A reflex sight is basically a non-magnifying reflex used in firearms which provides the user an aimpoint in the form of an illuminated red dot. Also known as a red dot sight, this sight makes shooting easier because of its glass reticle that displays the dot directly on your target hence improving the accuracy of your shot. To further increase your precision, spotting scopes are one of the best ways to do it.
Apart from that, the best reflex sight is able to cut your aiming time to rounds on target significantly and also completely destroys iron sights in terms of speed, ease of use and accuracy. In other words, the best and most efficient reflex sight assists in fast target acquisition as well as rapid shooting when hunting. If you’re in a dense area, tree climbing sticks helps out a lot in scouting more than you think.
The mechanism of the reflex sight is fairly simple to comprehend in which its objective lens serves as a partial mirror onto which the reticle projects the red dot so you can view some image superimposed on the field of view or an illuminated projection of your aiming point.
Top 5 Rated Reflex Sight Comparison Table
| Name of Product | Weight | Eye Relief | Reticle | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aimpoint QRP2 CompM4 Sight with Mount | 11.8 oz | Unlimited | 2 MOA | $$$ |
| Burris 300235 Fastfire III 3MOA Sight | 0.9 oz (w/o mount) | Unlimited | 3 MOA | $$$ |
| Sightmark Ultra Shot M-Spec Reflex Sight | 8 oz | Unlimited | 65 MOA | $$$ |
| Vortex Optics Spitfire Prism Scope | 12.2 oz | 2.8 inch | EBR-556B (MOA) | $$$ |
| Trijicon MRO Adjustable Red Dot Sight | 6.08 oz | Infinite | 2 MOA | $$$ |
- The weight is measured in ounces.
- The eye relief is the length measured in inches.
- The reticle is the type of reticle used for this reflex sight.
Weight
The weight of your reflex sight should be bearable if not lightweight so you can easily transport it around when hunting. The reflex sight is usually mounted on a firearm such as a gun or a rifle so it should be light to compensate for the heavy weight of the firearm.
The weight does not affect much the performance of your reflex sight as it varies between user’s preferences. However, you can get a quick target acquisition for example if your target is moving when your sight is lightweight.
Eye Relief
Eye relief is an optical instrument that measures the maximum distance between your eyes and the scope. An eye relief is essential so that you can get a full viewing angle of your target. It should be a moderate length in between 3.5 to 4.5 inches so it provides a safe distance from your eyes to the scope incase of a powerful recoil.
Hence, the eye relief should a slightly lengthy around the range mentioned however excessively long eye relief will cause your sight picture to be blurry due to loss of light transmission from your eyes.
Reticle
The reticle is a circle that holds crosshairs or dots used as aiming points when you are shooting. Most reticles in reflex sights are measured using MOA (minute of angles) in which it refers to how many inches your shot is in a distance of 100 yards. For example, for 3 MOA, your shot groups 3 inches in 100 yards.
Apart from that, your reticle should be bright with great optical clarity so you can view the image of your target easily. Reflex sight or also known as red dot sight uses an illuminated red dot in its reticle as an aiming point. This red dot comes in handy during low light conditions.
Aimpoint QRP2 CompM4 Sight with Mount Review
Aimpoint’s reflex sight features a 16-position manual switch with 7 night vision compatible settings and 9 daylight settings in which you can adjust with ease according to your preference. The night vision settings will come in handy especially when hunting during low light condition meanwhile the daytime settings is important especially under bright sunlight to ensure that you get a good aim when shooting.
Moreover, this product comes with an integral mount which eliminates need for a separate ring so you can mount this sight on your firearm securely easily. This mount also can be customized with vertical and forward spacers so you can set the direction of your mount to fit different kinds of weapons system.
On the front lens of this product, there is a unique coating that reflects the dot’s selected frequency of red light almost at maximum efficiency, hence ensuring that the dot has maximum brightness but with the least amount of energy used. The optic of this sight on the other hand is bright and of high clarity so you can get a good view of your target.
This product also features the super ACET technology which allows up to 80,000 hours of AA battery daytime operation meanwhile its internal regulator allows the CompM4 to be used with any AA size battery. Therefore, this product has an excellent battery life with a runtime of almost up to 8 years.
Besides that, most reflex sight has no magnification. However, you can get the Aimpoint 3x magnification module to assist you in shooting if you need it. On the other hand, this red dot sight has unlimited eye relief and is parallax free. In other words, the eye relief defines the maximum distance between the eye and scope and hence unlimited eye relief will ensure a safe distance between your eyes and the scope incase of a powerful recoil.
The reticle used for this sight is 2 MOA. This refers on how many inches a gun fires at a distance of 100 yards. In this case, it groups 2 inches at 100 yards. Apart from that, this product balances well on the rifle, easy to sight in, holds zero well thus improving the accuracy of your shot. Also, this product is durable and sturdy as it has an extruded high strength aluminium construction with hard anodized matte black finish.
Suitable for :
- Unlimited eye relief
- ACET technology
- Integral mount
- 16 position manual switch
Burris 300235 Fastfire III 3MOA Sight Review
This reflex sight has a 3MOA (minute of angle) dot reticle in which it groups 3 inches at a distance of 100 yards. It also has clear optics which increases your ability to tighten shot groups on your target thus enhancing the accuracy of your shot. The dot is also well-focused so you can properly aim before shooting.
Not only that, this reflex sight comes with a low battery warning indicator so you can plan your shooting, however you are advised to always keep spare batteries with you. The battery life on the other hand is great and the battery is easily accessible. In other words, you don’t have to detach the sight from the mount just to remove the batteries, instead you just have to remove the battery from the top load access.
