I review red dot sights for a living, so if you're looking for an option that is both durable and affordable, read on. My picks will never feel like a regretful purchase. Mark my words!
FYI, prices and ratings are accurate as of time of writing.
1. Sig Sauer Romeo5 1x20mm Red Dot Sight
Top-rated: 11,541 ratings | 726 answered questions
Credit: Amazon.com
Highlight: 10 illumination settings (8 daylight, 2 NV) for visibility in all light conditions.
Helpful review: "I received this in the factory sealed box, and with the factory tamper proof seal in tact! The sight came boxed with the Mounting Key, Lens Cloth, Battery, 2 Mounts, Lens Cap, and Instruction Sheet. This is a very nice sight, easy to mount, clear red dot.
A few things that's important to know about the optic:
(1) Read over the instruction sheet. Don't just assume that because you've had these types of sights before you'd know how this one would work. You wouldn't!
(2) Yes! The sight has an auto-off after 120 seconds of "No Motion" when auto-motion is ON. So, yes! Remember to use this option in order to avoid unnecessary battery drain. If you've read the instruction sheet it informs you that the sight also has an actual Power Off and Power On option. To use this option you only have to hold down on either the + or - button longer than 1 second, and the same thing to power it back on.
(3) Some reviewers are reporting the sight not working, etc... This is a result of one of couple of things. When you first install the battery, you will not be able to see the red dot until you turn up the brightness, so click the + button (Don't Hold It Down At First, Just Click It) 3 or 4 times. If you still don't see the dot, assume the sight is in its Powered Off Mode and push and hold either the + or the - button for 1-Second to actually turn the sight on, then click the + (plus) button a few times until the dot becomes bright enough to see.
(4) Another possible problem that could happen is with installing the battery. Mine had a safety peel off sticker that HAS to be removed. When you peel these off, it leaves adhesive (glue) on the battery. So it's possible that you'd leave enough of it to cause a certain loss of battery contact. Make sure when you peel the sticker off from the battery that all the adhesive is cleaned off of the battery itself.
Caution! the brightness adjustments in either direction ISN'T A PUSH & HOLD operation!!! It's momentary CLICKS! That means that the brightness setting isn't a constant veritable. It's in CLICKED STEPS! Caution! Holding down for more than one second on either the Plus or the Minus button actually turns the optic sight OFF (totally powering it down) meaning that just clicking the brightness buttons (Plus or Minus) will not do anything until the optic sight is "Turned Back On"!
So what's the bottom line on the misinformation of this optic? All I can say is that it has some higher level electronics then the standard red dots. It's not rocket science, but it's cause for a lot of these being returned and the reason for a lot of the low rated reviews. It's NOT only "Auto Powered Controlled". It can be Turned Off, and it can be done so by accident. PLEASE read over the instruction sheet FIRST before you box this sight up and return it. It's such a great quality that it deserves that much attention.
Now let me make this clear. This review is from a 64 year old AR-15 (5.56 NATO) gun owner! I can say that the sight responded well to adjustments! It seems to be holding ZERO very well with what ammo I've fired so far! And, again, it has very clear optics! Having the turret adjusting bits built onto the turret caps works very well! There is no issues with the quality or function of this sight that I can find, but I'm thinking that the same sight upgraded to the larger tube and lenses might be NICE! but it would be larger and it cost more! Very Nice for the money!" — Mark Watters
Get it from Amazon now: $129.19 & FREE Returns
2. Vortex Optics Venom Red Dot Sight
Top-rated: 5,196 ratings | 1000+ answered questions
Credit: Amazon.com
Highlight: The top load mechanism allows you to easily change the battery (without removing the sight).
Helpful review: "My first firearm was a Glock 17 MOS and I took it multiple times to plate shoot competitions (at 15 yards). But I was shooting horribly with it, so I put it away for a few months and used a Tangfolio Witness Elite Match. I decided to take advantage of the MOS feature of my Glock 17 and I purchased this Vortex Venom red dot (though the photo shows the Venom on one of my other firearms).
I never shot using a red dot before so I took it to the range and used about 100 rounds to zero it first at 7 then 15 and finally at 25 yards. During the range session, I noticed that the groups were very tight at 15 yards so I decided to take it to the next plate shoot night, which happened to be "Low light shooting" night.
I was amazed my self at the accuracy and consistency of this targeting system. Not only I won the competition but did it undefeated and I owe it all to this red dot. I shot about 100 rounds during the competition and the zero held perfectly. Needless to say that the Glock 17 MOS with the Vortex Venom is my favorite firearm for plate shoot competition and I am going to try it for USPSA next time.
