10 Best Reflex Sights for Pistols in 2024 — Reviews & Top Picks

Last Updated on Jan 03 2024

There’s no doubt about it: If you’re looking to get the most out of your pistol, you need a reflex sight. But while the right reflex sight can act as a force multiplier for your pistol, the wrong one can render it useless.

That’s why it’s so important to get the right reflex sight for your pistol the first time and why we tracked down and reviewed the 10 best reflex sights out there.

If you still don’t know what you’re looking for after reading the reviews, we created a comprehensive buyer’s guide that will walk you through everything that you need to know before and after your purchase!

A Quick Comparison of Our Favorites

The 10 Best Reflex Sights for Pistols — Reviews 2024

1. TAC Vector Optics Micro Red Dot Sight 3MOA Reflex Sight — Best Overall

When you’re looking for the best reflex sight for your pistol, it’s hard to beat the performance and affordability that the TAC Vector Optics Micro Red Dot Sight offers. There are 10 different brightness settings, a long-lasting battery, and the red dot itself is an excellent 3 MOA size.

Moreover, it comes with a lifetime warranty, so while it’s a little more expensive than the low-end budget options, you won’t be replacing it in a few years. While it’s an incredible sight, it’s not as high-quality as the top-end brands, though it’s not nearly as expensive either.

It’s a great all-around choice, and you won’t find yourself regretting this reflex sight if you install it on your pistol.

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2. CVLIFE 1X22X33 Red Green Dot Gun Sight Scope Reflex Sight — Best Value

If you’re looking for the best reflex sight for pistols for the money, look no further than the CVLIFE Red/Green Dot Gun Sight. It’s an extremely affordable option that still gives you plenty of versatility and performance.

There are four different reticle options that you can cycle through, in addition to the two different reticle colors, which means you won’t have any problem finding the perfect setup for your conditions. Furthermore, the sight itself comes in two different colors, allowing you to match your sight to your pistol.

But while you have plenty of reticle options, there are only five brightness settings, so it can be hard to get a crisp sight. Finally, it doesn’t come with any sort of warranty, but at this price point, it would probably cost more to ship it to them and back, anyway.

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3. Sightmark Mini Shot M-Spec FMS Reflex Sight– Premium Choice

While the Sightmark Mini Shot M-Spec FMS Reflex Sight might be expensive, it’s a super-high-quality sight that more than justifies the cost. Not only does it come with a lifetime warranty, but it also has 12 different brightness settings and an outstanding 30,000-hour battery life.

Additionally, the 3 MOA red dot size is an excellent combination of precision and visibility. There are two different color options to help you better match your sight to your pistol. Finally, the optics are crystal clear, the dot is bright and easy to see, and it’s an overall high-quality sight that won’t disappoint for year after year.

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4. Sig Sauer SOR01300 Romeo Zero Reflex Sight

Sig Sauer is a well-known brand when it comes to pistols and sights, and its Romeo Zero Reflex Sight highlights why. While it’s a bit expensive, its motion-activated illumination system and lifetime warranty more than justify the added expense.

The motion-activated illumination system works by turning on your red dot sight whenever you move the pistol, and it automatically shuts off when it stops moving. This saves the battery life, eliminates a step when you need to use it, and ensures that you’ll never forget to turn it off.

While it only has eight illumination settings, that’s still enough to match most conditions, and the HD polymer lens gives you a crystal-clear image all-around. It’s a high-quality optic that will perform year after year without any issues.

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5. Bushnell Advance Micro Reflex Sight

The Bushnell Advance Micro Reflex Sight is a top-end choice that performs exceptionally well. It comes with a lifetime warranty and has a larger 5 MOA red dot size that is an excellent choice for quick target acquisition.

However, we wish that a sight at this price point had at least one advanced feature, like brightness memory or an auto on/off feature. Instead, while it’s a no-frills sight that gets the job done. That’s certainly not a bad thing, but there are additional features that you can get if you opt for a different sight at this price.

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6. TRUGLO TRU-TEC Micro Red Dot Sight Open Reflex

TRUGLO typically makes budget optics, but the TRU-TEC Micro Red Dot Open Reflex Sight is anything but. It’s incredibly lightweight, with the frame weighing less than 1 ounce, and the 3 MOA red dot size is excellent for both precision and visibility.

