It’s never been a better time to be a consumer in the gun industry. It seems like every day we get a new product, with new manufacturers popping up constantly. While many of these products are high quality, there’s also a large portion of the market made up of less than stellar offerings. As with many other industries, I often see conversations regarding the origin of the products we purchase. Whether our dollars are going towards our economy, our friend’s economies, or those that some may label as an adversary.
While we won’t get into the politics of foreign versus domestic purchases, we will touch on the subject today. In an effort to support American business, or at least our allies, I bring you this list. Today we’ll take a look at the best American and Western made optics for handguns in the current market.
Aimpoint is THE name in the red dot optic game. They’ve been an innovator in this space since the 1970s, and continue to do so today. Paul has written many articles about the evolution of their optics over time, and we’ve both written praise of their modern offerings as well. From the military to concealed carry, people put their trust in Aimpoint. While Aimpoint is not an American company, their Swedish origins are aligned with the US, and they’ve been a supplier for our military for many years.
I fully credit the Aimpoint ACRO P1 with getting me into the PMO game. I had tried a budget optic back in 2017, but it never quite “clicked” for me. Then at SHOT Show 2019 I tried the ACRO P1 during Range Day, and instantly things fell into place for me. As soon as the P1 was available, I purchased one, then sent my slide to ATEI to have it mounted. While the P1 received some criticism for it’s short battery life, Trijicon made some changes and released the P2 back in 2021. This improved battery life dramatically, reprofiled the housing slightly, and added a few other changes.
I’ve been using the same P1 since 2019 and it’s been rock solid. Paul has a fleet of P2s on a variety of guns, and has similar luck. We’re both of the opinion that the Aimpoint ACRO is the best full size, enclosed emitter, optic on the market today. It sits as one of our top two PMOs currently available.
Aimpoint once again surprised us in 2025 with a new optic, the COA. This is a shrunk-down closed emitter optic designed for slimline guns like the G48, that also functions well on full size duty pistols such as the G19. It uses a unique mounting system which features an integral rear sight helping to keep the optic in place. Currently Aimpoint is working hand-in-hand with Glock to provide factory configured guns for law enforcement, though a few COA’s made their way to consumers briefly after release.
Paul and I had the opportunity to try the COA during SHOT Show 2025, and came away impressed. Luckily, Primer Peak writer Sean, and our friend Erick Gelhaus have put serious time into the COA, and have reviews of their own. While the COA is hard to come by right now, it seems to check a lot of boxes for those looking for a compact closed emitter optic.
Trijicon is one of the kings of the Micro Red Dot Sight (MRDS), or Pistol Mounted Optic (PMO) world. While they were not the first to do it, they were one of the first to offer a truly reliable product. While they may not be the quickest to bring new concepts to market today, their innovations are what some other brands stand on the shoulders of. With a wide range of offerings, Trijicon likely has a compact optic to suit most people’s needs. I consider them to be the leader in American made optics, and one of the top two for Western options. They’re certainly the go-to in my book for an American made red dot sight.
The Ruggized Micro Reflex, or RMR, is what I picture when I think of a red dot sight. This icon has been serving citizens and servicemembers for a long time, and shows no signs of going away. The Trijicon RMR was my first “real” optic, going on top of a gen4 Glock 17 in early 2019, and it’s still there today. While the bottom mounted battery adds some difficulty to replacing them, I’ve found that to not be much of a problem if your mount is solid. Zero almost always needs just one click to get right back on the money at 25 yards. In addition to that, I’ve had Duracell batteries last literal years in the RMR, with each swap being preemptive rather than necessary. My current record is over 3 years on the same battery, still going strong.
Sure, the Trijicon RMR is not the most modern optic on the list, but they’re damn good. I’m partial to the RM06, which is about as iconic as it gets, with adjustable brightness and a 3.25MOA reticle. If you’re not quite sure what you want, this is always a safe bet. They’re bomb proof, batteries last forever, and the price is moderate. To this day, I consider the Trijicon RMR to be the best open-emitter optic on the market, and one of the top two “full size” optics currently available.
When Trijicon released the Specialized Reflex Optic, or SRO, the world was floored. For years it was Leupold who owned the “big” optic market, with Trijicon sticking with their bat-shaped RMR. This felt like a direct competitor to the DPP, with a big window, top-mounted battery, and Trijicon’s reputation for durability. While the SRO isn’t quite as tough as it’s smaller brother, it’s stood up to the test of time, and has gotten a solid reputation for itself. While it was slated as a “gamer” optic for a few years, it has largely shed that reputation, and now finds itself in duty and concealment holsters across the nation.
I ran with the Trijicon SRO for several months, and found it quite easy to use. My one complaint is it falls victim to a significant false dot when facing towards or away from low angle sun. If that doesn’t bother you, then the SRO might be for you. Battery life is stellar, durability is good, and battery changes are a breeze. Prices are a little higher for the SRO, but it enjoys great popularity despite this.
The RMRcc is like an RMR that just got out of the pool. It’s small, but that’s not a bad thing. This optic is designed for use on slimline guns such as the Glock 48 or a 1911. It’s everything that the RMR is, but scaled down just a bit. Surprisingly, it still uses the same 2032 battery as its older brother, which allows it the same impressive battery life despite the smaller size.
