Several weeks ago I was invited out to an event in Texas hosted at the G2 Ranch by AMERIGLO. Although details were pretty light coming into the event, over the course of a week, myself and other members of the firearms media were treated to the opportunity to test out the new AMERIGLO Haven Red Dot sight. The AMERIGLO Haven is the company’s first venture into the electro-optics market and today I’ll share my experiences with you with the AMERIGLO Haven and what I think it does differently than other red dots currently on the market.

The field of firearms optics is filled with a lot of great products for a lot of different shooters. The field of optics is also filled with a lot of opinions on what is right and what isn’t right and today Hop and I discuss some of the issues and arguments we’ve come across during our experiences with firearms. In this episode of the TFB B-Side podcast, Hop and I take aim at specific issues like the relationship between your type of optic and your barrel length, how effective BDC reticles are for firearms shooting the same caliber, astigmatism woes, and a couple of quick opinions on the new AMERIGLO Haven red dot sight that was just announced on November 10th.

Not long ago, iron sights were still the standard when it came to sighting systems on a rifle. In fact, I knew an instructor only three years ago who wouldn’t let us use red dots because they were “cheating”. Well, the future is now, old man. Red dot sights are the new standard. Optics like the Aimpoint T1 changed the industry. However, that sight retails for close to $700, which is more than some shooters spend on their entire rifle. As technology has improved, manufacturing red dots has become less expensive, and that savings has been passed onto the customer in the form of budget-friendly options. Today, we’re going to explore one of these options and see if it performs in a meaningful way. Well-known for their red handguards and constant push for innovation, this is the first electronic optic from Strike Industries. Welcome to the TFB review of the Strike Industries SIOPTO SCOUTER red dot.

Welcome to TFB Weekly Amazon Deals 20. Last week our good friend and TFBTV presenter Hop went over his 2021 list for the top 5 budget-minded red dots. Red dots are a great way to get a bit more utility out of your rifle and faster target acquisition over iron sights and while there are much better and more durable red dots out there on the market, sometimes we have to work within a tight budget (especially around the holidays). Since Hop brought out his list, I thought it prudent to put together a listing for you guys of some of his Top 5 Red Dot ist. If you haven’t checked out his video on his Top 5 Budget Red Dots yet, you can check it out down below. For the rest of you, enjoy the deals and pick yourself up an early Christmas gift for one of the eight rifles you haven’t told your wife about yet. If you’re into budget-priced firearms, accessories, and optics, Hop is your man and speaks to the poor man that lives inside all of us. Check out more of his videos down below:

Sliding right on into the end of the year, the folks over at Steiner Optics have just released a brand new pistol red dot sight – the MPS (Micro Pistol Sight). The all-metal enclosed red dot sight features battle-proven durability and mil-spec ruggedness along with a load of features that make it suitable for the most extreme situations in a compact and lightweight package.

In this episode of TFBTV, Hop talks about the 5 best budget red dots on the market right now. If you’re new to the hobby, or just trying to set up a new carbine, here’s a list of affordable 5 red dots you should strongly consider. If the red dot you like didn’t make this list, don’t worry! It just means your opinions are bad and you should consider changing them!

A couple of months back I was invited out to an event hosted by AMERIGLO in which they revealed the company’s first-ever red dot sight. The AMERIGLO Haven is the first pistol-mounted red dot to be offered by the company as they move towards specializing in concealed carry and self-defense-oriented products. AMERIGLO has said that their number one priority with the Haven is to provide the end-user with a concealable or everyday carry capable red dot sight that can be used to defend oneself and comes with a number of features and options that make it a turn-key solution for those who are looking to make the switch from iron sights to a red dot sight.

The ACSS Vulcan Reticle was teased back during TFB Gun Fest 2021 and since then it has been issued a Utility Patent by the US Patent Office (US 11,150,052 B2). Created by Dimitri Mikroulis and contributing company Primary Arms Optics, the ACSS Vulcan combines a center aiming chevron with a very useful large outer circle that aids the user in bringing the chevron within the limits of the window and has thus far become a very popular pistol mounted red dot reticle.

Springfield Armory may have just announced the  introduction of an authentic Hi-Power clone but they are also keeping an eye on the more modern side of the market too with an expansion of their XD-S Mod.2 OSP line. Two new XD-S Mod.2 OSP variants – a 3.3-inch .45 ACP and 4-inch 9mm have been announced. Combining the concealability and compact size of a single-stack pistol with optics-ready capability, Springfield Armory are offering the pistols in packages, ready mounted with Crimson Trace red dots. MSRP on the pistol on its own is running at $450 while the added Crimson Trace sight comes in at $550.

