For many enthusiasts and professionals alike, the addition of a red dot sight to their concealed carry setup can significantly enhance accuracy and target acquisition speed. Today, you will find the best red dots for concealed carry.
Red dot sights provide a clear aiming point, allowing for faster and more precise shots, which is crucial in high-stress situations. However, selecting the right red dot for concealed carry involves considering factors such as size, durability, battery life, and ease of use. That’s why we will delve into some of the best red dots for concealed carry, examining their features, benefits, and why they are vital for your self-defense needs.
What Size Red Dot is Best for Concealed Carry?
A higher MOA is a larger dot or circle. A dot size around 3 to 6 MOA is often preferred, providing a balance between quick target acquisition and precision aiming without overwhelming the field of view. Such compact red dots offer the necessary durability and performance for everyday carry, making them an optimal choice for those prioritizing both concealment and accuracy.
Smaller dots are more difficult to see and larger dots cover too much of the target.
Best Red Dots for Concealed Carry
Here is a selection of the best red dots that enable you to shoot faster, further, and more accurately.
1) Holosun Sub-Compact HS507K-X2 Red Dot Sight
The HS507K-X2 is equipped with a Multi-Reticle System allowing you to choose between a precise 2 MOA dot, a larger 32 MOA circle, or a combination of both. This flexibility ensures quick target acquisition and improved accuracy, adaptable to various shooting scenarios.
With an impressive battery life of up to 50,000 hours on setting 6, the HS507K-X2 ensures you can rely on your sight for extended periods without the need for frequent battery changes. This longevity is crucial for concealed carry, providing peace of mind that your sight will be ready when you need it.
The sight features 12 brightness settings, including 10 daylight and 2 night vision compatible settings. This versatility allows for optimal visibility in a wide range of lighting conditions, whether you’re in bright daylight or low-light environments.
As the first candidate for the best red dots for concealed carry, it includes a convenient tray battery compartment, making battery changes quick and easy without the need to remove the sight from your firearm. This design ensures that you can maintain zero and continue with uninterrupted use.
The parallax-free design and unlimited eye relief provide shooters with the ability to acquire targets quickly and maintain accuracy, regardless of their eye position behind the sight.
This sighting device is built to withstand harsh conditions, boasting an IP67 waterproof rating. This ensures the sight remains functional even when exposed to water and dust, providing reliability in various environments and weather conditions.
Specifications
- Reticle: 2 MOA Dot & 32 MOA Circle
- Illumination Type: LED
- Illumination Color: Red
- Weight: 1 oz
- Optical Coating: Multicoated
- Eye Relief: Unlimited
- Brightness Settings: 10
- Water Resistance Level: IP67
- Adjustment Type: MOA
- Adjustment Click Value: 1 MOA
- Material: 7075-T6 aluminum
- Finish: Matte
- Battery Type: CR1632
- Emitter Type: Open
Pros
- Great battery life
- Flawless operation
- Crisp clear dot
- Multiple reticles
Cons
- The reticle can get too bright
2) Holosun EPS Carry Enclosed Pistol 1×6 MOA Sight
The Holosun EPS Carry Enclosed Pistol 1×6 MOA red dot sight offers hard to match performance and durability.
It is made from robust 7075-T6 aluminum and protected with an anodized finish. This gives it the ability to withstand the rigors of daily use while maintaining a sleek, low-profile design.
Certified to an IPX8 waterproof rating, the Holosun EPS can withstand immersion in water, making it a reliable choice regardless of weather conditions. This exceptional durability ensures that your sight remains functional and dependable, even in the harshest environments.
One of the major highlights of the Holosun EPS is its remarkable battery life, offering up to 50,000 hours of continuous use. This ensures that you can rely on your sight without frequent battery changes, providing peace of mind in any situation.
Additionally, the sight is parallax-free and boasts unlimited eye relief, allowing for quick target acquisition and unparalleled accuracy.
The aspherical glass lens of the sight is engineered to deliver zero distortion, offering a clear and crisp sight picture. This high-quality lens ensures that your view is precise and true to reality, enhancing your shooting experience.
Holosun’s innovative Shake Awake Technology with Last Setting Recall further enhances the practicality of this sight. The Shake Awake feature activates the sight with the slightest movement, ensuring that it’s always ready when you need it. The Last Setting Recall function preserves your preferred settings, so you can pick up right where you left off.