Features include auto shut off (after many hours) and auto brightness of the red dot depending on the ambient light but you can also adjust the brightness from the Up/Down arrows on the side. The total height of the sight feels very low compared to some other red dots I have seen. Yet, during targeting it is very easy to see the target through the glass.
Only drawback is that when I first bring the firearm up to firing position, sometimes I struggle to find the dot. Perhaps a co-witness front sight would guide me as to if I am aiming to high, too low, left or right, while I am looking for the dot. But when you shoot with a dot, the focus should be on the target and I am afraid that a co-witness front sight would bring my focus to it out of a habit so I am planning to use it as is for a while to see if I can start finding the dot easier.
To obtain the correct screws for the Glock 17 MOS, I called Vortex at eight hundred 426-0048 x4 and I got to speak with a person immediately. I told her that I ordered the Vortex Venom and I need the screws to mount it on the Glock. She asked for my name and address and 2 days later the screws arrived in an envelope free of charge.
Overall, with great service, lifetime warranty and the same quality with red dots that cost twice as much, I believe that I got the most value from this purchase than any other accessory I have purchased so far. I highly recommend this red dot sight." — John Vale
Get it from Amazon now: $249.00 & FREE Returns
3. Burris FastFire III 8 MOA Dot
Top-rated: 2,600 ratings | 854 answered questions
Credit: Amazon.com
Highlight: Tool-less wind age and elevation adjustments.
Helpful review: "I purchased this sight to mount on my Smith & Wesson M&P 9mm Full Size pistol. I do not have the C.O.R.E model so I had to purchase a mounting mechanism separately. I decided to use Sight-Mount to replace my rear sight. Sight-Mount gives you a short picatinny rail section and installs in the rear sight dove tail. It does have the rear iron sight, so if I remove the red-dot, I still have good iron sights to use.
Other mounting mechanisms replace the rear sight and you no longer have iron sights to fall back on. Be advised that Sight-Mount recommends drilling and tapping your slide for a third mounting screw for a solid mount (you'll need a gunsmith for that). The Burris FastFire III with the included Picatinny mount fits on the Sight-Mount rail perfectly. Everything is very tight and secure with this mechanism, and with the gun's recoil and moving slide, it has to be.
I took this to the range and had no problems zeroing the sight at 10 meters. The adjustments are very easy to make (1 MOA per click) and it holds zero very well.
This model has an 8 MOA dot which is quite large (8 inches at 100 yards) and meant for close distances. I have tried this sight out to 25 yards (max at my indoor range) and the sight is very accurate between 5 and 25 yards (you do have to compensate your point of aim at different distances depending on the distance you zeroed the sight). For handguns, 8 MOA is a really good size because you are typically shooting at relatively close distances.
There is a combination on/off and brightness square rubber push button switch on the left side of the sight. The sequence is ON - AUTO Bright - High Bright - Medium Bright - Low Bright - OFF. It does have an auto off feature, and if the sight turns itself off, the next time you push the button it will activate whatever the last mode you were using.
The Auto setting is very good and the light sensor at the front of the sight will adjust the dot intensity pretty well. I have tried looking at the dot from a dark room and into a brightly lit room and the dot is dim but still very good. The opposite, from a brightly lit room into a dark room, the dot is quite bright, but again very good and usable. Even on the brightest setting, the dot is a whole lot less distorted than I've seen on other, even more expensive sights.
This sight has the battery access from the top of the sight, unlike the previous version of this sight where you had to dismount the sight and disturb your zero to replace the battery. The cap is finely threaded aluminum that is easy to cross-thread if you're not careful.
The battery that came with the sight was dead, so I used a replacement battery (CR1632 3 Volt) and had no trouble installing it. The sight is small so finding the dot for the first time took me a bit, but once you get used to the sight, finding the dot is no issue.
The sight is made with an aluminum chassis and appears to be very durable, but I'm not abusing the sight intentionally to test how durable it is.
The sight is really great. With my old eyes not able to focus in on the front sight post of my pistol, this red dot sight allows me to be a lot more accurate than with the iron sights. This allows you to easily shoot with both eyes open and focused on the target. With iron sights, its easy to get tunnel vision. Besides, if you are being attacked, you are focused on your attacker and probably not on your front sight. The red dot sight gives you a real advantage in this regard.
