Red Dot Pros & Cons: A Buyer's Guide 

I've always shot iron sights. Got my first red dot for a pistol. It was like entering a cheat code in a video game. The accuracy and increased speed on follow up shots was just amazing.

There's a lot of good gun reviewers on RU-vid but, you are one of the best. Thanks for doing a great job!

The Holosun ability to change the battery without removing it is a huge plus for me. Plus you can get the 407 for $200 or less.

When learning red dot I got a laser training cartridge and would draw from holster and use the timer app. I would be in my room doing that while watching TV or when not doing anything else. I noticed a big improvement everytime I went to the range after getting the training cartridge

Thanks! I've been a gun owner for one year. The only thing scary is trying to select what's right for my needs out of the ocean of products available. Took me 6 months to select my first pistol. Weeding through add-on's & options is daunting as well. Your quick in-depth reviews allow me to visualize what products meet my needs. My wife and I now have three pistols, one dedicated for home defense and two others for everyday carry. Thanks to wonderful people like you and your wife I belive we have made accurate firearm selection and outfitted, or didn't, each of them appropriately for our needs. Thanks for showing us all the cool stuff without all the bullshit.

I bought my first Glock. G 19 GEN 5MOS FS. I installed Leupold delta pro red dot. I’m 71 years old and now I’m able to shoot a bull’s-eye in 25 yards. No matter the cost. It is worth it.

I had been with Holosun 507C X2's (ACSS Vulcan reticle) for all of my handguns, but now have gone over to the Swampfox Justice with their 1x27 windows. Every time I present under any condition - there is that dot - no searching. I have been banging them around pretty good for about 4 months and no failures whatsoever.

I have a Sig Romeo 5 on my M&P15. Simple, reliable and cheap. All the things that describes me. Thanks for all the great reviews.

2:00 The camera focusing on the gun as soon as you said “acquire that front sight” was some primo production quality.

Up until about 5 years ago I was in iron sight all the way, and would pretty much out shoot everyone I went to the range with. But then my up close vision started declining (aging eyes) and my accuracy dropped. Being able to see through the sight Is fantastic Since getting red dot I am doing even better than I did before.

Test fired a gun with a red dot and got the tightest groups I've ever had. Tested it at longer distances and was the most accurate I've ever been. Immediately purchased a red dot for my edc. It almost feels like cheating.

i have holosuns on every pistol and i can say the only issue i ever had was with one 507C. it wouldn't shut off. it was 3 years old and sent back to holosun. within 3 weeks they sent a brand new replacement and it was the new model with the battery tray. excellent sights and customer service.

I've bought a ton of optics over the past few years. I've just counted all the Holosun products I have, 16 total, and realized I think I'm a little bias because I've had such a good track record with them. I've had really good luck with Holosun, only having had 1 issue, which they replaced immediately, had the rubber button cover come off and stopped the buttons from working. They are my Goto brand.

Video idea…how do you store all you’re guns for home defense, long term storage and specialty uses. Just a thought. Love the content!

Wish I could give this three thumbs up. I needed to hear a pro say the pro/cons of things rolling around in my head about red dots for years. Thank you! Looking forward to the sequel on red dot risers and maybe magnification of red dots - both on rifles. The right cheek-weld, riser, eye-relief formula evades me.

I love my handgun mounted red dots. Yes it took a few range sessions to get used to acquiring the dot right off the draw but dry firing at the house really helped and I still dry fire and shoot the bad guys while watching TV with the wife. It drives her nuts. I love it

Been using vortex venom for years on my range guns. Good price point, reliability and excellent warranty.

Say what you want... I have tried them and on a hand gun, I prefer my Crimson Trace grip laser. My Sig 365 xl came with the Romeo zero, and at high noon you just can't see the red dot. Waste of money. I have a 507k on my Dagger and it works fine in bright light. The laser for my 60 year old eyes. For upclose and personal... Laser every time. The Red dot works at much better at 100 yards because you can see it. Not with a laser. For a range gun impressing your brother in law...Works good. For every day CC I like the grip laser. I guess it depends on the distance you are shooting at. Well done video sir.