This product is small, lightweight and compact and comes without a mount so you should purchase them separately. Despite being small, this unit is tough and rugged as it is able to withstand powerful recoils of the firearm without damaging the sight. Also, it is easy to be installed on guns and rifles for example, this unit can be easily mounted on Burris’s dovetail mount tightly and securely.
Furthermore, this reflex sight features a convenient power button with 3 levels of brightness and an automatic brightness settings so you can adjust the brightness according to the light at your surroundings. The brightness also can be simply adjusted in which you can choose in between automatic settings and manual brightness adjustment settings.
Moreover, there are 5 modes of operation for this reflex sight which are automatic, high, medium, low and off. The automatic mode works well as it adjusts the size of the illuminated red dot to suit the current light conditions. Apart from that, you can also make tool-less windage and elevation adjustments easily when shooting with this reflex sight.
Suitable for :
- 3 moa dot reticle
- Battery easily accessed
- 5 modes of operation
Sightmark Ultra Shot M-Spec Reflex Sight Review
Sightmark’s reflex sight is constructed from magnesium alloy housing with protective shielding which ensures the durability and toughness of this sight and shields it from powerful impacts and shocks. Apart from that, it has a very unique feature compared to other reflex sights in which it is waterproof and can be submerged up to 40 feet underwater so you can even attempt shallow water fishing.
Moreover, this product consists of a parallax corrected lens system together with a dual plane glass. In other words, parallax is a change in the direction of an object, caused by a change in observational position that provides a new line of sight. Hence, with this modified lens system, you can focus better when aiming from parallax-free distance of 10 yards to infinity.
The reticle on the other hand has an illuminated red dot. The red dot is crisp and clear when properly mounted and adjusted to the correct brightness settings. Also, the reticle has a 2MOA sized dot for longer range and magnified accuracy meanwhile a 65MOA outer ring for fast close target acquisition. The reticle also works well under low light conditions and even under direct sunlight.
Besides that, this unit has digital switch controls so you can change its settings with ease. The reticle brightness on the other hand is variable with night vision modes which comes in handy when hunting under low light conditions. Also, this unit has a well-built and solid construction hence making it stable and able to hold center well when shooting.
This product has an interlock internal locking system and unlimited eye relief. The unlimited eye relief ensures that you get a full viewing angle of your target as well as protect your eyes from sharp recoils in terms of safety.
Furthermore, this reflex sight comes with an adjustable quick detach weaver mount making it simple to mount the sight on your firearm tightly and securely. Also, this sight holds zero well and is easy to zero in once you get the hang of it.
Suitable for:
- Submersible to 40 feet
- Parallax corrected lens system
- Internal locking system
Vortex Optics Spitfire Prism Scope Review
This reflex sight is unique as it is equipped with a reticle etched directly on its prism design to ensure consistent aiming point with selectable red and green dual illumination. The dual illumination on the other hand has 5 different intensity levels so you can adjust the brightness to be well-suited to your surroundings according to your preference.
Designed around 5.56×45 cartridge, the EBR-556B reticle of this sight assists rapid shooting at all times, providing holdover so you can estimate the distance that is not zeroed in and a ranging reference from 0-500 yards. Also, the benefit of having an etched reticle is that you don’t have to worry if your battery fails you as it still can function as usual.
Besides that, this Vortex Spitfire reflex sight has 3x magnification power and is specifically designed for AR platform. Its prism based design allows for a more compact optical system while still getting a sight picture with high optical clarity. Hence, you can attempt easy and quick target acquisition when hunting.
This product has an eye relief with length 2.8 inches. It is a little short however you are able to obtain a full viewing angle of your target. The maximum elevation and windage adjustments for this reflex sight is 120 MOA (minute of angle) in which you can gradually make adjustment at ½ MOA.
Moreover, this unit is well-built and has a solid construction. It is easy to setup and to use once you zero you sight. Apart from that, you need to make sure that you mount your sight securely on your weapon following the torque instructions to ensure its stays in place especially during recoils. Also, this sight holds zero well even after many round of shots as well as is easy to sight in. You are able to take shots with consistent groupings hence improving your accuracy.
Suitable for :
- Etched reticle
- 3x magnification
- Prism based design
Trijicon MRO Adjustable Red Dot Sight Review
This product is waterproof and submersible up to 30 meters (100 feet) so you can even attempt to shoot underwater according to your preference. A low mount adaptor is included with the purchase of this product in which this mount adaptor will allow you to mount the MRO optic on your firearm with ease.
Moreover, this product has moderate quality optics. It has a very slight but noticeable magnification in which might cause your sight picture to be a little blur when using both eye operation. Since this product has a large objective lens, it provides a large field of view of your target. The sight picture of your target is fairly clear with a faint hint of blue.
Also, there might also be a little glare when your sight is exposed to direct sunlight. Nevertheless, you can reduce this glare by using killflash which is an anti-reflection device to reduce excess glare.
The reticle of this product is measured by 2 MOA. In other words, the dot will cover 2 inches in a distance of 100 yards. The dot on the other hand is a round and sharp red illuminated dot in which you can adjust the brightness according to your preference and which comes in handy during low light condition. Also, this 2 MOA reticle enhances the accuracy of your shot, especially at longer ranges.
Apart from that, it is fairly simple to make elevation and windage adjustments using the recessed adjustment knobs of this reflex sight. Furthermore, it is easy to sight in and this product holds zero well even after many rounds. It also has unlimited eye relief which is beneficial as you get a better viewing angle of your target as well as gives a safe distance between the sight and your eyes in terms of safety.
Suitable for :
- Submersible to 100 feet
- Includes low mount adaptor
- Large objective lens
Conclusion
In a nutshell, choosing the best reflex sight is no easy task. Factors such as eye relief, weight, magnification and clarity should be taken into consideration. Therefore, I hope my review assist you in making the right decision worth your investment.