The only complaint I have, is that the sight does not come with a protective cover. It does come with a big sun shade, but I would like a small cover so I can protect the sight when I'm cleaning my gun. You can easily get cleaner on the lens of the sight and it's a pain to get completely clean again. You really don't want to dismount the sight once it's zeroed so this is one drawback. I now use some plastic wrap to cover the sight while I'm cleaning it.
Overall, I'm impressed with the quality of this sight. I have fired a few hundred rounds with this sight and it has held zero perfectly. The mounting is solid and handles the recoil and movement of the slide very well. The 8 MOA dot is easy to pick up, and the sight provides me a more accurate sight picture than with the iron sights. I'm happy with this purchase and can recommend this sight to anyone." — Shawn Nilsen
Get it from Amazon now: $266.99 & FREE Returns
4. Holosun 510C Open Reflex Sight
Top-rated: 3,672 ratings | 312 answered questions
Credit: Amazon.com
Highlight: 2 MOA Dot & 65 MOA Circle.
Helpful review: "I've had an RMR and a few Vortex red dots. The RMR had the dimming issue I resolved with an antiflicker plate and I loved it. The Vortex dots aren't sexy but they just work. I could punch a penny at 25 yards with both. This new Holosun however beats them all. The features, construction, and options put it above the competition at almost half the price.
Perfect cowitness with the BUIS that came with my B&T GHM9. Took a considerable amount of left to right adjustment, but the up down was dead on. The shake to wake feature gives it true "Go Gun" status. No fiddling with buttons to turn it on. In a bad situation you don't want to have to try to turn one on when you really need it. Pulling it out of your bag will bring it to life and you're ready to rock.
Auto-dimming is also a great feature my RMR and Vortex dots didn't have. Once enabled you will see a noticeable and immediate difference going from dark/dim to brighter areas. Works excellent outside. The feature is disabled by holding the + button for 3 seconds. This would be ideal if you're in a shaded environment and your target is outside in a brightly illuminated area.
In the higher brightness settings you can still see the reticle when you point it towards the sun. You won't lose your dot in bright areas.
The reticle options are also very hand. 2moa dot will help you plink pretty far down range and the larger 65moa reticle will give you fast acquisition at closer range. They defiantly both have their place. And neither the RMR or Vortex dots offered multiple options. The battery life is supposed to be incredible. I haven't had it long to know, but all testing has shown you'll have years between battery changes. Keep in mind it does come with a spare battery tray so you if your grip has storage you can keep the included torx tool and spare battery with you when it becomes an issue.
The solar feature is reassuring. Worst case scenario you're in the field or fight and the battery dies. If you are outside in the sun, or have enough ambient light the dot will still work. If SHTF and batteries are no longer available, you'll still be able to use it.
The value, man.. It is just a no brainer. Half the price of an MRO or RMR. More features. More rugged design. The Alabama Arsenal torture test includes, pouring water on it, throwing it 20ft into the air and letting it hit the ground, freezing it in ice, beating on it, and SHOOTING it with a shotgun, and it still held zero.
The quick release mount also saves you an extra $150 if you were running other dots and allows for a perfect BUIS cowitness. Mine fit a little loose when I first installed it. I used the included tool and tightened the mount one turn and it clamped down with the force of an Amazonians thighs during Snoo Snoo. Absolutely solid now and still easy to release with the convenient latch keeper.
The picture is incredible. The thinner profile sides and large viewing window give a natural feel and you're not chasing the dot around. No toilet paper tube EFFECT or black glob in the corner like with the Vortex Sparc AR. With boys eyes open you hardly notice the frame. You just see everything as well as a dot in your FOV.
I will probably buy another one for my next Scorpion build. Can't imagine anyone coming out with a better optic for the money." — Marco Chavanne
Get it from Amazon now: $309.99 & FREE Returns
5. Sig Sauer Romeo-MSR Red Dot Sight + FREE Magnifier
Top-rated: 1,159 ratings | 101 answered questions
Credit: Amazon.com
Highlight: Ultra-compact combo kit.
Helpful review: "Obviously not a holographic, it's a reflex. I knew that ahead of time, just clarifying for anyone wondering. Either bad Chinese translation or false advertising.
When viewing indoors, at first I thought it was bunk, there was a red halo all over the edge of the sight. Must have been the indoor lighting though. I have it on ar15, once it was mounted and outside it was very clear and almost spot on accurate before any adjustments. Barely adjusted a couple clicks. I didn't quite shoot 100 rds (pricy right now), but it appears to be holding zero. Plenty bright for day use.