Honest Outlaw is my go to for all things red. #savethegingers

You've got a talent for getting to the pint, nailing the pros and cons, and the real world honesty is genuine. Thank you!

Have a 507c GRx2 on my VP9. Very satisfied with it's accuracy, shoot tight groups on 15 ft target. 👍 The green circle dot is beautiful too.

Holosun is coming out with a new carry red dot called the eps carry. It's the same size as the 407/507k but is closed emitter so less dust and belly button lint gets in the glass. Also comes with a solar failsafe if the battery fails. Really looking forward to them

Having lost a fair amount close vision focus, I switched to a pistol red dot about 2 years ago. I agree with you on the presentation of the sight picture - press to see the dot on press, as opposed to “finding” the dot. Thanks again man! Stoked to hit the range tomorrow with a new toy - Zastava M90. So Stoked.

I like what you said about forgetting where your money is going when you were talking about the Aimpoint. It’s true you really don’t fully appreciate more expensive, higher quality products until you’ve struggled with lower quality counter parts

I love your posts,just a data stream,no stammering,no stumbling,no confused pauses

I have come to love holosun sights for the easy battery replacement decent price and great build quality.

My favorite setup: A 1 moa dot gives me 50% better accuracy at 25 yards. I can bring a 12" pattern down to 6". It's faster, for me too, because I'm not trying to do multiple things at the same time - focus front sight, center front sight between rears, hold on target. With the dot, I put it on target and squeeze carefully 😁

21:44 As a Nebraskan, I knew I could never trust someone from Iowa. Look under the scope. May God rest your soul. Thanks for an awesome video Outlaw.

I use to look down on the Sig Romeo 5. I have one in my possession right now (its in the fire damaged Tavor video I uploaded) which survived a house fire. Water from the sprinklers system got into the battery compartment & rusted it out a bit, but the optic still works! Needless to say, I was thoroughly impressed. The darn thing can be had for around $100 new & it survived a house fire, thats a win in my book! 👌

I know it's not exactly practical for a lot of people but having a dedicated practice gun is a game changer. I edc a G34 most of the time. On my retired G19 I took the irons off and just used it with a dot and dry fire repped finding the dot. That really helps cut the time of training way down, at least for me it did.

Bro im i just retired from the military and just returning in firearm’s and in a span of 3 month i bought an AR, shotty, 45 and my new m&p 2.0 competitor. I’ve watch your videos numerous time when i needed guidance and you pretty much covered everything all the time your straight to the point and no gimmicks. Thank you. More power to your channel and stay safe brother.

The Holosun 507c is an amazing optic for pistol. The ability to remove the battery without dismounting the optic, is key for me. With this said... you really don't need to change the battery. Like ever. The ability to have a solar panel integral of the optic for battery back-up, is second to none. Can't say enough about them. Great sight window as well.

As a person who is apart of the getting older club. Who can't see good anymore due to older eyes. All this red dot sight stuff, is just overwhelming. I've always just used my iron sights, that's how I was taught to shoot 50 years ago. I'm trying to learn, but Holy Crap!!!! There are so many different ones to choose from, and a overwhelming amount of information on them. This video helped me a lot, but I'm still lost. Lol thanks outlaw for making a video for someone who's not tactically cool on modern tools.

Currently testing the Holosun 507k red, and green dot on my every day carry gun. As I have gotten older, I can no longer see my front site post clearly. But I can see a red dot perfectly fine. So, for you older folks over 45, a red dot is the way to go! I Currently have the red dot 507k on my P365X, and the green dot 507k on my P365XL. I'm currently leaning more towards the red dot than the green dot, but I like both. So the green dot will stay on my out of Florida 10 round max Sig lower, and the red dot on my 12 round to 15 round lower in the state of Florida. The green dot is on my P365XL slide with the P365 regular lower. The red dot is on my P365X with the XL lower. If you're a SIG fan, you just understood everything I wrote. If you didn't, then we can't be FRIENDS! SEMPER FI.

