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Red dots for pistols have been around for a while now, but it wasn’t until recently that they were made small enough for everyday concealed carry use. Today there are more options than ever before, and the red dot sight gives you a distinct advantage when you hit the range.
With the abundance of options that are currently available, we will take you through several of them here. The goal is to provide a complete review of these products to answer all of your questions about red dots for pistols and which one best suits your needs.
At A Glance: Our Top Picks For Your New Red Dot
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Top pick
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Best Budget option
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 | Trijicon RMR Type 2 Adjustable LED 3.25 MOA Red Dot Sight
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Pistol red dots are used to give the shooter more accuracy faster when firing at their target. It also provides more light in situations of low or no darkness. Compared to open sights, a pistol red dot provides the shooter with a more comfortable approach to shooting.
When a shooter uses front sights on a pistol, they focus on the sight to put on the target, and the target becomes a little blurred from the focus on the target. With a red dot sight, the shooter uses the target as the basis of focusing. Therefore, they use one sight to focus on and do not have to use the front sights.
If you want to shoot from outside of 20-25 yards with a regular sight, it can become increasingly difficult to shoot on target. With the red dot and the ability to account for wind and expand the bullet’s path, it’s great for long-range shooting.
The LED red dot allows you to shoot in low-level lighting or darkness. The red dot’s lighting enables the shooter to illuminate their target in a way that a regular sight wouldn’t.
When buying a pistol red dot, there are many different things that you are going to want to look for.
The reticle size is the fine lines or fibers in an optical device’s eyepiece or the red dot. The best way is to try out the different ones to find which one is the most comfortable for you as the shooter.
The battery life of the pistol red dot is of the utmost importance. While battery life can be conserved by turning off the sight when not in use, you still want good battery life. Some have up to 1,000 hours of battery life and others much less.
Ensuring that the pistol red dot you purchase is compatible with your firearm is pivotal in your purchase. Check the specs for each red dot to make sure your firearm is listed.
Let’s take a look at some of the top pistol red dots on the market.
The Vortex Venom is our top pick for pistol red dots. With a clear picture and an easy-to-change battery, we love this sight for anybody who struggles to see in the dark.
The Vortex Venom 1X26.5mm Red Dot Sight is the top pick for a reason. Recent buyers are raving about this product, and very few have even the slightest complaint. Whether it is the price point for the quality, precision accuracy, or various other things, the buyers are happy with their purchase. The simplicity of getting it out of the box and onto the weapon is another positive that buyers agree upon.
Standing out in a crowd that is getting increasingly crowded each day is critical for pistol red dots. The Vortex Venom 1X26.5mm Red Dot Sight, though, does stand out above the rest. The Vortex Venom is easy to install on every firearm that it is available for, and while it is our top pick, it is still listed at an affordable price.
The six MOA dot is great for consumers with eyesight diminishing with age or other reasons. This option has a trim profile and it’s easy to swap out the battery, an appealing feature when you’re in a hurry or on the go.
The Vortex Venom 1X26.5mm Red Dot Sight is about as good as you are going to get. When combining all factors into the product, this is above and beyond the top pick.
The Burris FastFire is the pick for the best budget option. You’ll find both solid build quality and a competitive price tag on this one.
When you look at reviews from recent buyers of the Burris FastFire III Red Dot Reflex Sight, they all agree that this is an excellent product at the price it is sold for. The quality is high, and the price is affordable. There are a few complaints about the clarity of the red dot, and having trouble replacing the battery cover.
The price of the product is what stands out the most. It is listed as the most budget-friendly for a reason. It is also effortless to sight the red dot in after putting it on your firearm. Being able to quickly get it sighted in and avoid the unnecessary hassle is always a plus.
You cannot go wrong with the Burris FastFire III. Easy on the wallet, high in quality, and easy to assemble and use.
The Sig Sauer ROMEO5 red dot sight is our pick for the best red dot pistol sight for the money.
The Sig Sauer ROMEO5 Red Dot Sight is our best red dot for the money for a reason. Recent buyers are amazed at the quality of this red dot sight for the price that it is going for. It is not only cheaper than most, but it is a product that easily mounts and has a simple sight in the process. It is also a favorite because it takes AAA batteries instead of watch batteries like others do.
From the easy mounting to the quality and price, there is not much for anyone to complain about with this one. Sighting is almost perfect to zero once you mount, but it is an easy process if you need to adjust.
It is a recommended product because you are set when you pull it out of the box and mount it. No tinkering with tools and other things, and it will not put too much of a dent in your wallet.
Holosun pistol red dot sight is another top of the line product, but this one is the best Holosun that we have found out there.
Recent buyers agree that this is the top Holosun product on the market. The long battery life and the solar option are big selling points as well as the price. It also comes with not just a red dot but a circle and circle dot as well.
The battery life. Plain and simple, offering up to 50,000 hours on one battery is mind-blowing. Add to it the solar option, and you have a product that you will rarely have to worry about the battery.
It also provides a dot, ring only, or dot and ring combination, so there are several options for the consumer to find the most comfortable for them.
The Holosun is a top of the line product that provides the user with several great options. The easy-slide mount, battery life, and reticle combinations make this a great purchase.
The Trijicon red dot sight is a product that is of the highest quality and one that the most avid firearms fanatic will want to have for their collection.
It is a consensus that the Trijicon RMR is a top of the line product also. The red dot is one of the clearest on the market. It is an extremely durable product that is also lightweight and great for concealed carry.
The thing that stands out the most to us is how well suited this product is for users that will be using it as a concealed carry. Not everyone is using it for law enforcement for other reasons, and a large number of people now have their concealed carry permits, and they love this product.
It is lightweight and durable, which allows for long-lasting use. It is easy to connect to any firearm that it is fit for, and the optics are some of the best out there.
There is not much at all you can say wrong about this other than it can be a bit pricey, but you get what you pay for, and if you want the best, this is it.
Here’s what you should know before purchasing a red dot pistol.
This may seem pretty self-explanatory, but you always want to read through and select a red dot to fit your firearm. There will be a list on the product page that will show you every gun that it holds.
Some red dot pistol options have incredibly long battery lives, and others have different options, including solar power. Some take AAA batteries, and others take watch batteries. Before making your purchase make sure you are aware of how that product is powered.
Many of the products listed are notoriously easy to sight in, and others may be more difficult. It depends on how much time you want to spend sighting to zero before you start shooting, but this is something you want to look for.
By now, the red dot pistol and everything that it has to offer has been covered. There are some great options out there, and we hope that you have been able to make an informed decision on which one is the best for you by reading this.
Here we will cover some questions that people often ask when it comes to red dot pistols. The replies to the questions should help if you have the same problems.
In a word, yes. Red dots on pistols provide accuracy that open sights cannot offer. The red dots are also able to provide light in dark settings to help in those situations.
Red dots are best used within 100 yards. That is not saying they cannot go beyond that scope, but that depends on your use. Generally, 100 yards and under is the area/range that they are suitable for.
A lot of this answer has to do with the user of the red dot. The simple answer is that yes, they are accurate as long as you take your time and sight in the target like you are supposed to. If you move too fast, there is a good chance you will not be accurate.
Joseph Fox writes on a variety of topics ranging from reloading ammunition to gun cleaning. He has been featured on various publications like thetruthaboutguns, Sofrep & many more. Joseph is also the founder of Gunloading, where he reviews different types of reloading & firearm products available on the market.
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