top of page

​

We review the products on this page independently. When you buy through our links, we earn an affiliate commission. Why trust us?

​

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

Updated: 12 hours ago

It's not easy to find the best red dot sight for your pistol, AR-15 or AK-47. I tested the most popular models myself, and this is my ultimate ranking.


best red dot sight for the money

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


Red dots reviewed in this guide:



In addition to my own research, I included feedback from colleagues who tested these products in a variety of real-world situations.


1. Sig Sauer Romeo5 - Best Red Dot Sight for AR-15


best ar15 red dot sight

HIGHLIGHT:


10 brightness settings, including NV settings.


INCLUDED HARDWARE:


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.


BATTERY INSTALLATION:


One thing that happened to me was that the sticker that keeps the battery from connecting had a powerful adhesive, unlike the other vinyl stickers that blow off in the wind. Check the battery surfaces for glue residue before you install the battery. The residue is easy to remove. I used "Simple Green" and a rag and had it shiny and new in 30 seconds.


INITIAL BRIGHTNESS:


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.


SHAKE AWAKE LOGIC:


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? But the optic will also go into sleep mode if it does not move for 120 seconds. The new owner will assume the sight is turned off, press the button, and turn off the optic. If this is going to be a life and death function, there needs to be an exact way it is used. I found the Shake Awake function especially useful on an AR-15 because the reticle is ready when I bring the gun up to my shoulder. On a pistol, walking around all day will generally keep the reticle on.


BUILD QUALITY:


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, and the Romeo5 is an excellent fit for the AR-15 platform.


SHOTGUN USE:


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. That amount of recoil can eventually shake mounts loose, so the optic and mount need to be checked from time to time.


AGING EYESIGHT:


The best value in Romeo5, for me and all the other aging citizens who visit my shop, is how easy the red dot is to see. 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. The Romeo5 makes getting on target much easier for me.


TURRET DESIGN:


Another thing I found impressive about the Sig Sauer Romeo5 is the turrets. The Romeo5 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 MOUNTING:


When I mounted one of the Romeo5 optics on a customer's AK-47, 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.


SIGHT PICTURE:


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.


Get it from Amazon now: $127.99 & FREE Returns

2. Holosun 510C - Best Red Dot Sight for AK-47


best red dot sight for the money

HIGHLIGHT:


Dot and Circle reticle.


MARKET COMPARISON:


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


ZERO AND RETICLE:


After getting this red dot to zero, it has never moved. 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.


ENERGY MANAGEMENT:


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.


AUTO BRIGHTNESS:


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.


SIGHT PICTURE:


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.


DEFENSIVE READINESS:


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.


RETICLE DESIGN:


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 finds the center of the sight picture in a hurry.


INCLUDED MOUNT:


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.


MOUNT STABILITY:


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.


Get it from Amazon now: $309.99 & FREE Returns

3. Aimpoint CompM5 - Best Premium Red Dot Sight


best pistol red dot sights

HIGHLIGHT:


Constant-on battery life of 50,000 hours.


DESIGN PHILOSOPHY:


If you find the new and improved idea of "super reticles" more of an annoyance than a help, the Aimpoint CompM5 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.


MOUNTING AND SETUP:


The Aimpoint CompM5 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 CompM5 comes with a fantastic mounting option; it has a torque-limiting feature, so the top rail cannot get munched by overdoing the mounting knob. When I learned this, I had to try the Aimpoint CompM5 in a "Scout Rifle" setup and put it about the midpoint of the top rail on an AR chambered 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.


AR-15 RISER:


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 one thing you're going to notice is the knob that you use 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.


ADJUSTMENT CONTROLS:


The reticle adjustments are slotted, and a coin can be used, so you don't need to carry a special tiny screwdriver, just a penny. 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 brightness settings. 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 for a higher brightness setting.


WATERPROOF RATING:


When I was reading the manual, it told me that the Aimpoint CompM5 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.