Specifications
- Illumination Type: LED
- Lens Material: Glass
- Eye Relief: Unlimited
- Brightness Settings: 8
- Battery Life: Up to 50,000 hours
- Water Resistance Level: IPX8
- Adjustment Type: MOA
- Adjustment Click Value: 1.5 MOA
- Material: 7075-T6 aluminum
- Finish: Anodized
- Battery Type: CR1620
- Emitter Type: Enclosed
Pros
- Easy to use
- Compact and light
- Solid construction
Cons
- Small aperture
3) Vortex Defender CCW 3 MOA Red Dot Sight
The sight features a large, hard-coated aspherical lens, offering a crystal-clear field of view with minimal distortion. This design allows for rapid target acquisition, enhancing your accuracy and confidence.
The Defender CCW boasts motion-activated illumination, ensuring your sight is always ready when you are. After 14 hours of inactivity, the auto-shutoff feature conserves battery life, providing extended usage without frequent replacements.
The Shockshield polymer insert absorbs impact and protects the internal components, ensuring your sight remains functional even after drops or rough handling.
The lenses are fully multi-coated, maximizing light transmission and providing superior clarity and brightness. This ensures that you have a clear sight picture in various lighting conditions.
Vortex’s proprietary Armortek coating protects the lenses from scratches, oil, and dirt, ensuring longevity and maintaining optical clarity even in harsh environments.
The Defender CCW is both waterproof and shockproof. Whether you’re caught in the rain or enduring rugged use, this sight will continue to perform reliably.
Specifications
- Illumination Type: LED
- Reticle: 3 MOA Dot
- Lens Material: Glass
- Eye Relief: Unlimited
- Objective Lens Dimeter: 25mm
- Waterproof: Yes
- Shockproof: Yes
- Fogproof: Yes
- Brightness Settings: 8
- Adjustment Type: MOA
- Material: 7075-T6 aluminum
- Lens Finish: Fully Multi Coated
- Battery Type: CR1632
- Emitter Type: Open
Pros
- Incredibly user-friendly
- High marks for durability
- Crisp dot
Cons
- Low battery life
4) Holosun Sub-Compact HS407K-X2 1×6 MOA Red Dot Sight
The Holosun HS407K-X2 provides 12 brightness settings, allowing you to customize your view to suit any lighting condition. This includes two night vision settings, making it ideal for tactical operations and low-light environments.
You get to enjoy parallax-free views and unlimited eye relief, ensuring that your point of aim stays consistent regardless of your head position. This feature enhances shooting accuracy and provides a clear sight picture.
The multi-coated lenses maximize light transmission, delivering crisp and clear images. This ensures optimal performance in various lighting conditions, from bright daylight to dim environments.
As another candidate for the best red dots for concealed carry, the sight is built from 7076-T6 aluminum to withstand the toughest conditions. This durable construction ensures longevity and reliability, making it a dependable choice for concealed carry.
The innovative Shake Awake technology activates the red dot upon movement, ensuring that your sight is always ready for action. After a period of inactivity, the sight goes into sleep mode to conserve battery life.
With a battery life of up to 50,000 hours, the HS407K-X2 offers long-lasting performance, reducing the need for frequent battery changes. This ensures that your sight is always ready when you need it.
Specifications
- Illumination Type: LED
- Reticle: 6 MOA Dot
- Eye Relief: Unlimited
- Parallax: Parallax Free
- Waterproof: Yes
- Shockproof: Yes
- Fogproof: Yes
- Brightness Settings: 8
- Battery Life: Up to 50,000 hours
- Adjustment Type: MOA
- Adjustment Click Value: 1 MOA
- Material: 7075-T6 aluminum
- Optical Coating: Multicoated
- Battery Type: CR1632
- Emitter Type: Open
Pros
- Easy to sight in
- Top-notch quality
- Clean, crisp view
- Shake awake
Cons
- Screws are too short
5) Swampfox Sentinel II 1×20 Dot Sight
Next up on this review of the best red dots for concealed carry is the Swampfox Sentinel II 1×20 dot sight.
The 20mm objective lens provides a wide field of view while maintaining a slim profile, making it perfect for easy concealment on any build.
The Sentinel II offers 10 illumination settings, including night vision compatibility, allowing you to customize the brightness for any lighting condition. The Shake N’ Wake auto on/off feature conserves battery life by activating the sight upon movement and turning it off during inactivity.
The removable rear sight guide provides backup support for guiding your eye to the dot, enhancing target acquisition. It also offers coverage for micro pistols missing their rear dovetail, ensuring a consistent sight picture.
