AllOutdoor Review – Top 5 Rifle Red Dots for 2023
Travis Olander 06.30.23
SHOT Show’s finished, summer’s here, and ranges are hot. We’re covering the best rifle red dots available for 2023. Let’s dive right in!
Top 5 Rifle Red Dots – Sig Romeo5 (Best Overall Red Dot)
The Sig Sauer Romeo5 1x20mm is, by far, the most popular rifle red dot optic available in 2023. It’s everything a red dot should be — cheap, reliable, and accurate — and little more. Sig’s known for making high-quality gun stuff, lest they suffer the inability to charge a juicy brand tax. Thankfully, Sig still implements their “Gucci” manufacturing practices in this decidedly not-Sig-priced Romeo5.
Hell, at $125, it beats out most Chinese optics. But that doesn’t mean it’s comparable in quality. The Romeo5’s glass is beautiful: Crisp, clear, and capable in high-noon summer suns. It’s submersible waterproof and lightweight, too, at a svelte 5 ounces. MOTAC (motion-activated illumination), 10 brightness settings (8 for day, 2 for NODs), an advertised 50,000 hours of red dotted-ness, and a high-rise (1.4″) Picatinny mount make the Romeo5 a no-brainer buy.
Top 5 Rifle Red Dots – Bushnell TRS-25 (Best Red Dot Under $100)
Bushnell’s “Trophy” TRS-25 red dot affords plenty of optic well below the $100 price point – in fact, it’s currently going for just $58 at the time of this publication. Gear snobs like to turn their noses up at the affordable Bushnell brand, but this writer personally ran the TRS-25 on a 300 Blackout SBR, and I quite liked it:
The multi-coated glass was super bright and clear, and the red dot was capable of providing a visible reticle in spite of my choosing to sight in targets against the tan, burnt Utah desert. Bushnell says the TRS-25 is fully submersible and waterproof. The TRS-25 provides plenty of adjustment range (+/- 70 MOA) and its raised and capped turrets are fun to click. This cheap little red dot managed all the recoil of .300 supers and subs, with no reticle drift or loss of zero. I’m a fan of the low height-over-bore on the TRS-25. Some of us prefer red dots that don’t tower over the receiver.
Top 5 Rifle Red Dots – Holosun HS403B (Best Red Dot Under $200)
The HS403B from Holosun looks like the Romeo5’s curvy cousin, and I imagine that’s on purpose. Why depart from what’s popular? But mimicry only works if there’s substance to the look and, thankfully, Holosun delivers. The HS403B is durable, compact, full of features (like “Shake Awake,” 12 brightness setttings, IP67 rating), and it looks good to boot. The multi-coated lens, low-profile turrets, 50,000 hours of battery life, included high-rise mount, and $144 pricetag make the Holosun a logical competitor to the Sig.
Top 5 Rifle Red Dots – Aimpoint Micro T-2 (Best “Gucci” Red Dot)
If money’s no object, Aimpoint’s Micro T-2 red dot might be your darling. This wildly priced ($870+) red dot might justify its price because of Aimpoint’s reputation. The Micro T-2 appears to be a spiritual descendant of the bombproof, US-issue CompM4.
There’s certainly a brand tax built into the T-2, but the quality is also undeniable. It’s a tiny little optic compared to the other entrants on this list, but it sacrifices no features nor specs: Twelve brightness settings, full waterproofing, 50,000 hours of battery life, one advertised “extra bright” setting for direct sunlight (But these go to eleven!) and the T-2’s housing looks fantastic. The built-in lens caps are a nice touch, too.
This Aimpoint doesn’t reinvent the wheel, here – red dots can only get so complex – but if you desire an optic that’ll withstand all the abuse and use you can throw at it (and if you’re in the mood to splurge for those upvote points on your AR forum’s “build pic thread”) then the T-2 is for you.
Top 5 Rifle Red Dots – Holosun HS510C (Best Open-Sight Red Dot)
I don’t get the obsession with tube-style red dots. I prefer open hooded lenses, and the Holosun HS510C is a great choice for this less-popular category. Its 30mm lens provides a noticeably larger sight picture, and its thick aluminum housing is every bit as durable as the other tubed entrants on this list. I also like the dot-and-halo reticle the HS510C provides, and the quick-mount throw lever is convenient.
The HS510C is a tad bit heavier at 8.3 ounces, but it looks slick and provides convenient co-witness with irons. It provides all the good “stuff” you want to see – IP67 waterproofing, 12 brightness settings, long battery life, one-piece aluminum housing, multi-coated glass – while giving the EOTECH XPS’s a run for their money with a price tag of about $300.
