Popular Red Dot Sights Part 2: Rifles
Welcome to part 2 of our red dot series! Today, we’re going to be looking at more of our most popular red dot sights. While the title mentions rifles, these can really be used with any long gun, such as a rifle, carbine, or shotgun, as well as short-barreled rifles and shotguns.
All of these red dots are built with the goal of providing the best in reliability and accuracy. While they may have been difficult to work with in the past, it’s now easier than ever to mount a red dot or holographic red dot sight, making your performance more reliable than ever before. If you missed reading the first part of the series on pistol red dots, you can find it here!
What Are Red Dots?
To provide a quick background, red dot sights, also known as “reflex sights,” are a popular type of sight used by shooters in a variety of settings. They work by shining a red dot from an LED onto a lens which you then look through to aim the firearm. They can provide higher levels of performance in competitive and defensive shooting, where acquiring and hitting a target as quickly as possible is key.
However, they also can be a fun addition to a plinking or hunting setup, reducing the amount of effort needed to hit targets at range and making it easier to fire accurately. They’re also a great choice for shooters who have issues with declining vision or astigmatisms, as they provide a clear sight to look at on a single plain and reduce the eye strain that’s experienced with typical iron sights.
The way a holographic red dot works is a bit different from a reflex sight. For holographic optics, a laser diode reflects off several mirrors and then through a lens, creating a 3D effect with the reticle. They provide increased accuracy and little-to-no parallax for the shooter. However, regardless of which one you use, you’ll experience the benefits of reduced eye strain and easier target acquisition.
A Few Popular Rifle Red Dots
Having looked at the functionality and advantages of red dots, we can now explore our top picks for red dots suitable for rifles. Although this list does not encompass all optic brands available in the market, we have highlighted some of our most popular models in the red dot category.
Sig Sauer Romeo 5
The Sig Sauer Romeo5 compact red dot sight provides an excellent budget-friendly optic for any situation you might encounter. The Sig Romeo 5‘s ultra-low parallax point-of-aim makes it easy for you to make every shot. The point-of-impact and the red dot remain parallel to the bore of your firearm regardless of your viewing angle for precision accuracy. With the unlimited eye relief of the Romeo 5, you can aim at the target and acquire the aiming point, regardless of where your eye is positioned behind the sight.
In addition to this dependability, the Sig Romeo 5 features a battery life of 40,000+ hours thanks to the MOTAC motion-activated illumination, which stretches the lifetime of the CR2032 side-loading battery by allowing the optic to go into a powered-down mode when not in use and wake when it experiences motion. The Romeo 5 red dot is also extremely durable, being both waterproof (IPX-7 rated for complete water immersion up to 1 atmosphere) and fog-proof in its build.
Sig Sauer Romeo 5 Specs
| Dot Size: 2 MOA | Length: 2.47” | Brightness Settings: 10 |
| Battery Life: 40,000+ hours | Weight: 5.10 oz | Battery: CR2032 |
Sig Sauer Romeo 5 Juliet 3 Combo
The Sig Sauer Romeo 5 Juliet 3 combo provides you with the flexibility you need for close-quarter and distance shooting situations. In this combo, the Sig Romeo 5 is paired with the Sig Juliet 3 flip-up magnifier to allow you the ability to switch between 1x and 3x magnification. Since it’s a flip-up magnifier, you can easily engage or disengage the Juliet 3 to help you switch between close-quarters and ranged targets. Additionally, the Juliet 3 is made of CNC-machined aluminum and is IPX-8 rated (waterproof at 20m for up to 1 hour) so it can keep up with whatever you throw at it.
GAG SKU: GAG_RES-SGSORJ53101
EOTech HWS 512
The EOTech series of sights have revolutionized red dots by using holographic technology and large viewing windows to produce better accuracy. The EOTech HWS 512 is no exception to this. It delivers a 1 MOA red dot for easy precision shots that’s accompanied by a 68 MOA ring for close-quarters combat. The ring can also be used to roughly estimate shot patterns for shotguns as well. As an added bonus, the large circle dot arrangement is a great rangefinder in a pinch.
This combat-proven EOTech 512 is powered by two AA batteries and delivers roughly 2,000+ hours of performance. Since this sight takes regular batteries and has a programmable automatic shut-down timer, it’s easier to keep your sight powered and available when you need it most. This EOTech red dot is also built with durability in mind, providing you with a water and weather-resistant construction you can depend on.
EOTech HWS 512 Specs
| Reticle Size: 1 MOA Dot/68 MOA Ring | Length: 5.60” | Brightness Settings: 20 Settings |
| Battery Life: 2,500 Hrs Lithium / 2,200 Alkaline | Weight: 11.50 oz | Battery: 2 x 1.5V AA Batteries |
Trijicon MRO
The Trijicon MRO (Miniature Rifle Optic) is a great sealed reflex sight designed for rifles, carbines, and shotguns. Thanks to its large aperture and tapered light path, it can be used with both eyes open for maximum situational awareness. Like all of their optics, this Trijicon optic is built with the durability you can rely on, featuring a 7075-T6 forged aluminum housing that will stand up to whatever you put it through. The MRO is temperature tested, drop tested, shock tested, and shake tested to make sure that it’ll stand up to the task at hand and maintain its zero.
The features of the Trijicon MRO make it easy to use and rely on in a variety of shooting situations. It has 8 brightness settings which can be with ambidextrous controls and an adjustable red dot for maximum customization. The optic features up to a 5-year battery life depending on the settings used. With clear glass, a durable body, and a large viewing area, it’s easy to use the MRO to acquire a target and take the shot with confidence. This model also comes with a full co-witness mount so you can easily co-witness your iron sights.
Trijicon MRO Specs
| Dot Size: 2 MOA | Length: 2.60” | Brightness Settings: 8 |
| Battery Life: Up to 5 Years | Weight: 5.80 oz | Battery: CR2302 |
Red Dot Sights at GrabAGun
We hope you’ve enjoyed this list of our top rifle red dots at GrabAGun! Whether you’re new to the world of optics or looking for another one to round out your collection, we hope this list provides you with a quality option to fit your setup and budget. If you didn’t see the optic you were looking for, check out our wide selection of red dot sights at GrabAGun. GrabAGun strives to be your go-to online gun store, with the best deals on guns and gun accessories every day! Additionally, if you missed it, check out part one of this series which covered pistol red dots. Thanks for reading!
-Matthew Cornell
