Aimpoint, EOTECH and SIG Sauer have all been awarded contracts to provide weapon sights for various weapon systems as a part of the UK’s wider Support Weapons Enhanced Sighting Systems (SWESS) program. Overall, the SWESS program is looking to acquire around 12,000 sighting systems for a variety of the British Army’s support weapons ranging from M2 Brownings to 84mm Carl Gustafs.

You’ve all probably seen it leaked on social media by now but today is the day – Trijicon has officially announced the introduction of the new larger and updated RMR HD, and the new enclosed RMR footprint RCR or Ruggedized Close Reflex sight. I’ve had the opportunity to use both of the new optics, first at an official Trijicon media event hosted several months back, and now for the past month or so as I’ve had both optics in hand. Put simply, both of the new reflex sights from Trijicon carry over some of the same improvements to the RMR line including better windage and elevation adjustment clicks (more tactile and audible), as well as greatly improved brightness adjustment buttons that feel much better. However, the similarities end there and both optics feature a drastic departure from the established RMR line.

Primary Arms Optics has just added three new optics to their vast lineup, which will include a flat dark earth version of their PLx 1-8×24 FFP Low Power Variable Optic (LVPO), a second generation of their existing SLx 3-18x First Focal Plane scope, and a new CLx RD-25 red dot optic. These three new offerings are available for purchase now. Primary Arms’ full press release can be read below.

Not sure how we missed posting about this, but Primary Arms has a mini reflex 12 O’clock mount for their MicroPrism optics. This allows you to mount a red dot sight over their SLx prismatic scopes.

In recent years, we have witnessed a significant transformation in the handgun industry’s offerings, with a notable shift towards optics-ready models. Nowadays, it’s almost unusual to encounter a new pistol that doesn’t come equipped with optics. This emerging expectation has prompted companies to modify their older pistol designs to accommodate these advancements. The timeless Beretta 92 has proven itself adaptable to the changing times, exemplified by the exceptional 92X RDO. While the 92 is already an outstanding firearm, its conversion to an optics-ready configuration poses certain challenges. That’s where the Dlah Designs Beretta 92 RDO Flush Optics Plate comes into play, aiming to optimize the RDO variant to its fullest potential. So, without further ado, let’s dive right into the review!

Back at SHOT Show 2023, during the SIG Sauer Range Day, we got to look at the new SIG Sauer Electro-Optics Red Dot, the ROMEO-M17. Much to the chagrin of TFBTV viewers and those who liked the features that the M17 offered, customers weren’t able to get it since it had a proprietary SIG-LOC mounting interface for the M17/M18 military-issue handgun. Today SIG Sauer Electro-Optics is excited to announce the new RMSc footprint ROMEO-X series of optics which will include the smaller ROMEO-X meant for the RMSc footprint, and the ROMEO-X PRO meant for all P320, and DeltaPoint PRO footprints.

Joining the new enclosed red dot craze is Viridian Weapon Tech with their new RFX45 enclosed green dot. While we’ve briefly covered it before when it was featured at SHOT Show 2023 ( shoutout to fellow writer Rusty S for the photos in this article), the Viridian RFX45 has finally been announced as available for order and shipping to customers.

The Meprolight Mepro M21 reflex sight has an extensive history with foreign armed forces that spans several decades now. It was first introduced in the early 2000s and was quickly adopted by its country of origin as a standard-issue optical rifle sight. Originally developed to meet the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) requirements, the M21 underwent rigorous testing and evaluation to ensure its suitability for Israel’s military applications. The IDF needed a robust reflex sight that could withstand demanding combat conditions while providing rapid and reliable target acquisition capabilities without the need for extra components like batteries. Since its introduction, the M21 has been in service for almost two decades and was used in conflicts by nearly all combat units in the IDF.

The 10mm Glock has a cult following among outdoorsmen. Glock 40 combines the reliability that Glock pistols are famous for with the revolver-like punch of the 10mm Auto cartridge. Glock already made full-size and compact models but added a long-slide model in 2015. So how does it shoot, and what is it capable of?

In this episode of TFBTV, Hop checks out the new optic-ready slide for the Kel-Tec P17. For just $199 you can get a replacement slide for the P17 that includes a pre-installed Crimson Trace red dot. The P17 is one of the cheapest among the recent crop of high-capacity rimfire pistols, and this slide brings it into competition with the SIG Sauer P322, FN 502, and the optics-ready models of the Taurus TX22. But can it survive even a modest round count?

Photo Of The Day: The CZ Scorpion EVO 3 S1 is an interesting pistol caliber carbine from the Czech Republic. Here it can be seen with the Aimpoint Micro T-2 red dot sight and one of Silencerco‘s suppressors along with a lot of other accessories.

In this week’s edition of Wheelgun Wednesday, we are going to venture down a path that some people might consider blasphemy and others might view it as the future. If you are here, you are already a lover of wheelguns, but what’s your grasp of technology? The latest, greatest tech that we can incorporate into and with our firearms to make them as high speed, low drag as possible is always something our newer generation of shooters is aiming for. This can be attention to detail in the aggressiveness of our grip texturing (stippling), getting faster reloads (Bianchi speed strips or traditional HKS speedloaders), or even mounting a micro red dot to something as old and western as a Ruger Blackhawk. We are going to crawl down that precise rabbit hole looking at an EGW Red Dot Mount that I recently mounted on a customer’s six-shooter. Let’s dive in!