The rugged enforced hood design protects the sight from impact, while the anti-glare serrations reduce reflections and improve visibility, ensuring a clear sight picture in bright conditions.
When it comes to construction, the sight scores highly. It features 7075 aluminum construction, providing exceptional durability. It is rated to withstand 1500 Gs of shock, ensuring reliable performance even under heavy recoil.
Specifications
- Illumination Type: LED
- Reticle: 3 MOA Dot
- Eye Relief: Unlimited
- Objective Lens Size: 20mm
- Parallax: Parallax Free
- Shockproof: Yes
- Brightness Settings: 10
- Adjustment Type: MOA
- Material: 7075 aluminum
- Optical Coating: Multicoated
- Lens Finish: Hydrophobic
- Battery Type: CR2032
- Emitter Type: Open
Pros
- Easy to install
- Shake awake
- Robust
- Lightweight
Cons
- Battery location
6) Burris FastFire C 1x22mm Red Dot Reflex Sight
Weighing less than 1 ounce, the FastFire C is exceptionally light, ensuring it doesn’t affect the balance or handling of your firearm. The frame is built from advanced composite polymers, providing ultimate reliability and resistance to recoil.
The virtually parallax-free 1x magnification allows for both-eyes-open shooting, enhancing situational awareness and improving accuracy. This feature is crucial for quick target acquisition and precise shooting.
The 6 MOA aiming dot is perfect for everyday carry pistols, enabling fast target acquisition and easy aiming. Its size strikes a balance between precision and visibility, making it suitable for a wide range of scenarios.
The Burris Intelligent Auto-Bright system keeps the optic on and ready for anything, regardless of lighting conditions. It utilizes changes in light to determine if the optic is in use or being stored, ensuring it’s always prepared for action. This feature is superior to traditional shake awake technology.
Fine-tune your point of aim with 80 MOA worth of elevation and windage adjustments, requiring no special tools. The sight also includes a 1-degree shim for additional elevation adjustment if needed, providing flexibility to meet your shooting needs.
Specifications
- Illumination Type: LED
- Reticle: 3 MOA Dot
- Eye Relief: Unlimited
- Objective Lens Size: 22mm
- Battery Life: 25000 hours
- Shockproof: Yes
- Fogproof: Yes
- Adjustment Type: MOA
- Battery Type: CR2032
- Illumination Color: Red
Pros
- Clear glass
- Intelligent auto bright feature
- Compact
Cons
- Activation button could be better
7) Primary Arms Classic Series 21mm Micro Reflex Sight
The 3 MOA red dot on the Primary Arms Classis Series provides a precise aiming point, allowing for quick target acquisition and improved accuracy. It’s the perfect size for everyday carry, offering a balance between speed and precision.
The sight comes with a CR2032 battery, ensuring you have everything you need to get started right out of the box.
The battery life of the sight is up to 40,000 hours which is notable. This offers long-lasting performance, minimizing the need for frequent battery changes, making the unit one of the best red dots for concealed carry.
It also comes with10 brightness settings, allowing you to adjust the dot intensity to match your environment. This versatility ensures a clear sight picture in various lighting conditions.
Designed for concealed carry, the micro reflex sight is both compact and lightweight, ensuring it doesn’t affect the balance or handling of your firearm. Its small profile makes it easy to integrate into any carry setup.
The fully multicoated lens maximizes light transmission and reduces glare, providing a clear and crisp sight picture. This enhances your shooting accuracy and confidence, even in challenging lighting conditions. With all these features in one compact package, you have everything you need to excel.
Specifications
- Emitter Type: Open
- Reticle: 3 MOA Dot
- Material: Aluminum
- Waterproof: Yes
- Fogproof: Yes
- Shockproof: Yes
- Objective Lens Size: 21mm
- Battery Life: 25000 hours
- Shockproof: Yes
- Fogproof: Yes
- Adjustment Type: MOA
- Battery Type: CR2032
- Finish: Anodize
- Optical Coating: Fully Multicoated
Pros
- Clear glass
- Holds zero
- Decent battery life
- Adjustments have tactile and audible clicks
Cons
- No shake awake
Choosing the Best Red Dots for Concealed Carry
When choosing the best red dot sight for concealed carry, several key considerations can help you make an informed decision. Here are the important factors to consider:
Size and Weight
The first aspect to think about when scouting for the best red dots for concealed carry is size and weight. A smaller and lighter red dot sight is easier to conceal and won’t add significant bulk to your firearm, maintaining the balance and handling of your carry setup.
