Most reliable and easy to use pistol red dot?

GamestopDorito · April 2, 2019, 02:10 PM

I am interested in strapping something to my FN 509 but I don't have much of any experience with pistol optics. I was looking at the Vortex Venom 3 and the Holosun handgun red dot as my early favorites.

I run a Holosun 510C on my Bren and I love the dang thing, but I also like my Trijicon MRO. The price on the Trijicon RMR did give me pause but I haven't totally ruled it out and I know some people love the Burris Fastfire 3. The main thing with me for this optic is reliability and ease of use. I'm looking to make the 509 my defense gun and I don't want to be fiddling with buttons or worried about the battery or trying to get the optic to be bright enough. I want to be able to pick it up and shoot it.

Any suggestions or personal experiences good or bad with pistol optics?

NoSecondBest · April 2, 2019, 04:25 PM

Consider the Burris FastFire3. I own two of them and two of the Vortex Venom sights...pluse several other "tin can" styles. Both the Burris and the Vortex have lifetime guarantees. I've never had a Burris fail, but I did have one Vortex fail. Vortex did replace the sight. Comparing them to each other, the Burris is a bit better to me by a small margin. Either will do.

GamestopDorito · April 3, 2019, 06:30 PM

Does the Burris shake awake? If it doesn't, does it have a really convenient on/off? Does it hold zero nicely?

The shake awake feature and the wide field of view is why I prefer Holosun's 510c slightly to the Trijicon MRO. I know the Holosun pistol sight has that feature, but I've also heard some bad things about that particular pistol sight with lens cracking and difficulty mounting.

NoSecondBest · April 3, 2019, 07:51 PM

The Burris can be turned on/off with a button on the side, or if you leave it on it will shut down after several hours of inactivity. It hold zero perfectly. I've used them in competition for years with no failures and I've mounted them on a 45-70 and 44mag with no problems. Go to their website for spec's. I don't mind suggesting anything or answering questions, but if you're doing the buying you might want to do a little research after getting some suggestions. Good luck.

GamestopDorito · April 3, 2019, 09:16 PM

Definitely will do thanks!

straightshooterjake · April 4, 2019, 01:59 PM

In terms of pure quality, I think there are two leaders in the red dot market, and they are Aimpoint and Trijicon. Some people say that the Leupold Deltapoint also belongs in the top tier class, and that may be true. I have not had the chance to evaluate a Deltapoint yet, but I am looking forward to it.

On the small pistol red dots, I cannot speak from personal experience about all the different models, but the people I know who rely on them have mostly chosen Trijicon RMR.

For rifle sights, I have shot with a wide range of red dots, and I strongly prefer Aimpoint when reliability really matters.

With all of that said, note that my original statement said "in terms of pure quality" the premium brands are best. I did not mention value, because frankly, Aimpoint is not a great value. There are sights that are almost as good for less than half the cost. The question is, do you want the best, or do you want good quality at a good value? They are probably not the same.

gnystrom · April 5, 2019, 01:15 PM

I have a Vortex Venom and have found nothing not to like. I recommend the 3 MOA version. Long battery life with auto shutoff mode.
This dot will be guaranteed for life by Vortex. Can't go wrong with that.

SageRatSafaris · April 15, 2019, 03:03 PM

Some handgun red dots have battery life measured in years (or don't use batteries at all) that you just leave on all the time (Shield, Trijicon, JPoint). Some have Auto-off paired with Motion-on (e.g., Leupold Deltapoint Pro, Holosun, SIG Romeo 1).

Ones with just Auto-off (no Motion-on or Always-on mode) might be a problem on defensive pistols - you want the dot to be on whenever you draw/reach for the pistol.

Here's a list of all micro red dot reflex sights for handguns:

https://sageratsafaris.com/2019/03/2...-for-handguns/

April 2, 2019, 02:10 PM	#1
GamestopDorito Member Join Date: July 19, 2018 Location: USA Posts: 50	Most reliable and easy to use pistol red dot? I am interested in strapping something to my FN 509 but I don't have much of any experience with pistol optics. I was looking at the Vortex Venom 3 and the Holosun handgun red dot as my early favorites. I run a Holosun 510C on my Bren and I love the dang thing, but I also like my Trijicon MRO. The price on the Trijicon RMR did give me pause but I haven't totally ruled it out and I know some people love the Burris Fastfire 3. The main thing with me for this optic is reliability and ease of use. I'm looking to make the 509 my defense gun and I don't want to be fiddling with buttons or worried about the battery or trying to get the optic to be bright enough. I want to be able to pick it up and shoot it. Any suggestions or personal experiences good or bad with pistol optics?

