Nicolas Lenze 03.16.23
Purple dots have develop into so commonplace and dependable that even grandpappy is placing one on his hip iron (and I don’t imply the iron inside his hip). There are such a lot of benefits to crimson dots, with pace and accuracy being on the prime of that record. As carry weapons pattern towards being slim, crimson dots have adopted go well with. At this time, now we have a model new slimline crimson dot from Vortex Optics. That is the Defender CCW micro crimson dot.
Vortex protection on OutdoorHub
The Vortex Defender CCW: Specs
- Size: 1.59”
- Weight: .95 oz
- Footprint: Protect RMS
- Dot dimension: 3 MOA, 6 MOA
- Brightness settings: 10
- Battery sort: CR1632
- MSRP: $249.99
Getting Into It
I don’t care about packaging however I do discover when it’s performed effectively. Vortex has been killing it with its presentation. The field is sensible as a result of it has specs written on the perimeters. It’s massive sufficient to comprise and shield the Defender. It’s additionally sufficiently small that it doesn’t really feel like area is wasted. On prime of that, it simply seems to be actually good. Opening the field revealed the Defender CCW hooked up to the included Picatinny rail mount. It additionally got here with a nifty instrument, which I at all times admire.
The Defender has handbook brightness controls, which is my choice. There are easy up and down arrows on the left and proper sides respectively. That is the model with the 6 MOA dot, which may be very crisp. The Quick-Rack texturing is pretty aggressive and made me surprise why no person had thought so as to add that function earlier than.
I mounted the dot on my Springfield Armory Hellcat Professional and took it to the vary.
Take It To The Streets: Carrying The Defender CCW
As a carry gun will get larger, it is smart that it will develop into unwieldy. Including an optic actually makes the general footprint of a handgun bigger, however the dimension and placement of the Defender made it disappear as if it wasn’t there. Most of that is because of my belt and holster, however the crimson dot is sized appropriately for its objective.
Seeing Purple: Utilizing The Defender CCW Micro Purple Dot
I needed to check the Defender earlier than I trusted it sufficient to hold in public. After zeroing the dot, I ran a number of drills from concealment.
The window dimension was noticeably bigger than my present crimson dot. Particularly, it feels taller, which is nice for dropping your dot in from the 12 o’clock place, as taught by Scott Jedlinski. The crispness of the dot was additionally very obvious. I’ve used different dots that simply seem like a vibrant blur. The dot on the Defender CCW is a transparent circle. It was troublesome getting a superb image of the dot’s dimension, however this picture nonetheless captures the clear edges.
The Quick-Rack texture on the face of the Defender is supposed to be greater than beauty. Although I don’t have any scientific check knowledge to show it, I consider that the feel did make it simpler to rack off of my belt and different surfaces. I didn’t do a direct comparability to optics with slick fronts, however the lack of slips from my belt whereas racking was notable.
Sum It Up, Bro!
To sum it up, the Vortex Defender CCW is a strong performer, particularly for a sub $300 optic. The window dimension offers you a bit of further, as a substitute of attempting to be probably the most compact carry crimson dot on the market. I admire the thought put into the form and options. The Quick-Rack texture surrounding the entrance of the lens is a really cool addition. Even when it hadn’t really helped, it certain seems to be cool.
Whereas this wouldn’t be the perfect crimson dot for an extended gun or PCC, the included Picatinny mount provides great worth, must you solely have the ability to afford one crimson dot at this level in your life. I’m glad that Vortex selected the Protect RMS sample. The choices you achieve with a plate mounting system are cool, however direct mount is cooler. I see many extra slimline weapons with a local Protect sample than another.
In my thoughts, shake awake is obligatory at this level within the crimson dot revolution, and I’m joyful to see it included right here. I acquired nowhere close to the marketed 9,500-hour battery life, however I alter my batteries typically sufficient that I’m not too anxious about exceeding the restrict. Oh, and did I neglect to say this nifty little instrument that comes within the field? This factor is so cool, I’m operating all around the home, searching for different methods to make use of it.
If it feels like I’m gushing, I assume I form of am. I perceive the advantages of shopping for a “higher-tier” optic, however the associated fee isn’t price it for me. I can’t see myself spending $500 on a crimson dot. I can, nevertheless, spend half of that. Because it has the Vortex title on the field, I do know that I’m getting a strong, dependable product. I’ve had no issues with any of the Vortex gear I’ve used, aside from killing the battery on a Strikefire II. The bang for the buck right here is big, and I’m joyful to see Vortex take a slice of the pie.
To study extra, head to the Vortex Optics web site. You’ll want to observe them on their social media pages. Vortex might be discovered on Fb, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube. Keep secure on the market!