Unfortunately, the RMRcc came a little late to the party, and missed out on become the standard optic footprint in its size, unlike the standard RMR. You’ll need an adapter plate or custom work to slap the RMRcc on most pistols. Despite that, I think the RMRcc is the best optic in its category. While I don’t have one in inventory, I’ve loved the ones I’ve shot, and Paul has had great success with his examples.
After a few years with no activity, Trijicon surprised us with two new optics back in 2023, the RCR and the RMR-HD. The RMR-HD is effectively a hybrid of the RMR and SRO, with a few additional features. You get a larger window and top mounted battery from the SRO, and the durable shaping of the RMR. In short, this is what people had been asking for for years. As an added bonus, Trijicon added a light sensor for automatic brightness adjustment, which is virtually unparalleled in quality to this day.
I don’t have much time on the RMR-HD, but I’ve seen nothing but positive commentary on the optic.
The RCR was a bit of a surprise when it first came out. Finally Trijicon had jumped into the closed emitter market, which people had been waiting for since the release of the ACRO P1. In an even more surprising move, the RCR maintains the same footprint as the RMR, meaning no new plates or slide cuts would be necessary to “upgrade”. This is made possible through a unique mounting system, the likes of which many had never seen. In short, this is a fully-enclosed RMR. Unfortunately, Trijicon was a little late once again, which allowed many competitors to move in on the closed-emitter market, leaving the RCR taking up the rear.
I picked up my own Trijicon RCR in mid-2025 to see what the optic was all about, placing it on my Beretta A300 shotgun. Initial impressions are positive, but I won’t speak to it too much, as my experience is still fairly limited. That said, my friends Erick Gelhaus, and Frank Woods have both been impressed with their samples.
While Steiner has had a variety of rifle oriented optics and lasers available for quite some time, they’re one of the newer entrants into the MRDS/PMO market. It was 2021 when their MPS was first revealed, and I got my hands on one in early 2022 to see how it compared to other offerings. Much like Aimpoint, Steiner is not an American company. Headquartered in Germany, and owned by Beretta Holdings, Steiner is firmly planted in the US military and law enforcement scene.
The Steiner MPS is one of the few direct competitors to the Aimpoint ACRO on the market today. At the time, it stood virtually alone, looking to take on the king of the closed emitter PMO. With a wider window, top mounted battery, and a lower price point, things were looking good. I slapped an MPS on my G19 to see how it stacked up, and was a little unimpressed at first. Battery life is comparable to a P1, and I found the battery change to be less than stellar. Later, I moved the MPS to my Beretta A300 shotgun, and my opinion changed dramatically. I think this dot shines on the long gun, and its held up to recoil with no issue. Swapping the battery cap to one from OP Engineering has also taken away my one major complaint about the optic.
I would love to see a “Gen2” of the MPS to improve battery life and the battery cap. I think this could be a great market competitor with just a little love. While the Steiner MPS has never been terribly popular, I think it’s a decent choice, especially when paired with a long gun.
Leupold is more widely known for the magnified optics and binoculars, but they’re no strangers to the red dot market. Their DeltaPoint series was one of the first MRDS/PMOs that I became familiar with, well over a decade ago. While they’re no longer a go-to option for many, I think they’re still worth consideration. Leupold is a long time American company, starting in Oregon over 100 years ago by a pair of German immigrants.
Leupold’s market share has been declining in the red dot space for several years. I remember when people would fight over “Which is best: RMR or DPP?” online, like 45 vs 9mm debates. The DeltaPoint Pro was the second optic I put serious use into, mounting it atop an FN 509T back in early 2019. Battery changes were more convenient than the competition, and the window was huge. Durability wasn’t quite as impressive, but overall the DPP was a respected optic. My review was positive.
It’s not often that I see a DeltaPoint Pro mounted on someone’s pistol nowadays. When I do see them, there’s a bit of surprise, along with nostalgia in my heart. While they’re certainly no longer cutting edge, Leupold has upgraded them over time to improve durability and compatibility with night vision. The Leupold DeltaPoint Pro is still a solid choice, with good features and a moderate price.
Primary Arms likely isn’t the first name people think of when it comes to Western and American optics. However, in January of 2025, PA announced the PLx HTX-1. The PLx HTX-1 is Primary Arm’s first, all-Western made PMO. It’s a compact, closed emitter optic that features a modular mounting system, and all of its components are made either in the USA or Germany, with assembly taking place in Texas. This is a feature that’s been highly touted in marketing, with some claiming it to be the “most American red dot” on the market. While I won’t dive into those comments, it’s good to see more products being built by America and its allies.
I haven’t had any range time on the HTX-1, nor have I seen anyone I trust get their hands on one as of this writing. With this in mind, we’ll keep it in the “honorable mention” category, and keep our eyes on things for later. Primary Arms is based out of Texas, with product lines coming out of China, the Philippines, Japan, along with their new HTX-1 production line in the USA.
We have a lot of options for pistol mounted optics when it comes to Western and American made products. While none of these are “budget” brands, there’s a level of “you get what you pay for” when it comes to things like these. I’ve owned a variety of Eastern and Western optics, and there’s a clear winner when it comes to quality, durability, and reliability. While some people may be willing to save a few bucks for their range toys, I try my best to invest in quality when it comes to my defensive firearms. Having my optic fail unexpectedly is not something I want to happen on the worst day of my life.
Check out our included reviews included above, and see which optic is best for you.
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