I put a Riton Optics on a Smith Wesson M&P 10MM, its been great so far, auto brightness adjust, 50,000 hours, we will see how long it lasts.

A red dot makes me shoot as well as I wish I could with iron sites

Love the aems. Big window and reticle of the eotech. Weight and battery life of the aimpoint. Best of both worlds. Took Sage dynamics drop tests like a champ.

I like red dots, especially on rifles. Not so much on pistols, so I opted for a lazar on my cc pistol. Just didn’t like the bulkyness of the pistol when I appendix carry. My lazar is sleek and out of the way and fits my pistol w/o anymore shit added to the slide. That’s just me, some people love them and that’s fine!

Nice job on the various red dots and the pros and cons. I'm a retired cop and I don't shoot a lot these days. In order to comply with HR218 annual qualification is required to keep the CCW endorsement on your I/D card. I've noticed that my shot groups aren't as tight as they used to be. The rangemaster recommended the red dot sights to tighten up the grouping - he informed me that red dots are authorized for use if the officers want to use them. Quite a change from the old draw/point/shoot days of long ago..LOL So, I'm researching potential "dot" sights for my CCW and possibly my AR and this video was enlightening. Thanks

Watching Modern Samurai Project videos convinced me to start using red dots on my pistols

First time rifle purchaser here. Bought the cmmg banshee in 10mm. Did a ton of research on optics and decided on the Primary Arms 1x prism optic. I couldn’t be happier. Huge window, easy to find the chevron, and tough. Got it on a 2” riser. Highly recommend it!

Great video. As someone who owns a lot of optics, I believe for most people on a budget, Sig Romeo 5 is the best for rifle. Holosun is the answer for pistols. Trijicon and Aimpoint are both great, but probably not in the budget, nor worth the investment for most people. These days you can get red dots that are cheaper and reliable. Then spend your money on good glass for your magnified optics.

ACSS reticle is a big help with acquiring the dot/chevron on pistol. Swampfox Liberty with ironsides is plenty durable and reliable at a nice price.

I ended up using the Sig Romeo 5 on just about every rifle that doesn't have a scope. Mainly because of something you didn't mention...the shake awake and auto shut off feature. The dots I had before didn't have the shake awake, but some did have auto shut off. For $118 (on sale), you won't find a better red dot. I only have one handgun with a dot, and it came with the gun (Kimber R7 Mano with the Crimson Trace)

I appreciate your candid and concise comments on all your videos. Absolute pleasure

I have replaced several Holosun products over the past 3 years and consequently, I will NEVER buy another. The most recent warranty claim was for the HS 407C x2. Holosun turned the warranty claim around promptly (within 3 weeks) but I'm tired of reticles failing after light to moderate use with no mistreatment.

As soon as you were ranting about Jeff Bexos money, my mind immediately went to TRS 25 and some of the cheaper Crimson Trace options for rifles. Honestly, all around value for under $100. Giving a shout out to Primary Arms for their LVPO's since you brought it up; another great value.

I got my first red dot sight just last week. I went with a sig sauer romeo 5. Been working great so far. It seemed like the best choice for my budget (under $150) and i got mine for $125. I know imma be rewatching this video when im ready to get another red dot

With older eyes such as mine I find green dot is better all around. My edc has a Holosun 507 c green. Absolutely love it👍😁

Fully agreed. If you're going to use your iron sights to locate your dot, then you pretty much negate the speed and simplicity advantages that a red dot offers. You may as well just put a bright contrast front sight on your gun and avoid the optic all together.

