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Red dot sights are by far the most affordable way to enhance the capability of your long guns while still getting a quality optic. Thanks to ever-improving technology and refinement, optics manufacturers are able to provide a huge amount of value in a red dot sight that just can’t be beaten by other optics categories. When it comes to long guns that serve the purpose of defensive preparedness, we demand a certain level of reliability, durability, and longevity. Luckily for us,Aimpoint there are a few budget red dot sight options that actually meet those criteria, especially for their price point. All three of the following sights are Aimpoint Micro T1/T2 clones that are in the $150 price range. However, there is one I will recommend in particular due to a few minor details.
Holosun 403 Series
Holosun has really made a name for itself in the optics department for providing functional optics with modern features at a reasonable price point. They do offer some higher-end sights that are completely out of the budget category, but their budget-friendly products are still well-regarded and are working on a solid track record of reliability. There have been some reports of quality control issues from the factory at times. However, it seems that they are willing to correct any issues a customer may have. Personally, I haven’t experienced that with any of the Holosun products I have purchased, but it was worth mentioning based on other reviews I have read.
I currently own the Holosun HS403R, which is their model where the brightness adjustment of the red dot is controlled by a rheostat dial. It has a 2 MOA dot (which will cover 2” of your target at 100 yards) and runs off of one CR2032 battery. They advertise the battery life to be capable of up to 50,000 (or 100,000 based on which part of their website you read) hours, depending on the brightness setting. I haven’t tested that theory as of yet, but I can say that I have had it on since I acquired it, and it’s still going strong. There are ten day brightness settings and two night vision-compatible settings. The housing is labeled as being made from “durable aluminum,” which doesn’t give us much information; however, it does seem plenty durable in my experience. This optic also comes with low and lower ⅓ co-witness Picatinny mounts, which adds value. However, I will say if you want to enhance the overall durability of this optics package, you can definitely get a much more robust mount, especially since this optic uses the Aimpoint Micro T1/T2 footprint. It’s also IP67-rated for being waterproof.
There is one issue with the Holosun HS403R in particular, and unfortunately, I am not sure what other 403 models this applies to. At least on my 403R, the LED emitter is placed directly at 6 o’clock inside the optic housing. This creates a very bad glare in the optic window when you have backlighting of any kind behind you. Basically, it creates a red line across the optic window. It’s not the end of the world by any means, and the optic is still useable, but since there are other optics in this price range that do not suffer from this issue, I would either go with one of those choices or verify which other Holosun 403 models do not have that emitter placement as I believe there are some. That said, the Holosun HS403R has been working as intended for quite some time now for me and hasn’t failed in any other capacity. I’ve owned many, many different Holosun optics and the experience has been positive overall.
Sig Sauer ROMEO5
The Sig Sauer ROMEO5 has become the go-to choice for most firearms enthusiasts when suggesting a budget-friendly red dot sight that works and works well. It seems to be the standard that all other affordable red dots are compared to. And for good reason. It’s packed full of features, has a track record of reliability, and doesn’t really have any widespread issues. Sig Sauer’s Electro-Optics department has made some significant strides in recent years with their products, and the ROMEO5 reflects that quite well at an entry-level price point.
There are a couple of variants of the ROMEO5, including the ROMEO5XDR, which has a AAA battery compartment built into the mount, which not only seems robust but offers an easier-to-acquire power source. However, I am going to suggest the standard ROMEO5 due to its versatility regarding mounting height and application. The ROMEO5 has a 2 MOA dot and uses push button controls for the brightness settings, of which there are eight day and two night vision options. It uses a CR2032 battery advertised to provide 40,000+ hours of runtime thanks to Sig Sauer’s MOTAC™ (Motion Activated Illumination) technology. Basically, the optic powers down when motionless and turns on the second it senses movement. I’ve never had any issue with it not powering on when it was supposed to, and the battery-saving aspect of it is definitely a plus. The ROMEO5 advertises a “lightweight aluminum” housing but, similarly to the Holosun HS403R, fails to provide the actual material used. But, just like the Holosun, there is no reason to assume it’s not durable or up to the task at hand—at least in my experience. A low and co-witness Picatinny mount is also provided and could be improved upon easily if desired thanks to the ROMEO5 also sharing the Aimpoint Micro T1/T2 footprint. It also has an IPX7 waterproof rating, which is technically less than the IP67 rating of the Holosun HS403R but is still plenty fine for its intended purpose.
If I had to come up with a downside to the Sig Sauer ROMEO5, it would be that the mounts it comes with are only low and true co-witness. Having the lower ⅓ co-witness option of the Holosun 403 series is generally more comfortable for the shooter than the shorter ROMEO5 mount. However, that’s not really an issue if you decide to opt for a more robust, higher-quality mount, which I would personally suggest. The mounts provided by the Sig Sauer ROMEO5 and the Holosun 403 series are most likely the weakest links in the chain. If you need to rely on these optics to defend yourself, the red dots themselves will get the job done. But if the mount fails, then all is lost. You would greatly increase the perceived durability of this optics system by replacing the factory mount with something of higher quality while also being able to select the proper height for your personal needs. This does increase the cost of the total package but also negates the only downside to the ROMEO5. But, if that remains true for all of these budget-friendly red dot sights, then let me introduce you to the one I would personally suggest out of these three good options.
