8 Best Red Dot Sights for Shotguns [2024]: Top Rated Picks

Image	Product	Price
	Best Overall – Aimpoint CompM4s	Check Price
	Best Value – Romeo5 1x20mm	Check Price
	Best Red Dot Sight for Home Defense Shotgun – Holosun HE510C-GR	Check Price
	Best Red Dot Sight for Tactical Shotgun – Aimpoint PRO	Check Price
	Best Red Dot Sight for Turkey Hunting Shotgun – Vortex Optics Venom	Check Price
	Best Red Dot Sight for Deer Hunting Shotgun – Bushnell TRS-26	Check Price
	Best Red Dot Sight for 410 Shotgun – FastFire 3-MOA Dot	Check Price
	Best Red Dot Sight for Bullpup Shotgun – AT3 Tactical ARO Micro	Check Price

Whether you are a first-time buyer or an experienced shooter, you could benefit from a red dot sight. Lucky for you, we discuss the best red dot sights for shotguns below! Red dot sights are perfect for tactical uses like home defense shotguns, or hunting, such as using .410s for hunting bushy tails. Many deer and turkey hunters prefer using a red dot sight on their shotguns for easier target acquisition.

In this review, we will cover the best red dot sights for eight different categories ranging from tactical use shotguns to hunting shotguns. We cover the pros and cons of each as well as discuss the important features.

As a lifelong hunter and after spending hours of research, I have come up with the eight best red dot sights for shotguns. These sights cover a wide price range. Some can be sold for around $100, while others cost upwards of $1,000.

There is truly a red dot sight for everyone in this review.

Best Red Dot Sights for Shotguns & Recommendations

There are many different options available for red dot sights on the market. Maybe too many, it can be darn right confusing trying to pick one. That’s what we are here for. In this article, you will find the seven best red dot sights available on the market today.

There is a sight for everyone’s needs and budgets in this list. Read on to find out the best red dot sights for your shotgun.

Best Overall – Aimpoint CompM4s

Specifications

Pros & Cons

The Aimpoint CompM4 is a premium red dot optic that will never disappoint you. Even the military uses this red dot. It’s extremely durable, has an extraordinarily high battery life, it’s waterproof to 150 feet, has a 2 MOA dot, is threaded for an anti-reflective device, has 16 settings, and will work in any temperature you find yourself in. Moreover, it’s night vision capable and can run for nearly 500,000 hours off one AA battery in night vision mode and 80,000 hours on its highest setting.

This is the best red dot sight that you can buy. Even better, it comes with a 10-year warranty for personal use (normal target shooting or hunting purposes) and a 2-year warranty for professional use, like for military or law enforcement purposes. For the last 50 years, Aimpoints sights have been made by hand in Sweden. You can rest assured that this is a quality sight.

Although this is likely the best sight you can buy, it also comes with a hefty price tag. Additionally, it’s one of the heaviest and longest red dot sights on our list. It’s certainly not an ultralight sight, but it more than makes up for it with its durability and dependability. It’s overbuilt for most users, but it won’t ever let you down if you buy it.

Best Value – Romeo5 1x20mm

Specifications

Pros & Cons

The Sig Sauer Romeo5 1x20mm red dot sight is the best red dot sight for the money on the market. It costs a little over $100 and is full of features. These features include 8 daylight illumination settings and two-night vision settings, motion-activated illumination, one CR2032 battery that lasts for at least 40,000 hours, has a 2 MOA red dot, is waterproof and shockproof, and includes a Picatinny low mount riser, and a co-witness riser mount. It’s also lightweight, weighing just over 5oz, and is only 2.5 inches long.

At nearly one-tenth of the price of our pick for best overall sight, this one is a great value. It’s also extremely popular. This sight has over 11,000 reviews on Amazon and an overall rating of 4.8 out of 5 stars. That’s incredibly high for any product, especially one with that many reviews. Many of the reviews mention how great of a value this sight is, its durability, and ease of use.

