Glock Red Dot Sight Guide

If you’re in the market for a red dot sight for Glock style handguns, such as our GST-9, it might be overwhelming to decide which one you want or confusing at the very least to figure out which models are compatible with your gun. We go over all of that today in this red dot sight guide for Glocks, thereby, GST-9 Mod 1’s as well.

But first, a quick DISCLAIMER:

Unless specifically noted otherwise, products mentioned in this blog are not authorized, endorsed, manufactured or warrantied by GLOCK. GLOCK does not guarantee that these products are compatible with GLOCK pistols.

“GLOCK” is a federally registered trademark of GLOCK, Inc. and GLOCK Ges.m.b.H.. Neither 80 Percent Arms nor this website are affiliated in any manner with, or otherwise endorsed by, GLOCK, Inc. or GLOCK Ges.mb.b.H.. The use of “Glock” on this page is merely to advertise the sale of GLOCK-style pistol frames, components and aftermarket parts that are compatible with Glock products. For additional genuine GLOCK, Inc. parts and products please visit www.glock.com.

Does Glock make a red dot sight?

Unlike Sig Sauer, Glock, Inc. does not have their own OEM line of red dot sights and they do not make or sell any glass optics such as reflex sights.

Is a red dot on a pistol worth it?

Are you worth it? Just kidding. Red dot sights on pistols are great. It makes aiming way easier with faster target acquisition and extends the effective distance you can confidently reach out to. This is in part because you have to zero the dot, but once that’s done you don’t necessarily need to rely on the iron sights as much and can solely use the dot, if you wish. Granted, some people might prefer iron sights just because that’s what they’re used to. But regardless of pistol brand, red dot sights can also take some time to get used to as there is certainly a learning curve to using them. However, once you get past that your shooting speed is sure to increase and you’ll learn to love red dot sights. With proper trigger control, you’ll start to feel like a red dot sight on any handgun is almost like cheating.

Is a red dot good for concealed carry?

This can depend as the answer may vary based on each individual’s shooting skill and experience. While red dot sights for Glock can increase a shooter's speed and accuracy, this may only hold true for more experienced shooters. In the hands of a novice who hasn’t had enough time to practice, the red dot may just distract them and cause difficulty in aiming or reduce reaction time in the event of a high pressure situation. For those that can fully utilize and take advantage of the benefits that a red dot sight on a pistol can offer, why not have every possible advantage, especially when carrying concealed?

Best Glock Red Dot Sight

With newer factory Glock ‘MOS’ (Modular Optic System) line, they include pre-cut slides so you can mount several popular optics onto the gun straight out of the box. Even if you don’t have a MOS slide, it is very common for gun owners to send their pistols in for some custom work to be done, including slides getting milled out to mount an optic on top of it. In our opinion, these are the best Glock red dot sights that should fit any Glock OEM or aftermarket slides of all Generaions 1 through 5:

Trijicon RMR

As far as Trijicon RMR’s go, there are quite a few models — the one to get is the Type 2 3.25 MOA Adjustable RMR. Let’s break that product name down real quick. First, the Trijicon RMR is a staple red dot that’s seen basically everywhere. Movies, video games, rifles, handguns, you name it. ‘RMR’ stands for “Rugged Miniature Reflex Sight” and the ‘adjustable’ simply means that you have the ability to adjust the red dot’s brightness with plus and minus buttons on the left and right sides of the optic.

3.25 MOA refers to the reticle - meaning that at a 100 yards, the red dot covers up about three and quarter inches on the target so you can reliably expect where your bullet will land when aiming with that in mind. There are other versions of this red dot with all sorts of different MOA ratings. Trijicon RMR’s can be pricey if bought at standard MSRP but the price has substantially gone down over the past couple of years.

Holosun 507C V2

The Holosun 507C V2 is an effective open-reflex optical sight specifically designed for pistol applications. But take note, the latest version is called the Holosun 507C X2 and they do have a couple of key differences. The V2 features larger brightness adjustment buttons with the plus button on top of the minus button whereas the X2 has the adjustment buttons to the left or right of each other.

With the newer model, the X2 includes a ‘Lock Mode’ that prevents the settings from being changed on accident. The X2 also has an easy-to-access door on the side of the optic for the battery. Other than that, both the Holosun 507C V2 and X2 have a Solar Failsafe which aids in providing up to 50k hours of battery life, their multi-reticle system, automatic off timers and the Shake Awake feature. If used with the “donut” reticle, similar to what EOTech uses in their holographic sights, the dot is equivalent to 2 MOA and the donut’s ring equals about 32 MOA.

We’re big fans of Holosun optics which is why we carry as many as we can get on our site. If you’re on a tighter budget there’s absolutely nothing wrong with getting a Holosun red dot sight. They’re reliable, work great and are directly compatible with the widely used RMR cut on aftermarket Glock slides.

