Gear Enclosed MRDS Buyer’s Guide [2024] Recoil Staff November 7, 2024 1 Comments, Join the Conversation At RECOIL, we review every product fairly and without bias. Making a purchase through one of our links may earn us a small commission, and helps support independent gun reviews. Learn More Sealed reflex sights offer advantages over their open-top brethren. They’re more durable, far less likely to fog up from temperature changes, and the LED emitter itself is better protected from the elements. Until relatively recently they’ve remained in the realm of rifles instead of handguns.But there’s been an explosion of options — some of this is due to R&D, but a larger chunk is due to companies simply paying to laser their logo on a Chinesium dot. If you look at two different companies but their sealed sights appear the same, there’s probably a reason. Most of the sealed optics shown here use the Aimpoint ACRO footprint with some notable exceptions. However, if you don’t have a pistol with a plate system, conversions are available for some common footprints. We’ve seen some optics on pistols with high round counts shear their mounting screws, so the recoil lug on the clamp-style ACRO footprints is a definite advantage.Are there some diamonds in the rough? Almost certainly. Let’s have a gander at the spectrum.BEST ENCLOSED RED DOTSAimpoint ACRO P-2 At this point, Aimpoint should be accustomed to starting weapon optic revolutions. They kicked off the enclosed-emitter craze first with the ACRO, which was essentially a commercialized version of the B+T exclusive Aimpoint NANO. There were some warts, mainly in the way of dinky CR1225 batteries and their associated dinky battery life — and yet, the footprint you’ll see repeated over and over on these pages is “ACRO.” The Holosun on the left is mounted on CMC Triggers’ new KRAGOS slide with an RMR cut, using an adapter plate. The Aimpoint on the right is attached using the Glock MOS system with an Acro-compatible plate.The ACRO P-2 is the sleeker, sexier model with a longer lifespan. The ACRO P-2 has a 50,000-hour battery life and eats from a standard, side-mounted CR2032 battery. PROS: ACRO footprint is well-designed Extremely durable optic “Duty” quality CONS: Expensive Small window ACRO mounting is the most commonAimpoint has a hard-earned reputation for simple, bombproof sights, and they clearly wanted that to extend to the ACRO. If you expect to find yourself 25 meters underwater with your sidearm, the Aimpoint is definitely for you.Brownells$600Palmetto State Armory$600Footprint: ACRO Weight: 2.1 ounces Battery Type: CR2032 Battery Life: 50,000 hours Dimensions: 1.9 by 1.3 by 1.2 inches MSRP: $599Atibal E2 / Viridian RFX45 The Atibal e2 has all the features that are quickly becoming standard, like an easily swappable CR2032 battery with an anticipated lifespan of 50,000 hours (nearly six years) along with a motion-activated “shake awake” function. The e2 is rated as IP67-waterproof, meaning it can handle total immersion but maybe don’t take it SCUBA diving. The glass is a squat 24 by 15.5mm rectangle, with a little wider window than the gaggle of rebranded optics at the end of this guide. It’s similar to the Holosun 509T. Speaking of glass, there’s minimal distortion and excellent color rendition — not too blue on this one. The e2 has a memory function, so it turns back on at the same setting as when you last turned it off. PROS: Good feature list Mid-line pricing Decent enough CONS: Rebranded opticYou’ll notice the Viridian RFX45 has virtually the same specs, except with a green dot instead of red. Viridian recently introduced the RFX44, a smaller version that’s shorter and narrower for a more compact form factor.Atibal E2$309Viridian RFX45$360Footprint: ACRO Weight: 1.73 ounces Battery Type: CR2032 Battery Life: 50,000 hours Dimensions: 1.9 by 1.1 by 1.13 inches MSRP: $325 (Atibal e2); $459 (Viridian RFX45)Holosun EPS CarryThe Holosun EPS Carry is like a 509T left in the dryer all day. It’s shrunk down to fit in the RMSc footprint without