This past weekend I was able to obtain the new Leupold Deltapoint 2 3.0 MOA Mini RDS and wanted to post this for people who need help deciding. Before I go in to extreme detail let me give you some background as to who what when where and why. The three weapons used in this setup with thier rds mounts are:
Browning BuckMark Black Label with Match Barrel and Gold trigger running Burris Fast Fire III 3.0 MOA.
FN Five-Seven MKII with EA Accurizing and Threaded Barrel Running Trijicon RMR 06 3.5MOA RDS
FN Tactical 45 with Custom Trigger and running the Leupold Deltapoint 2 3.0 MAO RDS.
I would like to add the FN Tactical 45 I bought came with the Deltapoint ver 1 7MOA sight. I bought it from a dealer this way as a complete package, but was never a huge fan of the 7 MOA sight. For some people who shot my weapon system they found the larger sight helped a lot with target acquisition. Which it does if you are NOT USED to running an RDS. However once you have fired thousands of rounds and practiced with an RDS moving to a smaller more accurate site is best. Having used optics for over a decade, and using red dots in combat, found that the larger sight was more annoying than useful. Now on to the details.
Night vision use. I found ALL 3 work with night vision. Trijicon RMR is the clearest when it comes to being viewed through night vision. The deltapoint is the easiest to to locate the target with.
How I tested ease of target acquisition. I had my wife, my brother, and two Marine buddies of mine come along with me, and we all took turns shooting with it. I used a 3M competition timer, shooting at targets from 3 yards to 50 yards. Steel man targets, paper targets, and clays set in clay holders. How I tested parallax, was by putting the weapons in a vice like benchrest used for setting up sights. How I tested relectivity, well I had someone point the unloaded weapon in different directions while looking at them with the sun in different directions.
Deltapoint 1 vs 2. Second gen is lighter. The auto brightness sensor is a little better. I found that its better at adjusting to the target area, not just the area you are in. It also seems tougher. The benefit of this sight, is its size. Its a little faster to acquire the point of aim than the others. No quality build problems, and the motion sensor is great feature. When it comes to reflectivity, this is a good, but not flawless sight. This is where the Trijicon beats it. The anti-reflection coating on the trijicon is better. This sights plus is its the fastest to locate a target with out of the three, and it comes with the most mounting options out of the box. Parallax error is minimal, I tested from a vice grip bench rest. I was able to hit clay targets set in a stand at 50 yards no problem. This is also the lightest of the 3. This is good for hunting, and personal protection. I wouldnt use it for an every day carry. Also its auto on/off with a 5 min inactivity timer. So if you set it by your bed, it will turn on when you pick it up. If your carrying it, it will stay on with every movement. The first gen had this as well. This is also designed to be used with leupold scopes top mounted.
Trijicon RMR 06. This sight is the toughest, and cleanest. I found the dot to be the least distorted or likely to be distorted out of the three. Also because the glass is a little smaller, you get less error in the paralax. This sight is the most night vision friendly, the toughest out of the 3, and is the heaviest. This feels and looks like its a beast. This sight is best suited for concealed carry, or duty use. Its smaller, and more rugged than the other two. It is a little harder to use than the other two, as you dont have as big a viewing plane. This is very easily over come by practice though. So if you choose this one, dont be discouraged if you have trouble getting on target at first. Practice will fix this. This is a really good sight for every day duty use. It really does feel like its the toughest. This one also has the most brightness settings. Where the Burris has only 3 and an auto this one has 8 and an auto. Being used to firing red dots I dont find the this one any harder to use, however others who are not used to handguns with them found this one took some practice to get used to. Once you get that muscle memory thats no longer an issue.
