Best Budget Handgun Optics Worth Considering

In today’s world, pistols need optics, right? They used to be the exception, but anymore, it seems to be standard. Shoot, even budget-friendly guns are starting to have removable optic plates so you can improve your aim and stay on target. But just like our precious gun collections, optics come in a wide price and quality range. This can make finding a pistol optic frustrating.

If you have a $300 gun, you don’t want to buy a $500+ optic and vice versa. It only makes sense to find an optic that matches the quality and price range of the gun. I have a friend who refuses to buy any optic that is not Trijicon, Aimpoint, or EOTech. He does this because those are all superior optics with great reputations. But you also pay for that name and quality.

It’s okay to set a budget and select your gun and optic accordingly. There are plenty of great firearms and optics on the market that are sold for a reasonable price. I can’t list them all in one article, so I have selected a few that range from $100-$500 and still offer a good level of reliability. No matter what budget you are on, there is an optic that will work for you. Let’s start with the cheapest and work our way up.

1. Veridian RFX11 – $149

There are some cheaper optics out there, but at some point, the quality starts to drop off fast. The Viridian RFX11 is one of the cheapest pistol optics that still has a solid record of reliability. This green dot by Veridian is the simplest optic you can buy because it doesn’t have any buttons on it. You can’t get any simpler than installing a battery and dropping targets.

Once the batteries are in, the optic is on. It has an automatic on/off feature and an auto-brightness setting, so there’s really no need for any buttons or switches. The CR2032 battery has a listed run time of up to 30,000 hours, and the green dot is very easy to see. It’s compact and uses the Shield RMSc footprint, which is relatively common with carry guns.

I mounted mine on a Ruger Max 9 pistol and it’s almost as if the two were made for each other. The auto-brightness setting works great and keeps up with the available light, so you can easily see it in any lighting condition. If you want to mount the optic on a rifle, the RFX11 includes a proprietary Picatinny mount.

2.  Holosun HS407 Series ($189-$340)

Holosun has made leaps and bounds over the past few years. They offer a good selection of pistol and rifle optics that meet just about anyone’s budget. The 407 series has a wide range of options and prices, depending on what you’re looking for. They have recently discontinued the 407A3 X2 optic, so it may be going on sale. I found one for $189 with free shipping, so keep your eyes open for those great deals.

The 407 optics have plus/minus buttons on the side and run on a CR1620 battery. They come with Shake Awake technology, so they will automatically shut off and activate with movement. Some 407 models have a Solar Failsafe feature built into the top of the optic. This keeps them running even if the battery dies. Of course, this feature increases the price of the optic.

3. Vortex Viper $200

Like Holosun, Vortex has also made a great name for its products. What makes Vortex stand out from other companies is its unconditional lifetime warranty. Any product that has the Vortex name on it will be replaced if it fails, even if you’re not the original owner. The Viper is low profile and comes with a Picatinny rail mount.

This 6 MOA red dot is shockproof and waterproof. The CR2032 battery will last up to 150 hours on high or 30,000 hours on low. That is a big difference in hours but either way, it runs for a while. What I don’t like about the Viper is there is no auto-shutoff feature. You must manually turn it on and off, which isn’t the best feature for CCW. But for a small rifle or handgun used for hunting, it would be a great choice.

4. Vortex Defender CCW $250

The Defender CCW is leaps and bounds ahead of the Viper. The cost isn’t much different either at $250. This red dot was made for concealed-carry guns. It has a Shield RMSc footprint and boasts a 3 MOA reticle. The Defender has auto shut-off, but not for 14 hours. This is the one complaint I have about this optic and I wish they would reduce it to a few minutes. If I take my gun off at night, it will still be on the next morning.

Other than the auto-shutoff time, the Defender is a great little optic. I have frozen, dropped, baked, and soaked it in water, and the Defender CCW has held up nicely. I currently have it mounted on my Massada 9S and love it. It runs on a 1632 battery, which you can change from the top, one of the better features of this red dot. There is no need to remove the optic from the gun just to change the battery.

5. Trijicon RMR Type 2 RM06 $500

If you want to spend the money, the Trijicon RMR is one of the best pistol optics you can buy, period. Featuring military-grade aluminum construction, the RMR Type 2 is built like a tank. It has a run time of up to 4 years thanks to the built-in battery conservation mode. The footprint on the Type 2 is the same as the original RMR Type 1 footprint. One of the features I like about the RM06 is the button lockout feature. The buttons can be locked out once you have the optic set to the brightness level you want. There are eight brightness modes, but the RM06 also has an automatic brightness setting and motion activation.

I have my RM06 mounted on a Sig M17, but it also works great on Glock pistols and any other quality handguns. Spending $500 can feel like a lot for an optic, but if you’re going to buy a good quality handgun and want an optic that will last for years under a lot of abuse, Trijicon is the way to go. The battery installs underneath the optic, so you do have to take it off for battery changes. But like I mentioned above, the RM06 has a run time of 4 years, which is a long time in between battery changes.

Find What Works for You

With guns and optics, you get what you pay for (most of the time). But the quality gap has closed faster than the price gap in guns and gun-related gear. The choices used to be high-end or cheapy. Now, you can purchase a budget-friendly optic without sacrificing quality. If you want to buy the best, then, by all means, go for it. But if you are on a budget and need an optic or your pistol, these are all great options to choose from.

Red/green dots help us shoot faster while staying on target. Just like rifles, optics on handguns are becoming standard, and the iron sights are becoming the backup sights. If you haven’t yet used an optic on your CCW, hunting, self-defense, or range gun, give ’em a try. Once you use one, you won’t want to shoot without it again.