December 17, 2023
By Handguns Staff
The staff at Handguns magazine have selected a dozen 2023 sights that will improve your pistol shooting. With full details on mounting, battery life and price, you are fully equipped to make the best decision for purchasing your first or your next sight.
1. Holosun 507 Comp The new Competition Reticle System offers up a two-m.o.a. precision dot and eight-, 20- and 32-m.o.a circles to choose from in various user-selectable combinations. Powered by a 1532 cell, the 507 Comp has shake-awake technology. Footprint is the Trijicon RMR.
Price: $435 (red), $470 (green); holosun.com
2. Viridian RFX 45 A closed-emitter sight with a green five-m.o.a. reticle, the RFX 45 is machined from 6061 aluminum and has fully multicoated lenses. The reticle has 10 brightness settings. It offers instant-on activation and is powered by a CR2032 cell. Footprint is the Aimpoint Acro.
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Price: $399; ViridianWeaponTech.com
3. Truglo XR21 The XR21 has a three-m.o.a. red dot projected ona 21x16mm multicoated lens. CNC machined from aircraft-grade aluminum, it has 10 brightness settings, and the last selected setting stays in memory. Features auto-shutoff and motion-sensing wakeup. Footprint is Shield RMSc, and it comes with a Pic rail mount.
Price: $237; truglo.com
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4. SIG Romeo 2 Available with either a three- or six-m.o.a. red dot, the Romeo 2 has a molded aspheric lens for great brightness and light transmission. It’s built on a 7075 aluminum body and comes with two steel shrouds to customize the level of protection you want. Features auto motion-activated and also magnetic-activated with compatible holster. Footprint is SIG Romeo 1.
Price: $710 (on-sale price at press time); SIGsauer.com
5. XS Sights RD3 2.0 The next-gen RD3’s rear sight has bigger, brighter tritium dots with a PVC ring around them for better differentiation with the front sight. The front is available in green or orange Glow Dot with tritium. The sights also have a new EasyPress feature that lessens installation force by up to 50 percent. Currently available for Glocks and select S&W M&P and Shield pistols.
Price: $132–$143; XSsights.com
6. Vortex Defender-CCW A small sight for CCW pistols, it’s available with a three- or six-m.o.a. dot. Powered by a CR1632 battery, it has 10 brightness settings and a lockout mode to prevent accidental changes. It’s built on the Shield RMS/RMSc footprint and comes with six(!) sets of screws for no-hassle mounting on compatible pistols. It also includes a shim for zeroing at less than 15 yards.
Price: $350; VortexOptics.com
7. EOTech EFLX The EFLX is built on a heavy-duty aluminum housing and has a large square viewing window for quickly picking up the three- or six-m.o.a. red dot. It has eight brightness settings and user-selectable auto-off after 12 hours. Footprint is Leupold DeltaPoint Pro.
Price: $389; EOtechInc.com
8. Axeon MDPR2 This affordable red dot has a four-m.o.a. red dot with eight brightness settings. Footprint is the Leupold DeltaPoint Pro, and it comes with a Picatinny mount.
Price: $80; AxeonOptics.com
9. Trijicon RMR HD Available with either a one- or 3.25-m.o.a. center dot, it also offers users the ability to select a 55-m.o.a. segmented circle with the dot in the center. It’s a little bigger than the original RMR adjustable, and it has a new forward-mounted light sensor for improved auto-intensity. The HD has a larger window and more tactile buttons, and users can also now customize the auto-brightness settings.
Price: $849; trijicon.com
10. Burris Fastfire 4 Has the ability to toggle between three-m.o.a. dot, 11-m.o.a. dot, 11-m.o.a. dot and circle, and three-m.o.a. dot and circle. It has a larger sight window than the Fastfire 3 and a brighter aiming point. Comes with a screw-on weather shield. Features auto-brightness and auto shut-off.
Price: $456, BurrisOptics.com
11. HIVIZ Tritium Glock Co-Witness Set These steel sights 0.43 inch high, so they will co-witness with red dots mounted on Glock MOS pistols. The sights feature fully encapsulated green tritium lamps—the front with a white ring—and serrated faces.
Price: $146, HiVizSights.com
12. Ruger Readydot Ruger enters the red dot market with a fiber-optic 15-m.o.a. sight. This one excels in the simplicity and durability departments. To read a full review of this sight visit: Ruger ReadyDot Pistol Sight: Fiber-Optic Big Dot .