Welcome to another Photo Of The Day! At The Firearm Blog, we love to discover new gear and technologies and sometimes combine them together for even better functionality. Today we have the brand new Pulsar Thermion DUO DXP50 thermal scope with a Shield RMSx reflex sight.

Kalashnikov USA entered the optics market back at the end of 2020 with the release of the BARS micro red dot sight. The company is now expanding its presence in this market and announced a new line of reflex sights called Core. According to Kalashnikov USA, these sights are currently in use by the South Korean military and special forces units. The KUSA Core family of sights currently has two members, the Core-1 and Core-2. Let’s take a quick look at the specs of these sights.

Welcome everyone to the  TFB Armorer’s Bench! As mentioned in the little blurb below, this series will focus on a lot of home armorer and gunsmith activities. In this article, I decided to go over a simple task that could be potentially overwhelming to the uninitiated. From the title you can deduce I am talking about installing the Dlah Designs Beretta 92 RDO flush fit optics plate. Dlah or Dylan as you may know him was nice enough to allow me to review his well-made optics plate. I figured before a full review I should elaborate on the installation. That being said, let’s dive right into installing the Dlah Designs Beretta 92 RDO Flush Fit Optics Plate!

The Ruger ReadyDot was released earlier this year around the time of NRAAM 2023 to a lot of controversy, and skepticism – and for good reason. It’s blatantly clear that red dot-equipped pistols are quickly becoming the norm within both the competitive and defensive handgun shooting world – if they in fact haven’t already. One of the major advantages that red dots offer to a lot of shooters is a better sight picture overall – especially if you have degraded eyesight. As you start to age, your eyesight tends to get worse and this is why it’s the belief of Scott Jedlinski, a prominent red dot-focused pistol instructor, that going to the red dot will be an eventuality rather than an option if you want to keep shooting as you get older. Beyond that, red dots on pistols offer all shooters a distinct advantage over iron sights in that red dots provide you with a single focal plane sight picture versus a three focal plane sight picture with a set of iron sights (target, front sight, rear sights). In short, it’s an easier way to positively ID a threat while having your sights already on the target. I tend to agree with pretty much all of this and also think that red dots are in fact, the way of the future in terms of what is “normal.” However, red dots often have a lot of drawbacks for newer or uninitiated shooters. First, they’re quite complex to learn not just how to shoot when transitioning over from iron sights, but they’re also quite complex to zero, and there are so many red dots out there that it’s hard sometimes for even seasoned shooters to know what new red dot that has just hit the market will fit which gun – enter the Ruger RedyDot. Today we’ll check out the ReadyDot and see how it performs under a variety of shooting situations to see where it fits in within the pistol red dot world.

In this episode of TFBTV, Hop puts the new Ruger Ready Dot to the test. Primarily intended for use on the Ruger Max-9, the Ready Dot is a non-electronic, non-adjustable pistol optic. The large 15 MOA dot is illuminated by a fiber optic coil instead of a battery, and the zero is permanently set from the factory. Oh, and it costs less than a hundred bucks. Installing and using the Read Dot is very easy, but that’s not worth a lot if you can’t hit anything with it…

Introducing the Holosun 507COMP, a revolutionary red dot optic from Holosun designed specifically for competition shooters. With its near rifle-sized optic window that is instead built for handguns, the 507COMP offers an impressive increase in the shooting area compared to its predecessors. Equipped with the new Competition Reticle System (C.R.S.), shooters can choose from a range of precision options, including a 2MOA dot and various circle sizes. Boasting a durable 7075 T6 aluminum housing and a battery life of up to 50,000 hours, the Holosun 507COMP is set to redefine the competitive shooting experience and has even already been endorsed by a handful of pro shooters like Ben Stoeger.

Welcome to another edition of TFB’s Wheelgun Wednesday! This week, we’ll take a detailed look at the Taurus 856 TORO revolver, which is an optics-ready model straight from the factory. The Taurus 856 was already a capable six-shot, small-frame revolver, but the optics-ready T.O.R.O. treatment adds more versatility for those that prefer red dots on their concealed carry weapon. As cool and trendy as red dot sights are on handguns, they can add a bit more complexity to set up, and we’ll take a look at the hiccup I had mating these two systems. Let’s dig in!

Newcomer gun accessory maker Partizan Solutions recently announced two new red dot mounts for ACOG scopes. The new ATLAS mounts are available in Acro or Delta Point Pro footprints.

The British Army has selected several Aimpoint optics solutions for various heavy weapons. According to Aimpoint, the FCS13-RE Fire Control System with TH-60 thermal clip-on has been selected to fulfill the SWESS-Heavy Mature Project requirement for optics for support weapons including the M2 Browning and 40mm grenade machine guns. The Aimpoint CompM4 has been selected for use with the new 84mm Carl Gustaf recoilless weapons which the British Army has just procured. The CompM4s with 3X magnifiers will fulfill the SWESS-Light Battlesight Project.

