightness of the red has ten brightness settings. This will make the reticle viewable in the sunshine and turn it down for darker times. The optic is also waterproof. The waterproof resilience will allow me to scuba dive with this scope if I lose my mind and still shoot like it did before I jumped in. This simplifies cleaning the red dot; just hose it off, and it is good to go.

The battery life is reported to be 30K hours of constant running. I am not going to test that, I am not sure I will live for 30K hours, and I know I will not care about battery life after about 3 hours of checking a dot to see if it's still there.

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8. Feyachi Absolute Co-Witness Reflex Sight

Highlight: Everything is fully adjustable.

The windage and elevation are fully adjustable like the others; the brightness adjustability stands out the most with this red dot. It is a thumb-adjustable knob that sits under the back of the sight.

All I have to do to adjust this reticle is turn the knob with my thumb, and it responds perfectly. Here is a thing that I cannot write about the other red dots: this optic has different types of reticles to choose from; now, do I have your attention?

The reticle is adjusted with the supplied tools, and the reticle can be locked down and will stay put, at least as far as I have tested it. The sight is lightweight and will only add a little to a rifle I have to carry a long way. Sighting in the optic was simple and fast, and after it was all done and over, the reticle would co-witness with my flip-up sights, and for once, it did not seem weird to me. Maybe my old brain is getting used to the red-dot world.

The body construction is fantastic and made from excellent materials. The Feyachi has a built-in rear sight, which they call it, and they stick by that copy. It is a wonderful attempt to fix a problem that does not need to be fixed. I think the built-in read-sight feature was for the handgun folks; the long-gun shooters who use this optic will never even notice. The rear sight attempts are even there.

The on button is located on the side of the optic, making it a simple way to engage the red dot or use the iron sights. This is how all of them should be made; they fit all flavors of shooters, and if the irons are in play and the battery is dead, there is no harm or foul.

After all this great news from Feyachi, how much would everyone think this sight costs a shooter? This optic should cost around 200 bucks. The optic cost is under a hundred bucks! I will get a bunch of these and start putting them on everything if I can figure out a way to do so to see how everything works with a red dot on it. If I can't get a mount to fit, I may use the old stand-by duct tape to see; I am that happy and motivated to try them out everywhere. This is definitely the best cheap red dot pistol sight on the market, and I highly recommend it.

CCW INSTRUCTOR REVIEW:

Feyachi Absolute Co-witness is an entry to this testing review from the budget-friendly crowd. If I buy a more expensive red dot from myself, it has to be on a gun that my life depends on. For the guns that I shoot just for fun or to see if a gun will work well with a red dot, I use a red dot like the Feyachi.

Can the Feyachi Absolute Co-Witness be dropped off a cliff like the Vortex and submerged like the Aimpoint? No, the Feyachi cannot. Can the others perform well and not break the bank? No, they cannot. There is nothing wrong with buying and using budget optics; if the crowd you shoot with has an issue, get a better crowd to shoot with.

The Feyachi has a 4-way adjustable reticle. This adjustable reticle option will let the shooter experiment with reticle choice for a reasonable price before saving for the big dollar purchase, and that is an authentic try-before-you-buy experience. After trying the Feyachi and finding what works best for me, I still had the Feyachi Absolute Co-Witness to use on whatever I wanted to set up with a red dot optic. I didn't use it for concealed carry, simply because I own red dots by much better brands. I mounted this one on a .22 long rifle pistol for plinking around and practicing picking up the red dot when I pointed the gun.

The Feyachi uses an adjustable reticle brightness that gets pretty bright at its top end and uses a simple on/off button on the side. With an on/off button, this is not the optic for the high-stand or carry gun unless you plan to use the iron sights and then turn on the red dot as a multiplier. If you go into dark places and want to be able to turn on the red dot when the light is not good enough to use the iron sights, this may be the answer for you.

As the name says, this optic is made to co-witness with the stock or upgraded sights. The optic has a built-in rear sight that is not adjustable, so the co-witness works better with the front sight and some training or modification for the built-in rear sight if you plan to use that option. I use this site as a training tool, not a carry optic. Its size makes it more suited for a shoulder-fired gun. Still, it can't be beaten to practice picking up the red dot and showing customers the different types of reticles on a lightweight gun in my shop.

AR SPECIALIST REVIEW:

The Feyachi Red Dot is a new and more budget-friendly product. I won't use the word cheap because that refers to the build, not just the price tag. The Feyachi Absolute Co-Witness reflex sight is worth every penny you spend, and you won't spend a lot of pennies to get this Red Dot on your AR-15. I wouldn't say this is the best optic for an AR-15 build; this is just an excellent place to start.

For a bargain price, this little unit is made of aluminum, not plastic. The machining is high-quality, and the fit and finishes are high-quality. Older models from this manufacturer are not as high-quality. I praise this manufacturer for stepping up their game; they listen to their customers, have always taken care of them, and have improved their manufacturing and quality control standards.

I'm not too fond of the brightness adjustment of this Red Dot. This brightness is similar to a flashlight that has brightness adjustments. I had to cycle through the menu on the side of the Red Dot and push the button repeatedly until I got it as bright as I wanted. I said before that this unit has the rear sight built right into the Red Dot. This is great if you're going to put this on a pistol; however, to put this on an AR-15, I think you'll do yourself a disservice.

The rear sight built into this unit is minimal, especially compared to pop-up AR-15 sights. The one built into this Red Dot will be difficult to see because it is molded to take up as little space as possible, so the absolute co-witness is correct; it does co-witness. I don't think it belongs on an AR-15 to replace the rear sight.

The reticle with this Red Dot is impressive; it has four options. This allows you to choose which reticle works best for you versus some of the other more expensive players. It will tell you which reticle you will get, and that's it. This adjustable reticle is accommodating, ensuring I can find and use my preferred reticle.

AK-47 EXPERT REVIEW:

This site has built-in rear sight "ears" to use as a co-witness with the red dot. This is a great idea, but it is a weak and cheap rear sight to replace quality sights.

The Wide View glass makes this reflex sight very easy to use and gets on target quickly. The glass is of good quality, and the materials they use to make this sight are excellent. The lens coatings are suitable but not exceptional. Look at the price versus a sight that does not have a long-distance precision scope but a fast-action short-distance optic.

One thing to mention about this option is the weight. The AK47 is not a light gun; even with a stamped receiver, it is hefty. Saving a few ounces anywhere is a good idea, and the Feyachi is the best choice. The site will be mounted to a rail, which is easy to mount to the gun. I have mounted one of these on an AK mount that replaces the rear sight in the dovetail. I am unsure how well this will work in the long run, but it looks awesome, so I hope it works well for the customer.

A couple of things to mention about this optic are the adjustments. The battery cover is OK to reach, but it needs the magic coin or a tool to adjust the windage and elevation. If the tool is lost, the range day will end early. This is not a total killer or use; it would be nicer to have a simple slot to use a screwdriver from the Leatherman Tool or a coin to make the adjustments.

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