Under £300 you can buy a genuinely capable red dot from a maker that will still support it next year: for a rifle, the SIG ROMEO5 Gen II or Holosun ARO EVO; for a full-size pistol, the Holosun HS507C X2 or HS407C X3; and for a slim pistol, the Holosun HS407K X2 or HS507K X2. All of them offer motion-activated power and battery life of 40,000 hours or more, and several add solar backup.
We chose the £300 line after counting every red, green and gold dot sight in our catalogue. Of 170 at the time of writing, 24 come in under £300, and the count jumps sharply just above it. This guide covers that group, what it gives you and what it does not. Prices correct at the time of writing; check the product page for the current price.
Key takeaways
- 24 of our 170 dot sights (14%) sit under £300; 54 more sit between £300 and £400.
- The band covers rifle and pistol, full-size and slim pistol footprints, and red, green and gold dots.
- Holosun's X3 pistol dots are rated at 100,000 hours of battery life, against 50,000 hours for the X2 versions.
- Most rifle dots in this band include a Picatinny mount; check its height before you order.
- What you give up is mainly housing toughness, glass quality and track record, not features.
Why £300?
We counted the active red, green and gold dot sights in our catalogue by price before choosing the band. Holographic sights and prism scopes are not included.
| Price band | Red | Green | Gold | Total | Share of 170 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Under £200 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1% |
| £200 to £249.99 | 8 | 2 | 3 | 13 | 8% |
| £250 to £299.99 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 10 | 6% |
| £300 to £399.99 | 22 | 22 | 10 | 54 | 32% |
| £400 to £699.99 | 40 | 20 | 7 | 67 | 39% |
| £700 and above | 25 | 0 | 0 | 25 | 15% |
An "under £200" guide would contain one sight. Under £300 there are 24, covering every main use, which makes it a real entry tier rather than a marketing band. Above £300 the choice more than doubles, mostly with larger-window, enclosed and competition models. For the very cheapest end, our best budget red dot sights guide concentrates on the 14 sights under £250.
What you get at this level
- Multi-year battery life with motion activation. SIG rates the ROMEO5 Gen II at 40,000 hours; Holosun rates its X2 pistol dots at 50,000 hours and its X3 dots at 100,000 hours.
- Solar backup on several models. Holosun's Solar Failsafe appears on the ARO EVO, HS407C and HS507C.
- Reticle choice. A 2 MOA dot for precision, a 6 MOA dot for speed, or a switchable circle-dot. Our red dot size chart shows what each covers in millimetres.
- A mount in the box on most of the rifle dots, so there is no hidden second purchase.
The sub-£300 sights we stock
Specifications below come from the makers' own product pages and our product titles. Four other sights in the band (three Holosun EPS CORE variants and the HE407C X2) were out of stock at the time of writing, so they are not listed.
| Sight | Best suited to | Reticle | Notable |
|---|---|---|---|
| Holosun ARO RD2 (FDE) | Rifle | 2 MOA dot | The lowest-priced dot sight we stock |
| Holosun ARO EVO | Rifle | 2 MOA dot | Solar Failsafe; includes 1.63 in and 1.05 in mounts |
| Holosun ARO EVO SPR | Rifle | 1.5 MOA dot, holdovers, 65 MOA circle | Holdovers calibrated by Holosun for M193 5.56 |
| SIG ROMEO5 Gen II | Rifle | 2 MOA dot | MOTAC, 40,000 hours |
| SIG ROMEO5 Gen II Elite | Rifle | Quad Ballistic Circle Dot 2.0 | 1 MOA centre dot; 1.41 in absolute co-witness mount |
| SIG ROMEO5XDR Gen II | Rifle | 2 MOA dot or circle-dot | Switchable reticle |
| Holosun HS407C X2 | Pistol, full-size | 2 MOA dot | RMR footprint, Solar Failsafe |
| Holosun HS407C X3 | Pistol, full-size | 2 MOA dot | RMR footprint, 100,000 hours |
| Holosun HS507C X2 | Pistol, full-size | 2 MOA dot and 32 MOA circle | RMR footprint, Solar Failsafe |
| Holosun HS507C X3 | Pistol, full-size | 2 MOA dot and 32 MOA circle | Current-generation 507C, 100,000 hours |
| Holosun HS407K X2 | Pistol, slim | 6 MOA dot | Holosun K footprint |
| Holosun HS507K X2 | Pistol, slim | 2 MOA dot and 32 MOA circle | Holosun K footprint |
| Primary Arms SLx RS-10R | Pistol or rifle | 3 MOA dot | RMR footprint; Picatinny mount included; 40,000 hours |
Green and gold dots, same money
Green and gold emitters no longer carry a big premium at this level. In the band and in stock at the time of writing: the SIG ROMEO5 Gen II green, Holosun HE507C X2, HE407K X2 and HE407C X3 in green, and the ARO EVO, HS407C X3 and ARO EVO SPR in gold. The green ARO EVO sits above the band. Our green vs red dot sights comparison covers when each colour works best.
