AllOutdoor Review – Top 5 Pistol Red Dots of 2023
Travis Olander 07.03.23
Pistol red dots have exploded in popularity. Now, the field is stacked with contenders from newcomers and established brands alike. We’ve seen plenty of innovation in the micro red dot category, so let’s break down the top pistol red dot picks for 2023.
Swampfox Justice 1x27mm (Best Overall)
Thanks to technical complexities, picking the “best” red dot for a pistol isn’t easy. But the Swampfox Justice 1×27 is arguably the best choice: Thanks to its larger-than-usual 27mm lens, the Justice provides an awesome viewport with quick targeting and easy sighting — something any shooter will come to appreciate when trying to get good sight alignment at arms’ length.
The Justice also strikes a perfect balance between strength and size. It’s small, with a minimal footprint and a sight hood that provide adequate lens protection without seeming too big and bulky. Swampfox did a fine job machining the one-piece aluminum housing; it just looks good sitting atop any slide and it’ll fit in most retention holsters. The Justice comes with all the important “stuff” you want in a micro red dot, too: 4,000 hours of battery life, Shake-Awake, a bright 3-MOA reticle, multi-coated glass, and a mounted height of just 0.365″ for iron sight co-witness. At under $200, the Justice is priced well to boot.
Vortex Optics Venom (Smallest and Lightest)
The more accoutrements you pack into a micro red dot, the bulkier it tends to get. But Vortex manages to keep their Venom Red Dot pretty small and sleek without sacrificing important features. The Venom just edges out the Swampfox Justice on sight and weight. At 1.05 ounces, it is virtually immaterial to the heft of your holster. Its lens hood is thin and dainty, but it still manages to pack in a CR1632 battery for up to 3,000 hours of battery life.
Ten brightness settings, recessed 1-MOA adjustments with +/- 100 windage and 130 elevation MOA of travel, and a Docter/Noblex footprint with optional Picatinny adapter make the Venom a choice in small value that yields plenty to offer.
Holosun HS407C-X2 (Most Features)
I’ve ran Holosun’s HS407C-X2 on a Glock 43X MOS, and I thoroughly enjoyed this micro red dot. It’s a bit bulky, but that’s in part because of its thick aluminum hood, which also houses a solar panel for powering the optic (in addition to battery power). The HS407C-X2 handled +P 9mm like a champ, and it was easy to dial the reticle in at 15 yards with minimal adjustment. The glass is super crisp, and the reticle is bright enough for desert shooting on brightness setting 7 of 10.
Thanks to that solar panel, which powers the optic in sufficient ambient light, the Holosun advertises up to 50,000 hours of battery life — and should the battery ever fail, the optic can be powered on solar alone. The Holosun might hang off the edges just a tad when you throw it atop a single-stack gun, but it meshes nicely with any double-stack slide and it provides good iron sight co-witness. At around $250, the HS407C-X2 provides ample performance and ruggedness at a mid-range price.
Crimson Trace CTS-1550 Ultra (Best for Budget)
Pistol red dots have gotten pricey, but Crimson Trace manages to keep things affordable with the CTS-1550 Ultra Compact. At around $150, the Crimson’s tough to beat. It sports a nice, compact housing with plenty of window for sight alignment, and it’s incredibly lightweight at just 0.65 ounces.
The CTS-1550 runs on a CR2032 which advertises up to 20,000 hours of battery life, with an ambient light sensor that automatically adjusts brightness (this can be turned off). The housing is forged aluminum and it’s surprisingly well-built for its price and weight. Recessed adjustments are made with a small Allen key, and the rear of the housing is machined with a cut-out that provides an integrated open-leaf rear iron sight. The Crimson Trace provides a simple 3-MOA dot with a J-Point mounting footprint.
Steiner MPS Micro Red Dot (Most Rugged)
If absolute durability and “cyborg-ish” aesthetics are your thing, Steiner’s MPS Red Dot is a no-brainer: One of few “enclosed emitter” micro red dots, the MPS is totally over-built, with double side walls, incredibly thick glass, and an aluminum roof and base that, together, almost measure the same height at the viewport itself.
For its brutish build, the MPS still manages to weigh in at just 2 ounces. And, to stay competitive with its niche counterpart, the Aimpoint P-2, the MPS sports an ACRO mounting footprint with base plate adapters. The Steiner’s specs include a 3.3-MOA dot, 8 brightness settings (2 for NODs), 13,000 hours of battery life, and an “auto-off” feature with top-mounted battery compartment for easy maintenance. For you extremophiles who fish with a 9mm and hike the rain forests strapped for the Predator, Steiner says the MPS is fully sealed and waterproof. This kind of ruggedness doesn’t come cheap: At publication, the MPS clocks in at around $500.