Burris Fast Fire III 3 MOA. This just happens to weigh exactly in the middle of the other two. Dont know why it just does. It also seems to be the flimsiest. Granted its half the price of the Deltapoint 2 and 1/3 the cost of the Trijicon. As far as the sight goes, they really improved the auto adjust on the brightness. It has a forward mounted sensor which you aim at the target. I tested this sight by standing in a dark shed, and aiming at a target in the bright 101 degree sun. It adjusted the brightness well enough you could see the dot cleanly. It does come with a sun shield out of the box. Parallax error is the greatest in this sight. When I say greatest I dont mean a lot though. I was shooting clay targets with it no problem, and speed firing. This red dot is easier to acquire than the Trijicon but not as easy as the Leupold. The metal has a soft feel to it. By that I mean in the first day it was easily scratched with tools. Much much easier than the other two which still look new. This tells me its a lot easier to break (they sell a guarded mount for it). As far as use, if you have experience with a red dot, its not a big deal to use. Its well suited for target pistols like .22s and such, but I would not put one on a carry or personal protection handgun. This sights anti-relective coating is not great at all. This one has the least number of setttings. This has a 45 degree cant kit you can buy. as a backup sight for an AR. This does require you buy the protective kit (not really as tough as the others).
So the short and simple. For a target handgun, or one that isnt going to save your life, burris fast fire III. Its a good sight, with decent acquisition speed. Its limited on the number of brightness settings, isnt really tough, and the anti reflection coating I wouldnt even use while hunting. The Leupold is a great all around sight. I wouldn't use it for every day carry, but its got a decent amount of brightness settings, plus auto. Its got an auto on/off timer which will run the batter down if your using every day for duty, but if its for concealed carry isnt going to be the biggest issues. For at home defense in a bedside safe, its perfect, as you wont forget to turn it on. Its also the fastest out of the 3 for acquistion of targets making it ideal for those who dont have thousands of hours behind an RDS. The Trijicon while the toughest of the 3 is also the hardest to use for beginners. Its got the best anti-reflective coating, the best auto brightness, and the most settings when it comes it brightness that you want to set yourself. The Leupold and Trijicon are designed to be scope mounted, and compatible with their companies products. The Trijicon I would use if I was going to carry every single day all day long for duty. Its the toughest, and the most versatile. If I could only choose one however, and didnt have a fortune to spend, it would be the Deltapoint 2 at 3.0 MOA. The 7MOA is just to much after you get used to using an RDS.
Browning BuckMark Black Label with Match Barrel and Gold trigger running Burris Fast Fire III 3.0 MOA.
FN Five-Seven MKII with EA Accurizing and Threaded Barrel Running Trijicon RMR 06 3.5MOA RDS
FN Tactical 45 with Custom Trigger and running the Leupold Deltapoint 2 3.0 MAO RDS.
I would like to add the FN Tactical 45 I bought came with the Deltapoint ver 1 7MOA sight. I bought it from a dealer this way as a complete package, but was never a huge fan of the 7 MOA sight. For some people who shot my weapon system they found the larger sight helped a lot with target acquisition. Which it does if you are NOT USED to running an RDS. However once you have fired thousands of rounds and practiced with an RDS moving to a smaller more accurate site is best. Having used optics for over a decade, and using red dots in combat, found that the larger sight was more annoying than useful. Now on to the details.
Night vision use. I found ALL 3 work with night vision. Trijicon RMR is the clearest when it comes to being viewed through night vision. The deltapoint is the easiest to to locate the target with.
How I tested ease of target acquisition. I had my wife, my brother, and two Marine buddies of mine come along with me, and we all took turns shooting with it. I used a 3M competition timer, shooting at targets from 3 yards to 50 yards. Steel man targets, paper targets, and clays set in clay holders. How I tested parallax, was by putting the weapons in a vice like benchrest used for setting up sights. How I tested relectivity, well I had someone point the unloaded weapon in different directions while looking at them with the sun in different directions.
