Best Red Dot for AR15 | Our Buyer’s Guide

Let’s get straight to the point; the best red dot for AR15 gives you better sighting and quicker target acquisition. Your AR15 is the versatile weapon that is used for law enforcement and military purposes.

The best thing about them is that they can be configured depending on your preference or current situation. So a sight enhances the experience even further by improving the accuracy of your shot.

The valuable red dot created by the device is aligned in a straight line with your firearm. And this helps you to hit your target with maximum accuracy. Doesn’t that sound like something you’ve wanted to achieve for a long time?

So let’s learn more about a red dot for AR15. And then we can move on to the best picks on the market.

Quick Comparison: Top 5 Best Red Dot Sights for AR15

Preview

Red Dot Sight

Our Rating

Price

Trijicon 1x25 MRO 2.0 MOA Adjustable Red Dot

Trijicon 1×25 MRO 2.0 MOA Adjustable Red Dot

Dagger Defense DDHB Red Dot Reflex Sight

Dagger Defense DDHB Red Dot Reflex Sight

Ohuhu Red and Green Reflex Sight

Ohuhu Red and Green Reflex Sight

(Our Choice)

Burris 300234 Fastfire III with Picatinny Mount 3 MOA Sight

Burris 300234 Fastfire III with Picatinny Mount 3 MOA Sight

Bushnell Trophy TRS-25 Red Dot Sight Riflescope

Bushnell Trophy TRS-25 Red Dot Sight Riflescope

* Below, you’ll find our more detailed reviews, but you can also click the links above to see customer reviews and current prices on Amazon.com

best red dot for AR15

Best red dot for AR15: 5 top picks

1. Trijicon 1×25 MRO 2.0 MOA Adjustable Red Dot

Trijicon 1x25 MRO 2.0 MOA Adjustable Red Dot

The AR15 is among the most powerful civilian and military rifles, did you know that? And when a sight as efficient as the TrijiconRed Dot is attached to an AR15, it can make a lot of difference.

The Trijicon 1×25 MRO 2.0 MOA Adjustable Red Dot is suitable for those who enjoy shooting from long range. The two principal components of the sight are complete mount co-witness adaptor and wide sighting view. These help in providing comfort to the whole shooting experience.

You will be glad to know that the Trijicon 1×25 MRO 2.0 MOA Adjustable Red Dot has different settings for brightness. Another great feature is the fully-functional brightness control. We all know how beneficial these characteristics are when it comes to better viewing.

This best red dot for AR15 is as high-performing as it is waterproof. Trijicon is a reliable company that has been manufacturing red dots for a while now. So the Trijicon 1×25 MRO 2.0 MOA Adjustable Red Dot is an investment you will cherish for your lifetime.

We Like

  • The sight’s red dot is very crisp and bright.
  • Dialing the brightness down for more precision is quick and easy.
  • The sight has clear-cut optics to provide maximum accuracy.

We Don’t Like

  • In low light conditions, the dot emits excessive red glare.
  • Higher brightness settings cause too much bloom.

2. Dagger Defense DDHB Red Dot Reflex Sight

Dagger Defense DDHB Red Dot Reflex Sight

Dagger Defense has done it yet again by manufacturing the red dot for AR15. The Dagger Defense DDHB Red Dot Reflex Sight is also known as the best green dot sight for AR15. It’s because the device offers both green and red colors.

The sight has four great position reticles. This adds versatility, hence comfort to the whole experience. The sighting adjustments of the device are carried out using the secure, stable locking screws.

The Dagger Defense DDHB Red Dot Reflex Sight is built with an optimally-sized aperture. It is also pretty light in weight.

This gives you a wide enough viewing field to make sighting a pleasant experience. And the best part about the Dagger Defense DDHB Red Dot Reflex Sight is its compatibility. The sight is suitable for all firearms with a Picatinny rail.

We Like

  • The sight is constructed with high-quality materials to offer multiple settings.
  • All the four reticles are bright enough in both light and dark conditions.

We Don’t Like

  • When you switch between reticles, you have to zero them all over again.