The magnifier eye relief is a bit close at 65mm as advertised, it is clear and works like a short 3x scope. I think overall it is a decent quality product from China and good for the price.
A FEW WORDS FROM MY NEIGHBOR, DAVID:
Everything about this is badass. I zeroed it to my already zeroed iron sights. Went out into the woods, gave the KOD to 1 Deer, and 4 squirrels without really having to adjust it at all. Set up some paper targets about 100 yards away and had a perfect grouping with the magnification. This optic is well worth the buy. Never stray away from SIG my fellow red dot users.
ON TO A REVIEW FROM A RANGE BUDDY:
The Romeo MSR is an awesome budget friendly tool good out to 100yds by itself. I have verified! The Juliet magnifier makes far objects more identifiable and acts like a mini low power scope. Flipped to the side for closer shots it's out of the way. I like mine to flip LEFT so I reversed it and the mount. I can use the Juliet magnifier as a separate spotter with the left eye when needed or just flip it in combo with Romeo and Bang! Only issue I ran into was running out of rail at the rear to reduce eye relief. I have to collapse the stock 2 notches. An adapter would solve that but I'm good with it as is." — Aaron Birch
Get it from Amazon now: $258.85 & FREE Returns
6. Aimpoint PRO 2 MOA with QRP2 Mount and Spacer
Top-rated: 1,363 ratings | 270 answered questions
Credit: Amazon.com
Highlight: 30,000-hours (3 years) of constant-on battery life.
Helpful review: "With this Aimpoint PRO you truly do "get more than you pay for." I switched to it from an Eotech 512.A65 because I hated the 65MOA ring on the Eotech.
It seemed to always cause problems with my vision for both eyes open shooting. I also found that the Eotech was a little low for me when mounted straight to the top rail. I may have needed a riser for it, but the fact that I was not having much luck with the reticle and the height issue was not really worth me getting a riser to see if that might help. To me the reticle being compatible with your eye, shooting style and brain is the most important part of the optic.
When you get this it is simply packaged in a plain white cardboard box. No fancy tupperware or pelican case for it. Simply a plain white box with some stickers on it. Inside it some run of the mill foam. So why just a box? Well, this was designed to be purchased and used by police departments. When Aimpoint first introduced them they were only available for purchase by law enforcement. Most police departments, at least the ones I have been associated with, could care less what comes of it, they just want a product that works.
The cardboard box also helps to keep the overall cost of the product down. The boxes are literally meant to be tossed (or recycled if that's how you swing) when the optic is taken out and mounted. Also inside the box is an allen wrench for taking the riser off, shorter screws for using without the riser installed and one 1/3N-Cell battery.
First impressions of the mount and optic together is "that is one HUGE knob..." It is much bigger than it looks in the pictures, and it sticks out a fair amount. The riser actually looks nice, and of course being the gadget kind of guy I am I had to take it off to see how it would look without it in place. You quickly see that you need the riser, or you will end up with a sore neck and cheek. The torque limiting mount is actually very nice.
In the past, I have seen quite a few top rails that have been permanently damaged by over tightening rail attachments. Once you click it three times it is set, and very secure. I tend to give it a click or two whenever I pick up my rifle or get out to the range just to make sure that it is good and tight. The knob is low enough that it does not interfere with your vision, and I have yet to have it get in the way when shooting.
Overall, the mount is very well made and a wonderfully innovative design. One thing that I did do was when I reinstalled the riser after experimenting, I put some blue (242) Loc-Tite on the screws, just to ensure that the screws were not able to back out on their own. While I do not foresee this as an issue, one can never be too careful with something used as a defensive tool. I have removed this mount and optic several times to test the return to zero, and each time I have not had any shift in my zero.
Something to note, though, is that you will need to return the optic to the same rail slot in order to maintain zero, moving the optic on your rail will result in the shift. If you plan to re-index the optic on your rail you will want to go back and zero your rifle and optic again.
Pre-installed on the optic are lens covers and a battery and turret cap keeper. The lens covers are of decent quality, and appear to be of the same type as Butler Creek, but appear to be better made. The cover that comes on the rear is clear and the front cover is black. While you can get two clear covers, the combination of the clear and black will work for a shooter that leaves both eyes open. Even though you cannot see through the optic, the dot will still superimpose onto your vision and you can still use the red dot. This can be used in a panic situation where you have your rifle, and have not flipped the front cap.
One thing that I did find though is that when shooting in this way that my shots were hitting about 1" low at 25 yards. While not a huge point of impact change, if you are shooting farther that will open all the way up to 4" low at 100 yards. In a CQB situation, 1" low is not going to make a huge difference, and will still affect the desired outcome on a torso sized target.
