If you're after an affordable red dot sight for your gun, I'm here to help you make the best choice on your next purchase. Read these hands-on reviews.
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.
Helpful review: 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. — Mark Watters
Get it from Amazon now: $129.99 & FREE Returns
2. Holosun 510C Open Reflex Sight
Highlight: Dot and Circle reticle.
Helpful review: 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. — Marco Chavanne
Get it from Amazon now: $309.99 & FREE Returns
3. Bushnell Trophy TRS-26 1x26mm Red Dot Sight
Highlight: Withstands the harsh world of shotgun-mounted red dots.
Helpful review: 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 best 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. — Shawn Almeida
Get it from Amazon now: $224.95 & FREE Returns
4. Vortex Optics Viper Red Dot Sight
Highlight: Top load battery and trim profile.
Helpful review: The Viper red dot is a true pistol sight. Other red dots work on a pistol but hang over the sides. The Viper 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 a Viper 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. — John Vale
Get it from Amazon now: $159.99 & FREE Returns
5. Sig Sauer Romeo-MSR Red Dot Sight + FREE Magnifier
Highlight: Comes with a magnifier.
Helpful review: 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. — Aaron Birch
Get it from Amazon now: $348.99 & FREE Returns
6. Burris FastFire III 8 MOA Dot
Highlight: Adjustable reticle without tools.
Helpful review: 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. — Frank J. Miner
Get it from Amazon now: $229.99 & FREE Returns
7. AT3 Tactical ARO Low Mount 3 MOA
Highlight: Click adjustment turrets.
Helpful review: This optic is excellent, especially if I need someone to see that it has an extraordinary sight. This one works great for the gun show crowd when I mount it on a pistol-caliber carbine.
This sight will mount to a Picatinny rail, which is set up and fast. The AT3 is an excellent place to start to see if anyone wants to try a red dot before looking at higher-priced optics. What I like about them is the white outlined numbers and adjustments. This optic seems more significant than it is, primarily due to the bold outlining.
The body of this topic is made from high-quality materials, and it feels like it when I hold it in my hands. This thing looks badass and works very well. Some folks I have read will say that, at times, the reticle is stuck, like they had a case of them falling from a high shelf and the internals were broken. From what I have read, the manufacturer will send a replacement as soon as they are made aware of the issue, no questions.
Now, I do have to mention the bad stuff. The brightness levels are like a flashlight with a button. I must cycle through the brightness range to find the one I want. If I had this on something I needed right now and it was a deadly situation, I would leave it on the brightest setting and go from there, or use the iron sights, like I tend to do anyway.
From what I have seen and felt in my hands, this optic will handle all the harsh work battle rifles undergo. I am sure this setup on a three-gun outfit will save some money and perform for many years. The ARO is fearless of getting dirty, and scratched paint has zero effect on optic performance. — Mike Benjamin
Get it from Amazon now: $149.99 & FREE Returns
8. Feyachi Absolute Co-Witness Reflex Sight
Highlight: Everything is fully adjustable.
Helpful review: 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. — Richard Harrold
Get it from Amazon now: $59.99 & FREE Returns