Best Enclosed Emitter Red Dots

1 Holosun 509T

Holosun 509T

The Holosun 509T checks both the high-quality box and the affordably priced point.

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Holosun 509T Review

Rarely does a product strike the perfect harmony of price and effectiveness. The Holosun 509T checks both the high-quality box and the affordably priced point. While it’s certainly not cheap, the 509T offers a lot of optics for a fair price point. The 509T falls into the full-sized realm of handgun-sized red dots and does use a proprietary footprint. 

Luckily, the optic comes with a plate that attaches to any slide with a Trijicon RMR footprint and allows the 509T to mount easily on various guns. That’s the big problem with the optic: It does require a plate, which means stacked tolerance. If we can get past that or get a custom CT slide, then you can get an excellent optic.

The Holosun 509T features a titanium housing. Titanium is super strong and super light, so it fits well with handguns. The battery is a side-loading deal, so there is no need to remove it to change batteries. The optic comes with a solar panel on top of the optic to provide a backup should your battery die at the range. 

That’s all nice, but how well does it actually work? Damn good. The optic has crisp reticles; you can pick between a 2 MOA dot or a 32 MOA circle. The optics have excellent refresh rates and remain a red blur, making it easy to track when shooting a handgun quickly. The glass has a blue tint, but it’s still quite evident. 

The 509T provides a rugged optic that can be dropped, kicked, and exposed to rain, heat, and cold without a problem. It can take a severe beating, so keep going. I’ve beaten mine up over several years now, and it’s still humping and pumping.

Holosun 509T Pros and Cons

2 C&H Precision EDC Enclosed

C&H Precision EDC Enclosed

The EDC Enclosed is designed to work with Shield RMSc footprints, which have become the standard mounting system on small handguns.

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C&H Precision EDC Enclosed Review

Micro-sized guns are often stuck using open emitter optics, but that’s slowly changing. C&H Precision, a company I knew from making Glock MOS plates that were ten times better than Glock-made plates, now makes optics. The EDC Enclosed is designed to work with Shield RMSc footprints, which have become the standard mounting system on small handguns. 

The EDC Enclosed drops right on, so no plate is needed and installed very easily. C&H Precision even includes a pile of screws to attach the optic to various handguns. It’s a nice touch. The optic uses a nice-sized window that’s 21mms in diameter. It’s the biggest window I’ve ever seen on a small optic. 

The EDC Enclosed features three reticles: a 2.5 MOA dot, a 34 MOA circle, and a combination of the two. The dots are very clear and crisp, with easy adjustments. The blue notch filter is barely detectable and provides a rear clear lens to look through. The refresh rate is tight, and the reticles don’t stall and stagger when shooting quickly. 

I’ve been running one of my CZ Nocturne, and it’s been an absolute beast of an optic. It’s tanked drops, falls, and more without complaint. The little optic proved to be tougher than I expected, given the price point. At around 250 dollars, it’s a bargain of an optic, especially for an enclosed emitter optic. 

The optic has all the little features I like. It’s got shake-awake tech, is fully sealed against water, and is a single piece of CNC machine metal. The EDC Enclosed doesn’t lack for features, and at this price point, it’s a no-brainer for me. It doesn’t seem to get as bright as other optics, but its brightness is good for high noon in the sunshine state.

C&H Precision EDC Enclosed Pros and Cons

3 Holosun EPS Carry

Holosun EPS Carry

A enclosed emitter min red dot sight designed for narrower concealed carry guns with a few different reticle sizes and in either red or green.

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Holosun EPS Carry Review

Another micro-sized enclosed emitter optic comes from Holosun, which innovated the original idea. The Holosun EPS Carry leads the charge with micro-sized enclosed emitter optics. The EPS Carry series keeps the nice features of a Holosun with a spectacular price point. The EPS Carry currently rides dirty on my P365XL, and it’s my go-to EDC option. 

There are several models and price points of the EPS Carry. I stick to the simpler 6MOA red dot and nothing more. That model is affordable and simple. You can pick between a multi-reticle and multi-reticle models with a solar fail-safe. Every upgrade increases the cost. I like the buffet approach to the EPS Carry; get what you want at a price you want. 

It mounts to the Holosun K Footprint, which might mean a spacer to work with the Shield RMSc footprint, but it’s included with the optic, so it’s not a big deal. Even the bare bones models give us the standard Holosun love. It’s got a shake-awake design, a bright and clear reticle, and huge buttons that make adjustments easy. 

The reticle in mine, the 6 MOA dot, is massive and easy to see. It reminds me of a revolver sight—big and built for speed, but you can also adjust it. The dot and circle options are very nice and might appeal to a shooter with astigmatism. The lens has a purple notch filter since mine uses a green dot, but expect a blue in the red dot formats. 

Overall, the EPS carry can take a beating and a lot of sweat and still run without a problem. This is one of my most tested optics, and it’s passed with flying colors. 

Holosun EPS Carry Pros and Cons

4 SIG Romeo X Enclosed Pro

SIG Romeo X Enclosed Pro

ROMEO X is the first designed for a general issue service pistol.

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SIG Romeo X Enclosed Pro Review

The SIG ROMEO X series was the first pistol red dot designed for the United States military. While the military has fielded several dots, the ROMEO X is the first designed for a general issue service pistol. The ROMEO X Enclosed pushes that design forward with increased durability due to the enclosed emitter design. 

There are several models with different reticles. You can pick from a 3—or 6-MOA red dot or a circle-and-dot design. I’d probably stick to the 6 MOA dot; it tends to work well for my needs. I like that it doesn’t require a crazy new footprint; instead, they use the DeltaPoint Pro footprint, which is fairly common. 