But it is something that you want to practice and find out how much of a change in impact you will get. The cap keeper that comes with the optic is nice rubber, and will hold the caps for you. The keeper connects the battery cover and both of the adjustment turret covers. So if you are at the range and remove your adjustment turret caps they will stay attached to the optic. This is a nice feature so that you do not lose your caps. I have lost a fair share of turret caps in the past just by setting them down and then leaving without them.
The adjustment turrets are 1/2MOA per click. The clicks were a little weak, but when I switched from a screwdriver to a coin I was able to feel them a lot better. This is probably because the clicks transfer through the metal coin better than through the plastic handle of a screw driver. So I just use a coin now to make any adjustments and any of the common coins you will find in your pocket will work.
There are a total of 10 brightness settings on this optic. While four of them are for night vision devices, the other six are visible without night vision. I do find that only the last three settings are actually visible, even in complete darkness. So there are three settings that seem to be lost in limbo: they are too bright for night vision and not bright enough to be seen without night vision. I tend to use the settings at the 8 and 9 position.
With this dot I have found that you want to keep the brightness as low as you can for your situation because the brighter the dot, the more it bleeds in the dark. Also of no real use if the brightest setting, or the 10 setting. It is so bright that the dot bleeds, and it actually illuminates the outside edge of the optic around the glass.
I currently have mine sighted at 25yds for CQB/Home defense work, but have shot it out to 300yds and was consistently hitting a 4MOA gong without any problems. The best way to find a good zero for yourself is to find the furthest you plan to shoot. Once you have that information you can plug your data into a ballistic calculator and find out where the bullet will cross your line of sight. So if you want to zero to 300 yards the round you fire round will cross your line of sight at 36yds and then arc back to the point of aim at 300yds. This gives you both a close in zero and a ranged zero if you were ever to need both. This is typically called a battle zero, or BZO.
One feature that really helped to sell me on the Aimpoint PRO was that it is waterproof to 150ft (5.5ATA for the diver types).
While I do not see myself taking my rifle SCUBA diving anytime soon, the waterproof nature of this optic is a nice feature. I am in the Pacific Northwest where it tends to rain most of the year, so range time might include being out in the rain. Unfortunately that is just a fact of life here. It is a great comfort to know that in a hard rain my optic will not be damaged and will continue to function as designed.
Another positive to it being waterproof is that if it gets dirty, dusty or otherwise fouled it can be removed from your rifle and rinsed off in the sink. I have done this once after training sessions where I was running and moving around a muddy range all day. It was a great relief to know that I could wash it off, let it dry and oil everything down.
This is truly a great optic for the price. What you get with this optic is the same high end Aimpoint quality, battery life and simplicity for a smaller price tag. While there are some differences in the battery life between the Aimpoint PRO and the CompM3, they are not really worth the extra money that you end up spending in my opinion.
A battery life of 30,000 hours is pretty good and translates out to 3.7 years. The CompM3 has a battery life of 50,000 hours, or 6.2 years. When a new battery will run you $6, I couldn't justify the added expense.
Whether you are looking for a new optic with less clutter, or something with amazing battery life this optic is amazing for the price. You cannot go wrong with this as a red dot sight. It functions well, is reliable and holds a zero. Don't be fooled by the price tag, this is a solid optic that will stand up every bit as good as any other Aimpoint out there." — Steve D. Walker
Get it from Amazon now: $482.00 & FREE Returns
7. Bushnell Trophy TRS-25 1x20mm Red Dot Sight
Top-rated: 14,660 ratings | 1000+ answered questions
Credit: Amazon.com
Highlight: Mounts easily on most picatinny rails, and is compatible with rifles, pistols, shotguns and muzzleloaders.
Helpful review: "I first want to say that my family owns a combined 4 Bushnell TRS-25’s. Without a doubt, these are the best red dots you can get for your money in this price range. I currently have one mounted on a Smith and Wesson M&P 22 and it is a ton of fun!
The S&W M&P 22 is a .22 LR on an AR-15 platform. It’s not incredibly accurate, so a scope isn’t really practical. It is the perfect red-dot gun though as most of my shots from 50-100 yards are within a 2 inch group with this Bushnell TRS-25.
Before I get into the comparison, I also would like to note 1 minor annoyance about this red-dot. When looking through the tube, you can actually see back of the red-dot projector. It is a little block that protrudes into the viewing tube. It’s not a huge issue by any means; I just want to make people aware that this isn’t a defect or anything. It is like that on all 4 that we have.
