The history of red dot scope technology dates back to 1975. Originally, the red dot aiming technology was designed to be used on rifles by a Swedish optics company named Aimpoint AB. Later, American Sports Shooter Jerry Barnhart figured out how to use a red dot sight on a handgun in the IPSC Handgun World Shoots. He also surprised everyone with his new mount at the 1990 USPSA Nationals, easily winning the championship.
Since the US military introduced them into field use in 2000, the firearm equipment market has been flooded with several advanced scope technologies and models. In this post, we will look at a range of red dot sights and scopes that are best for your firearm and shooting style based on price, durability, quality, and overall feature set.
Affordable Red Dots
Firstly, let’s look at how affordable red dot sights can perform. Here, we will cover a couple of models that you can get for $20+ and work our way up to the $50 price point.
These red dot sights can be fairly useful, and some of them function better than you might be expecting. However, you may face certain issues such as poor battery performance, little or no features, and poor build quality.
That being said, red dots from Pinty, OTW, and Hiram available at affordable prices are fairly durable, with a few drawbacks.
For instance, many budget red dots companies advertise to be waterproof. While some of them actually are, some aren’t.
Regardless, they can be useful for range use or beginners’ fun. However, it’s advised to avoid using budget sights for personal defense because of issues such as optical interference and overall build quality.
Intermediate Turnstiles
Moving to the $75-$100 price range, we will be looking at the likes of the Bushnell, Anderson, and the AT3 tactical red dots. The main differences between these and budget options are better build quality and battery life. Thanks to a much more advanced led diode system, these models will get you up to about 20k-30k hours as opposed to Pinty’s 4k-5k hours of battery life.
The Best Sights in the Market
Now let’s transition over to the $100-$300 price point. Here, you will see a wide variety of red dot sights with a long list of advanced feature sets. Here are some of the cool factors that you will never find in budget or intermediate red dot options.
- Side battery holder
- 100% waterproof
- Adjustable turrets
- Automatic Motion Sensing Dots (Shake Awake Technology)
- 100% crystal clear Glass with adjustable brightness
- Invisible Emitters
These will perform excellently during personal defense and official duty scenarios. While trying to engage a target, these will hold your zero a lot better than those used for range use. Also, these automatically turn off the safe battery when they detect no motion for a stipulated time.
If you go for models that cost all the way up to $300, you will additionally find features such as solar panels, protected turrets, and advanced lightweight materials. Nevertheless, if you plan to get your dot for about $150 -$200, the very basic model of the HoloSun, Sig Romeos, or the Truglo series will serve you best.
Conclusion
Compared to the budget-friendly red dot sights, the intermediate options will have better overall quality and efficient hidden emitters. If you’re looking at personal defense or range use, these will fare better than the Pinty. Though overall features and controls are more or less the same.
However, it is advised that you avoid medium price point options and spend extra for push-button features such as the Holosun, the Sig Romeos, and the Truglos for precision and optimum performance.
