Why Are Red Dot Sights So Expensive

Red dot sights help shooters to aim better with their guns. Some people wonder why they cost so much. Here's what we learned from a Quora forum and based on personal experience:

Not All Are Expensive: Some red dot sights are cheap. But, cheap ones might not be good in certain performance metrics. Currently, there are plenty of affordable red dot sight options on the market compared to 20 years ago. Click here to browse affordable red dot sights

Use and Care: Red dot sights are often used on guns that get bumped and banged a lot. They are not as tough as guns. So, if you spend a lot of money on one and it breaks, it can be disappointing

Material Cost: While most cheap red dot sights use 6061 T6 aluminum material. They can withstand recoil and maintain zero for the most part. However, when using forged 7075 T6 aluminum material, the cost of the red dot sight significantly increases. 

Price Range: Some people think spending more than $300 on a red dot sight is too much. They feel it's better to spend less so if it breaks, they don't lose too much money. 

Brands and Middleman markups: Companies like Aimpoint and Trijicon make great red dot sights. They charge $500 to $600 because of their reputation, market monopoly, and costs like high American labor, additional quality control and middleman fees.

Higher costs might come from where you buy items. Some stores don't get the best deals and raise prices to make money. We suggest buying from OpticsPlanet, PSA, Scheels or Primary Arms. They get products directly and keep prices low.

Color Preference: Some people don't like red dots. They prefer green dots because red dots can be hard to see sometimes. However, these features generally don't influence the cost that much

Different Brands: There are many brands of red dot sights. Some are more expensive than others. Some brands are known to be better quality such as combat rated red dot sights go though additional testing and quality control. These labor costs are added to the price tag

Features: Red dot sights with special features, like built-in motion sensors and long battery life. They cost more because of the money spent on making and researching them. This feature has become standard in many red dot sights today.

In the end, everyone has their own choice. It's important to look around and find the best one for you. And remember, just because it's expensive doesn't mean it's the best! One thing to remember is that if you're paying for high end brands, you are going to pay more.