April 4, 2019, 01:59 PM	#6
straightshooterjake Senior Member Join Date: September 7, 2016 Posts: 122	In terms of pure quality, I think there are two leaders in the red dot market, and they are Aimpoint and Trijicon. Some people say that the Leupold Deltapoint also belongs in the top tier class, and that may be true. I have not had the chance to evaluate a Deltapoint yet, but I am looking forward to it. On the small pistol red dots, I cannot speak from personal experience about all the different models, but the people I know who rely on them have mostly chosen Trijicon RMR. For rifle sights, I have shot with a wide range of red dots, and I strongly prefer Aimpoint when reliability really matters. With all of that said, note that my original statement said "in terms of pure quality" the premium brands are best. I did not mention value, because frankly, Aimpoint is not a great value. There are sights that are almost as good for less than half the cost. The question is, do you want the best, or do you want good quality at a good value? They are probably not the same. __________________ My blog: http://straightshooterjake.blogspot.com/

Thread Tools	Search this Thread
Show Printable Version Email this Page	Search this Thread: Advanced Search

April 2, 2019, 04:25 PM	#2
NoSecondBest Senior Member Join Date: December 7, 2009 Location: Western New York Posts: 2,736	Consider the Burris FastFire3. I own two of them and two of the Vortex Venom sights...pluse several other "tin can" styles. Both the Burris and the Vortex have lifetime guarantees. I've never had a Burris fail, but I did have one Vortex fail. Vortex did replace the sight. Comparing them to each other, the Burris is a bit better to me by a small margin. Either will do.

April 3, 2019, 06:30 PM	#3
GamestopDorito Member Join Date: July 19, 2018 Location: USA Posts: 50	Does the Burris shake awake? If it doesn't, does it have a really convenient on/off? Does it hold zero nicely? The shake awake feature and the wide field of view is why I prefer Holosun's 510c slightly to the Trijicon MRO. I know the Holosun pistol sight has that feature, but I've also heard some bad things about that particular pistol sight with lens cracking and difficulty mounting.

April 3, 2019, 07:51 PM	#4
NoSecondBest Senior Member Join Date: December 7, 2009 Location: Western New York Posts: 2,736	The Burris can be turned on/off with a button on the side, or if you leave it on it will shut down after several hours of inactivity. It hold zero perfectly. I've used them in competition for years with no failures and I've mounted them on a 45-70 and 44mag with no problems. Go to their website for spec's. I don't mind suggesting anything or answering questions, but if you're doing the buying you might want to do a little research after getting some suggestions. Good luck.

April 3, 2019, 09:16 PM	#5
GamestopDorito Member Join Date: July 19, 2018 Location: USA Posts: 50	Definitely will do thanks!

April 5, 2019, 01:15 PM	#7
gnystrom Senior Member Join Date: July 30, 2006 Posts: 308	I have a Vortex Venom and have found nothing not to like. I recommend the 3 MOA version. Long battery life with auto shutoff mode. This dot will be guaranteed for life by Vortex. Can't go wrong with that.

April 15, 2019, 03:03 PM	#8
SageRatSafaris Junior Member Join Date: April 5, 2019 Posts: 6	Some handgun red dots have battery life measured in years (or don't use batteries at all) that you just leave on all the time (Shield, Trijicon, JPoint). Some have Auto-off paired with Motion-on (e.g., Leupold Deltapoint Pro, Holosun, SIG Romeo 1). Ones with just Auto-off (no Motion-on or Always-on mode) might be a problem on defensive pistols - you want the dot to be on whenever you draw/reach for the pistol. Here's a list of all micro red dot reflex sights for handguns: https://sageratsafaris.com/2019/03/2...-for-handguns/