I also own a Burris Fastfire III, which is a great red-dot, but I’m not quite sure it’s worth the money in most applications. Please see the following comparison breakdown.
TRS-25:
Cost: You cannot get better quality or design for this price.
Quality/Design: All cost factors aside, the quality and design of this red-dot are great.
Functionality: While it states that it is 3 MOA, I believe it’s more like 2-6 MOA, because the dot gets bigger or smaller with the light setting adjustment. This is actually helpful, because you get an adjustable MOA red-dot which gives you a greater ability to use it in multiple applications.
Rigidity: This goes along with quality and design, but it’s important to note that this thing is solid once you mount it.
Battery life: I still haven’t had to replace any batteries; I’ve had them over 2 years.
Burris Fastfire III.
The size/weight: This is the smallest and lightest red-dot on the market that I know of (Trijicons are close). Way smaller and lighter than EOTechs, and of course, smaller than the Bushnell TRS-25. Because of its small size, it is able to be mounted on pistols. Some pistols are even pre-fitted for it, such as the FN-FNX 45 Tactical.
The battery life: Just like the TRS-25, this has amazing battery life. I am very impressed at how long they are able to extend the battery life now in these.
The design/quality: The design is perfect for me, I love how low-profile and light it is. It really adds so much functionality to a gun without adding weight or bulkiness. It also has a very precise 3 MOA dot.
Cost: As far as I’m concerned, this is still the best red-dot at this price point, but I’m not convinced it is worth its entire cost.
It might be more fragile than other red dots: I wouldn’t call it fragile by any means, but if you dropped your gun directly on top of the red-dot, I’m not confident that it would remain intact (there’s a possibility). But it can surely handle any type of recoil. There was a large imperfection in the glass on my first one, so I had to exchange it for a new one.
All in all, I like both for different reasons, but if you just want a great red-dot for the money, go with the TRS-25. The only time I can recommend the Fastfire, is if you wanted to put a red-dot on a pistol. Otherwise, I’m not convinced it’s worth the price difference. I tried to cover as much as I could, but this is getting rather lengthy, so please let me know if you have any questions and I’ll make sure to answer them!" — Kory Kadet
Get it from Amazon now: $110.99 & FREE Returns
8. Trijicon RMR Type 2 3.25 MOA LED Red Dot Sight
Top-rated: 1,419 ratings | 242 answered questions
Credit: Amazon.com
Highlight: Limited Lifetime Warranty.
Helpful review: "I bought a Trijicon RMR Type 2 sold and fulfilled by Amazon prime. It is a great single-plane 1x optic for a pistol. This second gen RMR is smaller than Type 1, and has an improved LED system. I initially put mine on an FN 509. The smaller Type 2 RMR is great for everyday legal CCW. You will not know it's there until you use it. I put a second Identical RMR on a GEN 5 M45 9 mm Glock pistol.
I found the optic simple to operate, easy to manually adjust to zero, easy to adjust reticle brightness. , and a pleasure to use.
Increasing brightness appears to dramatically increase the size of the red dot reticle, dimming the reticle appears to reduce the size of the reticle. On a duty weapon, you will probably want larger than 3.25 MOA, but if you already have the 3.25, adjust the reticle brightness up for a big and bright red dot to make it easy to find the dot when you draw.
Acquiring a sight picture with the red dot RMR works best with both eyes open. Just drop the muzzle down as you normally would to find the front sight on the target, and let your dominant eye pick up the red dot in the optic. With your non- dominant eye open you will maximize your peripheral vision and depth perception. The key is Put the dot on the intended point of impact and operate the trigger. That's it, no need to align front and rear fixed sights. The Type 2 RMR improved the performance of the LED, but consider having a set of suppressor height tritium phosphor sights on your pistol so, if the battery should fail when you need to use your pistol, you can co-witness your fixed sights through the 1x RMR optic.
That Trijicon knows the single plane optic is readily apparent when, for example, you see that the RMR obviates the need for hold-over within the effective range of a 9mm or .a 45. pistol. Also, if you are like me, far-sighted and normally need reading glasses to see the front sight of a pistol, you may find, as I did, that with a 1x RMR optic on a pistol, you can see the front sight fine without needing reading glasses. Also, without reading glasses, I can see the red dot in the optic clearly and can see to “co-witness” the fixed sights should the battery loose power.