overhang for narrow, compact pistols — note Holosun calls it their K footprint because while it’s the same dimensions as RMSc, the recoil lugs are different. The EPS Carry still offers all the flapship features Holosun is known for, except for the solar panels on its larger brethren.It’s available in red or green with a 6 MOA dot, 2 MOA dot, and Holosun’s multi-reticle system that features user-selectable options for a 2 MOA dot with or without the 32 MOA ring, or the ring by itself. The glass on our sample has a slight tint, similar to other 507 models. The sight has shake awake functionality, and battery life is rated at 50,000 hours. PROS: Good pricing Common footprint (RMSc/Holosun K) Setting a standard for “normal people” carry CONS: China-based and owned companyThe EPS Carry has two good-sized buttons on the left side and a battery drawer on the right; it’s IPX8 rated. There’s a small notch at the aft end to serve as a backup rear sight. Holosun has quickly become a major player in the electro-optics market, and the EPS Carry is another good example of why that’s the case.Brownells$400Palmetto State Armory$400Footprint: Holosun K Dimensions: 1.6 by 1.19 by 1.13 inches Weight: 1.4 ounces Battery Type: CR1620 Battery Life: 50,000 hours MSRP: $388 to $506Holosun HE509T-RDThe Holosun 509T has most of its working bits at the bottom of the sight with a wide optical window sitting on top of it, pushed out to the edges. Our sample has a noticeable blue tint throughout the entire window. Holosun packed the 509T full of features: selectable reticle in red or green, shake awake, and — notably in this group — solar panels. You can also configure the sleep timer to 10 minutes, 1 hour, 12 hours, or never. You can manually set the brightness or select an auto mode that automatically adjusts based on ambient light. The 509T has two medium-sized buttons on the side with positive tactile feedback and a lockout mode that deactivates them. It’s IP67 rated for submersion.PROS: Great value Extremely durable CONS: Proprietary footprint OwnershipOverall, it’s a great sight that’s only slightly larger than a standard MRDS. What’s not to like? Well, perhaps the proprietary mounting footprint, though some aftermarket slides are offered with 509T cuts.Brownells$430Palmetto State Armory$430Footprint: Proprietary Dimensions: 1.6 by 1.16 by 1.13 inches Weight: 1.7 ounces Battery Type: CR1632 Battery Life: 50,000 hours MSRP: $506 to $541Lead & Steel Pandora PB-3 While the other names on this list are ones you’ve almost undoubtedly heard before, Lead & Steel is a fresh face. There are rarely new players in the red-dot game who aren’t foreign copycats or rebrands. While there are certainly some foreign components in L&S optics, they’re designed, machined, and assembled in the United States.With a 21 by 16mm window, the Pandora has one of the largest enclosed dot windows and performs like a champion. As first impressions go from a new company, this was a home run.Lead & Steel$350Optics Planet$350PROS: Huge window (for an enclosed optic) Durable ACRO footprint American brand doing their own R&D CONS: Not as well-known brandFootprint: ACRO Weight: 2.3 ounces Battery Type: CR2032 Battery Life: 30,000-plus hours Dimensions: 2 by 1.1 by 1.18 inches MSRP: $600 Shield AMS Another sight with a military pedigree, the AMS’s sire and dam are both in service with UKSF, making this offspring the pick of the English litter. Battery life isn’t as long as some of its contemporaries despite using a bigger cell, which can be attributed to the lack of tinted lens coatings — although the sight picture has none of the annoying blue tinge of others, it does require more power to produce a sufficiently bright dot. PROS: Lower-er battery life Very low deck height UK brand CONS: Emitter refresh is low ExpensiveDeck height is low enough to make suppressor height sights unnecessary, and you can choose between four reticles.Optics Planet$530Footprint: RMS Weight: 1.3 ounces Battery Type: CR2050, CR2032, CR2035 Battery Life: 20,000 hours