Some reviewers seemed to have received a counterfeit product, so be careful who you purchase from. Additionally, some users mentioned that the quality was subpar compared to other high-end optics. You do get what you pay for with red dot sights, but if you don’t need the best of the best or want to spend hundreds of dollars, the Sig Sauer Romeo5 is hard to beat.

Best Red Dot Sight for Home Defense Shotgun – Holosun HE510C-GR

Specifications

Pros & Cons

The Holosun HE510C-GR is the perfect companion for your home defense shotgun. This shake-awake and parallax-free sight will help you quickly get on target with its green 2 MOA Dot and 65 MOA circle. It’s rugged, fully waterproof, and has ten daylight and 2-night vision brightness settings that you can adjust to perfectly fit whatever situation you find yourself in.

Further, a single CR2032 battery will last up to 50,000 hours, and Holosun’s Solar Failsafe technology will ensure you are never left without power in your red dot sight when you need it most.

Another neat feature of this red dot sight is the multiple reticle system. This system allows the user to fine-tune the reticle to their preferences and their current needs. Additionally, the wide view of this red dot sight is easy on the eyes and makes picking up a target quite easy.

There isn’t much bad to say about this sight. It’s a great buy for the money, and most people I know really enjoy them. Additionally, it has excellent reviews on amazon (4.8/5 stars) with over 1,400 reviews. The only downsides I could find were that a few people received counterfeit and defective products. Additionally, this sight is not friendly for people with astigmatism.

Best Red Dot Sight for Tactical Shotgun – Aimpoint PRO

Specifications

Pros & Cons

The Aimpoint PRO (Patrol Rifle Optic) is easily one of the nicest and most durable red dot sights on the market. This sight was designed for and is used by law enforcement officers. It has a 2 MOA red dot, a 23mm aperture, and is parallax free. This means that no matter the angle you are looking through the scope, as long as you are zeroed, you will hit your target.

This sight is also submersible up to 150 feet, far further than a typical person needs, and it has a hard anodized aluminum housing that will stand up to the hardest hits.

It also comes threaded for killFlash, an anti-reflective device that can be mounted on the sight. Another neat feature is that it has flip-up lens covers. The front cover is solid, and the rear is transparent so that if you need to, you can shoot with both eyes open in an emergency and effectively use the sight. Lastly, this sight has six daylight settings and 4-night vision settings which ensures you can fine-tune this sight to your needs.

I couldn’t find much wrong with this sight, and neither could other purchasers. With over 300 reviews on the manufacturer’s website and over 500 reviews on Optics Planet, this sight had a 4.9 and 4.8 out of 5-star average, respectively. The few negative things mentioned about this sight were that some buyers thought it had a poor field of view (check out the Holosun HE510C-GR sight above for a larger field of view), glass quality, and a higher price tag. Others commented on it being bulkier than some other options.

Best Red Dot Sight for Turkey Hunting Shotgun – Vortex Optics Venom

Specifications

Pros & Cons

If you are looking for the best red dot sight for your turkey shotgun then look no further! Vortex Optics Venom Red Dot Sight is the perfect companion for your turkey gun. Its 3 MOA red dot is plenty small enough for headshots on gobbling toms even at a further distance. At 50 yards, many shooter max range for turkeys, the dot only covers 1.5 inches.

Additionally, this sight is waterproof, so if you ever get caught in the rain while turkey hunting, you don’t have to worry about your sight. Additionally, the sight is shockproof and fends off bumps against trees and brush with ease.

The Venom is also extremely lightweight weighing in at only 1.6oz with the mount, perfect for the turkey hunter that wants to keep their gun as lightweight as possible. What’s more, this sight comes with Vortex’s famous unconditional lifetime warranty. If you break the sight or something goes wrong with it, send it back to Vortex, and they will fix it or replace it for free.

This sight is a great value and well-liked by the vast majority of buyers.  A few buyers mentioned having issues with the battery cover being difficult to replace, difficulty adjusting the elevation, and the optic not turning on.

However, some of these issues are likely due to a faulty product, which Vortex will replace at no cost, and possibly even user error. The big picture here is that well over 9/10 buyers were happy with their purchase.

