Optics/Sights

The Steiner MPS 2.0 keeps the original optic’s rugged enclosed-emitter design, then attacks its biggest weaknesses with up to 90,000 hours of battery life, larger controls, and a stronger mounting interface. It is not a reinvention, but the upgrades make this duty-grade red dot considerably easier to trust and run.

A red dot is only as useful as its zero. Follow these five simple steps to get your rifle or pistol optic on target, stop chasing shots, and save yourself from burning through a pile of ammo.

The InfiRay BOLT TH50C packs sharp 640×512 thermal imaging, intuitive controls, and dependable battery life into a familiar riflescope form. It is expensive, but after a week of night hunting, sending it back still hurt.

The Holosun SCS promises a pistol red dot with direct Glock MOS mounting, solar charging, no battery swaps, and enough toughness to ride on a 10mm Glock 20. I ran it like a defensive optic, worried about the solar power, broke a screw, dunked it in water, and still came away thinking this little green dot is one of the easiest pistol optics to live with.

The DNT Hydra HS335R tries to pull off the night-hunting equivalent of a five-tool magic trick. It is a thermal scope, clip-on, scanner, laser rangefinder, and ballistic calculator packed into a 15-ounce unit selling for under $1,800.

Today we are going to look at modern micro weapon lights available for little pistols. Specifically the subcompacts, the Micro Compacts, and the single stack 9mms.

The best Trijicon optics are the ones you mount and stop worrying about. Trijicon built its name on the ACOG that rode on military rifles for decades, then made the RMR the benchmark for slide mounted pistol dots, and today it makes everything from a 1.2 ounce pistol dot to thermal scopes for hog hunting. [...]

The best Holosun red dots are a big reason pistol optics went mainstream. Holosun took features that used to cost extra, like solar backup, shake awake, side-loading batteries and multiple reticles, and put them on optics that working people can afford. The problem is the model numbers. 407, 507, 508, 509, K, C, X2, Comp, [...]

The Vortex Talon HD 10K crams rangefinding binoculars, onboard ballistics, environmental sensors, and 10,000-yard capability into one serious long-range tool. It is heavy, smart, surprisingly easy to run, and capable enough to make ordinary rangefinders feel a little underdressed.