Red dot reflex sight

[cmgee67]

I am wanting pick up a red dot reflex sight and possibly put it on a pistol. The main ones I have heard people talk about are, the delta point pro, trijicon RMR, Burris fast fire, the shield, and the vortex sights. I’ve looked through the RMR and it seems by far the most popular. I don’t want to spend a ton on a sight but I want it to be reliable and rugged enough to be there if I need it. Also I want a good battery life so I may only have to change the battery 1-2 times a year and leave it on 24-7

[CleverNickname]

RMR - sits lower, smaller window, glass is slightly tinged blue-ish purple, better battery life, have to remove the optic to change batteries, manual adjustment model has up/down adjustment buttons.
DeltaPoint Pro - sits higher, larger window, no obvious color change, worse battery life, can change batteries w/o removing the optic, only one adjustment button (so it can take longer to adjust).
I've competed with and carried both RMRs and DPPs, and have had both die on me. I'm currently only using DPPs.

[MaduroBU]

I have a Docter III, a Burris Fastfire III, and a Leupold Deltapoint Pro. I can't really tell a difference, but have not had any for more than a year, so cannot speak to long term reliability. Docter/Burris seem to be easier to find mount options for, and custom milling is often the best.

[Abraham]

In general, the cost is coming down and quality going up.

Keep looking.

At this point, without examining every gun I have one mounted on, the list of quality,brand goes from the highest being a Vortex, to an 'el cheapo' thing I put on a pellet rifle.

All have performed admirably.

[strogg]

RMRs are the most ruggedly made, and if money wasn't an issue for me and I use my firearms all the time, I'd be all over it. As it is, I'm not made of money, and I only use my guns at a vanilla shooting range. With that in mind, I ended up with a couple Vortexes (a Venom and Viper) and a FastFire 3.

The former is on a rifle and on my BFR chambered in 500 S&W. For the latter, it was a more recent acquisition. I only have about 50 rounds through it, but it holds up well, along with holding zero on that gun. No issues yet. If I do, it'll be covered under warranty, so I'm not exactly concerned.

My FastFire is on .45 ACP duty. It was on a 1911, but I moved it to my FNX 45 Tac. It sits higher than the Vortex (and thus the RMR), but it works fine. In fact, it comes with a vertical white line down the middle, which is really nice for target acquisition. You can just see it through the rear sight notch. I would use the white line to match up the front sight to the top of the line on the Burris. I find it easier and better to use that than the rear sights themselves. At this point, the Burris has a permanent home. It's survived hundreds and hundreds of rounds so far, so I'm not concerned about its reliability. I've heard scattered reports of its lack of reliability, but I can assure you mine has taken up a ton of range bag and .45 recoil abuse.

All have a decent battery life, with the factory rating being on par for them. The Vortex Viper requires you to remove the sight for battery replacement, but I wouldn't worry about losing the zero. The other sights (like the Razor) do not. The Burris has a top mounted battery cover, but it doesn't take your standard 20mm batteries. It takes a 16mm battery instead (CR1632), which aren't hard to find, but they're definitely not as easy to find as the 20mm batteries. The Venom also takes a CR1632, but the Viper takes a CR2032. I hope I got that all right...

Good luck with your decision making.

[Pawpaw]

If you go with one of the Dual-Illuminated RMRs, you'll never change a battery. There is nothing to fiddle with. It uses fiber optics, so the dot is always at the proper intensity. When it gets too dark for that, tritium takes over.

I have the RM04 because I specifically wanted it for CQB. Mine sits atop my TA01.

[jkurtz]

I have the RMR05G, which is the dual illuminated green dot. I also have the RMR06 Type 2, which has an adjustable 3.5 MOA dot. When I first decided to put an RMR on a pistol I got the dual illuminated model for two reasons. First, it was cheaper than the LED versions. Second, the LED versions used have reports of flickering dots during recoil. There are fixes for the flickering if you are interested in one of the Type 1s which are now much cheaper. With the Type 2s, the issue has been resolved.

I decided to get the adjustable type 2 LED version after experimenting with the dual illuminated due to the draw backs of the dual illuminated models. With the dual illuminated, there is a tendency for the dot to become washed out and unable to be seen. This is really only a problem when you are aiming at an area that is more well lit than the area you are standing (ex. using a weapon mounted light, standing in a dark room or hallway and aiming into a more well lit room, occupying a dark house and aiming towards an outside window or doorway, etc.). For range use, that's not a problem, but it is undesirable for defensive use when you don't get to pick the time and/or environment in which you have to use it.

[cmgee67]

Where’s the best place to get the dual illuminated rmr

[Rhino1]

I saw the Holosun at SHOT Show last year. They offer a model with red dot like Aimpoint or reticle like EOTech. Claim battery life similar to Aimpoint’s. Also have a model with a solar panel so works if enough ambient light, even if battery is dead. I’m big Aimpoint fan but have bought two Holosun and have mounted on two rifles. Oh, and half the price of Aimpoint.

[The Annoyed Man]

I saw the Holosun at SHOT Show last year. They offer a model with red dot like Aimpoint or reticle like EOTech. Claim battery life similar to Aimpoint’s. Also have a model with a solar panel so works if enough ambient light, even if battery is dead. I’m big Aimpoint fan but have bought two Holosun and have mounted on two rifles. Oh, and half the price of Aimpoint.

Holosun, and also Primary Arms (a Texas company). I bought a Primary Arms RDS for my Sub-2000, and I am fairly impressed with the quality for the price. I think it migh be just a hair larger than my Aimpoint T2 Micro, but if so, you’d have to really look at both of them side by side pretty close to see the size difference. It’s pretty small and light, and offers an instant on 50,000 hour battery life, just like the Aimpoint. And it is less than half the price of the T2. My T2 sits on my .300 blk SBR. But honestly, if I had known about the Primary Arms quality for the price at the time, I might have bought that sight instead of the Aimpoint.

[MadMonkey]

If you go with one of the Dual-Illuminated RMRs, you'll never change a battery. There is nothing to fiddle with. It uses fiber optics, so the dot is always at the proper intensity. When it gets too dark for that, tritium takes over.

I have the RM04 because I specifically wanted it for CQB. Mine sits atop my TA01.

I really don't recommend dual-illuminated RMRs for handgun use. They're fine in bright daylight, but the dots wash out VERY easily in other lighting situations (especially at night using illumination).

I'd bite the bullet and deal with batteries.