Durability
Durability is an important element before purchasing any product and a red dot is no exception. A cheaply made sight will shatter after several uses or when exposed to demanding conditions. It should be of good quality to make it worth the money.
Look for sights made from durable materials like 7075-T6 aluminum or advanced composite polymers to ensure they can withstand the rigors of daily carry and recoil.
Ensure the sight is rated to handle shocks and is waterproof to maintain functionality in various conditions. It should nonetheless be fogproof to prevent lens fogging in various temperatures.
Battery Life
Red dot sights operate on batteries. Their battery life differs depending on the particular model. Opt for a red dot with an extended battery life such as 20,000 to 50,000 hours to minimize the need for frequent battery changes.
Also consider the battery life. Common battery types like CR2032 are easily replaceable and widely available. The location of the battery is additionally paramount as it dictates how easy it is to swap it in case it runs out of juice. Side-loading or top-loading battery access allows you to do so without removing the sight from the setup.
Reticle
When it comes to reticle, look at the size and ensure it is appropriate for concealed carry use. A 3 MOA or 6 MOA dot is typically preferred for concealed carry, providing a good balance between quick target acquisition and precision.
Brightness Settings
The next thing to think about when choosing the best red dots for concealed carry is brightness settings. These can vary depending on the individual unit.
Look for multiple brightness settings, including night vision compatibility if needed, to ensure visibility in various lighting conditions.
Features like auto-brightness adjustment or shake awake technology are good to have in a sight as they help keep the sight ready and conserve battery life.
Lens Quality
The quality of the lens determines how well you are able to see your target. The lens should be clear with appropriate coatings for tangible results.
Multi-coated or fully multi-coated lenses enhance light transmission and reduce glare, providing a clear sight picture. Additional coatings like Armortek are a plus as they protect the lens from scratches, oil, and dirt.
Parallax and Eye Relief
A parallax-free design ensures that the point of aim remains consistent, regardless of the angle you view through the sight.
The best red dots for concealed carry should have unlimited eye relief. This allows you to maintain a full field of view and acquire targets quickly from various shooting positions.
Why Choose a Red Dot for Concealed Carry Pistol?
Choosing a red dot sight for a concealed carry pistol offers several advantages that can enhance your shooting performance, accuracy, and overall readiness.
Enhanced Accuracy
A red dot sight provides a clear and precise aiming point, allowing for more accurate shots, especially in high-stress situations.
Unlike traditional iron sights, red dots eliminate the need to align front and rear sights, making it easier to maintain a consistent point of aim.
Faster Target Acquisition
Red dot sights enable both-eyes-open shooting, which enhances situational awareness and allows for quicker target acquisition.
he bright aiming dot provides an immediate visual reference, helping you get on target faster.
Improved Low-Light Visibility
Most red dots come with multiple brightness settings, allowing you to adjust the dot’s intensity for optimal visibility in various lighting conditions, including low light and night situations.
Increased Confidence and Focus
The simplicity of using a red dot sight reduces the cognitive load of aligning iron sights, allowing you to focus more on the target and overall situational awareness.
Knowing that you have a precise and reliable aiming tool can increase your confidence in your shooting abilities, particularly in defensive situations.
Enhanced Performance In High-Stress Situations
In high-stress situations, such as a defensive encounter, the ease of aiming with a red dot can help you make quicker and more accurate shots.
Red dots can reduce the training time needed to achieve proficiency compared to iron sights, as they are generally easier to use and require less practice to master.
Versatility
Red dot sights are effective in a wide range of shooting conditions, from bright daylight to complete darkness when paired with night vision equipment.
Next Read: Best AR Pistol Red Dots
What Is the Maximum Range of a Red Dot?
The maximum effective range of a red dot sight is generally around 100 to 200 yards, depending on the shooter’s skill and the specific red dot sight’s quality and dot size.
Red dot sights are designed for quick target acquisition and are most effective at close to mid-range distances, typically within 50 yards, where the lack of magnification does not hinder the shooter’s ability to engage targets accurately.
Beyond this range, the lack of magnification and the size of the dot can make precise aiming more challenging, though skilled shooters can still achieve accurate hits at greater distances with proper training and practice.
Conclusion
A high-quality red dot sight enhances your shooting accuracy and confidence by providing a precise and easily visible aiming point, allowing for faster target acquisition and better performance under stress. The best red dots for concealed carry here are great options that will always do the job.