As far as full-sized enclosed optics go, the SIG ROMEO X Enclosed Pro sits quite low—low enough to use standard-height sights through the lens, so there’s no need for tall sights. The optic still uses a side-loading battery, which is impressive for how low it sits. It’s also remarkably clear, impressively so, with crisp dots and a high refresh rate. 

The dot will never lag as the slide moves, so you can track it easily and quickly. SIG optimized the lenses to work with Gen 3 night vision devices, a must-have of the United States military. We get nice little features like MOTAC, a shake-awake technology that helps save battery. 

The SIG ROMEO X Enclosed Pro isn’t cheap but far from the most expensive optic. What your cold, hard cash can get you regarding red dot sights is impressive, especially enclosed emitter sights. If you want to correct your SIG M17 clone, the Romeo X is the way to go.

SIG Romeo X Enclosed Pro Pros and Cons

5 Trijicon RCR

Trijicon RCR

The Trijicon RMR is a beloved optic that helped jump-start the idea of putting micro-sized optics on handguns.

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Trijicon RCR Review

The Trijicon RMR is a beloved optic that helped jump-start the idea of putting micro-sized optics on handguns. Trijicon even produced the Type 2 to further ruggedize the optic for handgun usage. The RMR Type 2 set the standard, and Trijicon saw the writing on the wall that enclosed emitter optics were the future. What’s the best way for Trijicon to make enclosed emitter optics? 

Simple: Make the RMR an enclosed emitter optic. Sure, there might be a little more to it than that, but that’s essentially what they did. The RCR was born, and Trijicon ensured it maintained the RMR footprint through an interesting attachment method. The bolts are more or less captured and have slots to insert a wrench to tighten or loosen the optic. It’s clever and allows us to use the most common footprint on the market. 

Trijicon also went with massive buttons. If you have sausage fingers, you’ll like the buttons on this thing. It’s super easy to reach, press, and react with tactile feedback. As you’d expect from Trijicon, it works exceptionally well in both bright and dim environments and under night vision. 

The dot is brilliant, and the glass is crisp. There are no signs of blooming, and the RCR has a rapid refresh rate that makes it easy to track the dot. This is a premium-grade optic well suited for duty use, and it’s priced as such. That’s its biggest downside. If you can save your nickels and dimes, it’s the optic to beat.

Trijicon RCR Pros and Cons

6 Steiner MPS

Steiner MPS

The Steiner MPS MOA dot is super crisp, bright, and easy to see in all environments.

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Steiner MPS Review

The Steiner Micro Pistol Sight is confusing to me. It’s a great optic, but Stiener made some bizarre choices that make it tough for me to pick it. Then I shoot with it and love it, and it just works. I’m going to pick it apart because I want Steiner to make a Gen 2 model that gets rid of these ridiculous decisions. Anywho, this is Stiener’s first pistol optic, so I’ll give them some slack. 

What I love about this optic is its clarity. The 3.3 MOA dot is super crisp, bright, and easy to see in all environments. The glass is ridiculously clear. The front pain is set back inside the optic, and an enclosure is built around it for better protection of the glass. The Steiner MPS is over-engineered and built to last forever. It’s clear they wanted to make a combat-ready optic. 

The emitter sits on top rather than the bottom of the optic. This allows for a top-mounted battery and lets the optic sit a little lower than most other enclosed emitter designs. It’s also fairly light for such an overbuilt optic, weighing only 2.05 ounces. The buttons are easy to press, rubberized, and sealed. They were even smart enough to use the Aimpoint ACRO footprint to make it easy to mount the dot. 

Where things get confusing is when you look at the auto-shutoff. It has shake-awake technology that works after the gun sits still for 13 hours. That’s an insane amount of time. If I carry a gun, it’s likely never going to actually shut off. The battery also lasts a mere 13,000 hours, making it one of the lowest-life batteries out there. 

The Steiner MPS has the potential to be a fantastic optic, but a few questionable decisions are being made. The MPS could be a fantastic optic, but it’ll take some work to perfect it.

Steiner MPS Pros and Cons

7 COA Aimpoint

COA Aimpoint

Not only is the COA by Aimpoint a new optic, but it’s a new footprint.

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COA Review

The COA, by Aimpoint, is new but is doing some spectacular things. Not only is it a new optic, but it’s a new footprint. The gun industry needs a new optic like they need a new striker-fired handgun. However, I can’t hate a footprint that does things a little better. What I do dislike is that, as of this writing, the COA and A-Cut are only available on Glock pistols. You must seemingly buy a new gun to try out the new optic. 

Hopefully, after the initial run of these new guns, we’ll see a change, and the optic and A-Cut will spread far and wide. The A-Cut doesn’t use screws through the optic but rather a set of interfacing lips that lock the optic under the slide. The rear sight then secures over the optic and locks it down. This setup eliminates the forces typically placed on screws, which can shear and send your optic into oblivion. 

The COA as an optic is super clear, and Aimpoint shrunk the design considerably. It’s much smaller than the ACRO series. It sits lower and allows for excellent cowitnessing. The COA dot is bright and crisp with no blooming or weak points. It’s 3.5 MOA, and that’s just about perfect for me. The COA also lasts for 50,000 hours on a single battery. 

Like all Aimpoint optics, it sets the standard for durability and design. It will shrug off abuse, heat, cold, water, and beyond. Like the Trijicon RCR, it’s a rugged optic that works for duty use and will excel for concealed carry and competition. If you want one and only one, the COA is the way to go.

The COA setup is still new, but it might be a true revolution in pistol-mounted red dots. Now, it just needs to be available on something other than a Glock.

COA Pros and Cons