#RedDot

Officially unveiled earlier this week on August 27, 2025, by the Swedish red dot OGs at Aimpoint, the new Aimpoint Duty RDS MR brings new Multi-Reticle (MR) functionality to the compact red dot sight platform that is intended to be a slightly more budget-friendly yet feature-rich version of some of Aimpoint's other legendary red dot offerings. I was fortunate enough to receive a copy of the new sight just a day before launch day, and although my range time has been brief with the new sight. I figured it’d be a great idea to bring you guys a quick “first look” article to see what the new platform is offering vs the old, as well as what people can expect from one of Aimpoint's more affordable red dot options for rifles and shotguns.

The right optic is a cornerstone of your firearm. They can add range, reliability, or target acquisition speed. A gun without an optic is like a car without a steering wheel. There are numerous different optics on the market, but how do you choose the right one for you?

Vortex Optics has announced new Defender Micro Green Dots in their CCW, ST, and XL sizes for all manner of firearm platforms. Whether you are looking to top off a shotgun for turkey hunting, an AR carbine to shoot competition with, or your everyday carry (EDC) pistol for self-defense, these universally popular optics are now available in a green dot presentation.

I've been on a bit of an optics kick lately, adding various sighting solutions to my firearms. When the opportunity came to test out Meprolight's Tru-Vision SR MIL-STD Red Dot Optic, I jumped at the chance to see how this would perform on an equally unique looking firearm. After spending a full day at the range in Minnesota's wonderful 30-degree windy weather, I can say with confidence that this red dot delivers on its promises. Let's dive into the details.

In the increasingly competitive red dot market, closed emitter optics have been gaining popularity for their durability and protection against the elements. The Meprolight MCO PRO is a relatively new entry in this category, promising a combination of ruggedness and versatility. I had the opportunity to test this optic in the field, and here's what I found.

NEW Vortex Optics Crossfire Green Dot & Tan Crossfire Red Dot

Red dot optics are popular these days, and we see plenty of firearms that come pre-cut from the factory to accept RMR bases and other popular optics. But the Williams Gun Sight Company has their own take on this idea, which they showed off at SHOT this week—and it’s a very good take. Their LRS reflex sight, and its new adapters, solve a problem that many shooters have with modern red dots.

Burris Optics has a new affordable enclosed emitter red dot option for your pistol, carbine or shotgun - the new FastFire E.

New for 2025, Burris has released a fully enclosed version of the long-running FastFire red dot series. The new FastFire E will be available with a red or green reticle and fits the ACRO footprint. @Hoplopfheil stopped by to check it out at Beretta Range Day.

Bottom-of-the-Barrel Price, High Tier Quality? New AT3 Tactical ARO-Mini Red Dot

Pistol red dots are a fairly common thing these days. We’ve come a long way since the early days of mounting gigantic optics like the early Aimpoint and Tasco red dots to the frames of 1911s. We can now mount some excellent optics, directly on our pistol slides, and the options at this point are virtually endless - it just depends on what you want to do with it. Vortex has been putting in a lot of work lately to expand its pistol and rifle optics line to be as comprehensive as possible. Standard RMR-type designs were some of their first ventures into the pistol-mounted optics category, but Vortex quickly upped the game by putting in their bid to the “large window” pistol red dot category. Primarily intended for competition shooters who value a large viewing window, the Vortex Defender XL is the company’s equivalent of Trijicon’s RMR HD, Holosuns 507COMP, or Shield’s RMSX. Today we’re going to check out what it offers, how it’s priced for its specific sector of the pistol optics market, and some of my thoughts on my experiences with it over the last 9 months.