Israeli Bul Armory has announced the launch of the new Bul Optics sub-brand and introduced the first two products of the new brand – the MS-1 and MS-2 handgun reflex sights. Both MS-1 and MS-2 are open-emitter sights with the former featuring a more rugged hood design and intended for concealed carry use and the latter being competition sight with a larger window. Let’s take a look at the specs of each of the new Bul Optics red dot sights and see what are the other differences between the two models.

James was initially not hot on the Leupold Delta Point Micro red dot optic, but he agreed to review one on his Glock 19X anyways. It’s got a weird layout and a small window, but Leupold, and many Delta Point Micro users, all sing its praises as a small, low profile, and durable red dot. James puts it to the test – a torture test – including a drop from a helicopter and a very…uh, unique…submersion test. How did the Glock 19X and Leupold Delta Point Micro combo hold up? You’ll have to watch today’s video and see…

When it comes to pistol competition, divisions that allow optics are where all of the action is. However, not long ago, the optics and guns they went on made it nearly impossible to afford to get into the sport. As lower-priced, higher-quality pistols have found their way onto the shelves, the same has happened with red dots. Offering a new value-priced, full-featured option, Atibal Sights has just introduced the CRD, or Competition Red Dot.

Beretta owners rejoice! Ernest Langdon at Langdon Tactical has provided a solution to a problem many 92 owners face, namely, proper mounting of optics.  For years the solution has been dovetail mounted plates but those faced the problem of sitting far too high above the bore and looking out of place on any handgun. Thankfully Beretta God Ernest Langdon has provided a solution. For years Langdon has been providing upgrades to 92 series pistols and even working with Beretta themselves to make the Elite series of pistols. Langdon’s skill is so legendary that when Wilson Combat decided to start making 92s, they called him to train their staff. So leave it to him to solve one of the Berettas most annoying problems.

The new Aimpoint Acro P-2 was announced in May of this year and shortly after TFB received a sample to review. It’s been two and a half years since we reviewed their Acro P-1, so we looked forward to examining what was new and improved with this model.

Beretta USA have introduced a new pistol to their venerable 90 series, the red-dot optic-ready 92X RDO. The new Beretta features a slide cut to mount five optics plate options. It also boasts a short reset trigger, front slide serrations and aggressively textured Vertec-style grips. The launch of the 92X RDO comes as an optics-ready M9A4 was introduced last week.

I think it’s safe to say that most of us have more than one long gun in the safe. Whether it’s a shotgun and an AR, multiple ARs, or some cool combo of them all, they need a sighting system. Red dots have become a standard for optics. Simple, reliable, and easy to use, they are ideal for turning up your Ricky Bobby. If you’re looking to add a red dot to a rifle without ringing out your checking account, Strike Industries is on your side. The first from Strike’s SIOPTO optics line, the SCOUTER is a contender at only $249.95.

Everyone is getting their hands in on the pistol-mounted red dot scene and that includes the recently relocated Riton Optics Company. Following an influx of customer feedback, Riton Optics has opted to revamp their 3 Tactix MPRD and 3 Tactix PRD red dot optics with the PRD 2 and MPRD 2 versions. The new optics incorporate a number of customer-requested features that make the pistol more user-friendly and also add a few creature comforts that make maintaining the optic much simpler for the end-user.

Holosun Optics has grown significantly in recent years, with some notable additions to their product lineup. An increasing number of shooters have turned to their red dot sights and lasers, with their pistol optics, in particular, gaining in popularity of late. Now this California-based and innovation-focused operation is adding another new model to their optics lineup. Meet the AEMS, or Advanced Enclosed Micro Sight, just announced for release in October of this year.

In this episode of TFBTV, James Reeves interviews Luis of Holosun about the new Holosun AEMS micro-reflex red dot sight. Per TFB author, Will P’s article about this optic:

Garden City, Idaho-based company OuterImpact has announced the expansion of their Modular Red Dot Adapter (M.R.A.) line of products to include a mounting plate for the CZ Shadow 2. The plate is made from 7075 aluminum and is hard coat black anodized. It has an MSRP of $54.95.

Hello and welcome to TFB weekly Amazon Deals 8: National Composites Week. Composites have taken on a big role in the firearms world and continue to do so as the years go by. From carbon fiber handguards, roll-wrapped barrels, and composite rifle stocks, you almost can’t avoid the part of a composite firearm in this day and age, and probably for good reason. This week we’ll be featuring some recent deals I’ve discovered on Amazon that involve composite gun parts as well as a few other odds and ends I found that was interesting.