Dimensions: 1.6 by 1.3 by 1.1 inches MSRP: $600SIG Sauer ROMEO-M17 The second most expensive sight on this list, SIG’s red dot is the only one currently issued to U.S. troops, sitting on the slide of the M17 and M18 handguns. As such, it uses a proprietary mounting system, so if you think you’re going to buy one for bragging rights on your MOS-equipped Glock, prepare to be disappointed. That said, it does have some pretty nifty features, such as a side-mounted battery that can be swapped without removing the optic from your slide (the cap is knurled and slotted so you can use the rim of a cartridge for leverage), as well as three night vision brightness levels and 12 for daytime use. PROS: “MILSPEC” New footprint is bombproof Extremely durable optic CONS: Expensive New footprint is limited and hard to getIn addition to a shake-awake function, there’s also magnetic activation that rouses the sight from its slumber if you have a magnet in your holster. SIG Sauer$800Optics Planet$800Footprint: SIG-LOC Weight: 1.5 ounces Battery Type: CR2032 Battery Life: 20,000 hours Dimensions: 2.4 by 0.9 by 1.1 inches MSRP: $800SIG Sauer ROMEO2This dot goes both ways — open emitter or sealed off. The hybrid design allows the optic to be mounted on all SIG Pro footprints (which translates to an awful lot of Leupold DeltaPoint Pro mounts, too) but then be enclosed after the fact. The shields cleverly cantilever from the front and are held in place by two small fasteners.The 25,000-hour battery life isn’t the highest on this list, but the battery is replaced from the side so not a big deal. The Romeo2 can be set to auto-off if you desire, and there’s even a magnetic on/off option for duty holsters. PROS: Dual-open and enclosed(ish) optic Durable Common footprint CONS: Not a true “enclosed” optic Impossible to purge, possible to fogAlso included is a clever multi-tool wrench with a flathead for windage/elevation adjustment, a small Torx for the shield screws, and a T-10 bit in a 28-in-lb torque limiter.Palmetto State Armory$560Optics Planet$620Footprint: DeltaPoint Pro / PRO RX Weight: 2.1 ounces Battery Type: CR2032 Battery Life: 25,000 hours Dimensions: 1.84 by 1.32 by 1.12 inches MSRP: $699Steiner MPS The Steiner MPS has a crystal-clear window and provides an almost flawless view of the target. Combined with the short overall body of the MPS, you have practically zero “tunneling” that most other enclosed optics tend to give you. The end result is a natural-feeling dot that almost makes you forget you’re using one.The bad news is almost everything else. Out of the box, the MPS has a battery life of only 13,000 hours on a “medium” setting. With eight brightness settings (two NV, six daylight), dialing in your desired dot brightness isn’t too hard. The MPS has an optional 13-hour auto-off but no auto-on/shake-awake mode; this is a major missing feature for a premium red dot. You can disable the auto-off, but doing so locks you out of the max brightness setting “to optimize battery life.”PROS: Perfect sight picture Extremely durable CONS: Very short battery life Dot isn't bright enough for extreme sunlight Missing features that are standard on optics half the priceBrownells$550Palmetto State Armory$500Footprint: ACRO Weight: 2.05 ounces Battery Type: CR1632 Battery Life: 13,000 hours Dimensions: 2.17 by 1.2 by 1.3 inches MSRP: $633Trijicon RCRThe RCR delivers many of the same features of the industry-standard RMR in a sealed package tested to Trijicon’s aggressive durability standards. The RCR touts a whopping six years of battery life at midrange settings at room temperature. It features 10 individual brightness settings that include three night vision options as well as a super bright one.The RCR is standardized with a 3.25 MOA dot and, perhaps most surprising, also uses the RMR footprint. The issue with making closed-emitter optics compatible with RMR footprints has always been the screws, since passing screws downward through a sealed box poses a sizeable engineering challenge. Trijicon was able to overcome