Dagger Defense-Sighting in your Red Dot – Reflex Sight

3. Ohuhu Red and Green Reflex Sight (Our Choice)

Ohuhu Red and Green Reflex Sight

The Ohuhu Red and Green Reflex Sight is the best budget red dot for AR15. No matter how inexpensive a red dot is, it will always help in aiming better. And the Ohuhu Red and Green Reflex Sight is no different.

The device is equipped with a 33mm-sized reflex lens. What this does is provide a broad viewing field during the sighting. With a wide viewing area, you get faster target acquisition even with a moving target.

The best part about the Ohuhu Red and Green Reflex Sight; it comes with four distinctive reticle patterns. This is something that you don’t get with red dots for AR15. The device can be mounted quite easily. Thanks to the standard base.

You will be ecstatic to know that the sight has a parallax-free design. So you get the opportunity to sight at whatever angle without having to change the appearance of this red dot.

We Like

  • The sight offers exceptional elevation and windage adjustments.
  • It is both shockproof and waterproof.
  • Despite the addition of powerful V lithium energy battery, the device is lightweight.

We Don’t Like

  • The reticle of the sight’s red dot tends to float. So you can’t get a quick, accurate shot.
  • The springs that hold the adjustments and zero are poorly made.

4. Burris 300234 Fastfire III with Picatinny Mount 3 MOA Sight

Burris 300234 Fastfire III with Picatinny Mount 3 MOA Sight

With the Burris 300234 Fastfire III Sight, you get better elevation and windage adjustments. And this is why it’s considered to be the red dot for AR15. These upgraded features don’t require you to use any particular tool.

The sight is built with a handy power button. The gear offers a brightness of three different levels. It also has an auto brightness setting. And the battery of the sight is located at the top. All these combine to provide exceptional convenience to the whole experience.

The Burris 300234 Fastfire III Sight has a compact and lightweight design. And despite this, it emits a powerful and bright red reticle on your desired target. The chassis and electronics of the sight are sturdy enough to endure all kinds of abuse during hunting.

We Like

  • The sight is equipped with a powerful battery that offers an exceptionally long battery life.
  • It has a low profile and lightweight design with tons of functionality.

We Don’t Like

  • The sight’s red dot reticle is slightly ragged along the edges.

5. Bushnell Trophy TRS-25 Red Dot Sight Riflescope

Bushnell Trophy TRS-25 Red Dot Sight Riflescope

Bushnell is among those brands that are considered to be the best when it comes to AR15 sight. And there are many reasons to support this claim. So let’s discuss them all, shall we?

The Bushnell Trophy TRS-25 Sight creates the valuable red dot simply by shifting the front lens. As a result of which, it reflects the LED red dot light. In such cases, the helpful red dot might appear to be misshapen during the sighting.

This happens when you’re not tuned into the correct settings. More often than not, it’s the intensity that’s too high. So consider altering that.

As an enthusiastic shooter, you will be glad to know that the sight provides easy and fast target acquisition. This is in part due to the device’s lightweight design and construction.

The lens of theBushnell Trophy TRS-25 Sight is equipped with a high contrast Amber-Bright coating. So each and every feature of the sight is built to offer high performance.

We Like

  • The lens of the sight has a mirror finish to reduce excessive glare.
  • The gaskets of every knob are thick enough and waterproof. This adds maximum durability to the device.

We Don’t Like

  • The skewed position of the sight’s objective lens causes an unpleasant red smear across the view.

Red Dot for AR15: Buying Guide

best red dot for AR15

Red Dot for AR15: How do You Mount It on the Firearm?

It doesn’t matter if you’ve never mounted and zeroed in sight in your life. Because it’s not such a difficult task and you can easily do it by yourself. But before that happens, you must know two essential components. And they are the sight’s locking mechanism and rail.

Every AR15 is equipped with a tactical rail or a Picatinny. This acts as the anchor point that is used to attach various accessories. What it consists of is repeating ridges as well as slots. And it’s on these features that the locking system of accessories attaches itself to for a secure connection.

You don’t have to worry if your accessory is designed for Weaver rail instead of Picatinny rail. Because it will fit your AR15 nevertheless.