SHOOTING COMFORT:


When you look through it, it's a 2 MOA red dot reticle. This makes finding the reticle and placing it on the target much more manageable. Since this is a reflex red dot sight versus a precision shooting optic, you don't need the super pinpoint dot. I believe you will enjoy shooting the CompM5 on an AR-15 rifle more than a precision scope with an illuminated reticle that has a tiny red dot reticle. If you're going for absolute precision, then use a precision optic with a smaller dot and variable magnification to get closer to the target.


LENS COVER:


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. 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 when shooting through scope covers is that they're pretty blurry, or they will get blurry pretty quick; they're just plastic. They're not glass like the optic itself is.


BRIGHTNESS RANGE:


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 SETUP:


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 Aimpoint does not fit flat on the top of this gun. Since that is not needed for a red dot on an AK, it isn't a problem. The red dot reticle in this optic is excellent for two-eyes-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 cannot be beat for two-eyes-open shooting.


CLOSE RANGE USE:


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.


BATTERY LIFE:


The battery life is reported to be 50K hours of constant running. I am not going to test that. I am not sure I will live for 50K 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.


Get it from Amazon now: $1,009.00 & FREE Returns

4. Vortex Defender-CCW - Best Red Dot Sight for CCW


best red dot sight for the money

HIGHLIGHT:


Top load battery and trim profile.


PISTOL FIT:


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.


RANGE PERFORMANCE:


Whenever I mount the Defender-CCW on the back of a Glock-style gun, the shooter seems better. The gun almost seems to know 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. And another thing, the optic will turn itself off after 10 minutes if left undisturbed, which is a good battery saver, especially when on the range.


TRAINING REQUIREMENTS:


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.


AR-15 TRANSITION:


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; it's old habits in an old brain, what can I say?


PLATFORM MATCH:


After months of researching mid-range priced optics for a customer's .300 Blackout AR-15, I talked him into trying the Vortex Defender-CCW red dot sight. We discussed the EOTech, the Trijicon, and the Aimpoint. From what we discussed, the EOTech and Trijicon pricing is pretty excessive for that specific gun. 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.


LOW PROFILE SETUP:


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.


ZEROING RESULTS:


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 100 m, maybe 200 m, of course, depending on the shooter, circumstances, terrain, and all the other terminology that's supposed to be used.


AK MOUNTING:


I used a new type of mount to put the Defender-CCW on a customer's AK. The mount attached to both sides and went 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.


DURABILITY TEST:


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 RTV 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.


ERGONOMIC USE:


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. When I used it on the AK, I could use this sight with both eyes open very quickly, and it felt natural when moving with the rifle shouldered.


CUSTOMER SUPPORT:


Whenever I have been hired to mount anything from Vortex for a customer, it never fails. The box the optic came in does not have the correct screws with it anymore. 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.


Get it from Amazon now: $245.00 & FREE Returns

5. Bushnell TRS-26 - Best Red Dot Sight for Shotguns


best red dot sight for the money

HIGHLIGHT:


Withstands the harsh world of shotgun-mounted red dots.


PLATFORM PERFORMANCE:


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 one of the most budget-friendly, high-quality optics that I recommend all the time. And for the price, it performs like it 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. However, if you ask my clients, many of them would argue that this is the ideal red dot for shotguns.


ADJUSTMENT EASE:


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 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.


FIELD WEAR:


The materials these are made of will take anything my customers have brought out in the field, and I have yet to have one brought back to me, not even to check the mounts. The finish has been scraped 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.


USER ADAPTATION:


I mounted the Bushnell 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 moved the inexpensive sight to the new rifle; that says a lot. Mounting the TRS to the new AR-15 was simple. My client was used to getting his cheekbone right on the buttstock to see through the Bushnell on his 30-30, so he had no problem getting his face right on the buttstock of the AR-15. We did not use a riser. I don't know why he didn't buy another TRS. The price makes it possible to have one for each firearm.


DEPENDABILITY:


The TRS-26 is the red dot I always use to set up guns when they leave the gun shop. I like their dependability and price. I read many folks talking about this as a good disposable red dot that they will replace 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 have been reported back to me as failures.


CLARITY:


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 doesn't cost anywhere close to a thousand bucks either.


WATER RESISTANCE:


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 is waterproof, and 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

6. Sig Sauer Romeo-MSR - Best Red Dot and Magnifier Combo


best red dot sight for the money

HIGHLIGHT:


Comes with a magnifier.