Primary Arms SLx MD-20
The Primary Arms SLx MD-20 red dot sight is kind of a sleeper optic in my opinion. It’s not generally as high on the list of suggested budget red dots in comparison to the Holosun and Sig Sauer product lines. However, after spending some time with this optic, not only will I say that I think it is underrated, but it also has a secret weapon that the other two aforementioned optics are lacking. Not to mention that Primary Arms, as an optics manufacturer, has been leading the way in innovation and affordability for quite some time now. To the point that their higher-end optics are beginning to compete with big names on the block. So, what’s the big deal about the SLx MD-20?
First off, I have the SLx MD-20 mounted on my Draco AK-47, so that should be a pretty solid vote of confidence for it to survive that constant fireball of communism. As with the previous two red dot sights, the SLx MD-20 has a 2 MOA dot with ten day and two night vision brightness settings. It’s powered by a CR2032 battery that provides an advertised 50,000-hour runtime thanks to the AutoLive® motion activation feature that operates in the same fashion as the Sig Sauer MOTAC™ technology. Unlike the other two red dot sights, Primary Arms actually tells us that the housing is made from 6061-T6 aluminum, which is plenty durable for the task at hand. The SLx MD-20 comes with a Picatinny low mount only, which would work for a shotgun or something similar in form factor. In order to mount it on an AR-15-style rifle, you would need to purchase a mount separately, which, as previously stated, is a good idea regardless—especially considering that the SLx MD-20 also uses the Aimpoint Micro T1/T2 footprint. This optic also carries the IP67 waterproof rating, which is another benefit.
So why do I suggest this optic over the other two? What’s this so-called “secret weapon” that I mentioned before? All three red dot sights discussed function well and are of good quality. I recommend ensuring that any Holosun red dot you choose has an optimal emitter placement before purchasing. This is not something you have to worry about with the Sig Sauer ROMEO5 or the Primary Arms SLx MD-20. The ROMEO5 and SLx M-20 have the same controls and motion activation features with very minor differences in specifications. However, the SLx MD-20 benefits from having the exact same housing height as the Aimpoint Micro T1/T2. What does that mean? It means that when you opt for a higher quality mount (as you should), you will get the exact and correct mounting height you are trying to achieve. All of the Aimpoint Micro T1/T2 footprint-compatible mounts base their mounting height measurements on the housing dimensions designed by Aimpoint. And the Primary Arms SLx MD-20 has those exact dimensions. Meanwhile, the Holosun HS403R and Sig Sauer ROMEO5 have additional material under the optic window that slightly raises the objective lens. Although this might not be a major issue, it can create problems you might not anticipate.
For example, I originally mounted my Holosun HS403R on my Draco AK-47 using the Samson Manufacturing RSR2 rear sight rail. It replaces your rear sight leaf and provides an ultra-low mount for a micro red dot with the Aimpoint Micro T1/T2 footprint. But, because you lose your rear sight leaf in the process, they provide a rudimentary rear sight notch as a backup iron sight in case your red dot sight goes down. Unfortunately, because this was designed with the Aimpoint T1/T2 in mind, the objective lens height of the Holosun HS403R did not allow me to see the backup rear sight at all, which could be a problem if you are counting on your rifle for a long period of time. After that experience, I went down a rabbit hole researching budget-friendly red dots that had a true Aimpoint T1/T2 objective lens height, and viola; the SLx MD-20 appeared before me. This also led me to the realization that any other mount I would use for the Holosun HS403R or even a Sig Sauer ROMEO5 would technically not provide the advertised mounting height.
So, since we are replacing the factory mounts that come with the Holosun 403 series and the Sig Sauer ROMEO5 anyway, the fact that the Primary Arms SLx MD-20 doesn’t come with one doesn’t really hurt its overall value. Then you add in the fact that the optic housing is clone-correct to the Aimpoint T1/T2, so we achieve the desired mounting height when purchasing our higher-quality mount. It has the motion activation of the ROMEO5, the IP67 waterproof rating of the Holosun HS403R, and has been 100% in form and function while riding on top of a pretty blasty AK-47 pistol variant. Because of those considerations and the fact that all three of these red dot sights are just about the same price, I suggest the Primary Arms SLx MD-20 over the Holosun 403 series and the Sig Sauer ROMEO5.
Wrap Up
All three of these budget-friendly red dot sight options are good choices for anyone who wants something good enough to do the job while remaining affordable. You know which one I would personally choose, but you might have reasons why the other ones would be a better fit. Perhaps you need to keep costs down, and using the factory-supplied mount at least gets you out on the range and training while you work on upgrading to a better mount. And that is a totally understandable thought process. If you want the best-of-the-best red dot sight, then Aimpoint is on top of the food chain. But keep in mind, you can buy 6 Primary Arms SLx MD-20s for the price of one Aimpoint T2. Although the Aimpoint is the superior product, there isn’t much that it does better than the three aforementioned red dots on this list, especially if you’re a civilian who isn’t likely to go through an overly extreme environment. Plus, your mounts will all be Aimpoint Micro T1/T2-compatible anyway, in case you just want a placeholder that gets the job done while you wait on Dogecoin to go to the moon.
--Magic Prepper