Without a doubt, this optic has greatly improved my marksmanship. It's also a lot of fun to shoot steel targets with, and tighter shot groups on paper targets. I highly recommend the Trijicon RMR Type 2 optic for a handgun. Excellent every-day carry gear. It's made combat tough, too. It's worth the money." — M. Lafayette
Get it from Amazon now: $497.95 & FREE Returns
9. Feyachi Absolute Co-Witness Reflex Sight
Top-rated: 8,243 ratings | 437 answered questions
Credit: Amazon.com
Highlight: Fully adjustable height, brightness, windage and elevation. "Where the dot goes, so does the bullet!"
Helpful review: "Let me start off with saying I love testing these budget-friendly options of sights. I've been involved in the firearms community over 17 years now. I worked with training companies and shops. I've handled everything from bottom of the barrel, to the top of the line. I've tested several products from Feyachi, and this sight by far is an the absolute cherry of the Feyachi offerings.
I've had a few units in the past with some reticle issues. I must say Feyachi's customer service is second to none. They've always without hesitation taken care of any issues. That in itself is worth 5 stars. Pan has been an absolute pleasure deal with and their customer service cannot be beat.
This unit is rock solid. With budget optics it's tough to find something of quality. Is this an EOTech? No, not by any stretch. But It also doesn't cost $500.
I love the switch on this unit. It has the 4-way reticle selection at the rear, and a simple on and off button on the left side. I've never been into the rotating dials commonly found on these types of sights. I really like how it has the intensity control built into the button. A quick push and you can manual cycle through 6 different options. 1 is fairly dim, but 6 is super bright even in direct sunlight. You press to turn on, click to adjust brightness and press and hold to shut off. I haven't had a chance to test it, but this unit supposedly turns itself off after an hour of time if it's not moved around. I cannot confirm that as of yet.
The adjustments on the unit have a firm and positive click, and they lock solidly into place. This fit perfect on the rail system on an AR pistol, with little to no wiggle or play. The reticle selector is firm and positive when you switch through the options, but still very easy to engage. The power button is a positive click when pushed.
Overall, a very solid unit. This also cowitnesses perfectly. And the size is just about perfect. This is pretty small and low profile for what it is. I think some people may find it a bit small, but it's just right in my opinion. A lot of value in a compact package!
This unit has a small rear sight built right into the rear part of the unit. It cannot be adjusted. I thought this was just an awesome addition to this sight. It's very rare that on the unit itself there is a way to have a backup. I have not tested accuracy of it yet, but absolutely love the concept. It should help you in a pinch if you have no rear back up option.
The reticle selection. Oh, the reticle selection. Four great options. Each option is super crisp and clear. I had 4 people look at it to tell me what they thought of the clarity. 3 said fantastic, one said fuzzy. It seems very dependent on if you have an eye issues like astigmatism, or corrective lenses. No issues, but something to keep in mind.
They varying intensity is fantastic.
I love that the adjustment Allen wrenches and an extra battery are included. This comes with everything you need to throw it on, tighten it down, power it on, adjust, and clean it. Fantastic value.
I also love the lens coating. It seemed to work really well at keeping down glare, it also makes it look pretty incredible!
The unit arrive safely and well-packaged. My unit had some chipping on some of the edges. Minor for me, but I thought it was noteworthy. A dot of sharpie or black paint would take care of that in short order. My unit also has a small, almost rubbing kind of wear on one spot on the rear. The item I received was all factory sealed and in brand new condition. I could only assume it was maybe from handling in the factory. Very minor.
The hardware to attach was a little gritty. Some oil and running the screws in and out a few times took care of that quickly as well, again, not a problem, but I thought it was noteworthy. I had no issues with soft or stripping screw heads or anything like that.
The reticles, while bright and crisp, have the slightest counterclockwise lean going on. It's not perfectly vertical, just every so slightly tilted to the left. I don't foresee it being an issue, but did notice it.
Also as mentioned above. Four people looking at the reticles. Three said they were crisp, one said they were fuzzy. It seems dependent on if you have any eye issues or wear corrective lenses.
All in all, this sight is a solid purchase. This will be going on an AR chambered in 300 AAC.
If your looking for a budget optic, this is the one to buy in my opinion. With those minor nitpicks aside, this thing is of good quality, it feels solid, and the reticle selection and brightness are really stellar. I would highly recommend this sight, and give this 5 stars. It's a tremendous value, and it has many features found on sights upward of the $90-$100 mark. It's well above its similarly-priced competitors. You won't be disappointed, and in the off chance you are, Feyachi's awesome customer service team will be more than happy to take care of you." — Alex Rowan
Get it from Amazon now: $69.98 & FREE Returns
10. Vortex Optics Crossfire Gen-II Red Dot Sight
Top-rated: 2,537 ratings | 164 answered questions
Credit: Amazon.com
Highlight: Up to 50,000-hour battery life; night-vision compatibility.