OPTIC PURPOSE:


This sight is made for a battle rifle. For the AR-15 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. When it is time for an AR to reach out a bit, nothing beats the ability to add magnification to the red dot. 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 1x or 3x 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 removing it will take weight off the gun and keep it out of play until I need it. Suppose I am moving to a 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.


SETUP PLANNING:


The only thing is to get suitable mounts so this setup will all fit on the rail 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 AR-15.


MAGNIFIER SETUP:


The Sig Sauer Romeo MSR red dot is mounted on a customer's AR-15 pistol equipped with an arm brace. 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. Personally, I would not have put this on an AR-15 pistol platform; I would have put this on a full-length AR-15 rifle to get as much as I could out of that magnifier function, but that was the client's request.


ACCURACY TEST:


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. At 100 feet, I moved the magnifier into position, and that was an amazing experience. I could drill those bullets in right on top of each other. Using the magnifier significantly increases the effective range of this AR pistol. I would have used this setup on an AR-15 20-inch rifle, but that's me, not for everybody.


FIELD TEST:


On the AR pistol, 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.


Get it from Amazon now: $269.99 & FREE Returns

7. Burris FastFire III - Best Red Dot Sight for Close-Range Shooting


best red dot sight for the money

HIGHLIGHT:


Tool-free windage and elevation adjustment.


CLOSE RANGE USE:


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.


MOUNTING:


To mount this optic on a flat-top long gun, I use a riser to make it easier to see when my cheek is on the stock. To mount one of them on a handgun, I put them as close to the slide as possible.


INCLUDED HARDWARE:


The Burris FastFire III 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 and figure out how to open the battery door without damaging anything like the O-ring or the surface finish.


SIGHT STYLE:


The Burris is a red dot that is comparable in 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.


MANUAL POWER:


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 down to training with the equipment and always setting it down or holstering it the same way every time.


AR PLATFORM USE:


The Burris FastFire III may be one of the most incredible red dots ever. I used this red dot on a brand-new 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 plinking those golf balls and seeing how far I can drive them with a 55-grain full-metal-jacket boat-tail 5.56.


TOOL-FREE ZEROING:


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.


ADJUSTMENT CONTROLS:


The Burris FastFire 3 has three manual brightness settings and an automatic brightness setting. 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. 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. 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, the push-button system is more confusing than it is worth.


RECOIL TEST:


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 was that the FastFire III can use a Picatinny rail mount, and the Desert Eagle has a milled-in Picatinny rail. 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 and did not appear to lose zero. We bore-sighted the FastFire III, and from our first shots on the paper, the last shots were in the same place. The FastFire III is available with either a 3 or 8 MOA dot, which would also be great for a shotgun-mounted red dot.


PRACTICAL USE:


The battery is easy to get to, and the top-loading feature makes it easy to change out if needed. Looking through the sight on 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 downrange.


Get it from Amazon now: $149.99 & FREE Returns

8. Feyachi RS-30 Reflex Sight - Best Affordable Red Dot Sight


best red dot sight for the money

HIGHLIGHT:


4 selectable reticles and 5 brightness settings.


RETICLE OPTIONS:


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


AFFORDABILITY:


After all this great news from Feyachi, how much would everyone think this sight costs a shooter? This optic should cost around 200 bucks, but it's actually under 50! 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. I wouldn't say this is the best optic for an AR-15 build; this is just an excellent place to start.


TRAINING USE:


If I buy a more expensive red dot for 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. I use this sight 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 for practicing picking up the red dot and showing customers the different types of reticles on a lightweight gun in my shop. 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. I didn't use the Feyachi 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.


MANUAL POWER USE:


The Feyachi 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.


FIELD OF VIEW:


The Wide View glass makes this reflex sight very easy to use and helps me get 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 and remember that this is not a long-distance precision scope, but a fast-action, short-distance optic.


LIGHTWEIGHT DESIGN:


One thing to mention about this option is the weight. The AK-47 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 a great choice in this respect. The sight 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.


Get it from Amazon now: $35.63 & FREE Returns

bottom of page