Ever since i was a kid I’ve always used iron sights but i was diagnosed with a severe stigmatism and it’s made it hard to use iron sights and as of lately I’ve been running the CT RAD on my EDC and i ran the new red dot at the range the other day it is truly a big difference with my stigmatism

One optic that you didn't mention in the video that is a good comp to the holosun 407 optics, is the swampfox Sentinel. it uses a bigger battery, has longer battery life, shake awake, pretty much everything besides different reticle options. I have one on my G48 MOS and it is superb.

I have an Aimpoint 5000 on one of my rifles. It’s like 30 years old and still works 100% of the time. To give you some perspective it’s the optic the delta force guys had mounted on the carry handles of their CAR-15’s during the BlackHawk down/battle for Mogadishu deployment.

I've owned them all and by far hands down best rifle "Red Dot" optic currently available if the new Primary Arms 1x Prism. You won't be disappointed, and if you are, I'll buy it from you to put on another rifle down the road. Not sure of any other way to comment to how freaking good the PA 1x Prism optic is!!!!

One (big) feature you forgot to mention with the Sig Romeo 5 is on/off motion detection. Battery lasts longer and gives you confidence it will work. If you want to see someone really beat one up watch the Alabama Arsenal video on it. As much as I, and my astigmatism, love my EOTech 517 the battery life is crap. It sits in it’s nice little case now, completely unused. Terrific point, there. Another terrific point: As I now have filled out my rifles with Romeo 5’s, or scopes, I wanted to go to a better red dot on my first line home defense rifle. At first the Holosun AEMS looked terrific but then I noticed that mounting do-dad. It’s the same mount that appeared on the first (Primary Arms) red dot I bought for my first AR in about 2009…which stripped. Crap. I’ve moved the Holosun 510 up the list to take its place if I decide not to save up for a PRO or something (I like the bigger window on the Holosun.).

Honestly I would PERSONALLY trust a holosun 507 on a duty gun. Based on drop tests I’ve seen and my own personal use….. I see zero reason not to trust it on my own duty gun

I did the unspeakable and sold a pistol just to get three red dots for three of my pistols. I went Trijicon RMR just because in my opinion, it is the standard. The only thing I don't like is I have to remove the red dot to replace the battery but it's literally maybe once a year. All three are still going strong three years later. Great video outlaw!

I'm surprised to not see any Vortex products on this review. I've had great experiences with their rifle red dots, and they don't cost a fortune.

I have a Leupold propoint on my Walther PDP compact 5. For a little while I thought either I was too stupid to make it work, or I had gotten a bad one. I came real close to pulling it off so I could carry the gun. I gave it some more practice time and low and behold, it started coming together. I'm not ready to carry the thing, but it is getting much better, and I have an appreciation for what they are capable of.

Holosun 507c x2 Vulcan from primary arms 🤘🔥

Thanks for putting this together. I recently purchased a Springfield Armory Echelon and the information presented here was very helpful!

I just got an optics ready 2.0, and my beautiful wife got me an RMR to put on it. It took a minute, but after a few thousand and counting reps, I aquire the dot pretty quick. I can seemingly shoot faster, and accurately.

I use Burris Fast Fire 3’s on my competition guns. And love them. Battery is easily accessed from top they hold true and have never needed to be reshighted.I’ve competed in knock down steel, Steel Challenge, Bianchi Cup, and Bullseye. I have them on Wheelguns and Semi’s.

I have a RiteOn red dot plate-mounted on a pistol, and I've learned that mounting these on a plate that slides onto a rear dovetail is (in my opinion) a mistake. The optic was then mounted fairly high on the pistol and I found that I chased the dot all over the place. This made the gun useful only for range play. My options became find a suppressor height front sight, or get the slide milled for the RD. The optic seems durable enough, and it holds zero well so far, so I decided to have the slide milled. No doubt I'll get a better front sight, but I won't need anything tall.

