Whether you serve and protect or plan on carrying for personal self-defense, tactical red dot sights can make you a more successful shooter. Tactical optics are designed for dynamic real-world situations. They balance rapid target acquisition and situational awareness with a need for precision and accuracy that makes every shot count. We’re proud to make practical and reliable optics that help you ensure your gun is ready for action when you need it the most.
Tactical red dot sights use a small, bright LED emitter to project a targeting dot or reticle onto a specially coated lens. When you sight through the lens, the reticle seems to float on the target. Aiming becomes as easy as lining up the aim point and taking your shot. Because this system doesn’t require balancing three separate visual planes the way iron sights do, it’s faster and easier to find your target and accurately place your shots.
While the idea for reflex sights can be traced back to the early 1900s optics that focused ambient light to create an aiming dot, modern tactical red dot sights really came into their own in the 1990s when the United States and allied governments began fielding military versions for close-combat, rapid-reaction shooting. While not restricted from the civilian market, they remained cost-prohibitive, in part to recoup the cost of the expensive government bidding and contracting procedures. It’s time for everyday gun owners to have access to reliable optics without the hefty big-name, government contract price tag.
We engineered our tactical red dot sights from the ground up for gun owners who face real-world self-defense situations, not Liam Neeson-level Hollywood shenanigans. They’re rugged, built to handle rough handling in the field, and engineered with energy-saving features to extend their battery life. Brightness, windage, and elevation are all adjustable, and mounting hardware is included, so you know you have a secure, tactical optic that holds its zero.
The Advocate uses specially ground prisms to reflect your target image and superimpose an illuminated etched reticle. The advanced triangle-within-circle design is perfect for short-range accuracy with shotguns, carbines, rifles, or pistols, and mounts easily onto any 1913 Picatinny rail. This makes it perfect for tactical courses and firing drills as a primary optic or as an off-set optic on versatile platforms like the AR-15. It has all the features you expect from a high-performance red dot but comes with the added refractory benefits of prisms.
Because the target image is refracted through two separate prisms, the distance the light travels is greater than the distance from one end of the scope to another, with the etched reticle entering the equation between the two. This creates the illusion that the reticle is projected out in front of the gun, further reducing the disparity between the visual planes your eye navigates while aiming. The result is a sharper image of both for greater accuracy, and if you have astigmatism, the cleanest sight picture possible.
Enclosed emitter reflex sights are becoming increasingly popular for duty and concealed carry because the LED emitter and your sight picture are protected between two lenses that close each end of the housing. The Mediator has an ACRO-compatible mounting footprint and several adapter options available to make installation easy on optics-ready slides or 1913 Picatinny rails. Featuring an illuminated 38/3 MOA selectable circle-dot reticle, it’s perfect for rapid target acquisition and pinpoint accuracy.
The Mediator’s unlimited eye relief makes it a shooter-friendly tactical red dot sight that’s ready for any environmental conditions. The selectable reticle offers superior tactical flexibility, and with the help of our shake-to-awaken batter-saving mode, your reticle will be there when you need it the most. This sight is for shooters who need versatility in the field or on the range.
Tactical shooting competitions require speed and accuracy if you want to take your scores or times to the next level. The Granite Competition and Granite Comp MOS are tactical optics designed from the ground up based on real-world feedback from shooters at all levels of competition. They feature our biggest open-emitter lens and a massive reticle to give you fast accuracy even while moving.
Competition optics are meant for utility and not for subtlety. That gives us more real estate to build with, but the aircraft-grade aluminum housing still keeps these sights incredibly light. You can easily adjust your optic’s windage, elevation, and brightness in the field to fine-tune your 8 MOA reticle to meet environmental needs, while the open design keeps your vision clear for rapid situational re-targeting during dynamic courses. Add in the unlimited eye-relife and parallax-free-to-33-yards design, and you’re ready for the toughest courses you can find.
While they share many of the practical features we build into our optics, each of our picks offers its own unique benefits that may make it the best choice for your tactical shooting style. Pistol sport shooters may find that the speed of the Granite Competition gives them the edge they need, while carbine and long-gun courses may gain more benefit from the Advocate’s reduced visual planes at close-to-moderate distances. The Mediator is a common sidearm choice for duty weapons thanks to its snow, dust, and lint-resistant enclosed sight picture.
You don’t have to break the bank to get a better sight picture. You just need a practical red dot that delivers the features you need without the gimmicks you don’t. Upgrade your gun to meet your shooting needs. Order your tactical optics from Gideon Optics today.