Trijicon SRO

Trijicon’s SRO stands for (Specializing Reflex Optic) and like the RMR or 507C, or X2 it’s a great optic that can be used on both handguns and on AR builds (although it was designed specifically for pistol applications). But where the SRO immediately differs from the rest of the pack is its much larger field of view. This makes it much easier to use the red dot for faster target acquisition. The tradeoff is a red dot sight on your Glock or GST-9 Mod 1 that takes up much more real estate. But it’s really convenient that you don’t have to unmount the sight to change batteries as it’s installed via the top. It’s bulkier, yes. However, due to the more round shape of the lens on the SRO it is far less prone to snagging on things unlike the RMR which is a more rectangular shape. Like the RMR, there are a few variations you can select. For us, we’d choose the one with a 2.5 MOA red dot just for more all-around use. However, if you plan on doing solely competition shooting the 5.0 MOA dot is the one to go for. For whatever reason, if you plan on doing more long distance shooting then pick the 1.0 MOA dot, just be aware it will be pretty small and not the easiest to see so you’ll likely run it at brighter settings most of the time.

Leupold Deltapoint Pro

The Leupold Deltapoint Pro is one of the newer kids on the block but don’t disregard them. This red dot sight’s window is humongous. Its large field of view is definitely comparable to the Trijicon SRO. Leupold offers three versions of the DPP: the Deltapoint Pro, Deltapoint Pro 6 MOA and the Night Vision model. All three versions can also be had in a shade of FDE. Its price is very close to what RMR’s are going for these days which makes this a serious contender when looking for a solid Glock red dot.

However, the DPP will only fit on OEM Glock MOS slides which, of course, are only offered with Gen 4 or Gen 5 Glock pistols. Although the DPP does not share the RMR footprint and falls under the “Shield Standard” footprint, fear not — you can still use a DPP on a Glock or GST-9 Mod 1 by using a universal mounting solution. If you’re a diehard Deltapoint Pro fan though, you could opt for an aftermarket Glock slide to get milled out specifically for this optic.

What are Glock red dot sight mounts?

Make sure you don’t confuse Glock red dot sight mounts with “RMR mounting kits” because they are not the same products. A RMR mounting kit is usually the combination of the sealing plate which goes beneath the RMR and is sandwiched between the slide and the optic to protect the battery from moisture or other external elements and the screws for the RMR. Whereas a Glock red dot sight mount may either be a mounting solution that utilizes the rear iron sight slot or even the picatinny accessory rail such as the ALG 6-second mount.

ALG 6 Second Mount - RMR

This is actually one of our favorite optic mount solutions for a Glock style handgun and it’s made by ALG Defense. As you can see in the picture above — the mount attaches via the accessory picatinny accessory slot which still allows for a flashlight or laser to be used while the RMR is mounted above the slide. Add something like a Flux Brace and oof, you're off to the races!

Aftermarket Glock Slide - RMR Footprint

Most aftermarket Glock slides including our Wraith and Shadow slides are going to come with the RMR footprint. That means that these slides will only be able to accept red dot sights that share the ‘RMR footprint’ in order for it to fit onto the slide cut, which in this case would be referred to as the ‘RMR cut.’

There are also universal mounts that allow you to mount optics onto “cuts,” “patterns,” or platforms that they were not initially designed for. Good ones are not cheap either. The Tony System Pistol Mount for Glock 17/19/22/23/34/35 has two types (Type A/B) which allow Glock users to virtually mount any brand’s optic regardless of footprint style.

Glock Red Dot Mounts To Avoid

Some companies offer optic base mounts that replace the rear sight on a Glock, or aftermarket slide for Glock style pistols, slides such as this RMR type base mount that’s only $19.99. We would avoid these sort of mounting solutions because placing an expensive optic on a mount that costs only twenty bucks just doesn’t make sense.

More importantly, relying on the rear sight dovetail is not reliable. Shoot enough rounds and regardless of brand, everyone will tell you that iron sights on handguns come loose every now and then or even fly straight off. Probably wouldn’t want that to happen or to accidentally break your expensive red dot sight like that right? Will it work? Sure. But for how long?

Other examples of optic mounts for Glock type slides that we’d skip include:

• Velocity Triggers Glock Red Dot Mount

• Rock Your Glock Reflex Sight Rail Adapter

• JT Defense S.O.B. Optic Mount

Get your next Glock red dot sight from 80 Percent Arms!

The no nonsense answer to your lack of Glock red dot sight is to just get the Trijicon RMR Type 2 3.25 MOA adjustable. If you want to save a few Jacksons and don’t want to fuss with the brightness adjustment settings there is the non-adjustable Type 2 RMR as well. Last but not least, we have the Holosun 507C X2 which is the updated version of the Holosun 507C V2 and is hands down the best bang for your buck red dot sight.