Regardless of what your boomer neighbor Jerry thinks, red dot sights for pistols are here to stay. Sure, there’s nothing wrong with shooting iron sights, but red dot sights have so many advantages over irons it makes little sense not to use them. However, not all all red dot sights are created equal. This article is going to examine an excellent study on overall durability of red dot sights for concealed carry or duty use. As you’ll see, the testing was quite extensive, with over 160,000 rounds shot during evaluation. Keep reading for more.
While I would love to take credit for this excellent study, the real credit goes to Aaron Cowan at Sage Dynamics. He has been a big proponent of pistol mounted red dot sights for nearly a decade. He is also the only one that has actually put nearly all red dot sights through a rigorous and scientific testing procedure, to determine if they are good enough for serious use.
Long time readers of this website will remember that I previously wrote an article entitled, ” The Ultimate Guide to Pistol Mounted Red Dot Sights.” That article is a few years old now, and it relied on a previous version of Aaron’s white paper. As they say, things have changed.
Now there are many more red dot sights on the market, both for good and for ill. Aaron recently published the fourth edition of his white paper, which captured these new changes and gave us some solid data to determine if pistol mounted red dots are right for us.
Before we go in depth on the 3 best red dot sights for pistols, let’s briefly cover why you should give some serious consideration to using a pistol mounted red dot sight.
Why You Should Use a Pistol Mounted Red Dot Sight
Pistol mounted red dot sights have a distinct advantage over iron sights. They allow you to remain target focused during shooting. All mammalian visual systems are programmed to lock onto threats. This makes sense. However, iron sight shooting requires you to see a threat, and then take your eye off of the threat to look at your sights, and then look at the threat again. This is not how our visual systems works.
Pistol mounted red dot sights also provide a finer aiming point, allowing you to see exactly where your muzzle is pointed. If you’ve ever shot a red dot sight, you’ll understand exactly what I mean, as a 6 MOA dot is about half the size of a normal pistol front sight.
These benefits combine to produce much higher qualification scores with pistols equipped with red dot sights. Research, cited in Aaron’s paper, indicates that on standard police style qualifications, red dot sights are about 15-25% more accurate than iron sights. This accuracy advantage only increases as the target moves further away. While qualification is important, red dot sights are also better for force on force scenarios.
In the paper, they reviewed some force on force scenarios and the results are startling. Red dot equipped pistols had a drastically higher hit rate, and they missed their targets much less frequently. Here is an example of what I’m talking about.
The overall hit rate was slightly higher, but the real difference is the total critical hits (center torso/head hits) which was 64% higher with a red dot sight. The data is clear, red dot sights are a better sighting system for nearly everyone, provided you have the cash to purchase one.
This leads us to the next question. Which red dot sight should you get? There are offerings from $200 all the way up to close to $1000. Let me tell you, after reviewing Aaron’s research, there are definitely some clear winners and losers. Now, let’s talk about the testing procedure so you understand just how thorough he was.
3 Best Pistol Mounted Red Dot Sights: Testing Procedure
Aaron tested nearly every red dot sight on the market. I’m not going to list every single optic he tested, but suffice it to say, if you’ve heard of it, he tested it. If you want the exact details check them out here. The important part is the torture that he put these red dot sights through.
Red Dot Sight Specific Tests
- Drop testing: from shoulder height optic toward ground every 500 rounds
- Impact testing: optic used to rack slide periodically, against gear, and objects
- Environmental Testing: Optic frozen at 30-28F for 24 hours, heated at 150F for 24 hours. Optic submerged in 12” of ambient temperature water for one hour, every 500 rounds
- Ammo Rotation: 500 rounds of 9mm practice ammo, then 100 rounds of +P+ duty ammo
This testing procedure was continued until the optic experienced a catastrophic failure. Some optics experienced partial failures, such as the glass cracking, but continued to function. It goes without saying that this testing cycle is orders of magnitude more rigorous than anything short of what a manufacturer is doing. Here’s a photo of the damage from Sage Dynamics
I have arbitrarily designated a 5000 round reliability requirement, given this testing procedure. We will only discus optics that have managed to continue to function past 5000 rounds, which as you will see, were just a few. Now let’s get to what you’ve all been waiting for, the 3 best red dot sights for pistols.
The 3 Best Red Dot Sights for Pistols
The number one red dot sight, with a still running round count of 31,470, is the Trijicon RMR RM06 Type 2 (Amazon Affiliate Link). Think about this for a second. This optic was dropped, from shoulder height, optic down, 62 times and continues to function!