UK note
Handguns with a barrel under 30 cm or an overall length under 60 cm, and self-loading centrefire rifles, are prohibited in England, Wales and Scotland under section 5 of the Firearms Act 1968. So in Britain, pistol dots are bought mainly by airsoft players, gallery-rifle and long-barrelled pistol shooters, holders of Section 5 authority, and shooters in Northern Ireland, where the prohibited-weapons list has no equivalent short-firearm ban. Sights themselves are not licensed; our guide to licences for scopes, red dots and torches explains the framework.
What you give up
- Housing toughness and glass. Pay more and you typically get stronger housings, clearer glass with less tint, and a longer service record.
- Emitter quality with astigmatism. If dots starburst for you, consider a prism scope instead; the cheapest we stock sit just over £300. See our astigmatism guide.
- Proven recoil tolerance. If the sight is going on a hard-recoiling shotgun, read what actually survives recoil first.
- Adjustment feel. Rifle dots here generally click in 0.5 MOA and pistol dots in 1 MOA; our MOA at distance chart converts that to millimetres.
Mounting: check the height and footprint
Rifle dots in this band usually include a Picatinny mount, but the height varies: 1.41 in (35.8 mm) absolute co-witness on the ROMEO5 Gen II Elite, 1.63 in (41.4 mm) lower 1/3 on the ARO EVO. The mount height chart is worth ten minutes before you order. Pistol dots depend on the slide's footprint: RMR for the HS407C and HS507C, Holosun's K footprint for the HS407K and HS507K. Our footprint compatibility chart shows which fits which. If your rifle has an 11 mm dovetail rather than a Picatinny rail, none of these will clamp to it directly.
Expert tip
On a rifle, the ROMEO5 Gen II and ARO EVO both use 0.5 MOA clicks and include mounts, so the real decision is the reticle and the height. If you want a circle for fast close shots, look at the ROMEO5XDR Gen II or the ARO EVO SPR rather than paying more for a larger optic.
Frequently asked questions
Is a red dot under £300 good enough for real use?
For target shooting, practical disciplines, rimfire and airsoft, yes. The band now includes multi-year battery life, motion activation and reticle choice; the premium tier mainly adds housing strength, glass quality and a longer track record.
Why does this guide stop at £300 rather than £200?
Because we counted. Only one of our 170 dot sights is under £200, while 24 are under £300 at the time of writing.
Which is the best rifle red dot under £300?
For most people, the SIG ROMEO5 Gen II or Holosun ARO EVO. Both have 2 MOA dots, motion activation and an included mount; the ARO EVO adds solar backup.
What dot size should I pick?
2 MOA for rifles and precision, 6 MOA for speed on a slim pistol, or a circle-dot if you want both. A 2 MOA dot covers about 58 mm at 100 m.
Shop this guide
- Rifle Dot Sights — ROMEO5, ARO EVO and more for Picatinny rails
- Pistol Dot Sights — RMR and K footprint optics
- Green Dot Sights — green emitters, several under £300
- Holosun Optics — most of the sub-£300 band