Even better, it has 10 different brightness settings that you can cycle through, and the auto on/off feature is a great added perk. It’s motion-activated, so you don’t have to worry about forgetting to turn off the sight or needing to turn it on when you need to use it.

Our biggest complaint with the TRUGLO TRU-TEC Micro Red Dot Open Reflex Sight is the lack of a lifetime or comprehensive warranty. When you’re spending this much on a sight, you deserve better protection, and TRUGLO simply doesn’t deliver.

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7. MidTen 2MOA Micro Red Dot Sight 1x25mm Reflex Sight

If you’re looking for a low-priced red dot sight, the MidTen Micro Red Dot Sight is an excellent choice at a great price. There are 11 different brightness settings, and it comes with a 1″ riser mount, giving you tons of versatility and adaptability right out of the box.

The optic itself is clear and bright, giving you a great view around the dot too. However, this sight only comes with a 1-year warranty, and MidTen makes it in China, so chances are that you’ll end up replacing it later. But at this price point, if you can get a few years out of it, you got your money’s worth.

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8. AT3 Tactical ARO Micro Red Dot Reflex Sight

The AT3 Tactical ARO Micro Red Dot Reflex Sight is a decent option for your pistol. There are two different mounting options with this sight: a low mount and an absolute co-witness, which allows you to mount it to any setup.

This sight utilizes a brightness memory system that will automatically set your dot’s brightness to the last setting that you used when you turn it on. However, there are only six brightness settings, making it difficult to adjust to your surroundings.

Still, the battery life is long-lasting, with an average battery lasting 5,000 hours but up to 50,000 hours on the lowest setting. Finally, this sight comes with a lifetime warranty, so it’s the last sight that you’ll need to purchase for your pistol.

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9. Ade Advanced Optics RD3-006B Green Dot Micro Mini Reflex Sight

While the Ade Advanced Optics RD3-006B Micro Mini Reflex Sight will get the job done, there are simply better choices out there at this price point. It does use a 3 MOA red dot size, it is extremely bright, and the sight itself is clear and crisp, but that’s where the perks end.

It only has a green dot, a 1-year warranty, and worst of all, five brightness settings. If this were a budget sight, we could understand the dearth in features, but Ade Advanced Optics prices it like a premium option. For this price, you can do far better.

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10. BESTSIGHT Red Dot Scope Hunting Reflex Sight

The BestSight Red Dot Scope Hunting Reflex Sight is a budget sight through and through, but you do get four reticle options to choose from and two reticle colors: red and green.

However, there are only five brightness settings, and it doesn’t come with a warranty. The most concerning feature with this sight is that BestSight designed it to fit rifles, and most of time, you’ll need a bit of creativity to mount it to your pistol.

It’s not that you can’t get this sight to work. It’s that even at this low price point, you can get a sight that performs just as well and is much easier to mount.

Buyer’s Guide – Choosing the Best Reflex Sight for a Pistol

Whether you’re new to reflex sights or have been using them for years, this is a guide that you need to check out. We walk you through everything that you need to know about these versatile accessories, both before you make your purchase and after you have it in hand!

Why You Want a Reflex Sight

There’s little doubt that a reflex sight is a direct upgrade over a traditional iron sight for your pistol. Iron sights allow you to line up your target faster, and they don’t limit your field of view like traditional scopes.

Moreover, they allow you to accurately shoot out of non-conventional positions, which is a huge perk in tactical situations. Also, reflex sights are much easier to use than iron sights, which is excellent for beginners.

You’ll still need to get out and practice, but these are much easier to master. There are zero drawbacks to a reflex sight compared to iron sights — if you get the right one. The wrong sight can blur your field of view and lead to your batteries dying when you need them most.

Zeroing Your New Sight

It doesn’t matter what sight you choose; if you want to hit your target, you need to take the time to sight it in. The good news is that zeroing in a sight doesn’t need to be difficult. Take a day to head out to the range with the exact setup that you’ll be using, and decide a distance that you want to sight your pistol at.

Many shooters like to sight in a pistol at either 25 or 50 yards, depending on where and how they’ll be using their pistol. If you’ll be using your pistol for home defense, we recommend 25 yards, but if you’re using it for outdoor applications like hunting we recommend 50 yards.