The only thing that is probably as important as buying quality glass is buying (and installing) quality mounts. The best optics on the planet are reduced to Alibaba-level accuracy when they are paired with bargain-bin rings and bases. A shifting zero is one of those issues that you really need to experience once in your lifetime; it will make you a believer in reliable hardware. The Arisaka Aimpoint Micro Mount comes in two height options: 1.70” and 1.93” to allow for the use of magnifiers, back up sights, and laser illuminators. Pricing and additional details can be found below.

One of Holosuns most popular optics is receiving a facelift in the way of a new green illuminated ACSS Vulcan Reticle. The HS507C-X2 ACSS already comes in a red configuration and has been very popular with all sorts of pistol shooters due to its relatively easy-to-find reticle. Now, Primary Arms is offering the newest configuration of the 507C-X2 which will feature the much asked for green illuminated ACSS Vulcan reticle.

TangoDown has just about everything when it comes to gun-related gear and accessories. The company just announced that they have released a long-sought-after adapter plate for the Trijicon RMR and the SIG P320 line of pistols – the SSM-03. Naturally, upon seeing this I was curious as I’ve been wanting to kit out one of my SIG P320 pattern pistols with a Trijicon SRO which happens to have the same footprint as the RMR. The kit will allow you to place a Trijicon RMR or similarly patterned option on top of your P320 with the option also available to have it paired with backup iron sights.

Welcome to TFB Weekley Amazon Deals 5: National Coloring Book Day Edition. Coloring books can do a lot of things for both young and older minds alike. For one, coloring books teach children at an early age to develop fine motor skills with their hands as well as small objects. Research also suggests that coloring for adults can help reduce stress levels and encourage more restful sleep. The folks over at armourersbench.com have helped combine the powers of coloring books with fantastic illustrations of firearms from the Advanced Combat Rifle (ACR) program. The Armourer’s Bench coloring books are both highly researched and well put together by TFB Staff Writer Matthew Moss and by Lauren Mcinereny. While they aren’t on Amazon, they are only $10 shipped and they’d make a great gift for any gun lover in your life – just don’t forget the colored pencils. This week’s lineup for Amazon includes some pretty hefty discounts on everyday use range items as well as a budget suggestion from our very own James Reeves for kitting out an inexpensive tactical shotgun.

There is no more ubiquitous name in the military optics game than Trijicon. With their Iconic series of ACOG riflescopes, the Trijicon brand name as well as the unmistakable appearance of their products has been burned into the memories of nearly every firearms owner I know. This year, Ryan Sikorski, the product manager from Trijicon, spoke with Pete about the new product lineup coming from Trijicon in 2021. Ryan also talks at length about some of his favorite optics the Trijicon produces and gives us an inside look at some of the design decisions that went into Trijicon’s most popular optics.

The US Army MMO or Mounted Machine gun Optic program has selected the Trijicon MGRS (Machine Gun Reflex Sight) for use on the Browning M2 and M2A1 platforms. The initial MMO program started in 2018 put out a request to manufacturers for a mounted weapon platform optic in order to facilitate “faster target acquisition times and increased first burst probability of hit”. It is unknown at the time of writing how many optics the army has ordered and at what price but the initial solicitation mentioned a number up to 11,450.

Springfield Armory is a storied name. Its lineage stretches back to America’s early days, more than two centuries before the genesis of today’s Hellcat pistol. The original version of Springfield Armory was a military weapons storage facility in Massachusetts, ordered by George Washington in 1777. In 1795, they added arms production capability for the fledgling nation’s armed forces, and this practice continued for 173 years. After the facility ceased operations in 1968 and was subsequently declared a National Historic Site, a small gunmaker in Texas began using the name to take advantage of its notoriety. In 1974, the L. H. Gun Company officially became Springfield Armory, Inc. and moved to Illinois. Though the name is the only thing they substantively share in common, the modern private company gives a nod to the historic military armory’s legacy by wearing it.

Holosun came on the scene in 2013 with the intent to bring some new product options into the optics and laser/infrared market. Over the course of the last eight years, they have advanced their operations substantially and committed to seek significant improvements in their offerings. As a result of this dedication and growth, today they produce and sell a number of popular optics models, primarily in the red dot/reflex sight space. Their efforts were enough for industry titan Trijicon to take note, as a patent infringement lawsuit between the two optics companies was filed and subsequently settled out of court last year.

Swampfox Optics makes a wide variety of budget-friendly firearms aiming solutions. Their current product lines include both rifle- and pistol-intended red dots, LPVOs, long-range precision riflescopes, two prism scopes, and numerous complementary parts and accessories like scope rings, throw levers, and more. TFB has covered a number of their products since their founding on July 4th three years ago. A list of those prior articles is linked for you below.