A couple of weeks ago I had the opportunity to go to a media event featuring a lot of pistol red dot shooting. The instructor for the event was none other than Scott Jedlinksi of The Modern Samurai Project. Scott and MSP travel around the country to train both civilians and law enforcement in the effective employment and use of pistols equipped with red dots. Scott’s company offers everything from hosted classes for larger groups of people and even has 1 on 1 instruction available for those who want a more customized class. Scott has a lot to say about red dots and shooting handguns and today I got to pick his brain and ask him some questions that those who want to take his classes most frequently ask him. Please sit back, relax, and enjoy this episode of TFB’s Behind The Gun podcast featuring Scott “Jedi” Jedlinski!

The Israeli arms market is one that has grown exponentially in a number of ways over the last couple of decades. Much like other Israeli-based companies, Meprolight works very closely with their home military, the Israeli Defense Force, to develop and battlefield test their products to provide customers in the 134 different countries worldwide that they support with optics that are not only durable but full of features and specifications that are actually useful out in the field. Meprolight recently sent me a T&E copy of their Meprolight TRU-VISION red dot sight. The TRU-VISION is intended to be a durable, compact, lightweight, and energy-efficient red dot that can serve every need ranging from casual range use and training to night vision operations out on the front lines. Today we’re going to take a look at the Meprolight TRU-VISION red dot sight to see how well it performs out in the field, and how well the optic adheres to its stated claims on the Meprolight website.

The Beretta 90 series of pistols has continued to be updated with features that users have been looking for, including the most recent upgrade of coming cut for Red Dot Optics from the factory. While the factory optics cut and plate system is what consumers have been asking for, it left the optic a bit higher over the barrel than some were hoping for. Enter engineer, Dylan T. with his flush optics plate for the Beretta 92 RDO pistols. Dylan’s flush fitting optics plate brings the base of the optic to sit directly on top of the slide, rather than having the width of the plate between the slide and optic. Let’s take a look.

Absolute, 1.93, lower 1/3rd. How do you decide? Well, now you don’t have to! Strike Industries entered the optic game with their SIOPTO SCOUTER, so it makes sense that mounts would be next. If you ever had issues deciding on which height to run, the new Strike Variable Optic Mount could fix that.

Langdon Tactical has just expanded their custom gun works Red Dot Optics cut options to include ALL of the Beretta 92 / M9 series slides. Previously, almost all of Beretta’s 92 and M9 series of pistols could accept the RDO cut slide purchased from Langdon Tactical, but only a handful of those various models could be sent in to receive the RDO cut service. Now, Langdon Tactical has begun to take orders to receive new and old 92 series slides, such as the 92FS, 92D, Brigadier, and the 92XI and 92X Performance models. It should be noted that this custom work can be done on models that already come factory cut as RDO models from Beretta.

In this video Hop braves the crowds to visit the Ruger booth at NRAAM 2023, to take a look at the new Ready Dot. This is a fiber optic powered pistol red dot that has no electronic components and doesn’t even have an adjustable zero. While intended for use with the Ruger MAX-9, the Ready Dot should also work with any pistol that has the Shield RMS-C optic cut.

Lucid Optics has produced a fair variety of different optics over the years. Their current product catalog spans three models of rifle scopes, several red dots, a 4x prismatic optic, a spotting scope, a binocular option, and more. One recent addition is their E7 red dot model, initially announced a few months ago around SHOT Show’s timeframe. The E7 is a fully enclosed micro red dot using Aimpoint ACRO-style mounting. Its boxy shape also evokes the ACRO, along with similar competitors like the Holosun AEMS. The E7’s size makes it look like it could occupy a similar niche as the above-mentioned optics, serving as either a larger pistol-mounted unit or a relatively smaller option on a carbine. Get some additional details on the E7 in Lucid’s press release, copied below.

SIG SAUER‘s M17 and M18 handguns have been the US military’s official successors to the venerable Beretta M9 since 2017. Both of these 9mm models have been gradually phasing in with units across the branches over the last several years, with civilian-market versions also available for sale. These pistols feature an optics-cut slide as standard, and now SIG has developed a purpose-built optic to suit. Meet the new ROMEO-M17 red dot. Revealed a few months ago at SHOT Show, SIG has now advised that the ROMEO-M17 is coming soon and provided us with additional information about it. Check out the details in the press release copied below.

The latest entry into the micro-red dot category of carry optics has just hit the scene, this time from Ruger. Ruger is proud to announce their new ReadyDot Micro Reflex Optic. The ReadyDot will use the Shield RMSc footprint which is common to the micro-compact 9mm category of firearms. What’s really interesting and unique about the Ruger offering is that it features no windage or elevation adjustments, a 15 MOA dot, and also uses no battery to power its dot. Instead, the Ruger ReadyDot relies on a fiber optic system similar to some prism optics to generate a visible dot that auto-adjusts based on ambient lighting.