Deltapoint 1 vs 2. Second gen is lighter. The auto brightness sensor is a little better. I found that its better at adjusting to the target area, not just the area you are in. It also seems tougher. The benefit of this sight, is its size. Its a little faster to acquire the point of aim than the others. No quality build problems, and the motion sensor is great feature. When it comes to reflectivity, this is a good, but not flawless sight. This is where the Trijicon beats it. The anti-reflection coating on the trijicon is better. This sights plus is its the fastest to locate a target with out of the three, and it comes with the most mounting options out of the box. Parallax error is minimal, I tested from a vice grip bench rest. I was able to hit clay targets set in a stand at 50 yards no problem. This is also the lightest of the 3. This is good for hunting, and personal protection. I wouldnt use it for an every day carry. Also its auto on/off with a 5 min inactivity timer. So if you set it by your bed, it will turn on when you pick it up. If your carrying it, it will stay on with every movement. The first gen had this as well. This is also designed to be used with leupold scopes top mounted.
Trijicon RMR 06. This sight is the toughest, and cleanest. I found the dot to be the least distorted or likely to be distorted out of the three. Also because the glass is a little smaller, you get less error in the paralax. This sight is the most night vision friendly, the toughest out of the 3, and is the heaviest. This feels and looks like its a beast. This sight is best suited for concealed carry, or duty use. Its smaller, and more rugged than the other two. It is a little harder to use than the other two, as you dont have as big a viewing plane. This is very easily over come by practice though. So if you choose this one, dont be discouraged if you have trouble getting on target at first. Practice will fix this. This is a really good sight for every day duty use. It really does feel like its the toughest. This one also has the most brightness settings. Where the Burris has only 3 and an auto this one has 8 and an auto. Being used to firing red dots I dont find the this one any harder to use, however others who are not used to handguns with them found this one took some practice to get used to. Once you get that muscle memory thats no longer an issue.
Burris Fast Fire III 3 MOA. This just happens to weigh exactly in the middle of the other two. Dont know why it just does. It also seems to be the flimsiest. Granted its half the price of the Deltapoint 2 and 1/3 the cost of the Trijicon. As far as the sight goes, they really improved the auto adjust on the brightness. It has a forward mounted sensor which you aim at the target. I tested this sight by standing in a dark shed, and aiming at a target in the bright 101 degree sun. It adjusted the brightness well enough you could see the dot cleanly. It does come with a sun shield out of the box. Parallax error is the greatest in this sight. When I say greatest I dont mean a lot though. I was shooting clay targets with it no problem, and speed firing. This red dot is easier to acquire than the Trijicon but not as easy as the Leupold. The metal has a soft feel to it. By that I mean in the first day it was easily scratched with tools. Much much easier than the other two which still look new. This tells me its a lot easier to break (they sell a guarded mount for it). As far as use, if you have experience with a red dot, its not a big deal to use. Its well suited for target pistols like .22s and such, but I would not put one on a carry or personal protection handgun. This sights anti-relective coating is not great at all. This one has the least number of setttings. This has a 45 degree cant kit you can buy. as a backup sight for an AR. This does require you buy the protective kit (not really as tough as the others).
So the short and simple. For a target handgun, or one that isnt going to save your life, burris fast fire III. Its a good sight, with decent acquisition speed. Its limited on the number of brightness settings, isnt really tough, and the anti reflection coating I wouldnt even use while hunting. The Leupold is a great all around sight. I wouldn't use it for every day carry, but its got a decent amount of brightness settings, plus auto. Its got an auto on/off timer which will run the batter down if your using every day for duty, but if its for concealed carry isnt going to be the biggest issues. For at home defense in a bedside safe, its perfect, as you wont forget to turn it on. Its also the fastest out of the 3 for acquistion of targets making it ideal for those who dont have thousands of hours behind an RDS. The Trijicon while the toughest of the 3 is also the hardest to use for beginners. Its got the best anti-reflective coating, the best auto brightness, and the most settings when it comes it brightness that you want to set yourself. The Leupold and Trijicon are designed to be scope mounted, and compatible with their companies products. The Trijicon I would use if I was going to carry every single day all day long for duty. Its the toughest, and the most versatile. If I could only choose one however, and didnt have a fortune to spend, it would be the Deltapoint 2 at 3.0 MOA. The 7MOA is just to much after you get used to using an RDS.