This is the revised version of the Trijicon RMR style sight. The type two is more durable and an all around better sight, but that doesn’t mean the original version was junk. In fact, the original type 1 RMR is the second most reliable sight, at 16,100 rounds. Obviously, it’s getting pretty hard to find the original since the updated version is a better sight.
The next most reliable sight, at a still running round count of 13,220, is the Holosun 509T (Amazon Affiliate Link). For those still on the fence regarding Holosun reliability, I can tell you, of the four Holosun optics Aaron is testing, none have failed yet.
As of this writing, the Holosun is the most economical optic. While prices do fluctuate, you can pick up the 509T for less than $350. Check the link out above to see the current price.
The next most reliable red dot sight, at a still running round count of 11,520, is the Aimpoint ACRO (Amazon Affiliate Link). This is no surprise as Aimpoint has been making high quality red dot sights longer than nearly anyone. I should point out that the ACRO did experience some lense cracking, but it does continue to function.
While this optic is the original P-1 version, the new P-2 is out. It’s basically sold out everywhere currently. It features an extended battery life, and a few other features. So it might be the one to pick up if you can find it.
The next most reliable optics were all variations of the Holosun, or the Trijicon RMR style optics, which seems a bit redundant to cover again. Let’s talk about some practical considerations for these optics.
Choosing The Best Red Dot Optic for You
The first thing you need to figure out is what you intend to use the optic for. Is this is a duty optic where you don’t mind a large foot print on the slide? Then the Aimpoint ACRO, and the Holosun 509T will work well. Those two optics also have larger windows, with the 509T having the largest window size.
If you’re looking for something smaller, to conceal better, then the Trijicon RMR Type 2 is going to be the best bet. I can tell you that the Trijcon RMR Type 2 is probably the most popular optic out there, and it appears that it’s the toughest all around optic you can currently buy.
Lastly, I would say that just because a certain optic didn’t make this top three list doesn’t mean it is worthless. I currently run a Leupold Delta Point Pro on my carry optics Glock, and haven’t had any issues with it. Now, I should say that I’m not dropping it every 500 rounds, so there is that!
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Final Thoughts
I would bet that in 10 years or so most pistols will probably be sold with red dot optics on them from the factory. Sure, your Kel Tec Yeet Cannons, probably won’t come with them, but serious defensive guns will. The sighting system just works better. There’s a reason why you rarely see anyone shooting iron sights on a modern sporting rifle anymore. There are better options out there!
If you have a lot of experience with iron sights, and don’t think you’ll put in the practice to feel comfortable with the red dot, then you probably shouldn’t switch. For those that have experience, I would recommend a few hours of dry fire practice with your pistol mounted red dot, and at least 500-1000 rounds of live fire so you can get used to tracking the dot through it’s recoil cycle.
If you have any questions or comments on these optics put them below and I’ll get back to you. You’ve got all the information you need to make an informed decision, now get out there and get training!
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Holo sun makes a nice green dot now. Although I have both, it seems easier for older eyes to use than the red dot,
Nice review BTW.
Thanks Brian
Great info. Looking forward to the full release of the Acro v2. The issue with Holosun rep is while yes some especially there fully enclosed (cube) sights are rock solid a number of there others have proven to be weaker to absolute junk. Just look at there 509 x2 series. They are broken out of the box have the light intensity controls go out within a few hundred rounds ext. Just hope on any big site where they are being reviewe d way more early and new failures than any others.
My guess with the V2 Acro and RMR v2 will be tied for number 1 with slightly different uses. Followed by the 509T and then SRO and DPP bring up the rear. In terms of viewability I have to say DPP and SRO hands down. Followed by Acro and 509. The RMR is by far the worst with colored glass and tiny window.
Sorry it was the holosun 507 x2 the compact version with the issues.
I’m a LEO and just suffered a failure with my 509T during my SWAT teams most recent training (2 weeks ago). We were doing breaching and somehow my optic got hit while in the holster, with what I’m not 100% certain. The solar panel cracked but the optic appeared to still function. There was no other visible damage but the crack, which was actually only the forward right-hand corner. Just went out to the range yesterday and the zero was so far out of wack it took 24 clicks to bring it back down. Shooting at 25 yards center mass, everything was in the head and throat area. A week prior to training I confirmed zero on it. I trust Aaron’s testing beyond a doubt, but after this I won’t trust the 509T for duty use. Just my experience
I hear you, I had a similar issue with Sig 226s. The old ones were rock solid and the new ones we had were a nightmare. I think the important thing is that weird stuff happens in the real world. Given the right circumstances every optic will break. I might recommend trying the RMR, and seeing how that works if that’s an option for you.