Helpful review: "Sleek design, works well on all settings. Water proof caps cover windage and elevation adjustments. Fog proof lenses. Seems to be durable (not that I threw it at a wall or anything) but it is a rugged design. Overall a very nice optic. I can not speak to how well it holds zero as I have only had it on my .45 caliber AR style pistol and on top of that have only shot a few magazines worth of ammo with it on. I am sure there are other reviews on Amazon or another website that speak about that.
A FEW WORDS FROM MY FRIEND:
Great red dot sight! Bought as a replacement for the Bushnell Trophy TRS-25. Easy to setup and found the Low mount was more suitable than the High mount. Easy to change mounts. Easy to change brightness settings during the daytime, but haven't tried the night vision settings yet. Would recommend to anyone wanting a high quality red dot sight. A guy I trust at the range who's an expert (at least in my opinion) tried it and said is was solid on his AR pistol. So I highly recommend it to anybody looking for a superb red dot sight" — Edward Travis
Get it from Amazon now: $149.00 & FREE Returns
11. AT3 Tactical ARO Low Mount 3 MOA
Top-rated: 1,043 ratings | 257 answered questions
Credit: Amazon.com
Highlight: Tactile “click” adjustments for easy sight-in.
Helpful review: "I bought the AT3 ARO red dot sight because I wanted to try a red dot sight on a handgun. I've never used a red dot sight on a pistol before and wasn't sure if I would like the bulk or the additional weight so I didn't want to spend a lot of money on an item I might not ever use. Maybe I'm old fashioned, but I first learned to fire with iron sights and usually try to keep self defense items as low tech as possible, batteries fail iron doesn't.
That being said I chose the ARO because of the features like the battery being on top and the footprint as well as the low price point.
When I got the item I was immediately impressed by the look and the sturdy feel of it.
When I put it on the firearm I was disappointed to find that the dot was stuck in the upper left corner of the window and no amount of adjustment would move it to center. I uninstalled it, put it in the box and prepared for a fight to try and get my money back.
The next morning I checked my email and found a follow up email from AT3's customer service department asking if I was satisfied with the device. I responded with the problem I was having and went about my day. About 10 minutes later I got a reply from AT3 saying they were sending me a replacement unit. Returning the one I had wasn't even mentioned in the response and wasn't even an issue until I asked how I could return it. How great is it that a company is more concerned with ensuring that their customer is happy rather than requiring a defective item to be returned before they consider making the issue right.
Sure enough, about a half hour after I sent my initial email I got an email from AT3 with a tracking number showing a replacement was sent. Two days later I had the replacement, mounted it on my gun and it worked perfectly. At 25 yards the dot was almost spot on. After two full mags the sight is still zero'd in. I got this thinking it would be a low budget testing device until I could afford a more expensive Trijicon or Burris, Docter, etc…
However, after using it and the experience I've had with AT3 Tactical I think I will make this my primary sight. I would strongly recommend this company and device to anyone looking to get a high quality red dot sight and not need to take out a second mortgage to buy one. In the future when I need any optics or accessories AT3 will be my first search.
ON TO A FEW WORDS FROM A FRIEND:
I used this in conjunction with the Burris micro red dot protector housing which works great. Had the RD mounted on an AKM and then onto a pump action 12 ga. Where it continues to live.
PROS:
- Handles abuse, with the housing, to an extreme degree. I'm a simple guy, but having bought about half a dozen AT3 red dots, I'm not surprised that I could run this unit hard.
- Very small footprint
CONS:
- In bright sunlight, the dot is hard to make out at the highest setting.
- The buttons and brightness settings are not intuitive. You have to cycle through brightness settings instead of being able to go back and forth.
SUMMARY:
AT3 makes great value optics, and I'm happy with what I got for the price. Again, durability with this company is not even a question. After 500+ rounds of 00 buck, and 200+ high brass buckshot loads, the dot held zero and has not fallen apart. I run my guns hard, tossing them onto the ground, slamming into barricades, etc. They work. But... Due to the very nature of how these micro red dots are constructed, I highly recommend a protective metal housing like the one from Burris." — Mike Benjamine
Get it from Amazon now: $149.99 & FREE Returns