Best Red Dot Sight for Deer Hunting Shotgun – Bushnell TRS-26

Specifications

Pros & Cons

In areas where buckshot is legal, hunters running deer with hounds, or during short range shotgun slug seasons, a red dot sight is perfect and can help you get on target and shoot more accurately than ever before. It’ll also help with quick follow-up shots when using a semi-auto shotgun.

The Bushnell TRS-26 is the perfect red dot sight for the job. The Bushnell TRS-26 is one of the most affordable sights on our list. It has a large objective lens which helps to capture a lot of light and gives the user a bright and wide field of view. It also has great battery life, rivaling some of the higher-end optics.

This sight is also waterproof and shockproof so there isn’t a need to worry if you get caught in a rain squall or accidentally bump the sight against a tree or rock while chasing deer. One other feature is an optional auto-off timer that can help ensure it isn’t accidentally left on.

The Bushnell TRS-26 is the perfect sight for someone looking to put it on a hunting gun and not worry about ruining it. On sale, it can be found for around $100 and will last for many years.

For its price, it has extremely good Amazon reviews (4.7/5) and like the other sights on this list, there isn’t much bad to say about it. Like with other sights, a few users reported receiving defective items. The nice thing about Bushnell is that all of their red dot sights come with a 5-year manufacturer warranty so that even if you receive a defective sight, you can send it back to get it fixed or replaced.

Best Red Dot Sight for 410 Shotgun – FastFire 3-MOA Dot

Specifications

Pros & Cons

If you’re looking for the perfect red dot sight to mount on your .410 shotgun, then this is it! The Burris Fast Fire 3-MOA Dot is the perfect sight to mount on your small game gun. Its 3 MOA red dot is plenty small for taking shots at squirrels, especially with a short-range gun. The 3 MOA dot will only cover 0.75 inches at 25 yards, plenty small enough to shoot squirrels and other small game.

The FastFire 3-MOA Dot is also parallax free, ensuring that you will always be on target. This could come in handy when trying to shoot squirrels out of the tops of trees while you are twisting around to miss branches. Most .410s are small and lightweight, just like this sight. It only weighs 1.5oz and is a whopping 1.9 inches long.  It also has great battery life and comes with a time-out feature that helps extend it even further.

A few users have reported issues with replacing the batteries in these sites, but it appears that a bad batch of sights was shipped out, and Burris has resolved the problem. Other buyers have reported some “ghosting” around the dot. All said, this is a great little sight for the money and will make the perfect companion for your .410 shotgun.

Best Red Dot Sight for Bullpup Shotgun – AT3 Tactical ARO Micro

Specifications

Pros & Cons

The AT3 Tactical ARO Micro red dot sight is the perfect choice for bullpup shotguns. This sight is affordable, yet durable. The AT3 Tactical ARO Micro sports a 3 MOA red dot with a multi coated lens that helps give you a clear view of your target. This sight is extremely lightweight, weighing in at less than 2oz.

Importantly, this sight is parallax free, which will help you hit your target under stressful, fast-paced situations. Target acquisition is made easier with its large 25mm objective diameter, and you won’t have to worry about your battery dying because this sight lasts up to 50,000 hours. That said, with more typical use at higher settings, it lasts closer to 5,000 hours.

AT3 Tactical also backs its sights with a lifetime warranty against manufacturer defects. Not that you will likely need it because this sight gets pretty good reviews. The most common issue I found with this sight is that some users reported it wasn’t bright enough for them. Other users seem to receive a bad product because their sight wouldn’t turn on.

Additionally, some buyers didn’t think the finish on the sight was very durable. That said, many people like this sight and believe it is a very good buy for the money.

How We Chose our Top Picks

We selected the top red dot sights based on personal experience, reading shooting and hunting forums and blogs, and reviews on Amazon, Optics Planet, and manufacturer websites. When making our selections we considered product ratings across multiple sights and eliminated anything with poor ratings (4/5 stars or lower), only included red dot sights that are shockproof and waterproof, and selected the products with the best features for each category.