If you’re looking to sight it in at 25 yards, just keep in mind that the MOA adjustments will move the target twice as much. So, instead of a 1 MOA adjustment moving your shot 2″ at 50 yards, it will move it 4″ at 25 yards. Other than that, the adjustment process will stay the same, regardless of target distance.

Picking a Red Dot Size

One of the most important decisions that you need to make when selecting a reflex sight is the reticle’s size. While we stuck with red dot sights for this list of reflex sights, holographic sights and other options all measure reticle size the same way: by the MOA.

A one MOA reticle will cover a 1″ object that is 100 yards away, while a 2 MOA reticle will cover a 2″ object at 100 yards and so forth. These sizes work the same way as adjustments, so when a target is closer, the MOA will cover more of it.

For instance, a 5 MOA reticle will cover 20″ of a target that is only 25 yards out. While this isn’t a big deal when you don’t need precision and are shooting a larger target, if you’re looking for a precise shot, this can quickly blot out an entire target.

However, a larger MOA reticle is easier to see and line up with your target. So, when target acquisition time is key, you want a larger MOA size.

That’s why we recommend a 2 MOA reticle for precision shots and a 5 MOA reticle for close-range applications like home defense. Meanwhile, a 3 MOA reticle is an excellent blend of the two options, which is great if you’ll be using your pistol for multiple applications.

Mounting Your Sight

Before you put your next sight on order, it’s crucial that you have a way to mount it to your pistol. Moreover, you’ll need to ensure that you’ll have enough clearance over your pistol’s iron sights and other accessories; otherwise, all you’ll see in your sight is another set of sights!

The good news is that there are plenty of mounting options, from low-profile mounts to 1″ riser mounts.

Why Brightness Settings Matter

You might not think that the brightness settings on your sight matter — as long as you can see the reticle, you’re good to go, right? But there are two problems with cranking up the brightness settings needlessly.

First, the higher the brightness setting, the faster you’re going to burn through the battery. Second, if the brightness setting is too high for the conditions, the reticle itself will blur, which can negatively impact your accuracy.

It’s why the more brightness settings that a sight has, the better, especially if it has a brightness memory setting. Otherwise, it’s more settings that you’ll have to cycle through to get to the right one for your current conditions.

Auto On/Off Features — Why It Matters

You might not think that an auto on/off feature is a big deal, but it has three major perks. First, you’ll never forget to turn off your sight again. That’s ideal because even sights with long-lasting batteries will burn through power on higher brightness settings, and you can burn through multiple days’ worth of battery life if you accidentally leave it on.

The next advantage is that sights with auto on/off features remember what brightness setting you used last. This will save you time when you need to use your red dot sight because you won’t have to cycle through different options to get a clear picture.

Finally, when you need to use your pistol, the last thing that you want is to have to turn the sight back on. Sights with an auto on/off feature will automatically turn on when you need them, which is one less thing that you need to do if you want to use your pistol quickly.

These perks are incredibly beneficial if you’ll be using your pistol primarily for home defense. In high-stress situations, the last thing that you want is to be fumbling around with dials. An auto on/off feature eliminates that concern.

A Note on Warranties

Every company tells you that its product will last, but it isn’t guaranteeing a thing if it doesn’t offer a warranty. That’s why it’s so important to check out a company’s warranty before you make a purchase.

It’s a way to sort through all the noise and find a high-quality product, which is why options that come with a lifetime warranty are high on the list. Companies don’t want to deal with the warranty any more than you do, so they’re more likely to put out a quality product.

So, while products without a lifetime warranty might be more affordable up front, you’ll almost always end up spending more money in the long run when you need to replace the lower-end sight.

Conclusion

Whether you’re looking for the best reflex sight for your pistol on a budget to get you through till payday or you’re looking for a sight that will last forever, we’re confident that the right sight for you is here among these reviews.

If you’re still unsure about what sight you want, you can’t go wrong with the TAC Vector Optics Micro Red Dot Sight 3MOA Reflex Sight. There’s a reason that it earned our top nod, with a great combination of performance, longevity, and affordability.

If you’re looking to save a few bucks, check out the CVLIFE 1X22X33 Red Green Dot Gun Sight Scope Reflex Sight. It’s a great choice to get you through until you have more to spend on a higher-end sight.

The most important thing is that you get your new reflex sight on order as soon as possible. That way, you can upgrade your pistol sooner rather than later!

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