This is why I come to this channel. I'm a novice with red dot and want to put one on my Canik Rival and Walther PDP for training

The vortex spitfire 1x prism is an amazing optic for rifles and PCC. With the etched reticle and you can choose red or green. Super crisp glass. Holds zero like a beast. I know this is different from a traditional red dot, but just my 2 cents.

Your patreon support is well earned. I keep ending up on your videos for all various kinds of lingering questions and the analysis is always insightful and helpful!

I wish there were more good green dots. Green is absolutely better in almost all situations. The human eye is most sensitive to the color green and will pick up the dot much faster. It os also much easier for me to shoot with both eyes open with a green dot. That allows me to maintain as much peripheral vision as possible while focusing on the target. Once you get used to it, you almost don't even need the dot on and can just use the window. At least under 20yrds...

as an old(er) new shooter who jjust bought a couple 22s, this channel helps alot

The work you do with the shelters is commendable my fellow 🔫 Brother

ALL of my rifles have SIG Romeo 5 XDR's (2+ years same battery). My center fire pistols get Holosun's EXCLUSIVLY!!! I have 3+ year old 508T's that have the original battery and still going strong! I have a Riton red dot on my SIG P322, one year same battery .... Love It!

the 407c gr is imo the best option for a pistol, i went green and cant go back to red. The shake awake is amazing, solar, glass is clearer than an rmr, side battery tray, amazing battery life...and they're $259 ...how can you compete with that. I waiting for holosun to make an sro/rts2 competitor for half the price

I run XS big dots on my handguns. The original "reflex sight". On my pcc or AR pistol, I run red dots. On my long guns, I run a LPVO, Vortex Strike Eagle.

I just look at the target and bring the gun up to my eye. Something like a Ruger Mark IV with a RDS definitely helps with training, picking up the dot definitely took me a lot of practice.

I have a Sig Romeo 5 on my Stribog for home defense. I like the instant-on feature. Vortex Sparc & Sparc II red dots sit on my AR rifles and Holosun optics with both red dot and ACSS reticles on my handguns. My "technique" - if you want to call it that - for acquiring the dot on my handguns is to look directly at my intended target and then bring the sight up between my eye and the target. Voila, the dot is there.

My Swampfox Sentinel in manual with Ironsides has been pretty great...and I think you were mislabeling that first dot as being made by them. Fun thing with my crappy eyes is- if I'm not wearing glasses, that 2 MOA dot becomes like 10+. So, workable up close, but oof. I can't really go much higher or I'm effectively just point shooting in a worst case. With that in mind- I own mostly holographics. Few Eotechs and a UH-1. They just work better for my ocular situation.

My HD was simple after I learned red dots. A .300BLK pistol with a good intense light and a red dot are so quick and easy to use.

When You Buy The $400 Sight Before You Install It And Strip Out That $0.03 Screw Go To Hardware And Purchase A $0.50 Screw.

Like my Holosun 508T red dot on my M&P 2.0 10mm and trying to co witness the iron sights and did not hit on target but hit low. Had to just use the red dot to hit the target and forget trying to co witness the optic height iron sights. Live and learn.

That first optic is not a Swampfox, the Swampfox hold battery very well

Sig Romeo and Juliet on my PCC. Love it. Holosun on my Canik SC Elite. What a difference as I get older.

when the sight you want is more than your gun 🥴

I’m running a Leupold Delta Point Pro 2.5 moa on a Canik Elite Combat and I absolutely love the pairing of the two.

I have astigmatism, so I had to go with a prism sight for my AR. Ended up with the Sig Bravo 3. Great optic. I love it so much. A little on the heavy side, but it's still great. Some standard red dots can work for me, but very few.

I'm an average shooter on iron sights. I purchased a Holosun 507C and put it on my walther PDP pro and WOW. My accuracy improved alot. I'm addicted to red-dots.

I’ll stick with my Vortex Defender got to admire a no questions asked warranty!

Holosun is made in China. Holosun is also making a lot of the Sig Sauer (Romeo) optics, that's why some models of the brands look near identical.