These features included weight, housing material, dot MOA, shake-awake technologies, battery life, and overall size. We also strived to pick products that were reasonably priced. That said, there are a couple of products in our review that are higher priced, but we believe in these cases the products are worth the extra money.

Buyer’s Guide: How to Choose the Best Red Dot Sight

Trying to choose the perfect red dot sight can be a little frustrating. There are so many red dot sights on the market and all of them are claiming to be the best. If you don’t know what to look for, choosing the one that will truly be best for you can be a bit daunting.

The good news is that we are here to help, and we will cover what to look for below. Additionally, here is a video that discusses how to choose the best red dot sight.

What Are the Advantages and Disadvantages of Red Dot Sights?

There are several advantages and disadvantages to using red dot sights. Let’s start with the advantages.

One of the biggest advantages is the fast target acquisition. If the sight is parallax free, all the user has to do is put the dot on the target and pull the trigger. They don’t even have to be lined up properly on the gun.

They are also easy to use in low-light hunting, target shooting, or self-defense situations. There’s not much more frustrating than lining up on a target only to find out you can’t see your sights. Red dot sights solve this problem.

There are a few disadvantages to red dot sights. First, they are best used for close to mid-range shooting. At further distances, there are better options like fixed or variable power scopes. Another disadvantage to red dots is that you need to remember to replace batteries or at least keep a spare with you in case they start to die.

Additionally, red dot sights can be difficult for people with eye disorders to use. They are also mechanical devices, and all mechanical devices are prone to failure.

What to Look for in Red Dot Sights

Red dot sights come with many different features, but there are a few that you should pay extra attention to when deciding which one is right for you.

1. Battery life is extremely important unless you don’t mind consistently replacing batteries and having your red dot sight dying on you. Try picking a sight that has around 50,000-hour battery life.
2. Durability is of utmost importance. Look for a shockproof sight and pay close attention to what the sight housing is made of and the overall build of the sight. Trijicon, Holosun, and Aimpoint produce extremely well-made sights; there are other manufacturers as well. If you want maximum durability, try looking for a sight with its housing made from anodized aluminum.
3. Unless you know that you will never use the sight in a wet environment, then waterproofness should be placed high on the priority list. Luckily nearly all well-made red dot sights are also waterproof.
4. Last but not least, you should consider objective diameter when choosing your next red dot sight. The larger the objective, the easier it will be to see through the sight. The sight will collect more light and make it easier to acquire targets. Try looking for a sight with at least a 20mm diameter objective.

Lastly, there are some other features to consider when purchasing red dot sight. Like shake-awake technologies, dot color, and dot diameter. These are more of a personal preference, and I suggest testing a few out in the store to see what you like best.

What Are the Different Types of Red Dot Sights?

There are three main categories of red dot sights. First, is the reflex sight. Reflex sights use a  light source to shine the dot on the front lens of the sight and reflect it back to the user’s eye.

Second, are holographic sights. These sights are the most complicated and use a laser to project the reticle to the front of the sight.

Third, prism sights use prisms to reflect the reticle back to the shooter and have the reticle etched into the glass.

FAQs

Conclusion

Choosing a red dot sight can be difficult and typically, buyers go through a little trial and error to find the perfect one. Hopefully, this review helps eliminate that trial and error. In this review, there’s a red dot sight for all budgets. You can even read our article on the best budget red dots to find even more affordable options.

The best thing is we already did the hard work for you by reviewing each product online and only including products with great reviews and features.

Don’t forget many of the sights can be used interchangeably on different guns. Just because one sight was selected as the best choice for a specific category doesn’t mean it won’t work with another; it almost certainly will.

Our favorite red dot sight is also one of the most expensive, but for good reason. The Aimpoint CompM4s rocks, and we know it won’t ever let you down. If you need something that costs a little less check out the Holosun HE510C-GR  or for even less money, the Romeo5 1x20mm.

Hopefully, this review helped you select the perfect red dot sight for your shotgun and gets you on the range or in the woods faster than doing it alone.