In the 1980’s Glock started selling pistols in the US, and they’ve been a household name ever since.
Glock has made innovations and changes to their lineup through the years to keep up with the desires and demands of the people.
One of the most recent examples of this was with the development of their Modular Optic System (MOS) slide.
The MOS slide is cut such that the pistol is already optics ready - meaning you can easily mount a reflex sight (red dot) to your handgun without having to have any gunsmithing work done to it.
Of course, now the question is, which optic is best for the Glock MOS?
Optics for GLOCK MOS Slimline
Glock has two types of MOS slides. The first is for their slimline offerings, such as the G43X MOS and the G48 MOS. These are cut specifically for micro optics with an RMSc platform, so no adapter plates are needed. Let’s talk about a few of those first.
This year Vortex added a new line to the reflex sight options - the Defender series. There are three sizes available. The largest is the Defender XL, then the Defender ST, and the smallest is the Defender CCW.
This red dot is designed specifically for concealed carry with its smaller, more streamlined profile. The rugged body features aggressive texturing on the front surface for racking the slide on any surface with one hand. And, it comes with either a 3 MOA or 6 MOA red dot.
SPECS & FEATURES
- Made from 7075 aluminum for durability
- 8 daylight brightness settings w/two NV compatible settings
- Motion activation with 10-min battery shut off
- Estimated 9,500 hours of battery run time
The next Glock MOS ready optic is one of the newest optics from Riton is the 3 Tactix MPRD (Micro Pistol Red Dot) 3. The quality of the HD glass is clear with a good-sized viewing window and a lot of adjustability.
One of my favorite things about this red dot, though, is that the 3 Tactix MPRD 3 has three reticle options within the same optic. You can cycle between a red dot, red circle, or red circle dot, so you should be able to get it set up how you like.
SPECS & FEATURES
- Made from 6061-T6 aluminum alloy for durability
- 8 daylight brightness settings
- Motion activation technology
- Estimated 50,000 hours of battery life
Shield RMSc Reflex Mini Sight Compact
Since the platform is built around this sight, you can assume these are a pretty solid option for the Glock MOS line. Of all of the sights we’ve discussed, my favorite aspect of this one is the auto brightness setting. It’s nice to know the brightness of the reticle will be exactly where you need it to be when you need it.
The Shield RMSc can be purchased with either glass or acrylic lenses that do not have a red reflective filter, which minimizes the red dare you sometimes see with other red dots. It also comes in several color options. And the Shield RMSc also comes with either a 4 MOA or 8 MOA red dot.
SPECS & FEATURES
- Made from aerospace grade aluminum for durability
- Auto brightness adjustment
- Motion-activation technology
- Estimated 2-3 years battery life
Sig states the RomeoZero is the fastest and most accurate ultra-compact sight available. It boasts a texturized polymer body with a SpectraCoat HD Polymer lens, for durability and clarity.
Overall, the size is nice and compact. The shape of the Sig RomeoZero also allows for a good sized viewing window and easy target acquisition. And, it has posts on the rear that provide the ability to co-witness with your Glock’s iron sights.
SPECS & FEATURES
- WeaponsGrade™ Ultralite Polymer housing
- 8 daylight brightness settings
- MOTAC™ (Motion Activated Illumination System) that turns on with motion
- Estimated 20,000 hours of run time
Optics for Glock MOS Standard
Glock also has 12 additional handgun models that are now available to the public with the MOS slide. These come with an adapter plate that fits RMR platform sights like those from Trijicon, Holosun (except 509), and Ameriglo.
The next option for the Glock MOS system is the Trijicon RMR. As stated, the standard MOS slides come with the adapter place that will work with these reflex sights. Trijicon is a higher-end optics company known for optics that can take a beating. The shape of the housing is even designed to direct impact forces away from the lens, so this may be your best option if you’re really hard on your gear.
The Trijicon RMR Type 2 has many options available. They offer one with adjustable reticle brightness options using push buttons. A second option is similar to the Shield we mentioned earlier in that brightness automatically adjusts. Then they have their Dual-Illuminated reflex sight, which is a very cool option if you don’t want to deal with batteries. It uses fiber optics and tritium to illuminate the optic instead of an LED. Plus under each of those categories are more choices in terms of dot size.
SPECS & FEATURES
- Made from forged aluminum for durability
- Auto brightness, adjustable brightness, or Dual-illumination options
- Over 4 years of continuous use battery life
Holosun is another very well-known optics company with a reputation for quality. The 507K X2 is another sight that fits that description well. This red dot also offers the option to choose between three reticles: dot, circle, or circle dot.
An additional feature that is nice with the 507K is that you can use lock mode. This means that you can set it so you don’t accidentally change settings by inadvertently hitting a button.
SPECS & FEATURES
- Made from 7075 aluminum for durability
- 10 daylight brightness settings w/two NV compatible settings
- Shake awake technology
- Estimated 9,500 hours of battery run time
One of the greatest features of the Gideon Omega is the large viewing window with the rounded top. At first it may look a little odd because it is different from most you see on the market, but that’s my favorite thing about it.
That window makes finding the dot and seeing your target very easy. That, of course, also makes getting back on target much faster after taking a shot. Reticle options include a red dot, green dot, red circle dot, and a green circle dot.
SPECS & FEATURES
- Made from 7075-T6 aluminum for durability
- 8 daylight brightness settings w/two NV compatible settings
- Short-term shake awake - with deep sleep mode requiring a button push after 12 hours of inactivity
- Estimated 50,000 hours of battery life
The 3 Tactix PRD 3 from Riton Optics is very similar to the 3 Tactix MPRD 3 but with a larger profile and viewing window. It also has an RMR footprint, so it is designed more for larger handguns than the MPRD 3.
Just like the MPRD 3, this optic has three reticle options, including the dot, circle, or circle dot. It also has the motion detection feature that allows you to be ready when you need it most instead of worrying with an on-off switch.
SPECS & FEATURES
- Made from 6061-T6 aluminum alloy for durability
- 8 daylight brightness settings
- Motion-activation technology
- Estimated 50,000 hours of battery life
These aren’t the only red dots you can use with your Glock MOS pistol. Adapter plates can be purchased that will make your Glock MOS compatible with a number of other reflex sight offerings, including some from Burris, Meopta, Docter, Leupold, and Eotech.
Glock knew what they were doing when they designed the MOS option for their well-known handguns. Now, you just need to choose which pistol and which red dot you want to go with.