Picatinny vs Weaver Rail

The location for mounting a red dot holds great importance. You must choose a point that isn’t too forward or backward. This gives you an excellent aim. Despite knowing this, many shooters still tend to place the sight near the rear. You can do this with magnified optics because it comes with eye relief. But not with red dots as they have wide eye relief.

So you can place it a little further too, and you will still be able to focus. Putting a red dot near the rear of your AR15 will restrict the peripheral vision and field of view.

On the other hand, some shooters position the sight way too ahead than it should be. Such a placement does work in certain situations. But I would suggest otherwise as it might cause your sight to lose the zero faster.

This happens due to perpetual shifting when you’re shooting. And with such a position, you also tend to spot the sight slightly later once you raise your gun.

So the most preferred location for mounting the best red dot for AR15 is the top receiver’s forward portion. Once you’ve selected the correct spot, you can mount your sight. Some devices have an inbuilt rail system while some models are equipped with separate rails.

If you have the former, then position the rail correctly and use the screws to tighten it. And if you have the latter, then you need to first mount the rail on your weapon. Then comes the fitting of the sight. To ensure that you have a secure fit, tighten all the screws that the rail came with. But please don’t over-tighten them. That might cause damage to the sight.

Red Dot for AR15: What are Its Benefits?

The most significant advantage of using the best red dot for AR15 is related to performance and price. The thing about red dots is that they deliver maximum performance at the minimum price. What you should also understand is that an AR15 sight is comparatively safer than its holographic counterpart.

When using a sight equipped with holographic technology, your eyes are exposed to a high risk. If the lens of a holographic sight cracks, significant permanent eye damage can happen, because of the laser direct to the eye.

AR15 sights are constructed of aluminum alloy or just aluminum. And that’s great, but do you know why? Because these two materials are weight-optimized. But the primary benefit of using a red dot will always remain the same. The device is solely designed to help shooters acquire targets faster.

Red Dot for AR15: What Features to Take into Consideration?

Optics

When a sight is constructed with high-quality components and has a strong, solid construction, what does that mean? That the device is reliable and backed by a reliable manufacturer, right? And when this has been established, you don’t need to worry about the optics.

As far as optics are concerned, there is only one rule. The more you pay for an AR15 sight, the better the optics will be. Because an optic is the only expensive feature to build on a sight.

Now don’t go spending big bucks on buying the costliest AR15 sight. Instead, focus on what kind of performance the optic has to offer. And this depends on the different reasons why you want to use an optic in the first place.

Another feature that you must take into account in regards with optics is their ruggedness. Shooting involves major and minor impacts and recoil, right? At such times, the optic must do its best not to lose the zero point. And to achieve this, optics should provide maximum ruggedness and durability.

And the last characteristic of optics that you need to know is their capacity to acquire the target quickly. This is essential for defensive and tactical purposes or when you’re hunting at close range.

Design of the Sight

The thing about an AR15 is that it was intended to be a lightweight and compact rifle. So it won’t make any sense of you choose a sight with a large and heavy design. The red dot for AR15 is one that is as lightweight and compact as your rifle.

How to Zero Your AR-15 Red Dot Sight?

The final verdict

A red dot is a highly valuable device that is commonly used on rifles, pistols, and shotguns. It helps the shooter in achieving more accuracy and faster target acquisition. But when it comes to AR15, remember that it already is an accurate weapon.

So purchasing the best red dot for AR15 helps in quickly acquiring and firing upon your desired target. Keeping this mind, you should opt for the Ohuhu Red and Green Reflex Sight.

The Ohuhu Red and Green Reflex Sight have a tubeless design. And this model is equipped with a wide enough lens aperture. Such a reflex lens structure offers a large viewing field. What these features do is make the sight suitable for shooting moving targets.

The best part about the Ohuhu Red and Green Reflex Sight; it has an integrated mount. This is perfect for regular bases. So there’s no need for the shooter to re-zero when he or she is remounting the sight. And the last valuable thing that I would like to add is that the device is exceptionally shockproof and waterproof.

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