this through the use of capstan screws, featuring holes through the head that enable them to be turned from the side instead of the top. PROS: Legendary Trijicon RMR footprint Insane battery life Durable CONS: Expensive Doesn't always play well with every firearm designIt should also be noted that the RCR has the same deck height as the RMR and RMR HD, so the same commonality applies to back-up irons.Brownells$775Palmetto State Armory$750Footprint: RMR Weight: 1.98 ounces Battery Type: CR2032 Battery Life: 52,000-plus hours Dimensions: 1.8 by 1.2 by 1 inches MSRP: $849ZeroTech Optics H.A.L.O. TRAE28Just released at SHOT Show 2024, we have the first example of ZeroTech Optics’ new H.A.L.O. TRAE28 reflex sight with enclosed emitter.Amongst all those letters is the number 28, referencing its extra wide 28mm by 20mm lens. With an RMSc footprint, the housing overhangs horizontally quite a bit. The housing also extends further above the glass, like mom’s attic in a U-Haul — making room for the battery, thus keeping the window low on the slide and allowing for battery changes without dismounting the optic. The ZeroTech has a 3 MOA red dot with 10 brightness settings, including two night-vision compatible ones. It has a motion sensor for auto-on and -off, as well as a notch for a backup rear sight. PROS: Larger window Well-built CONS: Unproven New-er brandWhile the ZeroTech is somewhat bulbous on a pistol, that window sure is large and roomy. It’s a joy to shoot, and large buttons on either side of the sight make it really easy to use.ZeroTech Optics$300OpticsPlanet$350Footprint: RMSc Weight: 2.8 ounces Battery Type: CR2032 Battery Life: 50,000 hours Dimensions: 1.7 by 1.4 by 1.3 inches MSRP: $399Swampfox Kraken / Gideon Mediator / CHPWS Duty / Warner & Swasy / Atibal SRD-E / ETC. …If you ever went to a gun show in the aughts, you definitely heard the words “made on the same line as …!” from some unscrupulous dealer shilling cheap Chinese optics. Since then, Chinese optics have come a long way from merely copying the aesthetics of others. Indeed now there are many options that are literally “from the same line.”There’s no better demonstration of this than the latest glut of enclosed emitter optics — all of which have the same internals but with different logos and slightly different body designs. Some have rear sights built-in; others have little lightening cuts in different places. The anodizing is universally dry and easy to scratch. Most are offered with red or green reticles. PROS: Good price Always available CONS: One manufacturer, dozen brandsThe plus side is that these products are far more durable than they used to be, which is why there are so many re-brands, but you’re really mainly paying for a name or warranty here. If you want one, you could get the cheapest one possible and give it a rattle can job. Note that some boast an additional feature that you might consider, such as a selectable circle-dot reticle in the SwampFox and C&H Precision, an ambient light sensor to auto-adjust brightness in the LaserMax, or the blue reticle in the Lucid Optics.Footprint: ACRO Weight: 2.5 ounces Battery Type: CR2032 Battery Life: 50,000 hours Dimensions: 1.87 by 1.38 by 1.27 inchesExplore RECOILweb:MDT Chassis Reviewed: The New XRS CrossoverProject Wheelchair GunfighterXTECH 5 Round VP9 ExtensionsImported 9x21 Glock 17 For Sale On Gunbroker NEXT STEP: Download Your Free Target Pack from RECOILFor years, RECOIL magazine has treated its readers to a full-size (sometimes full color!) shooting target tucked into each big issue. Now we've compiled over 50 of our most popular targets into this one digital PDF download. From handgun drills to AR-15 practice, these 50+ targets have you covered. Print off as many as you like (ammo not included). Get your pack of 50 Print-at-Home targets when you subscribe to the RECOIL email newsletter. We'll send you weekly updates on guns, gear, industry news, and special offers from leading manufacturers - your guide to the firearms lifestyle.You want this. Trust Us.