One point for the 1x Prism red dots. They are supposed to be better for people with a stigmatism. If a traditional red dot is a blur, comma shape, double/tripled, then a prism based red dot should be clearer.

Thanks for this video, I think I was one of the peeps that have been asking for it. I'm retired Army(5 combat tours[101ST], used to acogs and m68s only, and this was a vid I needed to see for the civilian side of the house. Much appreciated.

A couple of questions for you. Given that the ACOG has seen military service and has been pretty much bomb proof as well, would you consider Trijicon in the same league as Aimpoint? Also, you haven’t mentioned Vortex at all. I would think that their Crossfire optic would be at least the equivalent as the Bushnell TRS-25 and many of their higher level optics are similar to Primary Arms or Holosun. Have you done any reviews of Vortex optics and if not, will you look at them in the future please?

I love my vortex venom and the have the best customer service

I used to think a red dot on a pistol was unnecessary. Boy have I changed my mind on that after owning one in a g17 I had. They're easier to see and to use. I was totally wrong.

I’ve had very good luck on handguns with the Swampfox Sentinel. For a closed emitter, the Steiner MPS has been superb. It has the clearest glass and red dot that I have used to date. Thank you very much for this video.

Keep in mind that if you r handgun has a loaded chamber indicator , crap get on the red dot while shooting

I have a cheap red dot recommendation. The Sig Sauer MSR. 1. They hold zero 2. They are durable with normal use. This includes 2,000 12ga rounds (mostly buckshot), 10,000 AR-15 rounds, AR-10 hunting for 5 years, rain, snow, sun, and a 9mm PCC 1,000 rounds 3. The glass quality is very good. Biggest surprise, shocked me comparing other red dots, one after the other, that one was the best under $300 (at the time, it’s been 2.5 years since then).

Holosun is blowing everyone out of the water between features, quality, and price points.

I spent 25 years in the Army Infantry after that 15 years working for DoD 2 years working in PPD. I remember when the Army started using optics/red dots in the mid to late 80s. I’ve used trijicon products for rifles since the beginning. Great product, however expensive. Since I’ve aged 😂 I went to pistol red dots for self defense. I’ve carried a pistol for about 40 years and red dots are great. However, I’m just not paying 600 and up for a red dot and that’s what I paid for my pistol. Ive carried a Glock 19 since they hit the market and have a long history with Glock going back to 1985 when I shot a Glock 17 issued to the Austrian military. I’ve used Holosun for 6 years now. Can’t beat them for the price.

I love Green Dots and wish I shot them better than irons. I feel like I’m Mohammad Ali shooting sometimes. I just need to get more range time in. I’ve been shooting irons for over 10 years. I do have a few firearms setup with Green dots so I will get there just thinking too much.

Started with Bushnell trs-25, then bought sig romeo MSR, then graduated to Eotech 512, never had problems with any of them

This was definitely a love letter to Aimpoint. Trijicon is fine, but 'innovation" is a word hasn't been spoken in their halls for years. They have an amazing design for their RMR that's, unfortunately, patented. Holosun does every single thing you need it to, is durable AF, and their warranty service kicks ass if you do have a problem (most don't). Everything electronic will malfunction at some point. In MOST situations, you're going to want go to Holosun and be done with it. If it's a duty gun then, sure, go Trijicon or Aimpoint, but to spend 1Kish or to have to remove the optic from the pistol to change the battery at this point they're just behind the 8ball and all they're good for IS MIL/LEO duty guns if we're honest. Fact of the matter is that Holosun brings the heat, and to say they aren't is utterly ridiculous. I know Aimpoints are great, and amazing for the money, but they're overpriced for what most used them for. The reliability and durability of Holosun is getting better every day, but let's be honest it's already duty worthy as many are already being duty-use optics. The majority of who you're talking to is not going to isn't going to be in market for an Aimpoint, but they do have their place.